Sticks and stones

There was lots of fun in the park yesterday. Lots and lots of swinging (I swear that girl would live on a swing if she could) and then lots of just playing with sticks, rocks and bits of bark (a very large stick came home with us in the basket of the buggy and Isabel had a fistful of bark in the sling - I'm glad it was that way round).

As useful as a chocolate hairdryer

There's a chocolate workshop in Domodossola that makes amazing creations. Matthew came back with a tool box and a hairdressing kit complete with these amazing scissors. Isaac's been asking for the big spanner all day.

There was building with big bricks. Bricks haven't really been that interesting until very recently but he spent a long time carefully lining them all up today and making walls, rafts and then trucking them around.

Isabel found a cupboard that she could put things in and take them out again. And put them in and take them out again.

The bear is happy to have Matthew back - or is he just happy that he gets to lie on the bed while Matthew works? Either way he's happy.

The peony is fading. There's been such a mass of colour in that little section of the garden that it will be sad to see it go but there are plenty of other things coming into flower,

The game is football. Hands need to be in pockets to resist the urge to pick the ball up.

The books have gone from the shelves above my desk. A lot will go to the charity shop, some to the local second hand book shop and some to Amazon marketplace after I looked up how much they were listed for. Apparently a lot of the books I had for doing my (unfinished) PhD are now hard to find and so have a high price. We'll see if any of them sell (and if I get chance to list them).

Lessons in technology

If you want to learn how to use anything technological that you own let your small child use it. Then you have to learn how to undo everything they've managed to do to it...

I thought Isabel had managed to delete all the photos off the camera (not a big deal as I download them most days and then back up the laptop regularly) but it turns out she'd turned it onto clipboard and there are buts of my camera I never knew existed.

We're home educating our children and the first lesson is that they will teach us not the other way round.

This sums up my life really - the banishing clutter book in amongst a pile of clutter. One day I'll get there!

Isabel copies everything at the moment and as Isaac's favourite imaginary play is being a medic (Peso from Octonauts being the inspiration) we have had a lot of opening wide and saying ahh. Not so bad if it's intentional but a bit of a shock when every time you yawn (been a lot of that going on) you get something thrust in your mouth and a small girl saying ahhhh.

Clothes pegs and hair clips have been whale sharks (yep Octonauts again).

Ribbons and playsilks have been used as bandages. beds. hiding places and just generally wafted around.

And in the continual quest for 'up' the girl has been spending a lot of time sitting at the table. Sometimes playing but mostly just looking out of the window.

Passing time

It's day 12 of a 13 day trip. We'll all be happy when Matthew gets home.

Story time

Everyone loves a story. Even the dog apparently.

It was very hot here today so the girl wore a dress so she could feel the breeze on her legs. Usually she just takes her clothes off.

She's definitely leaving the baby phase and has changed shape to that more upright form of a child.

Life as it is lived - c/o Isaac.

The white shirt challenge

How long will it stay clean today?

Err well not long as the hose was out to water the salads - that's the salads Isaac not the big hole in the lawn that the dog has dug.

Scraps from the table

It's a shame when my poor child only has the scraps from the table to play with.

Or is it? She had a lovely time playing with fabric scraps.