Rockpools

We packed our buckets and crab nets and headed to the Jurassic coast for an adventure at Kimmeridge Bay.

For a mere £5 you can enjoy the lovely toll road to the beach and once you're there you can spend the day happily mooching around the rocks.

There are plenty of impressive ammonite fossils to be seen at low tide and some great rock pools. We didn't find any mermaids purses, dinosaur bones or spider crabs but we weren't disappointed as we saw edible crabs, snails, shrimp and some amazing seaweed. We found a spider crab shell and a crab claw which was a highlight for the boys - especially investigating how the claw worked.

The staff at the marine centre were fab, giving us plenty of tips and lending us some spades. Once W is more confident in the water I'd love to go back to do the snorkel trail.

A proper British seaside day : cold sea, grey skies. We left drenched and happy.

 

Everything Zen ..

... I don't think so.

The 11+ (sorry Transfer Test) created a pretty stressful couple of months (understatement). As an antidote I had the idea of making mini zen gardens. I was giddy with optimism and self-congratulation at this easy, quick, genius idea. Clever me.

A quick search on google images only served to reinforce the fact that this was the best idea I'd had all week.

Problem 1 was locating suitable frames. I spent an unhappy 20 minutes crawling around in a spidery loft, banging my head (in frustration and also on the rafters) until I found a pair of matching frames. Unfortunately they had our wedding pictures in but I was too fed up to keep hunting so now I'm looking at my younger self, in a big white dress, stuck on the fridge. If I could go back and give advice to 20-something-newly-wed-fridge-girl it would be : don't even think about making a mini zen garden when you're 36. Oh - and spend less time on, or in, the fridge.

Problem 2 was finding sand. And gravel. And shiny beads. I didn't know Buddhists could be this demanding. Sheds were searched, craft drawers emptied and in the end, in despair, I tipped a load of sand out from the candle arrangement on the coffee table. Phew.

Problem 3 - tools. The loft, sheds and craft drawers are full to bursting with everything, literally everything, except for mini zen garden tools. Luckily, we foraged some sticks from the garden and set to making mini rakes with a glue gun and some swearing.

We're 2 hours in and I'm still waiting for a serene feeling of deep inner peace to descend.

Finally, with frames, sand, gravel, beads, candles, stones and custom-made mini stick tools all in play we were ready for some serious relaxation.

Re-designing was fun, it was like an etch-a-sketch.

Not enough fun to eclipse problem 4 though.... there is sand EVERYWHERE.

I spent the next hour hoovering. I think zen is overrated. I'll stick with gin.

Much Ado

Continuing our Shakespeare theme we decided to re-try the Globe with seats this time, thanks to a half price offer on tickets for 946 (Morpurgo's The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips). Although it's not Shakespeare it had the same cast so it all felt warm, fuzzy and familiar as we sat in the upper echelons with the snazzy cardboard visors to help shade the sun.

It didn't have the charm of the yard but there were fewer tired legs and we had a clear view of all the action with no pillars to peek round.

My preference would still be the yard : at £5 a ticket it's exceptional value for exceptional theatre, but perhaps only for age 10+ and it's worth getting there early to secure a spot front and centre of the stage for the best experience. It's a balance - getting there early means standing for up to an hour longer but in return you'll get a better view.

My other tip is at the interval (if you haven't been organised enough to take nibbles) - keep hold of your ticket and nip out to Costa which is right behind the rear theatre entrance for cheaper snacks and shorter queues than the Globe refreshment stands.

Given we'd had a side view of A Midsummer Night's Dream and W struggled with standing for so long I was completely delighted to find that the final show at the Globe will be broadcast live by the BBC tomorrow. To watch the same actors perform the play again it from the comfort of our own sofa will be fabulous and the kids loved the story. What's not to love about a naughty fairy and a man called Bottom with an ass for a head?!

Link here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/h2vwgfPvGVLTZ95BWL6Yxf/riotous-and-celebratory-a-midsummer-night-s-dream-live-streamed-in-a-world-first

Midsummer is a modern adaption by Emma Rice with traditional language but a visual focus on costume, colour and a re-imagining of conventional Shakespearean theatre. Helena is re-cast as Helenas; Hermia wears Cath Kidston pyjamas.

It's a fantastic contrast to Much Ado About Nothing which we saw last week at Clivedon Manor. Performed by a classic all-male troupe, Much Ado was performed outside (in the pouring rain in our case!) for an authentic experience. 

K is the perfect age to grasp Shakespeare's presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of human nature when it comes to love, betrayal and trickery. W is a little young to follow the dialogue but if there's a sprinkling of slapstick and a lemon sherbet he'll happily sit back and absorb the atmosphere and laugh at the physical comedy, even if the kissing bits are 'weird'. 

We've done Much Ado, Twelfth Night and Midsummer so we've covered enough of the comedies - the boys feel the same as they've asked to see one of Shakespeare's "fighty" ones. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to prep them for Hamlet... maybe next summer.

Summer Days

The summer has gone in a flash and it's not-back-to-school time! The weather was on board with the transition to autumn and threw some wind, rain and leaves at us for the first day back.

It's been easier this time - I haven't blubbed watching other kids walk to school which I count as progress. A combination of getting into my stride, increasing confidence and knowing it might be our last year of this EHE adventure has improved my resilience.

I can't lie, it's still hard. As friends tell me of coffee dates, back-to-work plans, new teachers and clean houses my heart sinks, picturing the pile of dirty dishes, papers everywhere, floors in desperate need of a hoover and the hours of planning and resource printing that my Sunday holds.

But there are advantages : there's no abrupt change of schedule, the money saved on uniform can be directed to more entertaining activities and all of our favourite haunts are suddenly quiet again after the chaos of the summer. Knowing we can have our pick of adventures in term time meant we had a nature-filled, Famous Five-esque summer and it was fantastic.

Best of all - seeing friends. Term time weekdays will seem very quiet after the fun of the summer.