Three-Thing Wednesdays and Four-Thing Thursdays and Logistics

Tuesday 8th
We had a day at home and did a bit of sorting in Freya's room but didn't get very far, need some Really Useful Boxes.

Wednesday 9th
Freya had Forest School, French and Fencing. Wednesday logistics are very challenging! She comes back from Forest School, potentially covered in mud, between 1.30 and 2 and we need to try to be on a bus to Brighton by 2.40 for French at 3.30, then coming back is even tighter, though no mud involved. So far the traffic has got us most times, but fortunately R, who runs Fencing, is very chilled about our mostly late arrivals and Freya doesn't miss too much. At Fencing they did some 'proper' one-on-one fencing, which looked great!
While she's at Forest School I usually work, and while she's at French I have a cuppa with A round the corner from French, which is a good catch-up hour. And while she's at Fencing I sit with M and we talk quietlyish. So apart from the logistics of journeying and providing snackage, mud removal and clothes changing, I don't have a bad Wednesday really. 

Thursday 10th
A 4-thing Thursday, busy, took Freya to play at her friend K's house in Brighton for a couple of hours late morning, where she had a lovely time, I had a chat, then went to a cafe and wandered a bit, before picking her up to come back over to Lewes for Dancing. I completely forgot to be where I was supposed to be at some point soon after that, but quickly repaired the error with a bit of help! Then took Freya to Art at 4, where she carried on painting her chair, I came home again for a while, went out again at half five with her Guide uniform, picked her up at 6 and took her to have chip dinner on way to Guides at 7. She enjoyed Guides, think they did something with Lebekuchen.
This blog is largely turning into Logistics Log I note. Huh.

Friday 11th
Friday Club was on the subject of "What's Happening to Me?", with varying degrees of engagement and success I expect. Think it gave rise to some conversations about such things, which is good. Afterwards Freya embarked on a bus adventure with L and L - they had planned to take the bus from town up to L's - the first time for any of them going on a bus without an accompanying adult. They went to the stop and soon found that the bus wasn't going as a passenger had had an injury, and was being attended by an ambulance! So they had to be super-resourceful and work out/find out about other buses, etc. Which they managed very well, took the bus we often get and walked the rest of the way, arriving with an exciting tale to tell. 
Think Freya had a good afternoon there at L's and both she and other L ended up being allowed to stay for an impromptu sleepover!
J and I had curry and I think we watched some Breaking Bad, still inching towards the end.

Saturday 12th
Last LAMDA drama before half term, Freya went directly from her sleepover, as L was going too. Think that is going OK. She has some lines to learn and we have the date of the exam in March.
Strictly Come Dancing was good, enjoying it.

Sunday 13th
J made some garlic focaccia - he'd made a less successful one the day before but Sunday's was good, with fresh rosemary too, delicious. Freya went swimming with lots of others and had a nice time. I did home-made beanburgers and some roast veg and chilli for dinner, with J's focaccia, was very yum.

Monday 14th
Freya had Geography and then stayed at N's again after, which was fun. I got some work done, October has been good for work so far.

Tuesday 15th
Freya had Creative Writing (Little Green Pig) and M came back for an hour or so afterwards. I got a bit more work done. We walked up the road with L and M too, who were going swimming.

Wednesday 16th
Freya had Forest School in the morning, got soaked and muddy, so ran her a bath when she came back, contemplated not doing but she needed it desperately, from a comfort point of view as much as cleanness. We still managed to get to French early, hooray! I went with M and had a cuppa at A's, for a good chat. Then we set off to get bus back to Lewes for Fencing, popped into Mr B's shop for first time, good to see him in his Kingdom! Late again for Fencing and the steep twitten that we have to rush down was slippery with rain so not much fun I thought. Controversial at Fencing, Freya had to wear the protection for females over 10, was not keen but braved it. It doesn't show from the outside as she feared I think. We stayed after to watch some epee fencing by the next adult and older children's group with the buzzers and lights, which was pretty exciting!

Thursday 17th
Another 4-thing Thursday - this time Livewires in the morning. The theme was Favourite Books - we took a 'draw like a favourite illustrator' activity and a video on the iPad of children talking about favourite books. In the end though, my table was mostly the home of 4-8 yr old boys doing drawings, which made a change for me. I took the coloured pencils we have that make nice bright ink colours when you wet them - like these. I joined in too, it's enjoyable to wet your finger and spread the colours around, blend them, etc. M had made a great Tolkien 'dungeons and dragons' style game and N had produced a Harry Potter quiz, there was also sewing owls and making a page about your favourite book to go in a Livewires book, was a good session, excellent theme.
K gave us a lift there and back, so dropped us in town and we got Freya a smoothie then got the bus most of the way to Dancing. M said that Freya could go with her, J and D, from there to Art, afterwards, which was very helpful. I came home and did a bit of work again before taking Freya's Guide uniform out at half fiveish, meeting her at 6, taking her for cheesy chips and delivering her to Guides early enough to change into uniform before starting at 7. Hope you are all noting down these times and travel and clothing arrangements and will be ready for the Ali's Logistics Test on Monday!
At Guides, Freya did her Promise, she was the first of her unit to do the new form. I wish I could have been there to see it but hadn't realized until too late that I was allowed, so we were a bit disappointed at not having done that how we would have liked, afterwards. But she says she will do Promise again in Senior Section, so perhaps I can be there then. I didn't go and see mum while Guides was on as I was just knackered as 4 things is probably my maximum daily coping amount (take note Logistics fans).

Friday 18th
Friday Club was a songwriting workshop, which Freya had been unsure about going to. I'm very glad she did go as the verse she made up for the song they did was much admired by friends and is very catchy (she sang it to me later) and the group chose it as the chorus. The words are:
Maybe you didn't hear
Maybe you shed a tear
Let me explain this, dear
Your thoughts were nowhere near
The Truth

So a good thing she went, I reckon, very proud of her.
She and L came back to ours together by bus, less of an adventure than the last unaccompanied bus trip, and in fact there was an adult they knew on the bus, so not so unaccompanied, but all good experience. L stayed for tea and they wanted to do a sleepover but can't always do impromptu ones I'm afraid.