Just a quick catch up.....

The car we were given was a complete duffer!! The girl had told us that it was overheating but failed to say that the head had cracked and she had already been quoted £400 by the mechanic (as he told us when we went to pick it up!!) Ho Hum....so we are still without car.

Not much has happened this week, Dave is helping out down at our church, as they are trying to finish off the big refit, so we have been at home. Today we went down with him as I will be starting a job in the church office for one day a week and they wanted to have a chat to tell me what was involved. This will probably start in Sept so we shall wait and see. We then went off to the library, but because of the school holidays it was packed so we didn't stop for too long! This afternoon our friends came and picked us up and we spent the afternoon in the soft play area in Bowness as it is pouring with rain again.

It's been really hot here the last few days. I managed to get sunburnt again, stupidly cutting the hedge in the hot sun. (Will I ever learn??) The kids paddling pool has made another appearance and there has been some gorgeous sunsets over the mountains.

Yesterday it was so hot we decided to go down by Windermere to let the kids splash about while we relaxed. It was really nice, there was a lovely cool breeze and the kids had great fun playing about on the beach and on an old tree which came down in the last storms.

After doing the holiday cottages today we headed down to the Windermere Airshow. It's on every year but we have never got to one until now. It was absolutely packed down by the lake, I have never seen so many people down there and it does get busy down there in the Summer!
The kids had been watching a big RAF helicopter, while we were at the holiday cottages, doing an aerial display and we managed to catch it just as it was setting off from the show. There was also a falconry display, the local Air Ambulance which the kids had a sit in and an RAF plane where they became mini pilots for a few minutes! Ben wanted to have a look at the Army Jeeps and Eilidh was desperate to go on the big wheel at the fair which they did! There was also a Civil War re-enactment society who had a little village where they were showing people, woodwork, how people lived, all the weapons like rapiers and muskets which the kids had a try with and also a small cannon which Eilidh learned how to clean and load (you never know when you might need to know that!!) It was a really good afternoon, very hot and sunny but I had remembered the sunscreen this time!

Friday was Science Group and as we were looking at the heart and circulation one of the mum's, whose husband is a Gamekeeper, brought along a Roe Deer heart to have a look at. Eilidh was absolutely fascinated!! We all had a look inside the heart and found out all the different bits and Eilidh sat quite merrily dissecting it and studying it!! She has decided she wants to be a Veterinary Nurse so I guess this is good training!!

On Sunday we went down to Millerbeck Light Railway in Staveley-In-Cartmel for an afternoon with our friends from Kendal. This is a privately run railway which only opens a few times a year. I was just expecting a little railway which ran around a big garden but it was much better than that!! There were about five different engines running. The track is about a mile and half long and winds it's way around a big paddock area with bridges, turntable, miniature signal box and station and Alpacas!! Ben and Eilidh thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We stopped for a picnic although the weather was cold and they had a couple of rides on different engines before heading on to Fellfoot Park for a play in the park there. A really good day out!

Not much has happened since then, our Toyota which has sat unused outside our house for about two years has finally had it's gearbox done and waltzed through an MOT with just a few bits to be sorted. Unfortunately it's far too expensive for us to run so it is going up for sale but at least it's all sorted and will soon be going!! We have been offered a little car on Freecycle which needs some work so we will see if we can get that running and hopefully be mobile again!!

Today we made a load of cakes which the kids spent ages icing (with yucky green icing) and loading with marshmallows, chocolate bits, silver balls and coconut. Out of 26 there are now NONE!! Well, we did take them around to some friends and they helped gobble them up!

Today Dave wasn't working and as me and the kids have been stuck in the house for days we decided to get out and let off some steam! Even though it has been raining most of today (well, this week actually!) we went off to Sizergh Castle, a National Trust place not far from here . We had a great time, the kids did a quiz around the castle and then we wandered around the grounds in the rain but it is so beautiful there that it didn't matter and the kids don't care anyway!! We ended the afternoon with coffee and ice-cream and then home again. It was nice getting out, I think the kids and I have been driving each other mad!!

This week Ben has suddenly started 'making books' and wanting to write things and make inventions. Yesterday he made a little book for his friend Phoebe (two doors down) and today he decided to make a car ferry for all his cars so he thought about it carefully and then raided the recycling to make it. Dave got roped in to help and they made a great little ferry out of cereal boxes and plastic trays!! This doesn't sound like much but for Ben it's quite a big step as he's never really shown that much interest in 'making things' and writing.

We went to the library the other day and re-stocked. While we were out, Eilidh picked up a design kit for denim, with beads, fabric paint, sequins etc so she has been busily re-designing her denim jacket (with a bit of my help) It looks great!!

Well, schools are now out around here so it has got really manic in Windermere and Bowness. I guess this is when we re-discover all the out-of-the way places again!!

On Friday, Dave took the kids off to Cookery group to make Elderflower Ice Cream and Shortbread (very delicious!) They met up with another home educator who is up from Wales travelling around in her camper with her son. We had met them briefly at the last camp so they came back for some tea and ended up staying the night. The little boy, Bruin is six so the kids had great fun playing around until late. The next day we had to go off and do our holiday cottages so they went off over Lake Windermere to find somewhere to park for the night. So far they have managed to stay in laybys and small tracks and haven't needed to go to a camp site at all. We had a frantic phone call from Cumbrian Cottages asking if we could do an extra cottage so we managed to get three done in less time that it normally takes us to do two! The big house had been left pretty spotless with all the beds already stripped....Hooray!! We then went over to see Coral and Bruin for a play by the lake for a while before heading home.

