March is here but Spring is missing!

Well another few weeks and not a lot of pictures to share I'm afraid even though the whirlwind keeps spinning.

I found these awesome photos from the summer workshop Thea did last year of Annie Jr where she played Miss Hannigan with a local stage school. She's hoping I'll agree to her doing three this summer! This girl of my mine definitely knows what she wants and is determined to go after it with everything she has.

We had a lovely if brief visit from my Mum, which we definitely need a lot more of.

I organised a musical theatre workshop with Thea's drama company Big Little for a group of home ed kids, which involved a morning workshop about a play they were putting on of a kind of Scooby Doo musical drama set in late 1950's America. They had a lot of fun and the play was literally the funniest thing I've seen in years, so it was a huge win win all round. 

The first single from the album got released and surprised us all with how well it did so quickly. In the first 24 hours it had 22k listens on Spotify and in the first 48 hours on YouTube it was up to 110k views! And it got played on BBC Radio 1 introducing!!!!

The world book day fever meant Ayla got a new costume of her favourite ever book character.

As always there were plenty of rainy walks for Ayla who likes to drag her brothers along.

The big event for the big two was their dance showcase this past weekend. It was Orion's first performance of any kind ever and I was nervous but he did so amazingly well, I was genuinely impressed. He's only been dancing since his birthday last October and all his hard work has really paid off. 

I'm a little more inclined to do as he asks and add two more classes to his existing three!

It's been a busy but happy few weeks and there are so many events and activities I have no pictures for. The discussion group is brilliant and is everything I hoped it would be. I ran a workshop at a different local museum this week for a group of 21 aged between 7-12 on smuggling for Gabe. It was so nice to do something specifically for him and he really enjoyed it. The lego club I'm holding at the library starts tomorrow so it'll be another thing specifically for him.

Right see you in a couple of weeks!

The Primary Proms

It's only when I do these blogs that I become aware of just how full the last two months have been! 

Anyway... a month ago today was the Primary Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall. It is a children's version of the Classical Proms with performances from the national award winners of every type of classical music you can imagine, from choirs and steel bands, to string ensembles and wind orchestras. The tickets are free but you have to enter a ballot to get them. This year I remembered to enter in time and we were given a box!

After a long drive into town, there was time to get lunch and then stretch our legs in Hyde Park before the performance. 

Feeling very pleased with ourselves with our extremely posh box... have to say, we couldn't have had a better view, nor a better way to keep Ayla penned in but able to wander about to her heart's content. 

It really was spectacular and what an amazing introduction to the Albert Hall for these kids of mine. They'll be expecting a box from now on!

Afterward we met up with Grandma Julie and headed over to the Princess Diana playground. 

I wish we had photos of Orion here when he was tiny with Grandma Julie and Dad... not so tiny any more, but just as crazy...

It was a lovely day out. 

A RoundUp

A little caching up post of some of the other things which have been going on over the last week or so...

Another reading challenge completed thanks to the library and a nudge to get Gabe more confident with his reading. 

Lots of penal letters, this time to France which by their own choice they translate. 

Some little treasure bags Gabe & Thea wanted to make out of the African cloth we still have. 

Brighid's crosses made using art straws, after they saw mine made from straw reeds at the beginning of the month. 

In celebration of the goddess or saint depending on your persuasion, we also made a small triskele each. The third spiral symbol which is seen all over Celtic lands and signifies the triads of past, present & future, mind, body and spirit, life, death and rebirth and of course the triple aspect of the goddess in maiden, mother and crone. 

We used 1.5mm copper and it was really easy on the hands apart from the starting curve. 

Ayla has a new favourite thing... the kids have decided she must be the next Mozart, I think we need to take a break from the Mozart composer study for a few weeks! 

Now that spring is firmly in the air, she is spending more time outside and its definitely one of Orion's go to places when its his turn to look after her while I do food prep. 

All the Fun of Cornwall - Part 2

As part of our summer bucket, every year we go to an outdoor theatre performance, and the last few years its been the Illyria company at Corfe Castle... well imagine how happy I was when I discovered we could still get to see this brilliant company but at the fantastic venue that is the Minnack Theatre. 

It's a theatre literally on the edge of a cliff, and it looks and feels incredibly like Delphi in Greece. 

It's a venue not to be missed, but it pays to arrive early for the best seats, and be prepared for the dizzying heights, and large amounts of stairs!

We also got to pay a visit to the Tate, which was a surprise for me because I knew they had galleries outside of London but I had assumed they were only in very large cities. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the main exhibitions but there was some very large scale work by a woman called Jessica Warboys, whom Thea was a little entranced with. 

When in Cornwall you can't miss Newquay...

the water is such an amazing colour, and while the wide expanses of sand, rock formations, and caves can be found else where, there is something very special about this place. 

Gabe is my sweetest little gentleman as I slowly walk behind the rest of my tribe... he always walks slowly at my pace, patiently stopping for a drink or a seat if I need and never hurrying me along. Lets hope he's this wonderful with me once his little sister arrives. 

As I said before a big part of Haven resorts is the entertainment, the best part of which for my big two was the Musikids auditions, rehearsals, and final performance. 

Using a medley of songs from Disney and more classic musicals, and plenty of help from the staff they got to take to the stage on our final night and sing, dance and generally have a great time. 

I was really impressed with Orion who usually doesn't want to perform, but Thea as always was in her element. I have a feeling they'll be requesting Haven from now on!

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