Farm visit, geocaching, new group and Aren't choices brilliant?

Tuesday

was a farm visit with a dozen or so families to Plumpton College. Very interesting on many different levels. One thing that was interesting was that, of a small group of people I chatted with during the day, there were some who felt massively drawn to farming, farm animals, that whole environment. I can't think of any other visit with a home-ed group that has produced such strong and spontaneous expressions of that kind of feeling. I found that fascinating. C and I were all about the 'no, we'd rather work in a fairly quiet library', while the person in the group who currently does work in a library is shortly off to do actual real proper farming in a variety of locations around the country, with her family! And J, who organized the trip, talked with great feeling about how much she would like to work with animals, which I never would have guessed about her at all.

All of which and more led me to think 'aren't choices brilliant?' in Fast Show enthusiastic character style, and that became a bit of a theme for my week. Oh, I've just realized that's the same area I was thinking/feeling very negatively in a couple of weeks ago (outside the norm, etc.), but with a much more positive spin! That's quite cool. Hmm this is rambly and probably should have gone on Monkey Shit instead. Will see...

OK so back to Plumpton visit.

F and I got the bus, one of the little villagey buses that we're quite liking these days. Particularly liked this one as it picks up from the next road down, over the stream (which is running now, so must be properly winter). We went to where Google said the stop was and sat on the wall, spending 5 minutes pondering how there was no sign of it being a bus stop and fretting slightly before suddenly realizing there was a big yellow rectangle outline and the words BUS STOP painted on the road. And we believed and it came!

I did actually say to the bus driver 'We believed and you came' but he didn't seem to think that was amusing, he's probably right. Lovely sunshiney bus ride with beautiful views.

At the college we met up with the other families - I really enjoyed having lots of conversations throughout the day with people one-to-one or in small groups, like chatting with J about her wish to work with animals. Had other chats with L, who is such a love and had had a difficult start to her day, M, C, other C, S and of course N.

The woman taking us round was good in terms of knowledge and ability to answer questions and listen. Think she would be good with an older smaller group at some point. She did tend to do the asking the group a question just to see if they knew thing a bit but she was mostly pretty good.

I got fed up, as I often have lately, with the few disruptive children in the group. Every group we go with on a trip seems to have maybe 5% or so disruptive children, who don't want to listen, probably don't even want to be there. Really annoying. I can see, if you have 2 or more children, perhaps you're going to have to drag some that don't want to go to something that one does want to go to, maybe there is no alternative, I don't know. But there must be better ways of handling it, encouraging them to not spoil it for other people would help. And just 2 or 3 children who are chatting or jostling each other has an effect that spreads, so that the children who are only a bit interested or easily distracted start doing similar, or wandering off, etc. Anyway I am fed up of that and am not the only one as several conversations proved. However, most of the children were engaged and listening most of the time.

Breathe. 

Aren't choices brilliant? (Am now imagining a Cameron and Clegg party political broadcast version which is making me slightly nauseous)

The visit started in the education centre with a bit of intro and health and safety wash your hands and don't get bitten type stuff. Then we went and saw milking shed, calves, cows, piglets and pigs. Had a wave of emotional reaction instantly on first encounter with calves, had forgotten how sick it all is: breed dairy cows to produce ridiculous volumes of milk, take their babies away and allow those babies only a few months of life, keep them all indoors as much as possible as is cheaper and easier and lack of sunlight doesn't actually affect pricing negatively so not a real factor. Reduce life to object. Sentience to commodity. Put nature in boxes and stack them high, sell them cheap.

So I reeled a bit on first sight of calves in shed, while the education lady told us how these calves were separated from their mothers at 24 hours and put here and how old they would be when slaughtered. I had to walk around a bit and redetach myself from it all. Didn't take long really. Stopped focusing on how the calves reached for anything they could, wanting to suckle, eager new lives that will be cut short. Focused instead on rays of sunshine coming in from high up windows of shed, happy children enjoying calves, etc. It sort of worked and I got a grip, reminded myself 'well, der, that's why you're vegan, stoopid' and aren't choices brilliant, etc.

After the calves, there was the cow shed (cows kept inside for 3 out of 4 seasons, as otherwise they will mess up the fields of grass with their hooves, apparently - good idea, bit like schools keeping kids off the streets most of the year, nice convenient artificial environment, preferably keeping them in rows, super) and the piglets and sows.

Piglets in weaning pens, piglets in the 'Finishing Shed', tiny piglets with vast sows in the farrowing unit. All confined, throughout the duration of their short, wasted lives. As intelligent and curious as dogs, but all they are is meat.

Anyway, that was the morning, and generated lots of interesting conversations, most of which I kept out of as I had already thought and talked it to death many times in my twenties and it looks like it hasn't changed, so the conclusion I came to then still holds for me. At least now there are more options for those who can't bear to give up meat or animal products, they can at least eat a bit of a pig that had a far more natural, happier and even slightly longer life.

Aren't Choices Brilliant?!

Some of the children were oblivious to all the above I think, some thought and felt quite deeply about what they were seeing and hearing and asked pertinent questions. F was not distressed but was a bit scathing about how the animals were kept and just thought they should be able to go outside, feel sunshine on their backs and run around on grass if they wanted to. 

