Jack of all trades, master of none??

I know that alot of people view me as a bit of a Boho-come mother earth type, and this is fine. Considering I have 4 children, I can see how such an opinion could develop.
However, I do somewhat think it's a cop out opinion (in my humble-tree-hugging opinion).
Just because I have successfully conceived and given birth to 4 children does not make me a complete failure in other areas of my life, nor will it hinder any future plans I have.
It is true that I have not spent years studying to become 'something' in my adult years, choosing instead to gain my qualifications in the school of life. Some do not think this qualification is worth much. I disagree.
For instance, I can work equally well behind the counter of a shop, as I can in the hustle and bustle of a busy dressage yard environment. 
I can wait on tables...and I can restore tables. 
I can file paperwork in the most hectic of offices, and I can file down rusty vintage garden planters and make them usable and saleable again. 
I can organise a children's party, and I can organise a venue for a monthly social gathering for local HE families, with the full backing and interest of our local councillor.
I can look after my brood and my home - cleaning, cooking entertaining and of course, educating - and I can look after our small but growing company which will one day become a family business for each of us to be proud of.
These are skills which life and necessity have taught me, and they shall stand me in good stead for future years.
And so, with this in mind, my husband and I have begun teaching the many arts which our business relies upon, to Ethan. He has always enjoyed 'before and after' things, so we decided to teach him the art of French Polishing.

We have so many items to be getting on with, it seems a shame not to teach him how, especially when it is so easy to get the basics.

Now there are going to be those who will look at this and think, 'ahh, that's nice, at least when he fails academically, he can always clean furniture'
And yes he will, and he'll also be able to charge an absolute fortune to do it! Because these are dying skills we are teaching here. And even though he is likely never to become a furniture restorer, or a professional french polisher, with skills like this which he can fall back on he'll never be out of a job because he'll be able to do alot of things fairly well, instead of this fascination people have with being able to do only one thing, really well.

I would rather watch my kids out in the fresh air, applying REAL skill to something they are doing, over sitting at a desk learning how to construct a sentence or understand algebraic formulae which they'll never use again.

Loz

Some more scheduled events for the year

Finally today our national trust membership came through, so we don't have to keep using the silly paper one they keep sending us.
So I have written up a short list of the places we would like to go in the coming weeks - if the weather holds out.
1: Chedworth Roman Villa. - The main mosaics aren't accessible at present, which is a bit of a shame, but it will still make for an interesting visit. Also their Roman Mothers Day event on the 3rd April, should be fun too.
2: Hidcote Manor. - I'm hoping places like this will inspire Ethan more with his photography.
3: The Ebworth centre - to coincide with our rural/organic studies.
4: Hellfire caves - It's not strictly a NT site, but it offers discounted admission to members. And we all love a good rummage in a cave don't we?
5: Several events at the Lodge park and Sherbourne Estate , inc; summer food foray, pirates and bird watching for children.
6: Court Barn Museum, for some of their wonderful arts and design events.

I am sure there will be many other things which crop up along the way, but these are some things which I would definitely like to stick with because of the learning schedule I have planned for the coming year.



And on a completely different note......

I meant to post this earlier, but completely forgot. It's a picture of the recent lunar perigee, and whilst it looked absolutely amazing in the flesh - fat and round and huge -  this picture doesn't do it any justice.

Loz



A unique opportunity

Yesterday evening I went for a nice early evening stroll around the village. It is such a lovely place when the tourists have finally departed.
Anyway, on my travels I came across something a bit unusual. There is a construction site near to where we live where a new care home is being built. I noticed that they are advertising free come-in-and-see sessions once a month. Basically, any member of the public can telephone and make an appointment to pop in and have a guided tour of the site by the foreman, to be shown what has been done so far and how, and what is going to happen next.

It's an amazing idea, and one which Ethan loves the sound of. He's popped out now to get the phone number so we can make an appointment for him to go along.
I know he isn't particularly interested in construction per se, but anything which involves some kind of engineering is of interest, and he loves the whole before and after thing, so having the chance to get up close and personal with what is happening behind the barriers should be quite a unique experience.

This, again, is a classic example of what HE is really about. Doing things and taking advantage of experiences which would otherwise be overlooked or seen as unnecessary to a mainstream schooled child.

