Christmas Past
January 4, 2011
I boxed up the last of our decorations this morning. We have all thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of Christmas at the Headmaster’s House but we are definitely ready for all things new that 2011 may bring…including the all important school holidays! The ferry tickets are booked and we will head over to France in some months time, having something exciting to look forward to will help keep those January blues at bay.
Whilst packing away the decorations, I was reminded of a Christmas we spent in Brittany with dear friends a few years ago…I had packed a few bits and bobs to make the house feel festive even taking my twinkly star lights along too. It was a glorious time, beautifully mild weather, good company and all the delightful cuisine France has to offer. The bay will be filled busy with boats, kayaks and bathers by the time we see it next.
Here are a few things I plan to do for next Christmas!
Big Book Club News!
December 7, 2010
Rosamund Lupton, author of the bestselling novel Sister, has very kindly accepted an invitation to join our January Book Club meeting! Sister has spent weeks in the Top Ten of the Sunday Times bestsellers list and is currently in the Number One spot on Amazon. I am more than half way through the book and it’s keeping me up way past my bedtime because it is such a good read. If you haven’t picked up a copy, I encourage you to do so!
{Rumour has it the author declined an invitation to the Cheltenham Literature Festival but was delighted to be asked to our humble book group! Gosh, I’m really very excited and so looking foward to welcoming a very special guest to our next book club get together.}
Winter Wonderland
December 3, 2010
School closed Thursday and Friday this week and the children made the most of the snowfall…it was a tough decision for the Headmaster to close school, but hopefully all families will have had the opportunity to savour special moments while all around is covered in glistening snow.
Close by is the perfect sledging hill in the most idyllic setting (reminds me of these cards)…a closely guarded secret that someone dared to share with us last year!
{That pre-season sledge purchase paid off and so did the snow shovel…I’ve never seen the Headmaster so pleased with my shopping before!} xx
Gold Stars
November 29, 2010
The seasonal festivities began at school this weekend with the annual Christmas Fair. It was an early start on Saturday morning to get things ready including baking for the cake stall…earlier in the week I picked up these fabulous gold stars from Squires. Sprinkled on top of delicious (but gooey and a bit too runny) cream cheese icing, the stars add a little sparkle to these festive cakes.
Oranges and Lemons…
November 22, 2010
The Headmaster had a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall moment over the weekend and decided we ought to try and make some culinary Christmas gifts. We started with these superb oranges and lemons dipped in rich dark chocolate…a very successful trial run and it was a fun family effort. We ate far too many at home (although the Artist and the Composer were not very taken with the sharp, grown up taste) and the rest ended up in the staff common room and were gone in minutes! The recipe is from a cutting of last years Guardian newspaper, find it here.
Colouring Pages
November 14, 2010
The latest phase for The Artist is ‘fancy patterns’ in all the colours of the rainbow and these printables are perfect for rainy day activities. Milliande is a little tricky to navigate (that may well be my failing), but it’s worth trundling through to find the unique printable colouring pages. I especially like the Christmas Trees which will be great for the childrens play dates during the holidays.
These colouring pages have also been a huge success with The Artist. The mandalas are great and you can find free printables from lots of popular childrens characters too. Check out the Christmas pages for the holidays.
Wouldn’t it be great to spend the afternoon colouring? A spot of art therapy may be just the thing we all need during the busy Festive Season!
Perfect Christmas Shopping
November 11, 2010
I hear new Christmas Stock is arriving daily in this extensive 6,500 sq ft Farnham store. They have a fabulous range of unique and special gifts for family and friends and stunning items for your home. As they say themselves, ‘The Packhouse has all you need this festive season’. And right now you can win £100 if you register on-line at The Packhouse.
Visual Editions
November 5, 2010
Great looking stories at Visual Editions…
Check out these cool books brought to you by two clever ladies…
Music for children and parents too…
November 4, 2010
A favourite in our house since my sister introduced us to Raffi and Baby Beluga a few years ago now. Raffi’s music is the kind parents don’t tire of and the good messages are just that, good and wholesome! Zoom to mid way of the first film to hear Thanks A Lot which brings tears to my eyes every time!
Fancy Halloween Treats
October 26, 2010
One of my most favourite shops is Fortnum and Mason (actually it doesn’t feel right to call it a shop, probably more appropriate to label Fortnums an English institution) and as I browsed for Christmas ideas I couldn’t help notice their Halloween section. As you would expect, the Halloween goodies are pretty posh, gorgeously designed and with a good sense of humour behind them.
Now, I’m not so sure where I stand on Halloween. I’m of a mixed opinion which really is no help (but I’m sure The Headmaster would confirm quite quickly that this is fairly unsual!) I have wonderful childhood memories…trick or treating in fabulous neighbourhoods where the families had gone to extreme efforts to decorate their homes. Some spooky but mostly all good fun. I remember arriving home with two bags full of sweet treats and then as all good parents do…the sweets were checked over and rationed!
Even though these treats from Fortnums are adorable I can do without the horror and spooks at this time of year; we will be celebrating the changing seasons, preparing for the cold winter and enjoying a few extra sweet treats to get us through those cold dark nights!
The Headmaster's Wife 
