Hairy Plants

I have just spent and hour or so learning about hairy plants. It has been most exciting. Here is one interesting thing I have learnt. The common old stinging nettle that stings you does so by having hollow hairs on its surface filled with formic acid under pressure (that is the same stuff ants use to deter predators). when you brush against the plant you break the hair which sticks in you and acts as a syringe, injecting you with formic acid. ow. Here is a great picture of the superb syringe hairs themselves.


Also on a sweeter note the geranium (pelargonium) plant that smells nice as you pass by is also covered with hairs which break as you touch them, these however contain a ball of perfume at the base and the the sweet fragrance is released, how nice. I am not sure what the use is of this to the plant however that is should bother to produce this stuff.

I find this so fascinating.

duplo

obviously Brian is a real boy, just look at the creation he created for Ruby (he is very proud of it). She loves playing with it and even I am told designed a bit of it herself. Well done for getting in there girl, dad looked like he was such fun I didn't think he would let you play with his duplo. These are incidentally the very same duplo blocks Bri played with as a child, his mam amazingly kept them all this time.

I have been instructed to tell you the central picture is the bit he is most proud of, the man is apparently working on a car in his garage. The left hand picture is the bit designed by Ruby, a little tea party.

Daddy's kisses
Every morning without fail Brian gives each of his three girls a goodbye kiss and says have a nice day while rushing out the door. Well today he forgot I think for almost the first time ever. ( that may be because I was grumping at him as Coralie pulled the tablecloth about sending things flying and Ruby was being demanding and whiny about precisely how she wanted her toast buttered in a particular way right now. Perhaps we were not very approachable). Anyway I would not have noticed but the door shut with a quick bye and Ruby burst into tears, when asked why. 'Daddy's kisses I like daddy's kisses, didn't get daddy's kisses'

This is not the first time Ruby has been funny about daddy's kisses. Frequently I give Ruby a kiss during the day and say I love you Ruby. Ruby more often than not turns to me and says 'no kisses, I like daddy's kisses, Ruby loves daddy'. I am big girl, I can take it.

Especially for uncle Jack

This is a picture of the T-shirt that ruby designed (a present from uncle Jack). She wears it with pride and proudly shows her friends. Just realised I shouldn't have written 'by ruby' on it for her though, as now is Will be a bit odd when I hand it down to Coralie. Oops I think the marker is indelible.

What has happened

I just saw some photos of me and Bri from before we had children, now I am feeling rubbish.

Plants!

Somehow (oh why did I not think twice and say no), I have got myself into the situation of having to give three lessons to a whole school sometime towards the end of february, argh. I am no teacher, I am a bit shy, all the parents are going to be there, I could make a complete fool of myself, but I do like a challenge and it is a change from the daily routine. But I am no teacher I think mistakenely someone has it in their head that I am some kind of minor expert on plants, they will be dissapointed. I am already sweating over hours of preparation and nereves and I still have over a month to go, watch me still be struggelling to get it sorted hours before it begins. And what a crazy topic 'plants' far to big and exciting I only have 20 mins per lesson I need at least a year to do them justice.

Soil songs

Here are a couple of poems I found and liked while loking for things to put in the lessons. From a whole page dedicated to soil songs!

A Rainbow of Soil

F.D. Hole, 1985

A rainbow of soil is under our feet:
Red as a barn & black as a peat.
It's yellow as lemon and white as the snow;
Bluish gray ... so many colors below.
Hidden in darkness as thick as the night:
The only rainbow that can form without light.
Dig you a pit, or bore you a hole,
You'll find enough colors to well rest your soul.

Walking on the Earth

F.D. Hole, 1989

The moment that a child can walk,
like that in which it first can talk,
is a precious start of exploration into landscapes of creation.

Chorus:
Walking, walking, walking, walking, walking on the earth.

By sense of touch the feet assess
the nature of the wilderness
of earth beneath; yet human speech cannot express what feet can teach.

Chorus

I did it for you!

She is still being fantastic. This morning she took off her night nappy and did a large pee for which she was sutibly praised. Her next words were 'I did it for you'. Now where did she get that from? How sweet of her to think of me, just what I wanted!

A real big girl

Ruby has been nappy free for three days now. We have even made several out of house expeditions complete with very anxious, over nagging mother (me) and potty. She has done fantastically. I hope things continue in this manner. If they do I will be a very happy me, over the moon in fact. I am so proud of her. But lugging a potty around is a bit of a pain it is true.

Take a look at these

Another thing on at the Natural History Museum was the Wildlife Photographer of The Year exhibition. Take a look at some of the amazing photos. Ruby particulary likes the one with the moon on.

