A story walk - Burbage Peak district

We went off for a drive into Derbyshire, not really knowing where we were going to stop.

This view caught our eye!

Not very safe, but the kids enjoyed climbing on the boulders.

Rosanna has to join in with her big sisters.

Masses of frog spawn in the stream.

It was one of those walks where there is so much to look at that you think you'll never get anywhere, but finally we got moving...

A deep dark wood, for a mouse to take a stroll!

Come and have tea in my under ground house.

A fox took a stroll through the deep dark wood!

and we got the owl too!!!!

It will be weird for me when we no longer walk along enacting Julia Donaldson stories: The seaside and it's sharing a shell, any wood it's The Gruffalo, and we are always looking for Stick man and his Stick lady love!

Geoff never takes us on the easiest route!

O-oh we've got to go through it!
(I told you I live in a story land!)

and finally back to the car park, our first ice-cream van of the year!

Have you got any stories that follow you round?

Six New Sisters

We'd had a great day already, a fun Spanish lesson, learning about how Easter is celebrated in Spain,
and playing a Spanish version of 'Grandma went to market'.

When we got home, I was a little disappointed that there was no sign of tea, but Geoff had made other plans. First a chippy picnic at Wombwell woods.

And then as the sun went down, we collected six point of lay pullets.

One of the girls!

Snuggling like sisters do! As my three girls love to say.

Chickens safely tucked up and hopefully fox-proof.
Can't wait for our first eggs.

Friday 31st March -Chicken Update.
Last night the fox came and had a really good attempt at getting the chickens. We are going to keep them inside today and maybe move them to a shed.

If you have any good fox proofing tips, we'd really love to hear them, many thanks.

Macdonald's Monopoly millions

We were all feeling so tired today, I don't think we've adjusted to the clocks going forward. So after the girls skating lesson, we parked and walked along to Trans Pennine trail and went to Macdonalds. Comfort food was needed!

A new promotion has started at Macdonalds: 'Monopoly millions', so we began collecting the properties.
We were so excited to get Park Lane, half way there to £50,000. There is a very chatty assistant in our Macdonalds. Joking, I told her we were so near to winning the 50K.
And this is where today's maths lesson started ...
She explained to me and the girls how the game worked: there are 10 prizes of £50,000. So, there are loads of Park Lane tickets, but only 10 Mayfair tickets. Halfway in property isn't halfway in probability. Penny drops, a real eureka moment. I then got the girls to explain how the other property prizes would work.
I love home education, and I also love...

Creme egg McFlurry!

British Summer times begins...

Sunday, the first day of British Summer Time and it was a scorcher!


Off we went to Monk Bretton Priory, a hidden gem in Barnsley.

It's a really great place to visit, you almost forget you are in a town.

Not the sea views that you get at Whitby abbey, but not bad. And best off all, it's free to get into Monk Bretton Priory. It's an English Heritage freebie!

It's got one of the best preserved monastic drainage systems in Europe!

Which the kids explored.

But the clocks going forward and losing an hours sleep was a bit much for the men.

Revived!

Exploring wells...
and staircases that go no where!

'cheese'

Fungi

Butter wouldn't melt!

About two years ago we came on an archaeological dig, which was organised by Sheffield University. I would really recommend going to one of these if you get the chance, the kids got to dig, wash the finds, and sort them.

Wentworth Castle Gardens

The weather forecast looked good, so we planned a trip out. Our season ticket to Wentworth Castle Gardens runs out soon.

The grounds looked slightly spooky!

This is 'Earls seat'. A stunning view point, but not today.

Thomas Wentworth called his mansion a castle. But it was not a real medieval castle, so in the late 1720's he built a motte and bailey castle at the highest point of his estate.

This is how it would have looked originally.

You can climb the restored castle, start at the bottom of the dragon's tail and follow it to the top...

There are national collections of Rhododendrons, Magnolias and Camellias.

They are just starting to come into bloom.

Although we couldn't enjoy the magnificent views today, I think it made us enjoy and see things closer at hand.

I loved this bracket fungus.

This is the winter garden, it first appeared on the restoration programme ten years ago. Funding has at last been secured to renovate it. Next month it will be taken down. It will return next year and open to visitors in Summer 2013.

It was built for William Thomas Vernon Wentworth.

When it was first built it was described as 'fairy like in nature'.

Finally the promised fine weather arrived.
Time for a quick go on the playground.

Back in our own garden...

Geoff and Rosanna planted potatoes.

and I did more weeding and pruning!