I had managed to leave our packed lunch at home so had to get something from canteen/cafe place. Fortunately, as well as the meat and cheese sandwiches, they had hot pasta with mediterranean veg. Result. Aren't choices Brilliant?!

Was good to sit with N and C for lunchtime. Children who didn't really want to be there were getting increasingly rowdy and that extended to the afternoon session, which was a bit of a struggle as we were supposed to be listening to the woman telling us about cereal crops. Didn't really happen with all the disruption. Then a bit of hands-on grinding and F and I left early to catch a bus. And that didn't happen either, think it went a different route just to spite us or something.

We got a lift back with other C and F went into non-stop talk mode about a college she has invented (there are maps and things she's done) and what people learn where and how often. All I can remember is that I would be able to do archaeology once a week and gymnastics once a month.

Back home F and I watched a cosy snuggly film, talked a bit about the animals we'd seen and I suppose that was most of Tuesday.

Wednesday was a not-having-to-be-woken-up-by-alarm day. Pottered and faffed happily in the morning, F was doing a bit of writing, asked me something about alliteration and we talked about writing implements - pens, pencils, chalk and the joke about the Americans spending a fortune on a pen that can write in space and Russians spending 5p on a pencil.

In the afternoon we took the previous day's forgotten lunch out with us to make up to it for leaving it behind the day before and looked for 4 very local geocaches. Lewes practically bristles with them, so spoilt for choice. We found the second and the fourth, we're very much beginners but we both enjoyed it after some initial minor bickering, which we probably both also enjoyed on some level. F was very thrilled to find the last one. Definitely want to do more of that, was good having a walk with a purpose and lots of incidental chat. Perfect day for it, sunny and fresh, downs looked glorious from high up

Back home she had a bath and a hot chocolate in the bath and I pottered and faffed further to enhance my skills in both, which I believe I did successfully.

Thursday we headed off on a bus to Uckfield for a new home-ed group called Livewires. This will be a monthly group, with activities contributed by members on a different theme each time. The initial theme was 'Magic' which I was very uninspired by. I did Google a bit and found a trick with forks, a toothpick and a glass (not a magic trick, more a physics phenomenon). I tried to do it but couldn't, so didn't take anything to contribute at all, which was a bit rubbish.

I still had part of Tuesday's forgotten lunch left after the geocaching picnic, so I gave it some new friends and off we went. The bus journey is about 30 minutes and the sun shone on the downs and we were on the top deck and it was all very lovely.

My initial impressions of the new group were very disappointing, as about 10 minutes after we arrived, F was doing colouring in of printed pictures on the theme - that's fine if you feel like colouring, even at 9, but it seemed like 'busy work' for her really. The other activities I could see initially were playing with cornflour gloop and making a magic wand out of rolled up black card and shiny stuff. All felt a bit unchallenging, uninspiring.

And just as I was working my disappointment lovingly from moan through whinge to rant, things suddenly took off and several older kids and adults performed magic tricks and talked about how they were done, all having researched and practised. B even did the forks, glass, toothpick one I'd seen on YouTube! Was amazing to see it 'live'! And after all the magic (which was watched with full attention and no disruption, how nice!) we found a table with some reading and questions activity sheets for older children! 

So my first impression was wrong and I was really glad. F enjoyed it after that first 20 minutes or so and we'll definitely go again. Next month's theme is Egyptians. I feel quite enthused actually. A lot of people had put a lot of effort and, even better, intelligence and imagination, into it and it made me want to do the same in a way I haven't felt for ages. I can see a lot of potential there. The venue is good too.

And then we had lunch. Was lovely.

Then F and I parted company as she was going back with C and family for an hour or so before being taken to drama with E. Then she and E would come back to ours and E would stay for sleepover.

So I took the bus home on my own, which felt odd!

At home I did some chores and had a short bath, was a nice few hours to myself. 

C brought the girls over at 5 and F had high expectations and definite plans, including watching a Tinkerbell film and eating pizza and chips. Most of which went fine and they enjoyed the evening, but by 10pm, after such a full day they were both tired and F got very upset with me when I did something differently to how she'd imagined it. Then she could not get out of the upset loop, poor kid. She has got better overall at all this stuff, we have fewer meltdowns, less wailing and rage, but when she goes into one it is practically impossible to get her out. Which is obviously not much fun for a guest! I thought E handled it very well, she just read a book and waited and was ready whenever F tried to move on, which eventually happened. Phew. 

They had a slightly early midnight feast and fell asleep very easily and soundly.

I had to work through the night till 5am, which wasn't the best (Oh aren't choices brilliant) but I had lots of iPlayer and 4OD stuff to catch up on and even a bit of online company.

Today there was drilling and banging next door from 8ish onwards so no lying in. The girls had a lovely lazy day with ponies, Sylvanians (being given scenic cable car tours of Ponyville), filming 'interviews' using the Flip, activities from a Do Something Bonkers With String curriculum that they seemed to be making up and I'm sure would be prepared to share with other home ed families for a small fee and there would be exams and everything. I supplied grazing food and they ended their time together with a bit of Animal Crossing.

A mostly lovely and busy week!