Saturday 7 February 2015

Mud and culture








It occurred to me today that if I wait until I have some decent/cohesive photos to share it will be a long, long time until there's a post.  At this time of year I seem to run low on pictures for some reason.  Low light?  More time spent inside?  Sometimes I just forget about taking pictures.

I laid out some fabric for a quilt this week.  Just simple strips.  I could do with it being finished already really, it's been chilly here although no snow yet.  We were in Stroud this afternoon, a small town situated at the convergence of five valleys.  The hills around are wonderfully steep, fields dropping right down to the edge of the town.  The shops are well stocked with sledges and snow boards and all sorts of fun things for sliding around on.  All they are missing is a little snow.  I doubt if there will be any now, we quite often have years with no snow at all.  At best it is usually just a two- or three-day thing.

The little people are peering at the things the middle boy dissected from an owl pellet.  Apparently vole jaw bones and skulls, bird's bones and a fish vertebrae.  Yes, that's a punnet of strawberries right next to it all.  Yes, we ate them later.

The lemon is a home grown one.  I was thrilled with how juicy it was, they've been a bit dry before.  I think the trick might be to pick them a bit earlier.  It was oh so sharp, I made a face like a dog chewing a bee when I tasted it, but I put the juice and zest in a treacle tart and it was lovely.

The bird photos are filched from the biggest boy.  He took them at the wildfowl and wetlands place last weekend.  The bird in the water is a water rail, it made our visit pretty much the best one ever.

On Sunday we watched football in the muddiest place imaginable.  The littlest boy sprinted into what can only be described as a swamp and ended up flying through it horizontally.  The mud was dripping off of him.  We'd been there about a minute and a half.  He was delighted of course.  He and the middle boy spent the afternoon shinning up trees and hitting things with sticks.  They could happily do that for hours.

The middle boy's class went to see Julius Caesar this week.  They hadn't studied it at all beforehand and I'm not sure any of them understood it much.  They've "done" the Romans and were expecting togas.  Everyone was wearing suits and carrying briefcases.  Apparently it was reimagined "in a modern world of media manipulation, digital information and 24 hour news" .   I asked him if at least the stabbing and dying was done in fine fashion.  It was not.  The blood was made of paper.  I assume this is to ensure there are no nightmares afterwards, although anyone who knows small boys knows that having sat through Julius Caesar only to find there isn't even any genuine blood flowing is exceedingly disappointing.  A few good thrusts of the dagger and a liberal spraying of blood can make up for a lot.

Around the tea table we had a little discussion about Shakespeare.  Someone asked me about "The Winter's Tale".  I said that it has one of Shakespeare's few stage directions in it, "Exit, pursued by a bear".  The biggest boy said, "You've told us that before."  I said something like, "Sweetie, I've only got a certain amount of conversation, I think you've been through it all now, we're on the second go round."  The other half said, "Imagine how many times I've heard it".  It occurs to me I may even have written it here before as well.  Am I going round again?  Time for a swift exit.  Pursued by a bear.

43 comments:

  1. Well.. you do have boys, don't you!? I can relate as we have 2 living with us now and I raised 2. But I do have memories of raising a girl, but she was a tomboy with 2 brothers and was usually outdoors riding her pony and such. But her 2 girls are girlie girls which is fun.. except they live almost 3,000 miles away. But the 10 yr old actually crochets! The youngest dresses up and sings like she's on stage. I wish they were closer. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  2. I was worried you had ended up wherever the toy box lid is ;) good to hear from you. Someone was brave to take a group of children to Shakespeare without a thorough reading first. You are right, some daggers and blood might've kept their attention! Lovely pictures, as usual!

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  3. I can well understand that the boys were disappointed with the Shakespeare - I hate it when they do a modern interpretation; I want Elizabethan costumes and blood, spurt and gore! I remember seeing 'The Winter's Tale' at Stratford and the bear was made from falling books and paper, which sounds naff and disappointing but was actually fantastic. How marvelous to have grown your own lemon and I'm impressed that your sons shinned so high up that tree! Your boy's bird photos are wonderful too - he's obviously inherited his Mum's talent. Have a fun Sunday. x

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  4. That Shakespeare interpretation sounds hilarious. I do love it when they get all pretentious!
    I'm a bit short on photos too. I think it is down to so much indoor time and the poor light. And having been ill too - there's been a serious lack of motivation around here.
    Well done on growing a lemon. That sounds very exotic and complicated. I got all cheffy and bought a load for the kitchen and they are being used.
    Good to hear from you in this time of dormancy and hibernation. Have a great Sunday!
    S x

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  5. Lovely photos, at first glance I thought it was someone pursuing a bear up a tree!!! Must go and take my temperature. Lovely quilt, I have a couple, o.k. probably more, in pieces waiting to be finished. Your last sentence made me laugh, I think I must be on my umpteenth loop.

