This week saw the official beginning of the new school year.
For The Renovator that meant earlier mornings, grown up clothes, and getting used to a new regime as this year he is collaboratively teaching; one of three teachers (the other two job share) in one large space charged with “shovin’ learnin'” into 40 young minds. This year the young minds are just that much younger as he has moved down the school to teach Year Two (five to seven year olds) and he’s loving being among folk for whom magic is still unquestioned and he could spend the week playing dragons.
For Farm Girl and the Union Homestead School of Colourful Thinkers faculty it was more about getting back in the saddle and just doing it; doing it all, that is, in a mindful manner so that the animals are happy, vegetables tended, and household chores completed alongside the learning. It was all going swimmingly, too, as we discovered together just how wondrously massive the Pacific Ocean is. That the waves rolling onto the beach 300 metres from the Homestead gate are from the same body of water lapping Russia and Cambodia, Peru and Japan, USA, Kiribati, Honduras, and Canada to name but a few seems magical and unreal. A sort of geographical six degrees of separation. How our eyes glittered at the thought.
Unfortunately, they glittered for a little too long, the glint prolonged by a fever that some nasty bug or other insinuated into our realm. That could have been the end of the magic for a while…
but the ticking, life time-bombs Sylvia has been tending reached the end of their fuse and, as we grumbled and groaned and cursed fevers that occur in the heat of summer, a little cute, chicken magic happened in our own backyard.
It was The Bean Counter’s turn as Sage this week. He served up Roald Dahl’s words with sprinkle of fairy dust in the form of Paul Hollywood’s Iced Fingers.
Mmmmmagical!
Union Homestead 
Hi, Yes, it’s back to the wheel as magical January ends and yearly routines recommence. I might be retired but there are things to do, people to see and places to go. A sense of magic adds spice to life and maintains the wonder.
How many cute chickens are now cheeping in your yard?
Those iced fingers look pretty wondrous!
Only three of the 17 eggs ended up hatching, Some turned out to not be fertilised, some suffered from the haphazard incubation process of Gwen, Felicity and Hilda Duck and some..who knows. Still the three we have are robust and gorgeous. Perfect scenario as far as we’re concerned would be two girls and a bloke. Fingers crossed.
The greatest secrets are hidden in the most unlikely places….yes indeed. Seeds. Eggs. Children. For example.
We’re big believers in magic around here…probably because my answer to the various impossible questions about technical/mechanical/electrical systems from the girls when they were small was “it’s magic”. Which satisfied people who knew without any questions at all that magic was a real thing.
The iced fingers look amazing! Seems to me the GBBO has raised the bar a bit on Sage Word tea – my energy level at the moment would just about rise to buttered toast, so it’s a good thing it will never be my turn.
With no one here in school anymore, I feel a bit discombobulated frankly – the rhythm of the terms/semesters and breaks has ruled our lives for 20 years, and suddenly here we are. However, we’re being broken in gently with one in uni – her year is shorter and more intense, but the breaks still come in the same places, so I’m not completely lost yet.
One of the advantages of home schooling must be that when fever strikes, school can be put on hold till young minds are sharp and eyes are bright again. But fever in summer – not fair.
How many eggs did she hatch? How are the chicks doing?
She managed to hatch 3 and the chicks are robust and able, which is great. We’re hoping one is a barnevelder but with the Princess being holidaying with family out of cellphone coverage we have no idea as yet.
Fever in summer is horrid and it also has reminded how it wipes you out and how much we don’t want this to happen on the big trip (for which our last accommodation has been booked today).
Home School is great when the pupil is keen, as Farm Girl is. The Farmer was a slightly different story 🙂 I find myself learning beside her….I mean I knew the Pacific was huge but looking at it on the globe…massive!
All booked! Woohoo! Three chicks is about right for the size of your menagerie, she did that well. Wait till you fly over the Pacific – for hours and hours. It’s huge all right. I remember years (decades) ago sailing up the outside of Vancouver Island out of sight of shore and thinking – there is nothing between me and Japan right now – days and days of it. It’s a very humbling thought to realize just how small you are in the big scheme of things.
Sorry about the bug but glad about the eggs even if not as many as hoped for. Loved the quote and the buns looked delicious.
The buns were wonderful! The Bean Counter and his sous chef surprised even themselves
A good quote and iced fingers….and three chicks as well….and then appreciating the vastness of the oceans. Wow. I am just sorry that the summer fever took some of the gloss off the whole thing.
I’m sorry you were all unwell. It’s always worse being ill in the summer. In the winter you can sit in front of the fire and feel miserable in comfort but in the summer there is so much to do outdoors! Those chicks are so cute! Those iced fingers look delectable!
That said, the chores were chopped back to the absolute necessary and a large amount of sofa lying was indulged in😊
It’s the only way to get better quickly!