52memories

Saturday snippets 1 August 2015

1st August 2015 by Jax Blunt 3 Comments

{walking} because I can’t run. The pain level in my back/ leg is manageable if I take painkillers regularly, but that leaves me without my exercise outlet. Fitbit tells me I walked for 82 minutes today though, and covered 4.7 miles, which seems an optimistic interpretation, but I’ll go with it. Got to help, right?

{eating} BLT without the bread. It’s not quite the same, somehow. But if I can’t run, the only way to lose weight is to cut calorie intake.

{enjoying} the moon. And my lovely little camera. Wish I’d figured out the right settings to get the blue moon last night, but still quite pleased with tonight’s shots.

{watching} Covert Affairs. And wondering why we’re bothering. It’s really not that good, although playing spot the actor is fun. What these shows are missing is humour, snark just doesn’t cut it full time.

{reading} um. Can I get back to you on that?

{plotting} a blog reengineering. May crank out my programming mojo. Though really it will be about presentation. And design.

{experimenting} with new Winsor and Newton watercolour pens. They are rather fun. Second time around I mixed them with the watercolour box, it was really rather fun.

{also plotting} a story. I don’t know how to tell it. There’s this girl crashing around in my head, and also this old woman, and they’ve got things they want to say, but each set of words I’ve tried so far hasn’t quite been them. I’ll keep trying.

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Snapshots.

Big went out this week and set up a volunteering position at a charity shop for her Duke of Edinburgh. She’s also got glasses now, which is very different. Small has started experimenting with drawing using the Stan Lee book on drawing the Marvel way (I’ll pop a link in later) and it’s great to see him exploring. Smallest did some seed planting with Tim today, they’re going to grow marigolds. Tigerboy has been doing some montessori style pincer work today, transferring unit cubes from dish to dish.

I’ve been painting, and I’ve also started a sketchalong with a couple of friends over on instagram. Here’s my day 1.

A drawing a day @jennytidman #sketch #art #instaart #pencil #learntodraw

A photo posted by Jax Blunt (@liveotherwise) on Aug 1, 2015 at 9:45am PDT

Saturday snippets 16 May 2015

16th May 2015 by Jax Blunt Leave a Comment

{getting up} far far too early. Big had a cadet day which required her to be in the next town, after her paper round, for 8.15. Which was going to be tight. And so of course I woke up at 6, did that horrible flail oh no I’ve slept in, and then realised that actually I had another 45 minutes, but didn’t dare go back to sleep in case I then slept through the alarm. Not an auspicious start to the day.

{exploring} a different supermarket. A while back, I was given a Waitrose voucher. And given that I had to be in town to drop Big off, I decided that I would spend it today, and see how much I could get there for my £75. The answer is nowhere near as much as I get in my usual Lidl shop, and I’ll have to do a bit of a top up in a couple of days time. Plus, I don’t like going to new places – by the time I’ve got to the far end of the shop, I’ve completely run out of decision making capabilities, and making polite conversation with the very friendly checkout lady was almost a step too far. I did enjoy loading my posh groceries into my Lidl bag though 😉

{watching} Death in Paradise. Didn’t get around to family film night with Big out and about today, sadly. We watched a Longmire as well

{reading} Uprooted by Naomi Novik I’m really enjoying it. And I know I keep saying this, but full review *will* follow very soon.

{eating} sausages and mash, with braised leeks and rhubarb crumble. The leek and rhubarb first fresh delivery of the season from Tim’s brother. Very nice – there is something special about locally grown food. Smallest loves growing things, I must try to get her more involved.

{enjoying} getting out in the garden with a camera, and getting some pics. I haven’t actually looking at them on the big screen yet, but the snaps I got on the phone (see instagram)

#52memories

(sadly the original project as run by the mumdrum is coming to an end. I will be continuing to select and share a weekly memory here on the blog though, I like the focus it gives me.)

Snapshots.

Big passed her basic star at cadets today – she has missed no sessions since she started, and this was her second training weekend. I’m really proud of her commitment to it – the amount of time she spends ironing uniform and polishing boots is quite startling. Small has started preparing for his role in the great Tudor recreation at Kentwell Hall this year as a page, and has started studying Latin. (I have wanted to work with a child on Latin for so long!) Smallest is back on birds, as I blogged the other night. And is also getting increasingly confident in her swimming – she moved to the deeper area of the shallow pool this week. Tigerboy is excelling at being as changeable as the wind. Once moment he’s utterly adorable, kissing me, cuddling, reading a book, carrying the best Hobbes around. The next he’s destroying playdoh by ripping it up and throwing it round the kitchen, or hiding a cake in his drink in the hope of getting another one to lick the icing off. (No of course I didn’t fall for that. Sigh.) This too will pass.

And for me, I’ve not done a huge amount of drawing this week. There was this from the other morning in the garden though. Need to do more work on perspective. But hey.

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Saturday snippets 18 April 2015

18th April 2015 by Jax Blunt Leave a Comment

{watching} swimming rather than a film. Not that I could see all that much of the swimming from my corner seat in the cafe. But it was enough to be there I hope. (Big reminded me that the first time she did Swimathon, 4 years ago, I cried.)

{reading} Summer Secrets, the new Jane Green. Which was immediately powerful, but I had to put it down to do stuff, and I haven’t got my round tuit out again yet.

{playing} with design ideas for the blog. Trying to work out what summarises me and the blog – what elements do I want to feature in a badge/header/overall design? This isn’t something I’ve done at all before, and I’m struggling knowing how to put it together. I do feel that somewhere inside me there might be a drawing style, so I just have to keep trying stuff out until I find it. (Am also working on a picture book concept, which I’m very much enjoying.)

