THE FROG-ACADEMY: February 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Quick Update

Sorry – couldn’t think of an original title so that will have to do!

I’m feeling lousy – sinusy head cold. I think I developed a reaction to J&T’s cats whilst there which gradually worsened as the week went on, resulting in completely blocked sinuses by day 7. It is gradually all loosening and unblocking, but my nose, head and ears all hurt in the meantime … woe is me!!

The last few days in Oxford were lovely, with a couple more park trips, one of which was for the purpose of me meeting up with a school friend who apparently only lives 2 minutes from Tilsley Park (rather nice to catch up again, but so strange to not see someone in 20 years and then twice in 6 months!!), a visit to R’s home in the mill (to collect some boys’ belongings that they had left in her car!!) and some shopping in Next Clearance on Saturday morning, thrown in for good measure :D The boys also went to see ‘Bolt’ with Jack earlier in the week and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just for fun, here are a few more park pictures (and links to the albums if your not soooo bored and want to see the rest!).

2009_02_19 Hinksey Park

(These last three are of my school-friend’s two boys :)

2009_02_20 Tilsley Park (D2)

School has been happening this week, but only just with me not feeling too well at all, but the children are happily getting to a stage where they can tick along with the ‘normals’ quite nicely. It’s just the extras that struggle to happen when I’m not on form. E tends to get a bit short changed too, but she does have Headsprout and Ed’ City to keep her going and ease my guilt at least. Perhaps curling up on the sofa with a book and her would be a nice alternative to the school room, but I never think of it till it’s too late :(

Oh – and to make matters a little better – our heating has packed up! Strangely (and thankfully) we still do have hot water, but no heat and it IS cold :(. So right now I am heading for a snuggle by the ‘living flame’ fire – another ‘thankfully’ – at least we can heat one room well!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Dry Sandford Pit.

Our outing today was to Dry Sandford Pit – a disused sand quarry. The walk was nice (there is a definite air of imminent spring around the corner) and the kids had a blast, playing war, rolling of mud mounds as if they were dead, and building people traps with sticks! Nat just enjoyed scrambling about, as did C (when he’d finished being ridiculously 3 & sulky!) and the girls. My good friend of old, who lives nearby, came over to T’s and joined us for the walk. Nat really took a shine to her and they had a little shoulder shrug thing going on between them – very cute! It was lovely to see her as I haven’t seen her for a couple of years or so, due to miles and busy lives. She is always good fun to catch up with :D

Pics of today click the album as always - too many nice ones to choose which ones to put here! :)

2009_02_17 Dry Sandford Pit

Monday, February 16, 2009

Camping Chez Dunnes!

Well we made it to the Dunnes for our weeks holiday, though not without event. It seems that every time we seem set to go away something sets against us. This time it was the car – again! The red battery light started flashing and the rev counter seemed to be unresponsive during the week before. My friendly mechanic came and took a look and couldn’t see a problem, so we got it serviced in the hopes that it just needed a good ‘tune-up & clean-up’. Next day she didn’t start – the morning we were due to go away and I had already loaded half the camping kit in the boot! So P hopped off to buy new battery, which proved a challenge to fit, but once it was installed we just set off and hoped for the best. The bus made it down to Oxford and run arounds on the weekend, but still the rev-o-meter was not working properly and occasionally the battery light would flash on. My mechanic had said that he thought it might be something electronic in the dashboard shorting out and draining the battery, so we planned to get it sorted as soon as we returned home again. P returned home on Sunday (leaving the rest of us at our friends’ for the week) to do the church holiday club for the week and is due to collect come back for us on Friday again. A phone call from him tonight, I chatted to him to night and our ‘baby’ is in hospital! Apparently she got him home OK, but this morning the battery was completely flat again :( Seems it may be an electrical shortage, as we thought, or it may be a fault with the alternator (although my mechanic seemed to think it was working fine when he tested it) or some problem INSIDE the alternator. Whatever – the cost is mounting- again!! Hopefully she will be sorted and back on the road by Friday, or my poor friends might be stuck with us for even longer! At the moment it’s only the boys ‘camping out’, but if we have to stay on she might kick us all into the garden!!

The big girls have been collected by M&D and have gone off down to Portsmouth for a few days – I haven’t even heard from them so I guess they aren’t missing us too much and are having a great time :)

We that are here are having a lovely time too. It’s great to be with old friends who you just ‘fit’ with and muddle in with. The big boys are such good friends and have a ball together. They are tucked down in the tent under endless layers of sleeping bags and duvets and seem to be plenty warm enough, so that’s great. Thankfully it seems to be warming up a little too.

We went to Tilsley Park today with the children. It was warm and sunny and they had a lovely time. The boy got thoroughly caked in mud by playing in a stream and the wood.