Chessington, Spring Barn, Big Gig, Windows, London Zoo

A month since I blogged, how rubbish. Tut. Not good enough at all.
OK

Monday 15th Freya had a cold so didn't go to Geography or Aerial, instead I offered her various options of things to do on a not-very-well day at home and she opted for bath, being read to, baking scones, continuing sewing project and watching a film and other things.

Tuesday 16th Took Freya up to Writing at C's. On way back made arrangement for Brighton L to come back to ours afterwards to give A longer before having to come to pick her up. In the end we decided she could sleepover at ours too as long as they understood that it was not a party sleepover and there were to be no syrupy incidents or palaver. They were really good, played games and chatted in Freya's room most of the evening.

Wednesday 17th Got bus to Forest School, with Brighton L as well, then she stayed on at Falmer when we got off. Had a lift up the long straight boring bit of the walk, I think, which was very welcome. And think Freya got a lift back so I didn't have to stay. Work was in short supply, bit worrying at that point in September.

Thursday 18th
We had M over for a while in the morning, I think - she and Freya made those things out of paper that you move with your fingers and choose from the options on the triangley bits and then get a message at the end. I walked them up to Dance and Freya then had Art but no Guides.
I stayed up too late hoping Scotland would escape the slow death of everything good that the UK seems doomed to in political terms.

Friday 19th
Friday Club was drama improvisation, which sounded mostly OK barring a few personal space issues. I had time at home and enjoyed a long bath, bliss! Freya went swimming after Friday Club with some of the girls at Pells Pool, which had stayed open an extra week as it was properly sunny and warm still.

Saturday 20th
J went to the Halifax and finally (after one previous Halifax attempt and several doomed RBS ones) got some debt restructuring or whatever you want to call it that makes a difference to our monthly finances! He set off with a degree of determination and tons of printed-out paperwork, but not very high hopes, so it was fantastic to get text and call from him to say he had got it! Timely as well as I had very little work still and we had a definite date for the windows to be done, which was costing a fortune.
Worked out what iGCSEs Freya would do (though it changed slightly the following week following a Facebook discussion, like all good home-ed decisions), ordered books. Exciting!

Sunday 21st
Fencing for Freya, nice chat with slightly nervous M (starting new strand to her business that day, all went well) for me. Then a drive out into the countryside with J's mum for a Sunday walk, which was good.

Then we went to Pizza Express.

Monday 22nd
Think it was a normal Monday and Freya went to Geography and Aerial.Think a slightly challenging Aerial session, not in terms of content but different teacher standing in and being a bit patronising by the sound of it.

Tuesday 23rd We went to Chessington with Lancing L and the Rs. Had one of those really good days out. When we arrived a few of our favourite rides were closed, but two of them opened by early afternoon and then we were really lucky in that R and Freya spotted and informed us that Dragon Falls had opened right at the end of the day, so we went on that, were the only ones who noticed it was open I think, so we stayed on for a second plunge! My favourite, definitely. Freya hadn't thought she would go on the Vampire or the Cobra, but she did in the end. I think R was a good person to be with as she encouraged without pressurising, not an easy balance to find! Anyway, it was a lovely day, we/they went on lots - Rattlesnake, Scorpion Express, Zufari, bumper cars, Monkey Swing, Buccaneer, Jungle Bus, Vampire, Cobra, etc. it wasn't busy, fantastic! Am so glad L got discount tickets and we were able to go. Very good fun!

Wednesday 24th
Forest School for Freya, I still had hardly any work so I sat in the cafe and did a bit and then did some writing, which was really good, but was still fretting about work a lot as less than a week from the end of the month and had only earned half of what I need per month.
Meanwhile Freya and Forest School made this beautiful thing:

Back home, at nearly the end of the 'business day' time, when Freya was in the bath, the phone rang with a massive amount of urgent work for Friday, with my main agency contact asking "what volume could you do in that time?" so I committed to 20,000 words LOL. What a relief though, when work comes after 2 weeks of feeling it is drying up.