I can probably guarantee that Ethan will be the first child in this area to have taken advantage of a guided tour round the construction site, because I almost guarantee that no other parent will have spotted the notice - and then taken the interest in following it up.




Loz

Not the sharpest barb on the wire...

For crying out soft....When will people realise that yahoo group lists are not completely and utterly private??
When will they realise that publishing your entire bank account details, including your account name, is not the most clever of things to do?

I really think that group owners/moderators/admins or whatever they want to call themselves should make absolutely clear to their members that there are some people out there that scour such groups, and will pounce on things like that.
In an age where your private details are anything but...you would think people would take more care.

And yes..this did occur yet again on another HE list. Typical...



(completely dumbstruck) Loz

The great Class divide!!!

Lets face it, there is and always has been a class divide in this country. (I know it occurs in other countries, but I live in this one so I'll concentrate on that for now).

Generally speaking, it is the articulate, literate and middle class sections of society which appear to fare better when it comes to attaining an education and eventual high earning employment. Most would jump to the natural conclusion that this is largely because of more readily available finances.
Take the LA for example. It has been mentioned in other blogs that some more loose-tongued LA officers will happily admit that those who fall into the above category do not pose as much of a concern to them when accessing their suitability as Home Educators, as those who perhaps fall into lower categories, ie; those who are on benefits, living in social housing or who are single parents etc.

Now, I am the first to admit that I am a closet snob. I like to speak well, to dress well, and to give the overall impression that I herald from a middle class background. However, I am sure my own parents will not be too offended if I happen to mention that I in fact come from far more humble beginnings.
Yes, I grew up in a council flat, then a council house. Yes my mother cleaned the houses of the middle class in order to afford the things she wanted for us as a family. Sacrifices were made. We often went without. But at no point did the absence of a fully paid for five bedroom property, or fancy fortnights away in DisneyLand, and the obligatory nanny living in the downstairs quarters, make my parents incapable of providing for me 100%. 

It is thanks to them and their extraordinary ability to improve upon what they had (and they certainly have done so, now very much able to stake claim to middle class) and their tenacity to not sit back, grow fat and lazy and expect society to provide for them, that I am what I am today.

Yes, I live in a HA house. But everything inside it is mine. I own my car. I have no debts. I pay my taxes but still claim what I am eligible for from the government for being a working parent of 4 children.
Also, being an HE family, we too have to make sacrifices; so no expensive holidays here either. Nevertheless, I am still able to give the impression to those who do not know my postcode, that I am middle class. 
I am sure that when the EHE Officer first came to review my sons statement of SEN, she had her initial thoughts about us as she walked in through my front door. 
It was with this in mind that I made absolutely sure she left with an entirely different opinion of us, and not one based upon where we lived.

I have said in the past that I am against stereotyping, and I uphold that statement now. I do not judge a person by where they live, what they wear, what religion they have or whether they use Aquafresh or Colgate toothpaste. None of that superficial stuff concerns me in the least. But I am aware of what impact such things have on a LA visit.

Now I am completely prepared for the comments which will no doubt say things like;  'why do we have to pretend to be something we are not,just for the LA?'
And I agree, you shouldn't have to do such things. However, there is nothing in the rules which states one cannot bend the rules of engagement. If you have been obliging enough to allow them into your home, then surely what happens in your home is very much under your control, not theirs. If you feel it happens the other way round, then you should not have invited them in.
If it is known that the LA are looking for articulate literate and middle class individuals to HE their children, as opposed to benefit dependant, council housed individuals, then that already gives us one up on them, doesn't it?
you don't have to 'become' what they are looking for. Only 'appear' more like what they are looking for.
You don't have to change your entire house, or the way you speak, but string a few papers together and pop them neatly into a file, offer a cup of tea and a biscuit (or slice of homemade cake) and voila...you might be surprised at how the human psyche can suddenly become very accepting of such gestures.

It's already very obvious what happens when you try to fight against it. 
I believe the saying is...if you can't beat them..join them??



Loz





 

Corinium Museum

What an absolutely fantastic day we have had!

We visited the Corinium Museum in Cirencester to tag along with our current local and Roman studies.

Having never been to Cirencester before, I was pleasantly surprised at how mice the actual town seemed to be, so a visit there is much needed (especially in the Noa Noa shop, and Cotswold Curtains...lol).

