24 hr Survival Event

Rhiannon's class have been studying  Shackleton's journey and Antarctica
Today was a long awaited "Survival Event" that her teacher organized. It started with a morning of bushcraft skills with "Bushcraft Buddha". They lit fires and ate crickets and had a grand time!

Then during lunch I helped Rhodri set up the lavvo and some expedition training equipment at the Danehill Recreation ground across from the school. Then after lunch the class came to learn about proper survival skills with Rhods!

Next up: the whole class is going to spend the night at the school!

Bible art

This week there was an art challenge to create something that represented something from the Bible. It was open to both children and adults actually, but I didn't participate (and neither did Rhodri). My girl Rhiannon, on the other hand, had a very specific vision. Can you tell what this scene is from the Bible?

The rules of the competition were that the submitted entries couldn't be degradable over time. So although Rhiannon's entry was made of cake and marzipan, she took this photo and printed it out as her submission!

Obama Llama

"Obama Llama" is the code phrase that Auntie Sions and the kids made up last year when she was looking after them for a weekend. It means: I'm stressed and I need your cooperation!

So today after swimming when I was frantically trying to hang up laundry, help Rhiannon with her art project, make dinner, and tidy the house in preparation for some girlfriends that I had invited over that evening, I was being a little bit snappy and stressed. Tryfan came up to me and said, "Mom, is this an Obama Llama situation?". I had completely forgotten about this phrase and what it meant, so he reminded me of it and I said YES, it is!  And then Tryfan (bless his heart) said, "What can I do right now that would be the most helpful for you?"  Seriously. Those exact words. It brought tears to my eyes, I tell you. And even now as I am recounting the moment my eyes are welling up. I have such thoughtful, sensitive, sweet children. And although in this particular moment it was Tryfan who stepped up in this way, there have been plenty of occasions when Rhiannon sees that someone needs help or that something is amiss and she takes the initiative to help the person or sort the problem without being asked. 

Netball tournament

Today Danehill played in the finals of the regional netball competition. I wasn't able to attend the match, but apparently they played well enough to place 2nd overall!

Zoey, Rhiannon, Sophie, Agnes, Jed; Iris, Georgia and Amelia

Breakfast science

Rhodri is away this week, having left yesterday and due to return next Monday night (March 20th).

This morning we kicked things off by having pancakes for breakfast! Normally unheard of during the school week but since today is Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday), we went for it.

But when we got the Nutella out to be one of the selections for topping our pancakes, Rhiannon discovered that there were weird little white bumps on the Nutella. We decided to not eat it, but instead to get out our investigation materials! First the hand lens that Uncle Phil gave to them for Christmas 2015, which proved interesting but didn't answer any questions. So then we busted out the microscope that Grandma gave us for Christmas 2014 (i think!). We put the weird white blobs onto slides and had a look. They were definitely some kind of bacteria and probably not a good kind to eat! Then we had to go to school, but it was fun to kick the day off with some breakfast science.

Hockey girls

On Sundays Rhiannon goes to play hockey (field hockey) at Ardingly College.
Rhodri and Tryfan leave for rugby and we girls leave for hockey at the same time, then we reunite back at the house around 1-2 pm.  Rhiannon just started playing in September and then moved up to the big kids pitch in January. We had several sessions that were canceled due to poor weather this season, but when it is on, she does have a good time. Normally I either go for a walk with Bentley and our neighbor Jane (whose son Mark also does hockey), or else I go for a run by myself. The woods and countryside around Ardingly are lovely. Then I get back to the pitch in order to catch the final 15 minutes or so of the practice.

Here is Rhiannon with Aggie (Agnes), her friend from school who also goes to hockey.

Quiz night

Tonight was the annual quiz night hosted by the Nutley Squash and Tennis Club, where we are members. In recent years, Rhodri has gone to represent the family at this event but this year I went instead. And guess what?! We came in 1st place out of 13 teams.

Sing!

Today Rhodri was out all day so the kids and I got stuff done around the place and then we went into East Grinstead to watch the movie "Sing!" We discovered that the cinema sells 'Pick a Mix' candy and they sell by volume rather than weight. Cha-ching! Although we chose the smallest size, we were still able to strategically load a LOT of candy into it, compressing as we loaded.

We had a really fun time together and the film was great too!
In fact, since today is my sister Heidi's birthday, it feels especially appropriate to celebrate with laughter and candy!

Last day in Llandudno

And we spent it at the beach.

This morning (late morning) was low tide and the sun was shining, so we all went down to West Shore to the beach.