Yesterday we had our monthly walk with the Home Ed group which Martin had arranged to be just down the road from our house which was handy! While I frantically tidied the house as I knew everyone would end up here for coffee, Dave took the kids off to church. A friend of ours from the Home Ed group also goes to our church so they came back for some lunch before heading off on the walk. There was a good group and it was a lovely afternoon, mainly bright and sunny. We went up over the top behind our house and then on for a total of about six or seven miles (although it felt more!!) The kids did brilliantly and were shattered by the time we got back although they still managed to race around the garden and house while we all drank coffee and ate cake!! It was great as we found out some more footpaths which we can get to from our house and where they go to.

Today the kids are really tired so we are set for a quiet day in reading, watching telly and generally not doing much while Dave goes out to work (poor soul!!)

Ben had a brilliant birthday and we all really enjoyed our day out. Of course it was the only day of the year that Ben decided to sleep in!! We were all up, washed and dressed and eating breakfast before he decided to surface, why can't he do this every day!!!??? He opened his presents from Eilidh and Grandma and Grandpa before heading off to catch the train from Arnside. He seemed quite laid back about the fact he didn't have a clue where we were going, Eilidh on the other hand was over-excited and driving everyone mad!!

We had a lovely if a little long train journey through to Ravenglass which is over on the West coast. It was really nice going through some places we already know and others we have never been to before. The Ravenglass and Eskdale miniature railway runs just beside the main line station so we had a short walk over and then Ben twigged what we were doing. His eyes lit up as he saw a proper steam engine complete with little carriages where you could sit inside or out (a Ben size train!!)
We decided to go all the way along to the station at the other end (7 miles) and it took about 45 mins. The scenery is stunning around there and both the kids were happy looking, pointing out things and trying to see the engine when we went around corners. Although it had been pouring with rain when we started out, the rain held off for most of the day which was great.When we got off up at Dalegarth the kids watched as the engine turned around on a miniature turntable to take the train back again. The engine driver showed them all the shiny levers, how to put in the coal, blow the whistle and oil the wheels and Ben was captivated!! As the train went off, we decided to have a little walk down to Boot where there is an old working water mill (http://www.eskdalemill.co.uk). We had a look around and the miller showed us how it all worked, letting the kids have a go at pulling sacks of flour through trap doors. It's only a small place but well worth a visit and the little village is beautiful (just beware, the toilets!!!!) on the left we have the ladies -indoor- toilets, both of them (obviously designed for intimacy) and Ben directs your attention to the gents, that is under (or perhaps even into) the sluice that feeds the water to the wheel.

As we have had so much rain, the river out of the back of the mill was absolutely racing and mostly white water.
We had a bit of lunch at the Inn in the village then headed back to catch the little train back down to Ravenglass. We had a look around the small museum there, watched the workmen working on some of the trains and then it was time to head back to the main line and home.

Ben made sure he stayed awake all the way home by singing to himself because he knew he had more presents to open!! The day was finished off with a piece of Thomas the Tank Engine cake and then two very tired kids went off to bed (followed later by two very tired parents!) A fantastic day!!!

It has been pouring with rain here, thunderstorms and generally horrible weather. Eilidh decided yesterday that she was going to make a camp outside (the few minutes it had stopped raining!!)

She packed up her bag with notebook, pencil (for nature observations), torch, book to read and food (banana, apple, orange and figs) and a bottle of water and off she went. Ten minutes later i was wondering where she had got to as it was starting to rain again. I found her sitting under the tree outside the front of our garden, with her bike and her umbrella up reading her book!!! Quite happy, she sat out there for another half hour or so and eventually came back in when she spotted some lightening coming our way!!! 

Dave had to get his bike out this morning and cycle down to church as he was helping to set up and we had to follow on later with the truck. My poorly car has been put up on ebay  to sell for repairs so hopefully we will get someone wanting it, saves us taking it to the scrapyard! 

I have been really, really worn out and I think my Thyroxin dosage needs to be upped so I guess it's time for a trip back to the doctors. I hate going as  they always treat you as if you are a paranoid woman who doesn't know how her own body feels but I guess I don't have much choice.  GRRRR! 

On a good note, it's Ben's fifth birthday on Tuesday (can you believe it??) and we have a day out secretly planned. We are heading off to Arnside to catch a normal train to Ravenglass to then go onto the miniature railway at Eskdale. For our little man who LOVES trains this will hopefully be a brilliant day!! Fortunately he can't read yet so I can write it here!! The Eskdale railway is through a gorgeous part of the Lakes so we can stop at different places to have lunch and look around and then just hop back on again. We camped over there last year but didn't have the money to go on the train and he was desperate to go then so can't wait to see his face!! Even Eilidh doesn't really know where we are going so it will be a surprise for them both.     

Our laptop decided to give up the other day so Dave has been busy trying to get a computer working, although he has had a few problems with it being incredibly SLOW!!! Hence no blog for a while! 

I can't even remember most of what we've done but we did have our yearly visit from the LEA (education authority) on Wednesday. It went really well, it was the same lady we had visit us last year and we just sat and chatted while drinking coffee! Well, she does have to make sure the kids are 'progressing' and not being used as child labour or something!! The kids were in their element with someone to show off to!! Fortunately in this county they are very pro-home education which makes life a whole lot easier. 

Unfortunately my car has died as well. Dave was out with Ben today and it just stopped! Apparrantly the timing belt is busted and the car really isn't worth spending the money on so I am now without a car. This is going to be really tough as there is no public transport near our house and I'm not sure when we can afford a new one. Dave still has his truck but obviously he needs this for work. I can feel the stress levels rising already!!!