Penmanship

So sure, the first two years of school were essentially childcare. And even now that maths and reading has started, the level is not equivalent to 2nd class in Australia. But there is one thing the Swiss push faster.

Not only did Téo transition from pencil to pen this year - 2 years ahead of kids in Australia! - but to a fountain pen. A fountain pen!

Can you guess what movie we watched recently? 

And what the current obsession of the shortest and loudest member of the household might be?

Well OK, I agree a fountain pen is not really the height of technology - I mean, weren't ballpoint pens invented to overcome their inadequacies? And true, Téo does now have perpetually blue-stained hands. And there are ink spots on the floor. Our very absorbent floor.

But there is nevertheless something very charming about it all. Especially when your child chooses to use his pocket money to buy himself his own pen and ink cartridges.

They had a blue one, but it wasn't as pretty.

Well OK, he may have done that simply to get more of the plastic balls inside the ink cartridges, a highly desirable item, apparently. But still, it tickles me that my son is learning to write with a fountain pen.

Quick cuppa snapshots

... because it seems that's what this blog's become. And very slow with them, too.

Anyhoo onwards, well backwards actually, to some of what happened 'round here last month.

1. I was fish food.

It's a little disconcerting, the way they swarm up to meet your foot as you lower it in, like starving mini piranhas.

And then a little weird.

And not really that effective, but fun to have tried.

2. I took the kids strawberry picking

It was foul, a wet miserable day but I'd promised Téo so when the rain stopped off we went... to an absolute quagmire where most of the strawberries were rotten, collapsing wetly and grossly around your finger at the slightest touch.

The gobbling up of the good ones was quite yummy, though.

3. I've been bottling

In total I bought something like 10kg of strawberries over the 4 weeks of their season, at least 2 kg at a time, and each time all were gobbled up in no time. So no strawberry jam. Now it's raspberry season... and seeing how we still had around 4kg in the freezer from last year (thanks largely to C's dad who picked and froze what we didn't have time for ourselves), I figured I better get around to using them up. Last night, jam, tonight, raspberry vinegar, and sometime soon, raspberry ginger mint syrup, because doesn't that sound yum?

4. It finally got hot

They did start with bathers, but it's so cool when you slide so fast! And it was only 9.30 so my sun protection mania was not yet active.

Unlike later in the day when we went to the pool.

New toys

And I would walk 500 metres

And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the boy who walked (up) a thousand metres when I was on-ly four-or-or.

I have to admit, I did wonder if we were crazy to even contemplate the hike we did last weekend. Not only was it quite a way for little legs to walk...

Not even half-way up

We started down there where the town is. 

And still had some way to go.

... but some parts were tricky.

But he did it all, with no whinging.

A smile, even. And then walked back the next day.

He doesn't even seem to be against the idea of going hiking again, which, phew, because I was so happy to be back in the mountains after nearly 8 years.

I took many pictures of flowers and mountains. I'll restrict myself to just this one.

And Téo? Well, he's not in many photos because basically, we didn't see him except when we caught up at rests and meals.

Not content with leaping ahead on the track, he also leapt off the swings at the lunch stop.

Which, can I just add, was somewhat more civilized than the bush walking lunches of my youth.

Well done my boys!!

Two weeks later and there's still some up there

So all that rain that brought the mushrooms, well, it hasn't stopped.

Rain also means snails.

A collection of snails, if there are kids involved.

And once they're collected, what better thing to do than put them on the glass doors?

For the snails, there's only one escape route: up.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Pondering the unanswerable

Why is it that your child can effortlessly remember lyrics and poems and knock knock jokes, but despite frequent reminders - and even unpleasant consequences - claims, every single time, that he forgot he needed to put away his toys in the right place?

Three little kittens...

... have lost their mother.

Happily, they don't look this worried all the time:

Only when they see a camera.