As part of our no plans week the children decided they wanted to do some more cooking.  They decided to make a 3 course meal doing a course each. They started off in the morning – Rebekah made bread and Ruth started off the Banoffee pie. We thought we’d head out to the beach in the afternoon [Continue]

So today was the first day with nothing in the diary.  We had seen in the Fizz booklet that there was a reasonably priced 1640s re-enactment at Northcourt Manor in Shorwell titled Ring of Steel and decided that we would give it a go today.  This was influenced partly by my tight side – they give free readmission for the rest [Continue]

Now I understand to readers not on The Island (and visiting friends were very taken by the fact that everyone here including us calls it “the island”) that Parkhurst means, if anything at all, the prison.  But if you live here and say you’re going to Parkhurst you probably mean that you are going to the forest.  Now some [Continue]

A couple of weeks ago Ian Boyd, from the newly formed Natural Enterprise , did some pond dipping for a group from the Learning Zone.  We started at Merstone Station and walked for about half an hour along the cycle track to get to the pond. We managed to get to the slightly over grown pond [Continue]

On Tuesday I had about 14 children and a selection of adults and a baby at my house making ice cream.  We have between bought into a science scheme called UPD8.  There are different themed units and lots of activities, powerpoint presentations and worksheets. We used the powerpoint presentations to look at some of the science [Continue]

Yesterday was our final tech rehearsal and dress rehearsal.  Martin went to a production meeting at 10.30 and we didn’t get home again until after 7 so it was a long long day. So here are a few piccies from then to whet your appetite for the show. This shows the Train scene and also the [Continue]

This week Friday was Sunday.  We were busy on Sunday leading the service along with The Eternal Flame and then Martin was doing the PA for Gospel Choir, so we decided that we would make Friday our day of rest this week. A lazy morning was in order to begin with, late start and a cooked [Continue]

We had a talk at church yesterday (Easter Sunday) which talked about how the disciples must have felt on Easter Saturday - the despair they must have felt at the centre of their lives being ripped away –  but also that from our perspective we can look at Good Friday and Easter Saturday with the knowledge that Sunday’s coming [Continue]

I have had a great couple of days.  Yesterday we tidied up and today we cleaned.  Everywhere looks neat and tidy and clean, to my standards that is – I do have a couple of friends (you know who you are) who always have  spotless and very tidy houses and are very welcoming to visitors [Continue]

Life has been quite busy and stressful for us since about last June/July really.  We have managed to clock up 6 p/t or self employed jobs between us, we’ve been trying to fight the Badman stuff and obviously HE , do Learning Zone and church things as well as normal stuff with our lives. In the [Continue]