{enjoying} the sunshine. I spent a day re proofing the tent (at least, I hope I reproofed the tent. Turned out I missed a stage of the instructions, I’ve no idea how, but maybe I did enough? Please!). And we went down to the beach for the morning with local home ed friends, and there’s been plenty of garden play.

{marvelling} at Smallest putting together language and writing. I sometimes wonder whether I did something wrong with Big first time around, or didn’t do something right, or whether it’s just different children, different times, different ways of learning.

{eating} bacon sandwiches. The Lidl french sticks are way better than the Coop ones, and 14p cheaper. I’ve been thinking about the Live below the line challenge but I’m not sure we’re up to it this year.

#52memories

Snapshots

Big, as mentioned above, took part in the swimathon today, her team swam 5k between the 5 of them. Due to some technical issues (grr), she doesn’t have her own fundraising page, but if anyone is interested in contributing let me know and I’ll get you a link 🙂 (It’s in aid of Marie Curie.) Small, hm. It’s time I focussed on spending some time with him, I don’t seem to have seen much of him this week. Plans afoot for tomorrow. Smallest and I spent Tuesday in London at a dance workshop, and it was really rather nice. She’s back on Reading Eggs and Mathseeds, and is also daily trying to sound things out to write them down. Tigerboy tries to do everything she’s doing, which means he’s absorbing stuff effortlessly. I hope.

Me? Yes, I’ve been drawing again. The pics are mainly on instagram, do feel free to check them out. (I’ll put one here tomorrow when I can face getting up to get a cable to attach my phone…

Saturday snippets 21 March 2015

21st March 2015 by Jax Blunt 4 Comments

{watching} Ribbit (Amazon pre order link). Full review to follow (with giveaway!) but the younger two kids really enjoyed this.

Evening watching is currently Once upon a time on Netflix. Which is oddly gripping. Even if it is just fairly tales. #StreamTeam

{reading} nothing right this second, but I read Only Ever Yours last night. It just won the inaugural YA book prize, and I’ve heard lots of great things about it. Review to follow. (I seem to be saying that a lot just now 😉 )

{learning} about the technicalities of picture books. I went to a workshop at the library this afternoon. I want to write it up in full detail (yeah, yeah, post coming 😉 I’ve got a lot of writing to do!)

{taking} pictures, and time. Drawing, and dreaming. I have found all sorts of little wants that I’ve been missing. And I’m allowing myself to enjoy satisfying them in what little ways I can. I’m finding that treating myself makes it easier to be a whole person, it’s the first aid principle.

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Snapshots.

Big entered one of her pictures into an online art competition. I’m very proud of her for giving it a go. She’s also started working on Khan Academy, as has Small. He levelled up quite impressively, though I do need to file a bug report as he didn’t get the points he feels he should have done from one of the badges he achieved. (Although I can’t quite tell whether you’re supposed to get points for badges, or whether you get badges for points. It isn’t in the slightest bit clear.) Smallest is conducting her own version of guerilla education (I think maybe she’s been reading The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life and Education behind my back 😉 ) and this week has been using coins to practice counting, working out writing her brother’s name and plotting a project on lifecycles. Tigerboy is mainly working on cuteness. He’s pretty much got it cracked tbh.

For me – I entered in WHSmith #sketchoff this week. They posted a picture on their facebook wall, and you had 90 minutes to draw it. I didn’t find out on time, and I had dinner to make too, but I was still pretty pleased with my attempt. What do you reckon?

)

Saturday snippets 14 March 2015

14th March 2015 by Jax Blunt Leave a Comment

{feeling} incredibly tired. So tired that I can’t quite see straight. (So why am I blogging instead of going to bed?) Because it’s snippets. Obviously.

{enjoying} so very much experimenting with art and colour, drawing, shape and form. I’m looking at the world differently – colours are pinging out at me, and I’m spotting blossoms that I wouldn’t have seen before, silhouettes, tiny dew drops and all sorts of things. I am wondering whether it’s at least partly my increased interest in photography that’s helped my interest in drawing – I’m seeing so much more, which makes drawing it so much easier.

{reading} not so much. Though many many picture books. A particularly lovely batch arrived from Faber Children’s this week – thank you.

{eating} bacon sandwiches. Need to shake up our menu a bit, we’ve fallen into a rut rather. Quick and easy ideas for fitting around various evening activities needed. Wish we had room for a slow cooker.

{wishing} I’d written up more of our home education this week, as now I can’t remember which bits were this week and which were last.

{soaking} up the sun, even while shivering. This week has been glorious, I’ve even managed to mostly dry washing outside. Which is blissful – I don’t mind airing it off overnight, but it smells so much better when it’s been outside for at least part of the day. We even made it to the beach, and we’ve had chalk and bubbles outside, as well as the box. It’s been fab.

{spending} my voucher winnings on more art stuff. Yay, thank you Britmums and Doddle.

{watching} Billy Madison. I think it was called that. Starred Adam Sandler, first (and last) time I’ve ever seen one of his films. It was dire. I don’t recommend the experience.

#52memories

Snapshots

Big is mastering a new song most days on the guitar and has moved on to bodies in her art. We are amused that her anatomy for artists book misses out some parts of the anatomy 😉 Small is waiting for more colours in the Letraset range, but had a lovely day at home ed group this week. Smallest has been drawing lots, some more writing (loved her spelling of her younger brother’s name today) and is thrilled that it’s getting towards gardening time again. Tigerboy is having a slightly rocky time at the moment – everything needs to be NOW. But he’s can (mostly) be defused with a cuddle, or a song, or a book, or some drawing.

And me?

I’ve read next to nothing this week. Shed more tears than I would have ever expected over the death of Terry Pratchett. And done more sketching and colouring and drawing.

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