From the end of October in fact… spent the evening of Halloween with Kate, Summer and Madison doing trick or treating. We always love going out with them because Summer is so very loved around her area and escorting her is a pleasure. Madison was a lot of fun this year too

Although i was mostly still recovering from being ill, i managed to do some nice stuff with Josie in the run up to her birthday, including going into town shopping and also baking cakes, which we took to Latin etc to sing Happy Birthday and share on Wednesday. They weren’t bad and went down well with the massed hoards Other stuff there included a reorganised timetable that meant Latin, French, Music, Science and Sewing all fitted in so everyone got to do everything rather impressively. The chemistry of fireworks that was going on in the garden was extremely impressive!

Have cribbed some photos from Helen below and also her description of the science for my records…. “We were seeing what colours we could make flames using various chemicals. The older group them made anhydrous copper sulphate and rehydrated it.”

(You have to look at those photos and think… poor kids, what a god awful, miserable, lonely, dreadful way to learn things… don’t you? )

Dashed back for gym and helping Max out at work (he was poorly so stayed home while i popped in to see what was going on) and then Fran had her first Wednesday night off and played with Josie – which Josie loved

Thursday was Josie’s 5th birthday so a play day was declared – presents (will find photos) and then all day Playmobil all round and then we dropped Fran at gym while we all went bowling and went to Tesco. Josie very delighted to tell the firework counter lady she was 5 and so could have sparklers Dashed back to get Fran, home for fireworks and tea (Tesco pizza is AWFUL!!!!!) and a late bed.

Can’t remember Friday – must have done work of sorts i think and then the weekend went by in drama and getting ready to do a baby show on Sunday, which Fran accompanied me to.

Today – Monday – we started back to some routine and as Zoe noticed later, it was clearly needed as my lot were rather argumentative Before they arrived though, Fran did some science on the heart and circulation from her GP book and the GCSE book and got very excited by that, Maddy wrote a story and we came up with a plan that might help her with some tricky words she has struggled with for a while. Fingers crossed it works when we try it tomorrow. Amelie did some really good maths and Josie practised writing and then there was socialisation with friends. Later on, Fran, Josie, Skye and Poppy went off to dancing and Maddy, Amelie and i tried instigating a new thing, which is do do some work specially suited to the two of them in that time – today we did the Bronze Age chapter from GP History 1, which they both really enjoyed. SO that made us all feel good.

Fran outraged on her return that the IDTA have changed the mark scheme upwards by 5 marks in each section so she had scored 80 and only got Commended not Highly Commended in her Freestyle exam. Maddy also did well, so was pleased. Then a quick tea and off to gym – again!