Ethan really loved the hands on approach the museum offers (it being one of the leading family friendly museums in the country) and he really got into the spirit of the visit - as some of the photos will show.

It is wonderful to see that my own love of museums has passed down to my children. My mother will bear testament to how many hours I would spend wandering the halls of our local museum as a child. I can remember asking to go there every time we went into town. And I remember being fascinated by the Egyptian mummy they had in a glass case.

I also remember not being able to leave, unless I had a new dinosaur model to take home with me.

Thankfully, Ethan was happy with just a couple of postcards for his scrapbook, and a trebuchet pencil sharpener as souvenirs. He even remembered to get Daniel a little something too.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

despite looking a bit miserable, this is in fact, Ethan's moody 'in character' face.

Ethan loved how they did a reconstruction of this Saxon mans face.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Never one to turn down a dressing up opportunity. >>>>

And yes, I was forced to join in too. (Also note my 'in character' face).

A messed up puzzle just begs to be completed. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And Ethan has planned to recreate this game when he gets home, because we ran out of time whilst playing it, and it was too much fun not to have a go at home with it.



Both of us were a bit nervous about smelling things to begin with, but actually they weren't that bad. (Although I couldn't have guessed them correctly if my life had depended on it).

Ethan loved this replica column. The scale design really did it for him.


All in all, a truly terrific day. Thanks Ethan for being such good company.


Loz

Teaching Patience

As I have mentioned before, Ethan has Aspergers, and as a result of this, he sometimes has great problems with patience.
If something doesn't go as planned immediately for him, it is likely to be scrunched up and thrown violently as far away as possible.
This was always a problem when he was at school, work which in his mind has too many errors, or the wrong look, or not enough content, would be destroyed in a fit of exasperation. He would then finish off the grump by sitting with his arms tightly folded staring off into space completely ignoring the teachers pleas to get him to start over again.

Obviously, now that he is a little older he has learned to cope better in situations where his fuse runs short (usually because of his brother annoying him, which in the past would result in tears and often the need for a plaster and some hugs).

However, I noticed the other day that he still attempts things with a 'must complete perfectly' mentality. It's as if he is in competition with himself over everything.
Take for example, a drawing he was doing. He was designing a complete new race of alien beings, and his work was several pages long with diagrams for landscapes, building types, weather systems, different sorts of vehicles, and of course, what each species of alien being looked like, along with a list of individual attributes for each. However, when one of the designs went slightly wrong - and I couldn't even see what he was referring to when he pointed it out - he very nearly lost his rag to such an extent that everything could have been destroyed. Which would have been a real shame, since he had spent so much time working on it. 

So, I decided to think of ways to try and improve his general level of patience, and to try and teach him the advantages of having a longer fuse than most. 

I am an extremely patient person. It takes alot these days for me to snap. But I also appreciate that this is something which has developed with age, rather than it being something which I was born with. As a teenager I was hideously short tempered. I do believe that having children has taught me the skill of allowing the little things to just wash over me, and it was this I wanted to impart to Ethan.

So, after some scouring of the interweb, I came up with....a rubber band ball. 

I could apply the teaching of physics to it (because at first Ethan saw little point in actually doing it) and at the same time, I hoped the simple task of sitting, and adding each band would increase his patience.

Of course, at first, the bands popped off, and some snapped, and Ethan would growl and slam his fist into the sofa cushions, and call the whole thing daft..but we persevered, and I showed him different ways of applying the bands to reduce the number of times they would ping off, and gradually I noticed him 'sinking' into the activity.
He even took his ball into the bath with him yesterday!

We talked about the importance of not loosing faith in whatever we are doing. And how some things which seem important at the time - like getting a race finished, or a drawing perfect, or a shoelace to tie up without being too tight - usually aren't.

I think it was the first time anyone had approached him with a different angle, a different thought process to employ when things seem too much. 

I understand that with Aspergers, most of the time their reactions are just that..impulsive reactions to external stimuli which occur before they have the time to think it through. But I also believe that patience can be taught, and subsequently learned.

He is now painting the downstairs bathroom as I also believe this is a good life skill, and quite a relaxing one once you get into it.

