This and that

:: I am watching Downton Abbey for the first time. It is the episode where the wounded officers start arriving at Downton causing chaos. I'm sort of wishing I'd started watching last series when the house was not undergoing such upheaval, but I am enjoying it so far. It rather reminds me of an English upper class The Sullivans. I used to love that show. Grace was my favourite character, and I still get all nostalgic when I see photos of Lorraine Bailey.

:: We have been doing a bit of work on the kitchen garden this week. We've pulled out most of the overgrown basil and rocket and have planted snowpeas, normal peas, salad onions and beans in their place. The broccoli is looking fabulous. Jemimah cooked a lovely Chicken Laksa using our own fresh bok choy and served it with lovely plate of lettuce, Italian basil, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, normal mint and coriander all picked fresh from our garden. It tasted sublime - all the better because I didn't need to cook.

:: Jemimah and I have moved school into the sitting room in front of the open fire. It has sort of changed our routine a little, which we are both finding refreshing. We have been starting each day snuggling together on the sofa with a couple of stories - one read aloud by me and then a second read by Jemimah. Currently we're reading fantastic books - The Story of John Paton, Oliver Twist, A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter. Jemimah is reading The Wouldbegoods. Across Five Aprils is our free read. After these delicious stories we seem more prepared to settle into the serious work. Like maths.

After googling Nesbit's The Wouldbegoods the other day Jemimah and I have been bopping around to the music of the eponymously named British indie pop band. I love singer Jessica Griffin's precise and clear received pronunciation, and I like their sound as well. Have a listen if you like:



:: We are taking a break from our regular studied dictation for a couple of weeks to concentrate on homophones and homonyms. Many children, no doubt, will learn the usage of their, there and they're and two, to and too from studied dictation alone, but I think Jemimah would have always struggled. We do so few worksheets that she has found a few days of 'Fill-the -Gap' activities an enjoyable novelty. She has done well.

:: We have finally reached the Gold Rush in Australian History. This is good because it is clearly impossible to study this period without an excursion to Sovereign Hill. Jemimah and I both think that this is awesome. We've also started reading Mavis Thorpe Clarke's A Gully of Gold. We're only a couple of chapters in, but we think we're on to a winner. Homeschooling is so cool.

:: Our minister at church is preaching on Ezekiel and I am learning so much. When I read this book alone I really, really struggle. This is the first time I feel like I understand what the prophet was saying. I love good expository preaching, don't you?

:: During the week Elizabeth Foss posted a comment on her Facebook that turned into a full fledged grammar discussion. I loved it and I am afraid I sorta kinda monopolised the thread. I am such a grammar nerd. Before I started A Peaceful Day I was a real stickler for using correct grammar whilst writing. You can blame/thank my Auntie Mary for that. A few months after I started posting, though, I realised that I would rather write like I spoke. I wanted my blog to feel like we were sitting around my kitchen table, coffees in hand, having a chat about homeschooling our kids and other stuff. And do you know, I often start spoken sentences with and? And but? And I say sorta and kinda and truly rooly and all sorts of silly made up words like huggle and cuggle. And I like that. I think it sounds better when I say that I think a book is pretty good rather than precisely articulating that fact that I am impressed with the same tome relative to others of its style and genre. To me understanding grammar rules is kinda like understanding etiquette rules. It is only when you understand what is correct that you know when it is appropriate to relax the rules and when it is not. When I am typing a business letter I do not commence a sentence with and, and I spell my words correctly. Thanks to Elizabeth's grammar thread, though, I now have to learn not to end sentences with a double space after the full stop because it is plain wrong. I think I will need therapy over this. If you like grammar too, you might like to correct the sentences Mama Squirrel has up on her blog this week. I thought it was terrific fun, but unfortunately Blogger didn't let me reply so I just did 'em in my head.

:: During the week I spent a whole ten bucks on purchasing my own domain name. I now own www.apeacefulday.com. Woo Hoo. I tried linking my blog, but it mucked up all my blog rolls and google friends and the other things that are in the sidebars, so I changed it back to blogspot. I really need somebody to handle all the technical aspects of my blog. I am incapable of doing these things because I am over 25.

:: Somebody on the East Coast of America tried to hack into my FB account and as I consequence I have been forced to change my password so I can get into my own page. I did not want to change my password. I liked the one I had. I also don't think somebody really tried to hack into my page. I think it is a conspiracy. I am on my guard. If anyone tries to send subliminal messages through my radio I will be ready for them.

:: All of the above items are the reason that I still have not unpacked from our holiday. If I didn't have a life I would have the suitcases all put away and all the photos labelled and stored.

:: I am glad I have a life.