Thursday 25th
Did some clay working stuff in the morning, was good. Mainly wanted Freya to have a go at coil and slab as there was a Friday Club session coming up with clay portrait making. More work came in, for Monday. Yay!
Then in early afternoon she had a one-to-one session with the Aerial teacher, which we are going to try to do monthly.
After that, we got the bus up to Dance and I left her there so she could go to Art with D and J, while I worked on the urgent job. Picked her up at 6 to take her to Guides, where they made box ovens, while I sat in pub and worked away at my 20,000 words.

Friday 26th
I hadn't slept at all with my work, or had I had 2 hours maybe? No don't think so. Anyway, Freya went to Friday Club (clay portraits - first of two workshops). Then I met her there at 1.30, with Lewes L and M and Brighton K to take them all in a taxi to Bentley Woodfair. We had never been so I had offered to take Freya and K on the Lewes Shuttle Bus that runs every year - except this year of course because we had decided to go! Very Norty Bentley Indeed!
When we got there, I still had work to finish, so I sat in the cafe and finished that for the first hour and a bit! I am getting very used to finishing off bits of work in cafes and pubs and such. Then I managed to hook up to phone connection as a hotspot and send it to my agency just in time, after a few failed attempts.
Emerged from the cafe and went to find people - ELB, HH (my 3rd HH!) and L - but L had gone already by that time. Also bumped into CC a few times. Sat with HH for a while whilst everyone else had gone on the little train, then it was an afternoon of wandering around not being super-impressed by various wood items! LOL it was OK but thought there would be more to do for the kids, rather than expensive handmades for bored adults to buy. Probably better if you have slept!
Had fantastic ice-cream though, lemon! Delicious.

At the end, lots of our number got little wooden pyrographed key-rings. Think that was the best bit, probably!
Delivered L and M home, and got home. Had curry and watched Strictly. Neighbour's son was having noisy party. At some stage they started letting off bangers, so J went round and had a word! I heard some vomiting just before that too.

Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th
Strictly and Doctor Who, lazy Saturday I think.
Had first look at iGCSE Biology book - learnt about cells! I have rubbish knowledge of Biology, so I learnt at least as much as Freya if not more.
Fencing.

Monday 29th September
Work work work for me. Amazing how September suddenly transformed in that last week in financial terms.
Freya wasn't well and didn't go to Geography and Aerial, she had to flop on the sofa and looked very peaky. Not good.

Tuesday 30th
Lewes L came for the day and for a sleepover. I was working till 2ish but then we walked up to Spring Barn, which was lovely, only a dozen or so people there, bright dry day. Freya and L have a lot of golden history there as we used to go more often. They went on the drop slides and the jumping pillow and met the small animals and fed the pigs. It did remind me of home-ed when they were smaller in a lovely way, lit by the glow of late September sunshine.

We met JB on the way there and JB and all his family on the way back, with N riding her bike along the cycle path.
Back home it was ice-bucket challenge time! First me - J videoed and Freya and L chucked water, then Freya's turn, with just L chucking water. The coldness lasted a bit longer than I thought it would, had that brain freeze thing!
Had pizza for dinner and Freya and L made apple turnovers a bit later, which were very delicious, with cinnamon and maple syrup in them.

Wednesday 1st October
Took Freya to Forest School after handing L over at the bus stop. I worked in the cafe, reasonably well I think. Having trouble remembering the latter part of that week now, think I was working very hard and very tired.

Thursday 2nd October
Really don't know - Dance and Art I guess! And Guides - cooking in box ovens.
Hmmm, wonder what else - oh just checked some e-mails and apparently that week I did a lot of preparing iGCSE stuff, doing it, and also clearing spaces by the windows ready for the Window People to come and Do Windows. So I was knackered and I think Thursday was the night I went to bed just before Freya, deciding to stay in bed at 10pm after watching something with her.

Friday 3rd October
Friday Club was Book Club, but not me doing it! I was the volunteer so I worked on laptop in kitchen while M did the session. It was fun half-listening!
Afterwards think we came home and I did some clearing.

