It's a Flying Fairy

Holly has been doing lots of baking in the last couple of weeks of home schooling making some really delicious chocolate chip cookies, some blueberry muffins and angel delights!

Holly making some delicious lockdown chocolate cookies.

Also Holly has desperately wanted one of these flying fairy toy things which she saw on YouTube for ages. However as it is non essential the toy shops have not been open and she has not been able to go out and buy one. However having saved up some left over birthday money and pocket money she finally had enough to buy one, and so we put in an Amazon order for her as an end of Home School treat this week.

Holly absolutely loves her fairy and has played with it a lot so far. She seems to have pretty good control of it, but really I think we need to take it out into a big wide open space.

Holly's new flying fairy which she has wanted since before Xmas.

She's got pretty good control of it now. Just needs more space.

Looks like magic just fluttering over the palm of her hand.

Home School - Class of 2021

There is light at the end of the tunnel and the government have announced that it is planned for children to finally start going back to school from 8th March. Beauchamps are planning a staggered return which means Joshua and Brandon will not actually go back until March 11th and when they do start going back we have all got to have 2 Covid tests per week!

The home schooling has certainly been an experience and has made us really appreciate what teachers have to do day in and day out. We have done our best and that is all anyone can ask. I am sure there are kids out there that have done tonnes more, and kids that have done tonnes less. As a little memento of the unprecedented time of home schooling we bought each of the three kids a "Home Schooling - Class of 2021" sweat shirt. 

The two boys really weren't impressed, but Holly loves her one and it is Abacus yellow as well. Once they have finished / outgrown these sweat shirts I will make sure these are stored away in their keep sake boxes and who knows, 20, 30, 40 years time the kids might be digging through the box and stumble across these and remember the time when the world went mad and they were home schooling for what seemed like an eternity.

Well done kids - you have graduated from "Home School Class of 2021" - now bugger off back to proper school.

At least Holly likes her Abacus yellow coloured one.

I think these will be a great memento for the kids of these crazy times we live in.

Just wondering whether we should all sign them at the end of the school year as well???

Canvey Island Walk

What a change in weather from this weekend to last weekend. This time last week we were sticking on extra layers and boots to go out sledging and building snowmen. This weekend it is 16 degrees, blue skies and we head out for a walk along Canvey Seafront in shorts, t-shirts and caps!!!! 

As usual the kids weren't highly motivated to go out for a walk and needed some encouragement, but one they were out they absolutely loved it today. I cannot describe just how nice it has been to have some good weather and to be able to break the monotony of lockdown and staying in a house by a lovely spring like walk.

The kids collected shells and walked along the beach. We admired some of the sea wall art and generally just enjoyed the fresh sea air. It is so easy to forget at times just how lucky we are to have places like this on our doorstep to visit.

Looking back at some of the sea wall art from over one of the crabbing ponds.

Holly with some of the sea wall art.

Of course she had to have her picture taken with the mermaid.

My treasure at the end of the NHS rainbow.

So nice to be out enjoying the fresh air and sun.

This Egyptian art must have taken ages.

And then a bit of Roman.

And the Italian Renaissance.

I was not best pleased with the boys doing this in their best trainers having been told to wear old ones. But I can't complain, at least they are outside and having fun.

All three kids exploring the beach before the tide came in.

2021 Chinese New Year of the Ox

Amazing to think we are already 6 weeks in to 2021 and how quickly that time has gone despite being in lockdown. Anyway yesterday was Chinese New Year and 2021 is the Year of the Ox. The kids were so excited about Chinese New Year simply because they wanted a Chinese takeaway just to break up the monotony of lockdown and the fact that we can't go anywhere!

So we ordered some really scrummy Chinese from our local "The New Golden Jade" and Holly made some lovely Chinese lanterns to decorate the dinner table.

There's not much to look forward to in Lockdown 3.0, but our Chinese takeaway was delicious.

Happy New Year of the Ox.

Holly's lovely Chinese lantern that she made.

Chop sticks and Chinese lanterns.

Lockdown Sledging for P.E. and Building Snowmen

It is so rare that we get snow in this country that I had to make the most of it yesterday and finish work on-time for once so that me and the kiddies could head over to Langdon Hills for some sledging! I think we managed to get a good hour and a half in before it A) started getting dark and B) we were all pretty cold and wet.

Asusual Joshua injured himself by pulling his hamstring quite early on and then didn't do much. Brandon was being pretty suicidal going down on his belly, backwards and any other way he could think of. Holly was absolutely fearless and was going down some of the steeper slopes completely out of control and nerly smacking in to trees on several occasions.

Anyway an hour and a half running up and down hills and sledging certainly ticks the box for home schooling P.E. today as for sure it would have been a snow day.

Brandon was first down some of the slopes on the BMX track.

Holly absolutely loved the sledging and could have stayed out all night if given the chance.

Another action shot of Holly.

Joshua getting out of shape on quite a steep slope.

Wipeout!

Holly using our little bum slider sledge which really gets some speed up.

An injured Joshua starts to ease off and let the other two play.

Race on.....

Phew, she missed that tree!

Speed shot of Joshua in action.

Sassy snow princess.

So injured leg, starts to climb trees instead. Typical boy.

When we were searching for new slopes I would pull Holly along in the sledge.

Holly has been so excited with the snow.

Daredevil Brandon going head first.

 

And then today we built this rather odd snowman in the garden.

Tennis racket arms, carrot nose, pegs for the mouth, stones for eyes and a toy BBQ lid for a hat.

Holly was proud of our creation though.

Yeh - Lockdown Snow

Finally something interesting to write about on the blog during lockdown. After years of waiting we finally had a fairly decent snow fall over the weekend. Ever since having the hot tub we have all been itching for the weather to snow as we had aspirations of sitting in a nice warm 38 degrees whilst snow is falling on you. Finally we got to live out that dream and it was just lovely. Of course Holly was a complete fruit cake and took it next level by keep getting out of the hot tub and going for a jump on the snow covered trampoline. The neighbours must have thought she was completely bonkers playing out in the snow in a 2 piece swimming costume, but she absolutely loved it.

\It may be -2 outside and snowing, but that doesn't stop Holly.

Health and safety nightmare using a snow covered trampoline.

Have you ever seen someone so happy and having soo much fun though?

In between trampoline jumps it was back in the hot tub to warm up.

Even Joshua came out of his bedroom and joined us.

You might think this is a snowball, but no, it was actually Holly's hot tub snack!!!!

I told you, eating a snowball!

In the afternoon we took a very cold, we and muddy walk around Gloucester Park.

I know we are under lockdown, but it is so rare we get snow that you have to go out and admire just how fresh and pretty everything looks.

And the nice lush astro turf has now turned completely white.

The hot tub must be well insulated as the snow managed to build up on the lid.

You've got to love a snow covered garden.