dottyspots

N*stle have taken over the Day Chocolate Group - no more Dubble or Divine choccy for me then (oh and they also make the Co-op’s own brand of choccy): Link to the Guardian newspaper

It’s been a busy old time just trying to keep up with life! It seems that with the coming of the warm weather life takes an upswing and things get manic again So this is sort of a list of what we’ve been up to fairly recently:

Saturday: My first parcel from my Secret Pal (knitting) arrived. It was lovely to receive something in the post and the items were well picked, being a bar of Green & Blacks (not in the photo as I ate it before it had the chance to have its photo taken), 2 skeins of mohair boucle from the Natural Dye Studio, a pattern to make a scarf from the mohair, 2 copies of Gardeners World and a selection of organic veggie seeds for the lottie. In addition my Secret Pal had also sent a present for each of the children: sunflowers, different sorts based on his/her perceived idea of the children (e.g. Ned got ‘Teddy Bear’ as the sunflowers are small and round whilst R. got ‘Nature Walker’, etc.) Clearly a lot of thought went into the parcel! So thank you Secret Pal!

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In the evening we watched the Eurovision song contest (I wanted either Finland or Lithuania to win, so was pleased Finland got it!) We munched on a selection of dippee things with hummus and also some dolmades (sort of honouring the Greek thing as Eurovision was in Athens this year – plus I love dolmades!)

Thursday and Friday: I was working, J. (the little boy I look after – I am a registered childminder) is very *attached* and cries if he’s not carried or has me sitting directly next to him. As he only comes a couple of days a week for the morning it is a bit difficult for him to get used to me, but then that doesn’t exactly appear to be the problem - he likes me - unfortunately so much so that he cries if I try and do anything that doesn’t involve focussing attention on him (which is a little difficult with other children here). Still, we’re muddling along and he’s usually happy towards the end of the day with me and confident enough to toddle about and do his own thing. We went for a walk to the market and bought a couple of fresh pineapples amongst the usual local stuff. Two of Kris’ girls came for the afternoon, so Nin had a good day with lots of small people to play with.

Wednesday we went to town to get to the Farmer’s Market, bank some money and also pick up some stuff for the spoilee that I’m being Secret Pal to. Annoyingly the *nice shop* selling candles etc. wasn’t open, so I’ll need to find some bits and pieces elsewhere (we’re not really very well served for that sort of thing in town – and certainly not in the village). So I was a bit disappointed. We bought some more ‘Gruffalo’ cheese and I picked up a tin of okra salad which will be nice to try later on.

It was also the 17th May which is a day of celebration in Norway, although in rather un-Norwegian fashion we had a nice meal of a selection of Indian foods

Tuesday we went to the market before Sarah and Co. came round along with two of Kris’ girls (and Kris popped in for a bit too).

Monday we went to the allotment, something that is difficult to know with how busy it has been of late! Anyway, here are some updated pictures (we’ve done a lot of work down there!) They’re not up to date though, being older than the last time I went down there.

The nettles are rampant! R. has made a great compost bin (which I will take a photo of when I next remember to bring the camera with me).

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We’ve cleared quite a bit and got various bits planted - but actually this photo is a few weeks old and now the radishes, beetroot and broccoletto is coming up.

Must go so will blog more later!

…….. Norway’s Constitution Day a day Norwegians celebrate!

… plus a bonus photo of Erk & Ned:

Been a bit fed up of late, no particular reason (due to there being a number of reasonable reasons IYSWIM), but fed up. Worried about Erk at school. I though it was a bad idea to begin with, but bit my tongue because at 9 I believe he does get some sort of say over where his education takes place (where practical), I’m struggling against my own natural bias towards HE, but I can categorically say that I’m rather worried about his education at school.

It’s nothing to do with his teachers, they appear to be capable (and rather nice), but more to do with him and his rapidly waning enthusiasm. This is something different for us, Erk was always very enthusiastic at home and was at school (initially) but this appears to be going downhill very quickly. He’s clearly shattered when he gets in as he usually explodes and stomps off to bed. He ‘never’ has homework (rather he does, but of course he never brings it home - and I sort of see his point, but at the same time it was discussed at the time that if he decided to go to school then he had to abide by school rules - he knows what the options are and for him it’s home or school). He’s been fighting (?!) and he is being mouthier (than usual - he always has been a bit quick, ’tis true, but this is above and beyond and far as I’m concerned).

Of course we’ve discussed it. Of course we’ve asked whether there’s anything underlying the general disatisfaction. One teacher is persona non gratis, but we’ve explained that that in itself shouldn’t necessarily put him off (and that doing his homework would do a lot to get said teacher off his back, quite simple really)

*Anyway* I’m very very close to losing patience with it and pulling him out whether he likes it or not (perhaps that’s what he’s aiming for, to not make any decision but have it made for him - arrrrrrrgh I need to switch off the Devil’s Advocate switch in my brain). Dh is humphing because he says that my bias is getting in the way and that he worries about Erk being at home due to some rather awful fighting on the boys’ part which has resulted in us splitting them up bedroom-wise - which has seemed to improve matters a bit. The concern being that the bickering will get in the way of everything else. Anyone who knows my eldest will laugh at this as my eldest has no difficulty putting as many difficulties in his own path without the need for much aid from any of his siblings, so Erk being there makes very little difference on that front.

