May 4th - 10th: Allotment

This was the week we got our allotment - exciting times! But that wasn't until Friday...

Monday 4th May
Finn's continued topic is reading the clock, so Cori collected rocks and sticks when last on the beach and so they (i.e. she) built this lovely clock to help them work it out:

Finn is here reading Orry Bun ry Skyn, a book was were pained by not long ago in our Manx lessons, so it pains us even more now to have to open it again with him. But, thankfully, his Manx is good enough to not need any real help on it, so he can just get on with it himself - phew!

Orry was delighted to see the cactus flower today, much to his surprise:

Tuesday 5th May
Finn chatted to his teacher and a few classmates over the computer, as is not a Tuesday morning activity for him, much to his enjoyment:

Finn emerges from these conversations happy and glowing from the contact and the chance to chat to people. Orry joined (listening only) in mainly as he was whining at being left out, but he then spent most of the time whining about being bored. There's no winning with a whiner!

One of Orry's tasks was to look at flowers, so after their usual maths and writing in the morning, they went out in the good weather over the harbour on the hill to gather flowers:

When they got back they put them in the flower press, which Cori had dug out of the craft box by change a few days ago. They are looking forward to seeing the results.

After that, with the tasks complete, and after a torrid night up with Oshin, Cori was delighted to capitalise on Oshin's tiredness and grab a mid-afternoon snooze. She did, however, leave her phone with the other two, who used it to take a heap of photos:

After their wake-up, Oshin was in a much better mood:

Wednesday 6th May
Oshin, of course, doesn't like Cori going to the toilet and therefore being away from him for even a minute. So this was how he was distracted this morning - happily reading with his dad:

The reason for the bed being made on the floor was that Orry decided that he wanted to sleep there last night. Strange, but it was simple enough to sort out for him, and little to ask in these strange days we're living in.

Although the usual reading and writing went on in the morning, the majority of today was spend with the kids immersing themselves happily in Duplo...

... which left Cori free to immerse herself in sewing her quilt:

It's getting close!


Thursday 7th May
As ever, the boys dressed themselves today, and, as ever, Orry managed to choose the coolest outfit available to humankind:

Another cool outfit came to Oshin thanks to Cori's fine work during his nap time:

Today Finn's diary celebrates the fact that he finally worked out how to see the Magic Eye puzzle books. He's had a books for months, but never worked out how to actually see the pictures. But today, of course, he's be laughing and calling out what is in there - he's been very happy!


Friday 18th May
It was the 75th anniversary of VE Day, so it was a day off. We used the day as an excuse to make scones (though not to put up British flags or the like - which was rather making us uncomfortable for us people who spend the rest of our lives trying to be Manx).

We also had a bit of fun playing with an online game. Finn watched a short film online, and made this for Finn:

WW2 Pillboxes

Then Finn watched a film and did the same for Orry:

WW2 Radar Stations

I was shocked at how seriously they both too it, especially with Orry, who immediately got a piece of paper as he sat down and then directed me in where to pause it so that he could scribe down facts. Orry was less good when Finn answered his questions, and when he could not answer Finn's questions - it appears that 'losing' isn't his strong point!

In the afternoon we were excited to go to our allotment:

Cori has always wanted an allotment, so when a friend (Nicola) asked if she wanted to take on half of her allotment, she was delighted. I (James) wasn't consulted, as it's never been a thing I have been interested in, so it was always going to be Cori's thing, which I'll be happy enough to help out in, though as long as I have no responsibility for it.
We had imagined it, consciously or not, as a London size. So, literally, we had imagined it as the size of a double bed, perhaps two of them. So we were aghast when we got there and saw how enormous the patch was!
We weren't there to do anything - just to see the space and see what it was all about. We happily found Nicola there and so we helped out on her half of the allotment, sort of:

The entire space (but for Nicola's 3 or so square metres) are weeds. But tough bundles of weeds. As well as the size of the plot, we were intimidated by the work to be done!
But we were excited to get started, and very much buoyed to have a nice chat with a friend in person after so long without seeing anyone face-to-face!

After a short while at the allotment we had to go back to make ready for dinner. I used the opportunity to walk back on my own, via the far side of Peel Hill, which was marvellous:

It was marvellously warm, still and calm, and the water looked so inviting, so when I got back I forced Cori out to swim in it after, which she did as I put the kids to bed. Because it was so calm and lovely, and because the work equipment is here with us, sh took out the work's water-proof GoPro, to marvellous effect:

Saturday 9th May
Inspired by yesterday, and in the excellent weather, most of today was taken up at the allotment, attacking the weeds.

We all went for a few hours in the morning, but Cori had to return Oshin for a nap. But, realising the amount of work required, I remained on my own and weeded for hours more on my own. It was nice being there, with my simple task just doing my thing. A few other allotment people came, but not many, so it was mostly just me and the dirt. Those other allotment people who did come by were all very nice, and I found that we have been given leek and peas by the end of it. How nice!
This is what I achieved by 5pm or so:

Or, to give you an idea of the size of our half of the allotment, it goes from the rickety gate here:

Everyone enjoyed themselves, and were asking to go back the next day, though I was glad to give it a rest as I was somewhat achey!

After all that work in the dirt, there was no chance they weren't having a bath, and Oshin was delighted to have bubbles too:

Sunday 10th May
In the morning we made collages on a story we read in Manx (in English here), in order to practice their speaking (though it ended up just being Finn):

I don't know what happened, but Orry mysteriously agreed to come on a walk with Finn and I, as Oshin slept at home. She he (and we) all had a great time!

We gathered twigs for a bonfire (Orry's (annoying) idea!), investigated a tholtan, saw where the Mooinjer Veggey hung out, saw hares, whacked jinny nettles along the path, prayed to the White Lady of Ballafreer, and ate sweets on the final walk back along the road - a great day out:

After that it was a Games Night with the American family - a fine conclusion to a good week: