Sail away

Wednesday 11th September 2013

What an amazing day! The afternoon spent with friends at Southwater Country Park. Mostly playing in the play park and spinning each other in the egg cup and on the pole and making camp in the crows nest. Plum found a tunnel and played happily there for hours. There was a small incident when Plum fell over and cut the back of her head. It's really hard to assess a bleeding injury in amongst hair but she was okay. There was a lot of crying and the need for some medical attention (anticeptic wipes, painkillers and breastmilk...not in that order) 

Bean had taken along a boat that Pops and cousinB had made him (and I had bagged a few toy ones) to try on the lake. The smalls all had a great time wading in and playing boats. Bean and Pumpkin had both independently packed their swim shorts and I had put in a towel, everyone else, including Plum went in with their clothes on. Plum travelled home in just her nappy and slept peacefully for two hours. 

Pumpkin fell asleep on the sofa at 6.30pm and missed dinner.

Turkey Lurkey

Thank goodness, gymnastics day is here again. Pumpkin has been asking periodically throughout the summer months when it will be gymnastics again. The boys both eagerly got ready and they both went straight in. I had wondered whether we would return to the sitting and watching phase again, due to the break, but they were fine and Bean coped well with the new group structure that has split him and Pumpkin up. 

Afterwards we went to Tilgate Park. We did the maze and the Nature Centre today and all three smalls loved it. Except being chased by the turkeys, we did not love that! 

Pumpkin announced that he is going to make a picture with all the feathers that he has been collecting and asked if there was a way of keeping flowers. He has been busy today with the hama beads.

Colourful living

Thursday 19th September 2013

The morning bagan like this...

balancing jenga bricks

Pumpkin's telephone pole

Pumpkin's factory

Pumpkin's castle with drawbridge

Bean's temple

Pumpkin wrote Vatroli (factory) in Jenga bricks

 And the afternoon ended like this...with florescent powder paint and water

And in the middle was some playing with Alex and Charlie indoors, gymnastics and minecraft.

Wild Times

Monday 16th September - Wednesday 18th September 2013

A few pictures from our trip to visit grandma and pops, where the New Forest becomes our playground...in no particular order...

football

collecting

resting and being referee

Pops taking a photo of the orchids

 And when we're not out and about, we're busy playing games (dominoes and learning to play draughts, which will forever more be named 'giraffes') Making paper dragons, playing and building with the stickle bricks, kicking the football around the garden, lego and reading books.

Pops and Plum building together

Pumpkin's castle, mote and drawbridge

Pumpkin selling ice creams

And spotting indigenous wildlife...

emu at Standing Hat

crane

Spiked Shieldbug taken in Pignal Hill Inclosure 

Fox Moth Caterpillar at Perrywood Halesey Inclosure

Think the fungi we found were Blushing Wood Mushrooms but have sent to expert for verification!

If right, they are very good to eat

Autumn Lady's Tressess at Moonhills

Men at work! 

Pumpkin's hat shaped crisp...food art continues to be a strong theme in our days.

And we also squeezed in a little history when  Bean asked why it's called the New Forest and also a little word work as the smalls watched us play Boggle and then made a few words themselves using the letter cubes.  All in all a busy few days.