Natural curiosity

Here are a few pics of our trip to the Natural History museum. We had a fab time and Ruby got so excited she danced every time she saw something new, which was all of the time, so it was rather an exciting trip. And oh boy, you should have seen her when she got to talk to some elephants on the telephone! I don't remember being so excited when I went to these places.

Go there.




Coralie enjoyed it too but on a different level.

nuts

One bite of pepper, one bite of celery, one bite of raw courgette, one bite of banana, then line them in a row and leave them there. What's that about?

She moves (ode to coralie)

I hardly ever mention Coralie in blogs, not sure why, she is just so amazing and never causes any trouble, so perhaps that is why. Perhaps she never does much of note, or the antics of a toddler, and often more appealing and exhilarating than that a baby (and she still feels like a baby even at 10 months).

Anyway, as if to rectify the imbalance I can report she now moves with some speed and purpose across the floor, neither a bum shuffle, nor a crawl in her own wonderful way, perhaps more of a sqating lurch, she is finally mobile and I see my days of easy parenting (trusting Ruby and knowing Coralie to be stuck) suddenly dissolving into a mess of childhood discovery and sibling rivalry (now that Coralie can hold her in own in a funny sort of way). We will see.

She is still a wonderfully content and satisfied child (especially now she has her eight tooth), able to amuse herself to an almost worrying degree. Ready to move from being a baby to the more exciting status of being a toddler perhaps. We do love our pumpkin face....agh she has woken up I can hear her crying, time for me to go.

31 December 06 (Granny's 95th Birthday, Happy birthday, I can imagine what you are up to!)

The youth next door are making a terrible noise and have woken Ruby up once already. Humph. All my family are out partying (including mother) and we are in eating haggis and enjoying the peace and quiet. are we getting old or are we just more sensible than everyone else?

Well just a few things to say about the past week.

The natural history museum is a great place to take small toddlers. Ruby danced every time she saw a new exhibit and was even fascinated by a live disection of worm jaws! riveting stuff. Her obsession with "moley" goes on.

Christmas, lovely time but it is all a bit weird too, I mean what is it all about now? Certainly has no spiritual meaning in our house, more a devotion to food. It is hard to keep perspective.

We have a distant relative from Chile staying over at the moment. It is weird how similar he looks to my brother and dad (apart from the nose) Photos to follow. I look less like my sister than they do like each other.

Please let me never get as old as my grandmother

And finally, so how are General Pinochet and Saddam Hussein different so that one was able to live out his life. Is it OK to give up trying to understand things?

Ahhhhhhhh

That lovely feeling when finally everything is packed up and totally organised to get away, and that is not easy with the girls unpacking as fast as I was packing. At times the house looked more like we were moving in rather than trying to get out. But its done. Hooray, cant wait, a whole weeks change of scenery. Family, I can t wait to see you, use your lovely showers mmm, your amazing laundry facilities, all that scrummy Christmas food, oh and of course your great company. So watch out we are ready and we will be down tomorrow morning to greet you as you get out of bed and the girls will be bouncing by that time in the morning.

Although the house is so tidy right now its a pity to leave it to the cats to fluff up. I almost wish Brian and the girls were going away and I could stay and enjoy it being tidy for a day or two, just me totally in control without the risk of my carefully controlled environmet being upset by any of the three wild things I live with. Is't that sad.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas, and pre Christmas.

Nice

Well I think I behaved myself. Just had a lovely time went to a bar, walked home with the frost settling all around us. Shared a six inch subway sandwich, just because we could. Watched all the people doing what people who go out more often do. Felt very old on the bus down as everyone seemed to be a spotty teenager. Walking home hand in hand was the best bit, no one else out, dark and cold and quiet. Although the Amaretto sour was worth going back for. Will have to do it more often, anyone up for babysitting?

I'm being let out!!

I can hardly contain my excitement, on Tuesday my dearly beloved friend Colin is going to babysit for us and we are going out, after dark, together, no children. I am not sure if i can remember how to behave in that sort of environment. Will let you know.

Ironing

This is an old video, but still one of our favourites.

Top secret

Wow, I have just finished writing the words for the children's story I hope to produce! If I can pull this off I will be a different person to who I thought I was. Obviously I cant tell you much about it, that would be telling. Lets see what happens.

All in an afternoon's work

This afternoon Ruby has stroked a lion, seen a polar bear, spotted beetles, bugs and butterflies, visited a mole in his hole, built an igloo, done the dusting dressed as a Victorian maid and sold bacon and eggs in a butcher's shop. Beat that for a Sunday afternoon!