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  6. As always a lovely post about real life! How wonderful to have a home grown lemon and treacle tart too Mmmmn! Loved the idea of us only having so much conversation and it certainly explains why when you are my age you always have to prefix everything you say with "Have I told you this before?"!!! I obviously ran out of things to say years ago.

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  7. Hey CJ,
    You grew a lemon!! That is so cool. I keep forgetting to take my camera with me, which probably explains why there are a dearth of photos right now. Although I did take two selfies. What was I thinking? I've not deleted them, and I'm drawn to them every now and again to pursue flaws and age and such. I think it might have to do with friends posting old photos on fb. All of us fresh faced and twenty years younger. It's no good for my ego. I wish they'd stop!
    No snow here, but bright sunshine and frost. As for Shakespeare....would the Carry On team's version be suitable? "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"
    Leanne xx

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  8. Hehe, yep we're all repeating ourselves, so don't worry.
    Fab to have a lemon! Not something I'd try growing at the moment but defintiely in a future home. The water rail pics from your son are very cool. We were lucky enough to get a closeup view a few years back at Potteric Carr reserve just outside Doncaster, a water rail was slinking around just in front of a hide, lovely.

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  9. Your own lemon - respect. Those water rail photos are great,

    Strange choice of play as a part of a study in Romans,

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  10. Those pics of the Water Rail are Fab-U-Lous. Pass on my praise to the photographer- they are SUCH tricky birds to get a decent pic of and he's got two!! Lovely to see it.

    I know what you mean about repeating yourself. At least it wasn't in the same day, or hour. Apparently, I do that a lot according to L.

    We have friends who live near Stroud, old old friends we meet up with every year, it's a beautiful part of the world to live in.

    Hope you managed to outrun the Bear :o) xx

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  11. Lovely pictures! I tried to take photos of some of the birds in my parent's garden this morning but they were to fast for me!

    Some years ago I saw a really weird interpretation of Hamlet... It involved electric bunnies and hamlet in a children's sand pit. Not my cup of tea :P

    Take care
    Anne (Crochet Between Worlds)

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  12. Love your post! Your days sounds very similar to mine - muddy boys and repeat conversations round the dinner table :)

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  13. A most enjoyable post and lovely photos. I like the picture of the blue and long-tailed tits as they're two of my favourite small birds, I just wish that I saw some of the later now and again. And I've never seen a water rail!
    I never did get on with Shakespeare at school or since. Flighty xx

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  14. Love the colours in your quilt. Beautiful. I quite like the low light levels at this time of year, for taking photos - the sun being lower in the so can make for some interesting shadows, I think. Well done on growing the lemon!

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  15. Well, I'm frequently pursued by bears and look at me, only a few minor tics. Your quilt is going to be gorgeous, I love the colors in it. I think your photos are great, personally. They capture the moment you're in right now. I'm so excited about your lemon, how cool is that. And I would have LOVED to see the owl pellet, I find that kind of thing so interesting. I'm sure the strawberries didn't suffer one bit in their close encounter with science!

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  16. Your quilt is looking great already. It looks like a lot of work! I took Annie to see the Nutcracker a few years back. It was a modern interpretation and had I not seen the programme, I would never have guessed it was the Nutcracker. I am in two minds about modern interpretations of plays/ballets that worked perfectly well in the original format. Owl pellets are fun, aren't they. I was amazed at the number of tiny thigh bones in the one we dissected a while ago, that and one tiny skull. There must have been a special offer on vole thighs. Have a lovely week. xx

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  17. Well I didn't know about the swift exit!! So it is new to me!! I think that waiting for a post, and waiting for photos at this time of year is a pretty fruitless exercise, you have to go with what you have, otherwise as you say, you wait forever. The light is so unpredictable! 10 minutes ago it was bright and sunny and now it is nearly dark and I am thinking that the curtains need pulling! I think that your post was very interesting!! xx

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  18. I can imagine how disappointed the middle boy was seeing Julius Caesar without a drop of actual blood being shed, I can't imagine how that was done with paper. How wonderful having your own supply of lemons, I think I'd have saved a slice to slip in to a gin and tonic.

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  19. Your posts always make me smile. We had two girlie girls, all grown up now and one with a tiny girlie of her own so I can only imagine the mud and ensuing delight! Your biggest boy takes great photos and as for the grow -your-own lemon, I am very impressed!

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  20. Love the bird pictures. I can't decide which is more impressive seeing and getting a great photo of a water rail or growing your own juicy lemons.

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  21. Such lovely pictures!! I wouldn't have a clue what an owl pellet looked like, what a great way to learn about nature. We have a lime tree but it hasn't fruited for a while, we may be doing something wrong. Have a great week :)

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  22. Great bird photos that your son took. You grew that lemon - how awesome! My little babe loves eating lemons straight-up - no idea where she learned it, but it entertains her for a bit when we out in restaurants!