 It was so wonderful to play in the sand, collect sea shells, explore up and down the beach a little, and just enjoy the sunshine and the texture of the day.

Later on we met Nain for lunch in town and then we all did a bit of shopping before going back home for our last meal of the holiday.

Down the slate mines

Today was rainy and cold and we decided to spend it underground in the Llechwedd slate mine in Blenau Ffestiniog.

We had an amazing tour down below with a charismatic and engaging tour guide.

After the tour, we went to a nearby pub for lunch and then came back to Llechwedd to spend an hour at "Bounce Below", which is an incredible arrangement of trampolines that span a few of the caverns on various vertical levels. It is just so cool.

We all got pretty tired jumping and running and sliding and chasing during the hour on the trampolines, though. It was a truly great day and we hope to go back another time to do their zip wire and other adventure activities.

While we were away

... the troops had a good time with Nain and Taid! They went to visit Caernarfon castle, about an hour away from Llandudno.

I think they also got to play with their cousins Leusa, Rhyddid and Brython AND they got to have fish and chips for lunch. Everyone won during these two days and one night! Thanks Nain and Taid.

Lake District outing

Yesterday morning Rhodri and I left at 9 am to drive 2 hrs and 10 minutes up to Kendal in the Lake District. We met with one of Rhodri's clothing company supplier and spent the afternoon looking at the new collection. We were treated to a delicious lunch and dinner by the sales rep, so that was nice for us! We stayed at "Castle Green" http://www.castlegreen.co.uk/hotel-rooms.aspx and it was lovely.

This morning we checked out and then went for a longish hike from Patterdale near Ullswater. It was a really misty rainy day with mostly terribly visibility, but we had fun anyway.

It was a bit of a slog in the end but at least we were edging round the lake on that stretch. Once we got back to the car, we just piled in and headed down the motorway to Llandudno and arrived in time for a slightly late dinner this evening. In the meantime, we received some photos from Rhiannon that showed the fun that they were having in our absence!

New Era!

Today we started out a new era of adventure. After buying hiking boots for the kids yesterday in town, we took to the hills today. Both Tryfan and Rhiannon decided that we haven't been doing enough outdoor adventures of late, so we figured today was a good day to turn over a new leaf.
It was a stunning day, though a bit hazy at first.  We climbed up to Llyn Idwal and then instead of just walking around the lake as we had initially planned, we went up over the little ridge into the cwm at the base of Y Garn.

 There was increasing amounts of snow and ice on the path as we climbed up, but it wasn't enough to make us turn around. We just were extra careful.

The two Tryfans

Inside the emergency shelter where we didn't last long!

On the way home we stopped in Llanberis to visit the V12 climbing shop so Rhods could speak with Bertie (the owner). Then we went home for a cup of tea and cake. Yay! A great day in the hills of Snowdonia.

Beach walk

Today we went for a walk on the beach, starting from the house in Deganwy and walking into Llandudno along the beach. Rhodri cunningly left the car down at West Shore so that we could drive back rather than walking.

 It was actually a really cold and windy day, but we made it into town and then called into the Cottage Loaf pub for a delicious lunch.

We spent the afternoon watching more rugby, reading the paper, and then having a fantastic Sunday dinner.

Wales for half term

Yay! It's the half term holiday and we decided to spend it up in North Wales. Last year at this time we went skiing in Storlien and that was fantastic, but we are staying more local this year. We decided to get a "good early start" on Saturday morning and were on the road at 6:05 am, arriving into Deganwy at 11:05 am. And we even stopped for breakfast along the way! So we made good speed and got to Nain and Taid's house in time to see Auntie Mary who we haven't seen in such a long time. That was a very happy homecoming indeed.

After a cup of tea with Auntie Mary, Nain and Taid, and then after unloading our car (actually not our car as we rented it for the journey and are really pleased since it is a minivan and we never get to ride in those!), I took Bentley on our traditional walk up the Vardre. Even with gray skies and soggy fields to walk on, this is still one of the most beautiful spots I know. I absolutely love coming up here and making my way up to the top of the old castle to look out over the Conwy estuary, Snowdonia mountains and the town of Llandudo. Bentley had a fantastic time too!

We made it back in time to watch both of the Six Nations rugby matches that were on telly. I fell asleep during the Italy vs Ireland game but we were all wide awake for the Wales vs England match. Sadly Wales lost in the final minutes of the game, but it was really fun to watch!

Fundraising Committee

We've discovered that our school is in a bit of a financial pickle right now, due to the low pupil enrollments over the past couple of years combined with a reduction in government funding for rural primary schools in England. We formed a fundraising committee at the end of last year, and now we have a bank account which means that we can finally start asking for donations.

