Jonathan really loved looking at the birds and even sketched a few.  We liked the wintery tree skeleton feathers adorning one of the birds, and Jonathan liked sketching the little ones.

I liked the stripes around the parrots eyes.

Jonathan thought that the fish might eat his finger!

We also had a chance to stroke an armadillo and saw a ping-pong ball of a tortoise egg.

]]> http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2012/01/amazon-world/feed/ 0 http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2011/12/december-catch-up/ http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/2011/12/december-catch-up/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:30:58 +0000 Susan http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/?p=2354 A few of the other things we have managed to do this December have been:

Watching the amazing  Bloodstone at Jubilee Stores (we even persuaded Jamie to come and watch Morris dancing )

Cookie Exchange:

The Learning Zone Christmas Party:

Family Christmas time:

I loved these easy but beautiful paper Christmas stars:

We had a houseful felting Christmas stockings in all manner of colours and patterns:

We managed a snow-flake Christmas wreath that even Martin contributed to:

Jonathan, Rebekah and I threaded some natural decorations, some we hung outside but Rebekah put hers on her little tree in her bedroom:

I wanted to do so much more but unfortunately haven’t had the energy to do it.

As Rebekah was sticking hers together a certain someone came and along and volunteered to eat a sweet which had “fallen” off!

And here are some of the finished items, these ones have amazing extras like a strawberry patch and giant mushrooms.

Ruth and Rebekah made lovely ones and Jonathan’s was made to eat straight away.

The woodland skills people helped with the grotto and cosy fire area, as did a few other volunteers.

There were decorations to make and lanterns to hang – once I’d set fire to my hair lighting some of them!!!

The grotto was ready – Rebekah was taking photos and Jonathan was being attacked by little girls – people listened to Sue Bailey tell stories and sang songs round the camp fire.

We have a card stable that waits for the inclusion of nativity characters. The characters (in playmobil) are wrapped up (in old newspaper as I am a skinflint) and put in the very tacky Christmas tree advent calendar.  We always start with Mary Joseph and the donkey and they travel around the room on their way to the stable – only arriving on Christmas eve.

We also have playmobil wise men these travel from the east or at least from the top of the shelves in the corner of the room.   They don’t form part of the unwrapping process because they will NOT be at the nativity scene on Christmas day they will arrive later at Epiphany.  So they will travel about after Christmas.

We also have a hand crafted advent calendar that the girls and I made years ago at a little HE workshop – it was very hard work for me as I don’t do machine sewing and it’s not very well finished but I love it.  In this one we all put little messages – they could be a Christmas joke, or a task, or an encouragement, a bible verse to read, a poem, a picture etc.  We all aim to write some of them but Jonathan and I are the only ones keen to do it everyone else (particularly Martin) just sighs at me!   Jonathan has already contributed three items to the calendar – so far he is the only one!

Usually we don’t do chocolate advent calendars – in fact Rebekah said that she’s never had one (but I think long ago my mum might have bought one for her).  I just don’t really think that chocolate advent calendars are what the season of Advent are really all about  and added to that the fact that Jonathan is on a dairy free diet it’s just not for us.  However as another spectacular demonstration of my inconsistency (see a whole blog post on it if you are interested) this year we have chocolate calendars.  At our last Suma social I was tempted by the dairy-free calendars and thought that this year only we would do chocolate calendars (I am also aware that time with Rebekah at home may be running out so it would be good to do them with her).  So with yet more inconsistency we have:

1 dairy-free calendar

1 Divine Fair-trade calendar

3 Thorntons rather excessive calendars.

I like Advent – I would like Advent to celebrated in, well Advent, and then Christmas to be celebrated afterwards.  I like the idea of  a time spent waiting and preparing for a special visitor as Advent in 2 minutes suggests it’s about rather than manically organising Christmas things.  Maybe one year I’ll even live up to that ideal!

But on Wednesday we had her party – ice cream and Just Dance.

We also had cake – well cup cakes, Ruth was busy making them and practising with her new icing petal cutters.

We got back to Quarr and enjoyed listening to the pigs squealing.

In the morning there is a spore print.