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  23. Oh I'd have felt shortchanged watching Julius Caesar without some fake blood and a dagger, definitely, most disappointing. How amazing that you grew a lemon, that is thrilling. Wishing you a good week ahead xx

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  24. The boys in the trees! Oh my goodness!!!!! And I never knew that about The Winter's Tale so see you taught me something new!

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  25. Wow, you grew a lemon? Somehow I never associate the British Isles with the growing of citrus fruit ... except perhaps in greenhouses. (Probably displaying gross ignorance here.) It looks delicious.

    The bird photos are wonderful - and the quilt is looking good.

    Why do people think kids can't handle gore? Especially little boys - they seem to thrive on it. That production sounds pretty boring.

    Hope the bear didn't get you.... :)

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  26. The quilt is fantastic friend! And how wonderful to see your boys up the tree like that!!! And a lemon....are you growing a plant inside????? What I would do to grow lemons!!! Wishing you more adventures this week CJ! Nicole xo

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  27. Oh I've been having the same lack-of-photo issues recently too. I think, for me, it is a combo of low light levels, not finding anything hugely inspiring to photograph with lots of time spent at home and a general winter malaise, ha ha.

    That said, your photos are very lovely!

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  28. Your quilt is going to look amazing. I love how you've used strips of fabric and such lovely colours you've chosen!
    I don't seem to be taking many photos either, I think like you say its more time spent indoors. I definitely take more out and about photos in the spring and summer. Starting project life has made me realise how little I take of the kids and of just everyday stuff.
    The bird photos taken by your boy are wonderful, and how interesting to see what was found in the owl pellet, the vole skull looks tiny! Have a good week CJ xx

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  29. I haven't many photos taken recently either - not many posts done as a result. I laughed about your conversation.

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  30. Oh I have just found your blog through a Bloglovin recommendation and so enjoyed this post. We are expecting the first little boy in our family and are bracing ourselves for the football matches ! The quilt looks great, look forward to seeing it finished, it's very cold here in Lincolnshire too, hot water bottles are doing overtime in our house.

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  31. Gosh those stripes are lovely. Low light is a problem at this time of the year - I just learn how to go with it...then forget all over again come next Winter.

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  32. oh your Shakespeare-bear conversation has me chuckling. I shall remember this when my dad repeats himself :-)
    those pretty little birds on the feeder - what sweet little things!

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  33. Honestly, your house could be my house ten years ago ... we've seen some owl pellets in our time!

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  34. So funny about your recycled information! Just wait until the teenage years - the sound of eye rolling will be deafening. Great catchy title for your post!

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  35. Your quilt is gorgeous CJ, that must be so satisfying to make. Lovely to be back in blogland and catching up on all your news. The books on cut flowers in your previous post especially caught my attention. I definitely think it's a weather thing in regards to photo taking as I seem to be doing the opposite right now and it's Summer here - too many photos probably and not enough writing! Enjoy the rest of your week x

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  36. love the quilt x hope it's keeping you warm by now xxx

    here's a clip of David Tennant talking about that bear

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02jmd8z

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  37. I like when you give us the photos, regardless if YOU think they're cohesive or not. I love the sneak peek into your household with the snippets of conversation. With my own child who will run from a spider, but loves to read the spy stuff and doesn't seem to shirk from violent tales ... I get it. The colors of your quilt are great. Not surprised by that at all.

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  38. All photos from you are welcome, and I always love to read what you have to say not least because you make me laugh. I didn't know that about Shakespeare and the bear. You could chat to me for hours and I'd be dazzled. x

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  39. Well it's the first time I've heard you say that. In fact, I never knew that before so I appreciate you sharing it...learn something new everyday, right? And the quilt looks like it will come together beautifully.

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  40. Haha, if you're going round again I must have missed it the first time; that last para really made me laugh. I never had the muddy football thing, but our not so little doggy seems to be a mud magnet at the moment. The bird photos are lovely and so is your quilt. Have a great weekend xx

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  41. There isn't much light these days, so it is difficult to take a good shot worth sharing but despite your forgetting you have some great ones, the second for example it made me think of my grandma and she would tell me that the birds would come to visit her garden everyday. I totally understand the disappointment of expecting Romans with toga, I went to see a Greek tragedy and they were all wearing suits and dresses! Never mind it was with Ralph Fiennes, I felt disappointed all the same. It looked they were all in a cocktail party but without small talk. Love your posts. Xx

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  42. I really like your chosen colours for the quilt. Hope you enjoy finishing it.

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  43. I love the quilt top...the colours are wonderful. I would like to make a quilt, I would like to make a lot of things but I'm suffering with a bit of inertia at the moment. I'm inspired by growing a lemon though...that is wonderful!! xx

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