Erk says he wants to be home-educated but at the same time he also wants to stay at school (the reasons for school being his friends, the extra swimming lesson, science and his form tutor’s - the one he likes - jokes). No particular reason given for being at home except for the fact that he misses it and finds maths too easy and boring and he *could* see his friends after they’ve finished school for the day and at the weekend (essentially for the fun stuff). The suggestion has been that he sees it out to the end of the academic year and then decides over the summer holidays what he wants to do - but with the way things are going I’m rapidly getting to the bollocks to it, you’re coming out NOW! The only thing that’s stopping me so far is dh - his other reason being that what if Erk changes his mind again and wants to go back to school, what then? It would be very disruptive to keep swinging from school to HE and back again (another arrrrgh! from me and also who gave him the crystal ball to see Erk deciding to go back to school again in the future? Perhaps he wanted to see if it was any better than last time, decided that no it isn’t and that it is HE for him all the way? Oh and whilst we’re on the subject, how about dh actually being at home long enough to have a proper discussion about it in the first place. Humph).

We are still trying to get a re-referral back to CAMHS for R. Part of me wonders why as everything I’ve heard about the local CAMHS isn’t particular positive, but we have to do *something* as he is really struggling atm. I had a support-worker-sort-of-person from an organistation that organises activities etc. for children on the autistic spectrum (and also has some supported housing for adults who need it) who is able to write a supporting letter and can apparently harrass a bit on our behalf out a couple of days ago. The plan had been to discuss some of R.’s difficulties without R. being there (because really it is less stressful all round if that’s how it happens), unfortunately my MIL had an appt. come through that morning so R. could only stay for part of the time, came home and exploded. He was aware the meeting was taking place and had, eventually, voluntarily gone to MILs, but that wasn’t going to stop him going ballistic when he saw the support worker. Ho hum, I guess it just supports the re-referral really.

So rather stressed atm - and hardly surprising I feel a bit fed up.

On the plus side I’m working on a proposed ‘family learning group’ locally and will be having another meeting re. it on Wednesday and again the week after. So feeling positive about that

First seen on Sarah’s blog - so blame her

You entered: 4/18/1977

Your date of conception was on or about 26 July 1976 which was a Monday.
You were born on a Monday
under the astrological sign Aries.
Your Life path number is 1.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 9.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 8.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2443251.5.
The golden number for 1977 is 2.
The epact number for 1977 is 10.
The year 1977 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/18/1977 and ending 2/6/1978.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Snake.

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 10 April 1977.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 10 April 1977.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 23 February 1977.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 29 May 1977.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 5 June 1977.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 13 September 1977.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 3 April 1977.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 22 February 1977.

As of 5/3/2006 1:21:11 PM EDT
You are 29 years old.
You are 349 months old.
You are 1,515 weeks old.
You are 10,607 days old.
You are 254,581 hours old.
You are 15,274,881 minutes old.
You are 916,492,871 seconds old.

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 4.15146771037182 years old. (You’re still chasing cats!)

There are 350 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 30 candles.

Those 30 candles produce 30 BTUs,
or 7,560 calories of heat (that’s only 7.5600 food Calories!) .
You can boil 3.43 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1977 there were approximately 3.1 million births in the US.
In 1977 the US population was approximately 203,302,031 people, 57.4 persons per square mile.
In 1977 in the US there were approximately 2,152,662 marriages (10.1%) and 1,036,000 divorces (4.9%)
In 1977 in the US there were approximately 1,921,000 deaths (9.5 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

Your birthstone is Diamond
The Mystical properties of Diamond

Diamonds are said to increase personal clarity to help one see things clearly as well as be straight-forward and honest. Supposedly, the higher quality the diamond, the better it is supports these qualities.
Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Opal, Quartz, White Sapphire

Your birth tree is

Maple, Independence of Mind
No ordinary person, full imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-respect, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, many complexes, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

There are 236 days till Christmas 2006!
There are 249 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon’s phase on the day you were
born was new.

….. at Brodsworth Hall on Saturday.

It was a lovely day, after the initial worry of drizzle and grey skies. We’d not been there before and as we’ve had a bit of a hiccup on the car front (i.e. we no longer have a car that will seat all of us), the children and I went on the bus (Rik was working so even if we did have a big enough car he couldn’t have driven over).

To my surprise, after all this activity the boys wanted to go and look inside the house. Nin was tired and so was transferred into the pushchair and Ned into his sling (Nin swiftly fell asleep) and we explored inside (no photos allowed). It really is an interesting house - more so because English Heritage haven’t sort to restore it to it’s former glory, more it is faded and you can see something of how such grand houses decline. We learnt loads, not least because the boys asked loads of questions - but by the time we got upstairs the boys were flagging too, so we went to the tearooms for R. and Nin to have traditional lemonade; Erk, ginger beer and I had an orange jigger, before walking back to the bus-stop to go home. The boys wanted to know whether we could go back yesterday! So clearly a hit with them!