Loz

Stereotyping

Stereotyping...We all do it at some point, about something. We make assumptions about things, and presume to much about others.
However, as far as children are concerned, some stereotyping can be damaging.
Take for instance kids which are not directed in their play by what sex they are, ie; girls which climb trees and play with guns, and boys who play babies and play-pretend house.
Is there anything wrong with these examples? As far as I am concerned, no, there isn't.
But for some, it continues to pose a problem. Boys should be boys, they should be out in the fields with a shotgun on their shoulders learning how to skin a rabbit and fashion a slingshot from twigs and deer hair.
Girls on the other hand should be tucked up safely at home, learning how to bake, knit, do cross stitch and braid each others hair.
I think this is a complete nonsense. I believe in order to develop as a complete person, one should be allowed to experiment in all areas of experience. Girls should be encouraged to discover what interests them, and likewise for boys, without the associated stigmas and stereotypes attached to them.
Take my son number 2 for instance, at the age of 5 he was completely besotted with all things Andrew Lloyd Webber. He had his complete works on CD, and would spend many hours not only listening to them, but singing at the top of his voice along to such tunes as Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Les Mis. By the time he was 10, he could inform anyone in detail about each musical, and could sing virtually every song from all of them. 
However, he couldn't kick a football to save his life. And still can't.
Son number 3 loves nothing more than running about with a dolly in one hand and a pushchair wobbling about in the other, then sitting for ages feeding them imaginary tea and cake, before deciding to walk around the house with a pair of my shoes on.
Now, I haven't actively encouraged this behaviour in my children, I have simply allowed them to find their own interests and needs. When we visit car boot sales, if they pick something out which they would like, then I see no reason to say ' but that is a girls toy'.
Would I feel the same way if I had a daughter who wanted to take up football on a Saturday morning? I again see no reason why not.
My boys are still very much boys. They have all at some time, picked up a toy gun and have gone screaming from one end of the garden to the other lost in a haze of imaginary warfare. But they have also built dens and furnished them with cushions and frilly window dressings. I see no harm in either.

What is the fascination with tyring to mould our children into being something other than what they naturally are?
They are little learning machines, with a need to experience all their little minds demand.
They see no divide between the sexes when it comes to naturally educating themselves about their surroundings and them self. That divide is something which is put upon them. Sometimes for good reason, and others times for nothing more than to perpetuate stereotyping, and it is the latter that is often done without intention.

Is there ever a good stereotype?
Should we actively teach our children to judge through stereotyping?
Is the impact of stereotyping lessened or increased with Home Educating?

I have many more thoughts on this, and will make further posts pertaining to it in the coming days.

Loz


 

A nice day

We had another lovely day at Funtime yesterday. We met up with lots of (becoming) familiar faces again, and were able to put a face to a name which I have also become familiar with, which was nice - and she most certainly does not belong to any Home Education yahoo groups based in the United Kingdom. (And by the way, please accept my apologies for any mix up which may have made it seem as though I was accusing you of being so, it was intended for another of the same name).

Ethan had a whale of a time being bullied by a group of 4 and 5 year olds (not actually bullied, but ganged up on, in the best possible way), and it made a nice change for there to be so many boys there this time.

It was mentioned by another mum that gradually it is becoming clear that for certain kids, Funtime and places like it are coming to the end of their life (kids getting too old). Lets hope that someone is willing to take on the role of organising the monthly meet up, because it would be a shame for such an important opportunity to no longer be available for existing and new HE families.  I have certainly valued the chance to meet up with others.

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us, with planned visits to farms, museums, mills and roman villas etc, also the K'nex Robotics day is coming up, a science evening, Cotswold forest school, a music showcase and Alton Towers..all before the 31st!!


Loz

The art of conversation.

With six people in my house, it should come as no surprise that it can be quite a noisy place to live in at times.  I actively encourage freedom of expression when airing ones views and opinions, and enjoy getting into a good debate about topical subjects with anyone who may care to join in.

I have also carried this ethos on with my children. Although not everyone thinks it is good idea.

I allow the older two to watch the news. I think it is important for them to see what is happening around the world and why things happen the way they do. It also invites discussion about things which they may not quite understand and want to know more about. I in turn welcome this.

I believe in being able to make good conversation with others, and have tried to instill this skill into my children.
Thankfully, my eldest has never had a problem with being able to articulate himself. He speaks exceptionally well for a child of his age, and has had many a compliment from adults on his confidence and ability to hold his own in discussion.
My second child - Daniel - is a little more wary when it comes to speaking and having a conversation. He never really knows what adults are talking about unless it is explained to him in detail and even then, when asked for an opinion, he buckles and becomes shy.
I don't have a problem with this at all, everyone develops at different rates, some are good with words, others make far better listeners. Some are able to lead discussions, others are better at remembering the finer points of one.
Either way, I believe the art of conversation is an important skill to learn, and for most children that begins at home.