The other night we counted and got ready to distribute flyers in a door-to-door fashion. We also had a good laugh as we were doing this, as we are a jolly and enthusiastic crowd!

Paris, briefly

This week I was in Paris the whole week, traveling there on Monday morning and traveling home today (Friday). Very civilized, even though our actual venue for the week was at a property about 1.5 hours southeast of Paris. I was actually really excited about this week because I would be meeting about 25 people that I've been working with for the past 18 months or so, but who I've never met in person. In my taxi from home to the train station on Monday morning, I explained all this to my taxi driver Olivier, who, by a stroke of lovely coincidence, was also the taxi driver that ended up taking me home this evening!  For all the challenges and conflict that comes from working for a major oil service company, I will say that it is quite special when we get to meet each other in person - there are so many nationalities and backgrounds. Of the 30 people at this workshop, there were 20 different nationalities.

That said, I was relieved when it was over and I could travel first into Paris proper to spend the evening with my long lost friend and flatmate from Leeds, Florence!  We had a long and wonderful dinner at a cafe near her flat, and it was so great to see her.  

Girls to Brighton

Rhiannon and Agnes have been planning a girls shopping trip to Brighton for the past couple of weeks. Today was the big day and so we picked up Leigh and Aggie at 9:15 am and we had a gorgeous day exploring around Brighton! As it turns out, today was an exceptionally sunny (and bright, ha ha) and cold day, and it was wonderful to spend the better part of the day wandering around.

A new New Year's tradition

New Year's doesn't feel properly kicked off without a trip to the beach. Yesterday was New Year's Day, but it was such a grizzly, drizzly, misty, cold day that it was absolutely perfect for lounging in pajamas all day and hardly going out of the house at all! Today, on the other hand, was crystal clear gorgeousness. And fortunately it was also a public holiday to make up for New Years being on a Sunday this year.

We mobilised quite early and got to Seaford beach around 9:45am, parked at the far end of the beach and walked towards the cliffs. We did go partially up the hill to a lookout, but then Rhodri and Rhiannon and Bentley turned back while Tryfan and I headed further up to the peak.

 It was chilly and very windy, but that's how it should be at the beach on New Years Day +1!

Since we were all pretty hungry after this walk, we decided to go for brunch somewhere, and that somewhere turned out to be Bill's in Lewes (the original Bill's, https://bills-website.co.uk/). What a treat! I don't normally take photos of my food, but this smoked salmon and avocado with poached eggs, lime and chili on wholegrain toast was just amazing. In the background you can see Rhiannon's steak and eggs, which was also delicious.

We decided that this should be our New Year's tradition: beach and then Bill's for breakfast. It is especially appropriate because it was always Grandpa Bill who insisted that we go to Hendry's beach in Santa Barbara to have breakfast at the Brown Pelican restaurant on New Year's Day when I was growing up. I think Grandpa Bill would definitely approve of this new tradition (except probably not the timing of it because he always liked to get "good early starts", and our 9:30 am start would have been about 2 hours too late for him)! 

Happy New Year 2017!

We welcomed in 2017 properly down at the village hall last night/ this morning. Rhods and I went over in the afternoon to set up, then back "for reals" at 6:30 pm to party.

Starting to set up (decorations already there!)

In the end there were 9 families including us (18 adults, 23 kids), and we had a great time! Lots of dancing, good food, no injuries, and we rang in 2017 as a happy group.

The way we did the music was to put together a list on Spotify, then sign up for a free 7 day trial of Spotify Premium, which lets you download any track to play offline. Result! We had a playlist of 100 songs to see us through the New Years Eve party, so we downloaded that and brought our old speakers and current receiver and a bunch of cables to be able to play music from the iPad through the big speakers, and it worked a treat! We borrowed a couple of disco spotlight projector thingys, and we also had glow balloons, glowsticks, and decorative tablecloths. Each family brought some food and drinks to share, and it was just a really fun party!

The best part was being able to just boogie without care or consequence, and to not feel obligated to converse. The kids ran wild, and when they weren't dancing they were outside playing football in the dark. Since everyone there knew each other quite well, there was no dimension of social obligation or introductions or getting-to-know-you chit chat. Not that I'm against any of that, but it was quite nice to not have any of that and just purely enjoy the evening. And since we at Lewis Central were the ones to put together the playlist, they were all the songs that we like to boogie to!
Anyway, Happy New Year for 2017 and best wishes to our readers!