Saturday 4th October
Freya went to the Big Gig in London, a big Guides thing. Six Guides from her unit went. They agreed on rainbow clothes so this is how she went:

Most people didn't wear so much colour, so maybe there was less of a consensus on the rainbow thing than was implied! Anyway, she looked great.
They had a good time, travel was hard as there were rail replacement buses operating.
The Guide leader people decided to take them to McDonald's after the show as a 'treat' but Freya and her friend L weren't very thrilled about that. Freya has read a lot about Guides on the Internet and the local form doesn't always live up to what you would expect of an organization that promotes itself as being about all sorts of good things. The conventional side is always there, unfortunately, but never mind, I think she is very capable of enjoying the best of it in the long term. Anyway, she refused to sit and eat anything in McDonald's, which I think is quite brave under the circumstances, am very proud of her. Not-so-subtle pressure was applied, but politely rejected.
They got back very late.
Meanwhile J and I had been shifting furniture and moving clutter, etc. ready for The Window People.

Sunday 5th
Think Freya was too knackered after the lateness to do Fencing.
In the afternoon my half-brother and his wife and bump came. Am so thrilled for them, wonderful and not very long now, less than 2 months! 
We went to Pizza Express and then for a bit of a walk. Was so lovely to see them.

Monday 6th
More decluttering and spatial rearrangement in readiness for the Big Day of the Windows. Freya went to L's house and to Aerial I think. I managed to keep on top of work.

Tuesday 7th
Finally The Windows! It was very woohoo as it went smoothly from start to finish, was impressed by how quickly and efficiently they worked. The first one was done after just over an hour. We had 4 windows done and the front door. The windows included a biggish bay and the biggish upstairs one, as well as a medium and a small. Expensive but worth every penny and a nice local independent company, Daisy Windows.
I did have to go to the shop twice to get cow's milk, mind you, for the teas and coffees in abundance.
The windows are already saving us a fortune in heating, as the change is massively noticeable. I didn't think it would be quite so evident, but it really is. I'm a person who has to have fresh air in the room, with a window open a lot of the time, so I didn't think I would benefit, but it's just much more controllable, instead of random draughts competing with the heating.
They were all finished by 4 and headed off, just as Brighton L and her dad A arrived. A stayed for a cuppa and then L was here for a sleepover, so that we could all go to London Zoo the next day as J had an extra day off.

Wednesday 8th
London Zoo - we headed off not too early but reasonable and had a good day there. As bloody usual these days I had to take laptop with me and do work on the train and then a bit there in the cafe for half an hour. Not complaining, honestly, but just a bit frustrating.
But we had a lovely time, think my favourites were penguins and the giraffe feeding time with very informative and interesting talk by keeper. Gorillas very sad, melancholy. Lions - one wanted to play but the other two not keen. Tiger bored and restless. Butterfly house was good and Meet the Monkeys too. Zoos are always a mixed thing, but good to talk about that and what could be better, what they are trying to do.

Thursday 9th
Lazy morning, then took Freya up to Dance, came home and did a bit of work. Picked Freya up from Art, no Guides. Showed her one of the lightboxes in this exhibition of "photographs in light boxes in more than 50 shop windows along Station Street and Lewes High Street, at the location where they were originally taken" and she was hooked, we both were, so looked at as many as we could on our route, doing various historical detective work as we went, very satisfying.

Friday 10th
Friday Club 2nd Clay Portrait workshop, after which some were going swimming, so I had a lot of work time at home, then set off in sunshine and blue sky to pick her up. As soon as I picked her up, though, a massive downpour started, we got drenched, despite N sharing her umbrella for the first part of the way. We were completely soaked through after the 20 minute walk. Freya had a warm bath and put on a furry onesie for first time in ages.
Was knackered. Thunder and lightning all evening.

Saturday 11th
Had a really good sleep and woke up feeling a lot less knackered. Read in bed for a bit in the morning. In evening went over to Ninfield and saw people I don't often get to spend time with, was lovely. We were there for the bonfire procession and fireworks, which were very good. Yummy soup and veggie stew too.

Sunday 12th
Fencing, good old chat with Maddy, and a coffee from the machine. Then home for work work work. And in the evening a curry and Doctor Who and Strictly.

Monday 13th
We were meant to be going to the Science Museum but had to postpone as one of the families we were going with weren't well enough, which was a shame. But the weather was pretty bad, so was kind of glad to be home. More work to be done, so got on with that.
Aerial for Freya early evening.

Tuesday 14th
Freya went to Writing at C's, walked up by herself, and got a lift back with L, so I didn't have to go out, which I was glad of. Didn't get much work done as was restless.

Up-to-date! Not much detail though, shame.