palmtree

Monopoly

Christopher and Catherine discovered our old Monopoly game today, so after dinner tonight we started a game. I'd forgotten how useful a board game can be for teaching various maths skills! The kids both bought every property they landed on, while Garry and I "wisely" focussed on buying certain properties and building lots of houses on them. Sadly, we had to finish the game before anyone landed on our carefully built up streets, so in the end neither strategy achieved very much. We plan to continue the game another night, so we'll see what happens next....

Meanwhile, it's certainly another great way to avoid studying for my exams :)

A blessing

May your spirit soar gracefully
on the whispering breeze.
May your joy run strong
as the deepest seas.
May your soul reach out
to embrace the sky.
May your heart guide you truly
as the years go by.

Camping In

Last night we went camping indoors. We cooked dinner on the "fire" (the potbelly stove) and ate toasted marshmallows for dessert. We played Uno and charades, then read the last chapter of our book ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"). Christopher and Catherine slept on their mattresses on the floor in the lounge room, toasty warm by the fire. It was lots of fun although quite a late night by the time the kids finally fell asleep.

Study Avoidance

With three exams coming up next week, it's high time for me to start blogging again! Things have become very cosy here as winter weather sets in - I always love having the pot belly stove going. The back yard is starting to look bleak and skeletal. This time of year is great for seeing the bare bones of the garden.

I have been reading a new Elizabeth Goudge that Garry picked up at a secondhand book sale. I still need to find "Green Dolphin Country" (and others), but our collection of her books is slowly growing. As always, this one had me deep in thought. Book group has just finished "The Aunt's Story" by Patrick White, and we are now reading Tim Winton's "The Riders".

We are right in the middle of Christopher's 10th and Catherine's 8th birthdays. June tends to be an expensive month in our household. From 22 June I will be relishing the forgotten joys of having some time off from study. Easter was a write-off in the 'holiday' sense this year and the four of us really need a proper break.