You have to talk to your children to make them understand exactly what talking is about.
It's not just about asking questions and giving one word answers. It's as much about listening, as it is about being able to respond.

Ethan enjoys being able to sit and discuss something/anything which takes his interest. One of the main problems he had with school, was that during a lesson, he would want to ask questions about something, or delve deeper into the meaning of something which was being taught, and schools just don't have the time to entertain such inquisitiveness these days. On many occasions he told me how he would be sat in his chair, with his hand up waiting for the teacher to notice him and answer his query, only to be ignored. When eventually the teacher spotted him, the question he asked was no longer relevant, as the rest of the class - or rather the teacher - had moved on to the next thing. Consequently, Ethan had missed the majority of what the teacher was attempting to teach. In the end, Ethan stopped asking questions...and ultimately, stopped learning.

When dealing with kids at home, you have to be aware that they will ask questions...the constant why's, when's, what-for's are all there to build a picture in their minds of the world around them. As parents, I believe it is our job to nourish that, and nurture it, and help it grow and develop far beyond mere classroom curiosity.

Nothing infuriates me more than when one of my children, or indeed any child, attempts to join in with a conversation and is ignored, or worse still told to be quiet, to go and play etc. Respect is something which is earned, not given away like candy. If you show a child that what they have to say is as equally important as anything any adult blabbers about, then they will learn to not only respect adults more, but also themselves, as they will learn that what they think and say, matters.

I actively teach this to my children. I tell them, that if they have something to say they should say it. But I also warn them to be aware that some people will not like a child's contribution. Some still live in the dark ages of 'seen and not heard'.
I believe the main reason for this, is that in fact many adults don't like the truth and honesty children lace their words with. If they don't like something they are wont to say so.  Adults are taught by society that sometimes it is best to keep ones mouth closed and to hold ones tongue if what may come out differs greatly from what the majority are talking about. No one really likes to stand out as different, do they?
I personally am not like that, and if that makes me infantile in my social behaviour, then so be it. I have indeed lost a few friends by telling them that their new dress does make their bums look fat!
If you don't want an honest opinion...don't ask for one at all. At least, not from me.

And as far as my kids are concerned, I know that if they say they don't like something, it's because they genuinely don't like it, not because they just can't be bothered to try it, or make polite talk to weed out of giving an honest reply.
The flipside of all this honesty, is that when engaging them in conversation, you know that the opinions they are expressing are entirely their own, and not simply borrowed from what they may have overheard, or what they think they should be saying in order to continue the conversation.

Being able to talk well to anyone, regardless of their status, background, religion or interests, is vitally important in being able to make a positive impression. I believe this is far more useful in many situations than paper qualifications.  - something which i will be further exploring in another post later.


Loz

A thumbs up for autonomy?

This link came through on one of the listing groups. Have a ganders and see what you think.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

Building bridges - physics.

Today, we attempted some more physics, by building some bridges.

Now, I know we should have used A4 paper in the experiment, however, all I had to hand at the time was some thin A4 card - obviously, this did have an effect on the outcome of our experiments which I'll go into later.

The point of the task was to see which shaped structure would hold the greatest weight (in the form of a bottle of water) before failing.

Ethan firstly thought of various shapes, then set to making them. He was allowed to use some tape, but only to hold together the shape (it didn't in any way support or add strength to the structure).

He made a circular tube, a square tube, and a triangular tube, all of which were bridged over a 21cm gap.

The bottle could hold a maximum of 1 litre of water.

We had some initial success, and by this I mean the structure failed once a certain amount of water was added to the bottle, however we soon realised that thin card is far too strong for this experiment to be a true success.

With the square and triangular tube..we ran out of water before either structure was showing signs of failing. Therefore we abandoned the experiment, thinking it best to wait until tomorrow when we could get some normal paper. Ethan however agreed that it would be interesting to rig it all up again and continue with the two experiments side by side to see exactly how much stronger the thin card is, compared with just paper - whilst at the same time, finding out which structure is best suited as a bridge, and can hold the most weight.
So, somehow, we have managed to create a multiple experiment, which not only includes physics, but also maths.

