Here is the magic that happens outside of lessons:
This has been a wondrously busy week, filled with trips, family and a little one year old who matured in front of our very eyes. We are all tired, but very content and looking forward to the new term.
Last Thursday Gary and I were up and away early in the morning whilst it was still dark to begin our adventure to Paris. We travelled by Eurostar train, going under the English Channel, out on the other side in France, speeding towards its capital. It felt a little lonely without my gorgeous five children who I am with 24 hours a day, but they were having great fun back home with their Northern Irish Grandad and Granny who were, no doubt, spoiling them rotten!
Once we were in Paris I was spell-bound from the very start. We wandered around exploring a little and then braved the queue for the Louvre, visiting the Islamic art section in preparations for our Islamic studies this year.
But it wasn’t until dark, when hand in hand Gary and I walked along the Seine towards the Eiffel tower that I felt truly part of the magic that is Paris. It was very special and a night I’ll never forget, shared with the man I love so much.
On our last day we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, which I photographed for use in a medieval architecture study I have in mind for this term:
Of course absence makes the heart grow even fonder and the children were as eager for us to return as we were to see them. There were many tender hugs, laughter and the sharing of news. My baby, who had just started to say her first words when we left, suddenly had a huge vocabulary and was keen to show it off to her Mummy and Daddy amidst even more cuddles. My older three informed me they had decided this would be our first and last trip away from them! (They were very definite about that!)
We were able to enjoy the company of Gary’s parents for a few more days, trying to catch up on the past 18 months of news. Gary’s mum and I, when we get together, find such a lot to talk about. On their last day she and I went shopping. Three hours later we had been to only two shops and spent the rest of the time in a coffee shop chatting! The children had a lovely time with them both, messing around with their jocular and very mischievous Grandfather! C10 was very tearful when she had to say goodbye.
School and therefore blogging began again in earnest on the 1st, with A4 and B1 learning all about monkeys in their Curious George unit. The older children concentrated on the events running up to the Battle of Hastings and learnt to do a bit of archeological detective work. In addition we continued learning about bones and the children were introduced to the people they would be studying over the next five weeks.
And just because I couldn’t resist:
