3 Jun 2012

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.

18 comments:

  1. Deary me, tha last time I read your blog I spent ages wandering all over looking up Les Mis clips and getting all excited and now I've traipsed around Camberwell to catch up with the Sullivans! (Yes, I loved Grace, too.)

    Can you put up something boring next time, please?

    (Glad you visited my blog. I am going to try to be good and post things regularly. Evernote seems to have eaten the next post I was planning, unfortunately.)

    Pam

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  2. I can actually spell 'the'. Just not type it.

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  3. Jeanne: you are a scream! ☺ I have always enjoyed your chatty style of writing & for really good writing I am prepared to suffer all sorts of gramatical inconsistencies ~ if only because I know I too am sooo guilty. Pity I could never write my history essays in my usual racey style. They would have been so much more interesting for the poor markers! lol

    I admit to practically ignoring Australian history. We did very little because both Star & I find it so dull. I know. We're awful. We like our history truly gory & you can't honestly say Aussie history has ever been that. Have a blessed week.

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  4. Love the chatty posts too, Jeanne.
    I must get Downton Abbey out at the library, if they have it. I didn't watch the first series when it was on tv, but I'm keen to now.
    Please share any gems you hear on Ezekiel. We're reading through it in our Bible reading plan right now.
    I'm sure double spaces after sentences used to be correct, but I'm learning to drop them too!

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  5. Oh my! Another DA fan. ya! There are a few of us AH DA fans on FB... glad you are joining us.

    It's about time... (wrt y our domain name) There will be more that you can do with your site once you transfer it to the new domain.

    Grammar? It scares me. I like it but it scares me so.

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  6. Your posts are always very inviting and conversational. :o)

    We too have moved a lot of our schooling from the front room to the lounge room where the fire is.

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  7. You're too funny Jeanne!
    Love your grammatically incorrect posts; yes I feel like I'm sitting down for a cuppa with you when I read them.
    Jemimah making laksa! I'd love some please:) sounds absolutely delicious. You've taught her well!

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  8. Forgot to say- my Dad was a high grade sub-editor on major papers both here and in England.(In his later years he used to read the Sydney Morning Herald with a red pen in his hand!) He taught me that it was two spaces after. So I do wonder if it changed.

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  9. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html

    Pan, this is the article that alerted me to the error of my ways. Sigh. Your dad, coming from the typewriter generation, was right. Alas, no longer. I always double space. It will take a long time to change.

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  10. I have to re-learn how to type? Bother. (Note, two spaces. I'm not going to be good at this!)

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  11. Shall we, Peaceful Day friends, start a rebellion and fight for the double space?!? I NEED it. It's reinstatement should be confirmed by deed poll.

    I always learn something from your posts, Jeanne. And thanks for the laughs :)

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  12. Coffee in hand here. Would so love to be chatting with you right now.
    Yes, we learned double space after a full stop in typing and I find it hard not to do it without thinking. Is it actually wrong in this techie age?

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  13. I double space for clarity of meaning. It makes more sense that way in my head so that's what I do & the grammar nazis can go jump. lol

    Um, Star & I do the DA thing too. ♥

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  14. Wow, somebody hacked into your Facebook account? :-( I am sorry to hear that.

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  15. Hello, Jeanne! So much to say, so I'll just begin, stream of consciouness-style: Enjoyed Downton Abbey. Loving Oliver Twist. Two of us loving Lilias, one tolerating. About to read Across Five Aprils. I'm a grammar person, too. However, I've decided that blogs should be written as you describe. This is not scholarly writing. This is not formal writing. So I write as I speak: in the vernacular. I've had both my Amazon and twitter accounts hacked. HATE it! Unpacking is always a big dread for me. I tend to put it off, too. The gardening sounds lovely. I've done very little, and even let some morning glory sproutlings die. Really, I have no business even messing with gardening. xo

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  16. Did you watch Season One of Downton? Opens with the Titanic?

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  17. I bought series 1,2 and the Christmas Special of Downton Abby and have just finished watching it all, loved it. Pity you don't live closer as I could lend them to you.

    I loved learning about the Gold Rush when I was at school, I have always loved learning about history, I have had some wonderful teachers who knew how to make it come alive. Sounds like you will be having lots of fun.

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  18. Just love, love, love listening to you chatting about what you have been up too! I haven't watched one episode of Downtown Abby, but I am tempted to do what Joluise has done. xxx

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