It is exactly this element of Home Education which we love. The freedom to just let things take us where they naturally progress to, and enjoy the ride. :)



Loz

More science (improved video footage)

Here is a slightly better quality video of Ethan explaining his experiment with a candle, to show aerodynamics of wind in action.

More science.

Yesterday, we decided to start several science experiments. We wanted to do biology, chemistry and physics...I think we managed it quite well.

The first, is showing the effect of an acid on an alkaline egg shell.

You need only 3 pieces of equipment. A jar, an egg, and some vinegar. We used white vinegar because that way you can see the egg better.

Just pop the egg into the jar, cover with vinegar and leave for at least 24 hours.

Eventually, the shell is supposed to dissolve away, leaving the egg membrane intact, creating a soft shelled egg.

I'm thinking it may take more than 24 hours, but it can sit in the jar for as long as it takes, and we'll simply keep an eye on it and record our findings as and when they happen.

 The next experiment was creating our own coloured flowers. We opted for blue and green inks in the water, and could only find white carnations to use (although the type of flower doesn't really matter).

We popped them in to jars which had the coloured water in them, and will wait patiently until they begin to change. (for progress reports, and final conclusions, watch this space).

This is Ethan explaining our third experiment, which showed the effects of aerodynamics with the use of a candle, and a bottle. It's his first televisual debut, and I think he did rather well.

(Apologies for the poor quality of the recording, I only had my phone to hand, and it's one of those ancient things which hasn't really caught up with the digital age yet. Future videos will be more watchable).

Loz

Kitchen Science - enzymes.

Today we spent some time discovering the effects of Amylase on bread. (Or in other words, what the enzymes in saliva do to bread as you chew it). 

Firstly we needed half a slice of cheap white bread...which I didn't have, since we only had oaty bread, so we stuck with this.

Next we needed a mouth to put it in. Ethan happily volunteered. >>>>>>>>>>>>

 Next he had to chew for as long as he possibly could, no matter how disgusting the bready mush became. 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

....And chew....and chew....

Finally the taste got too disgusting and he gave up, with a swift visit to the kitchen sink!! (no he didnt chunder in there..but changed his mind and headed for the bin instead).

What was supposed to happen, was that after a while of chewing the mush in your mouth would eventually begin to taste sweeter and sweeter, indicating that the molecules of glucose were being broken down by the enzymes (amylase) in your saliva. But for how long one would have to chew for is anyones guess.

We decided that in theory the experiment was sound enough, but in practise it wasn't one of the best to go for.

Tomorrow is all about creating hybrid coloured flowers with ink (and hopefully learning about how plants extract water, and how it travels through the plant.)

Loz 

More cookery!

I have never been a very good cake maker, so this year I promised myself that I would hone this particular skill, and perfect it the best I could. Of course, in so doing it opens up a whole lot of opportunities for the kids to get involved.

I personally love to see kids in the kitchen cooking everything from full out dinners for the family, to a plate of fairy cakes for them to munch on whilst they read later in the evening.

Daniel especially has a great ambition to cook for a living. His knowledge about ingredients and flavours is improving all the time, and his enthusiasm is boundless. He has started watching Junior Masterchef, and I know he would love to have a go. Who knows...might be something for next year ?

The end result of both my own baking and the boys' is pleasing to both the eye, and to the tatebuds. Now all I have to do is get the hang of icing, and decorating, and my mums 60th should be a breeze :p

Loz

Learning whilst having fun..point proven.

The boys and I wobbled off to a new indoor play centre today to check it out. We knew it would be quiet, so thought it an ideal time to virtually have the run of the place to give it a good try out.

Great fun was had by all, and we even managed to find time to integrate some maths into the fun.

Laurence, counted how many cups we had, and then how many he would need for everyone. It's basic, but that's where it starts.

Of course, I was shocked to find that even here the most simple of spelling mistakes are made. How unprofessional.

I'm sorry for the poor quality by the way, but seriously...potatoe? Ribeania?... For goodness sake.

Anyway, disregarding the appalling use of the English language in their literature...Jo had a smashing time and thoroughly loved chasing coloured balls about the place, which was great, because he's been having a rotten couple of days with teething problems. I'm pleased this took his mind off it for a while.

Loz