A Long Time Coming

This post has been a long time coming!

Several years ago now, friends of mine set up the Bluebell Steiner Parent and Child Group in Barnstaple for pre-school children and their families. The group has gone from strength to strength, and over a year ago we started to look for somewhere to take the next step and set up a Steiner Waldorf school.

We explored so many different ways of approaching it. We, unlike may groups of parents who start these sorts of projects, are not well off. None of us had a convenient second home we could sell, or an inheritance we could invest. In fact, the most we could really do was make and bake to try to raise money through fundraising events.

We heard of a Kindergaten that was being run from a yurt in Cornwall, and that seemed to offer a far more realistic way of getting our own school off the ground. A second hand yurt was bought, and we began the endless and seemingly fruitless task of finding a suitable place to site it. It really did seem as though all roads were dead ends. Ideas that seemed really promising quickly fell on their faces, and all avenues seemed to lead to cul-de-sac's.

Until finally, one avenue didn't.

Welcome to the Two Rivers Steiner School!

We have been offered the use of an area of mixed deciduous and pine woodland at the back of Tapely Park, a large stately home that overlooks the estuary at Bideford. The location is brilliant as Bideford is within reasonable reach of Hartland where the Small School is located, and we have always felt that the Small School was the obvious next step for children leaving the school at 11.

We have been hard at work clearing the site, we have had a digger in to clear all the pine tree stumps and dig the compost loos, we have built the base for the yurt and are making good progress on the fencing. There has been so very much work and effort gone in already, and we still have a very long way to go, but it is really truly, earth and wood, sweat and mud, plans and fruition, happening!

The Fall Out

Ok, confessions first.

My blogging is sparse at the moment, I know. And I really don't like to visit here in such a patchy disjointed way, but we are having some serious technical issues. Our old faithful laptop decided to lose all its memory, and become seemingly unable to store anything about a month or so ago. This meant that I not only have no way of accessing all my stored photos and info, but  I also have no way of putting photos on to the computer to add to the blog. This has posed a big problem as I strongly object to posting without pictures. And I have a whole memory cards worth of stuff to share with you, just as soon as I can get our old old pc back up and running again.

Ok, explanations over.

Spending a whole weekend painting the house and neglecting the children has taken it's toll on our usually fairly energetic and physical boys. It has seriously tipped them over the edge!

I have been on damage control all week. They basically did nothing but watch tv and fight for nearly 3 consecutive days and now they have forgotten how to calm down. This ties in interestingly with a post about children's exposure to the media on Bending Birches. I can't believe what 3 days over over exposure has done.

Fin and Fred are similar in that they are both very physical, testosterone laden boys who love lots of loud noises and roaring about the place, and they have both been volatile and aggressive since the weekend. Jack is sensitive and easily overloaded and has basically fallen to pieces, particularly with the increased noise and fury levels at home.

I could feel myself running out of strength for the fight earlier. I could feel all the resolve slipping away and that inevitable, end of the rope, wild eyed and shouty Mummy moment edging ever nearer. So instead I decided to have a Time Out. Not for them, for me.

I wrote a note that said 'Dear Boys, There is so much noise and rumpus in the house that there isn't enough sound left for me to keep on talking, so I have decided to be quiet and not say a word for the next half an hour, and there is so much charging around and running about that there isn't enough movement left for me so I have decided to sit still for the next half an hour. You can come and sit still and quietly with me if you like, but please don't use up any more of the sound or movement around me, or it might take even longer for me to start talking and moving again. Lots of love, Mummy'.

Then I went and sat very still and quiet on the floor, and just observed my breathing.

It took a while, nearly the originally allotted half an hour. At first they just shouted at me, then Jack read the note (useful thing, a six year old that can read like a 9 year old!!), then they tried to hassle me and keep on with the shouting, but eventually they all came and sat quietly. Fred on me, Jack reading on the sofa, and Fin taking the opportunity to go and play his guitar in his room.

It really felt like the calm after the storm. If we are going to get through this renovation, I am going to have to come up with a better plan than tv and biscuits.

Scaffolding Update

I am shattered. Really truly done in.
The scaffolding went up on the front of the house on Friday, and came down about an hour ago. We have replaced all the guttering, fascias and soffits, and have cleaned off over two decades of filth and moss and lichen.
The painting is nearly all done. I just have the lower part of the house to finish off tomorrow, before the rain comes in.
I wish I could put some photo's up, but we are having some major technical issues with the lap top, and our pc is being fixed.
I must just say though that I am amazed at the house that has emerged form under all that. It looks amazing, far better than I could have ever hoped. I can't wait to show you.
And now, finally, to bed.....

The First Beaching of the Year

Have you ever seen bullocks released out into the fields for the first time in the spring? Sunday was a similar experience. We made our first beach visit of the year.

It was blissful. Like drawing a big lungful of air after holding your breath for an age.

It might look sunny and glorious but it was still very cold. The boys and I agreed on the walk down that it was still too cold to go in the sea, but that a few rock pools would be fine. That didn't last.

They stayed out of the sea for almost the exact length of time it took them to lose all unnecessary layers of clothing and run at full tilt to the waters edge.

We weren't there long. They all got soaked and cold and hungry, so we walked barefooted back up the hill as it started to rain. I love the first barefooting of the year, with feet so tender and soft from a winter of socks and boots.

Definitely a hot cross bun day. Too cold for ice creams and too short an outing for full blown doughnut action.

I have been absent for a while I know, and I have so very very much to post about and I will, all in good time. But for now, maybe a little clue from our beach day as to what we have been so busy doing....



This Moment :: The Blackout

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.



Inspired by Amanda of Soule Mama

Stripping in the Boudoir.

I'm not going to lie to you, It's not going well!

This is our room, although in name only as we are now sleeping on the sofa bed in the sitting room.

The wall paper is off, so is a large quantity of the plaster and much of the cob that was covering the stone walls. The next step was going to be poly-filling the cracks and holes. 

I don't think I have enough poly-filler to deal with this!

Progress



A dismal start,

A grumpy boy,

A dirty mess,

Some welcome friends,

A late afternoon sunbeam,

And progress.