Greenwich Olyimpics

We went to Greenwich yesterday evening and I was surprised by how quiet it was!
I was expecting chaos, traffic, huge crowds, instead I found my usual lovely Greenwich.
Even with a big screen in the grounds of the college and stalls and a band stand, it still looked quite nice.
Maybe it was the evening and most people were inside pubs or back home, it really wasn't very busy at all!


We went by the Cutty Sark gardens, in front of Royal Naval college and the river looked peaceful and the sky had that lovely post storm pink glow. It was rather chilli but the very pleasant atmosphere made up for it!
A lovely evening and fun, indeed!

We saw the Aircraft Circus team perform circus acts right there, in the open air, with the Thames as background; it was rather impressive.
My daughter Morgana goes to the Circus skills classes and loves doing silks, rope, trapeze and all the other things they teach her.
This is what we saw:

watching the swimming on the big screen...Federica Pellegrini

didn't do very well!

Meanwhile at the Aircraft Circus some people believed they can 'fly'!

And the final special Olympics show

So, see you in Greenwich today!

Summer food

Inspired by the sunny but slightly cooler weather:

today I made vegetable brochettes- skewered courgettes, onions, tomatoes, peppers on a bed of origano, sprinkled with olive oil, served with salsa;
I make my salsa with a bit of onion and herbs and sea salt with a whole little chilli, but it is not spicy, really...

They grill very easily

I like a nice presentation!

It is a sharing kind of food, although Morgana, who made the brochettes said there were three each exactly!

then I made grilled sweet potatoes with garlic and herbs crumble top
served with goat cheese,

accompanied by a simple potato and mint salad served with hummous...

Buon Appettito!

Olympics!!!

Oh well, here we go, the Olympics are starting today, and it will be a cooler rainy day!

The Great Festival, opening Cerimony and All That Jazz!
The Big Screen, the Great Torch Relay, the Royal Park; The Great Big Horrible mistake of closing the Greenwich Park!
Oh well....I am not sure what to do.

Half of me is curious to see all the events and to feel positively part of this great hystorical event which is happening right here right now where we live...the other half wants to send everybody 'a quel paese' as they say in Italian! Go to Hell...a loose translation!

Please, don't be shocked if I swear, but I rarely do it, for instance when I am banking on line, or the computer is not responding...

Yesterday we had a lovely session at Acorns, lots of sad goodbyes and birthday celebration, I didn't get any cake but I think all the children did! It was a rather busy and lively session!

 

It was special for me to see older children , now in drop off Playgroup...soon in Kindergarten, and other children as special guests who are now in primary school!

I used to be there for them at the beginning and it is a lovely feeling seeing children again after a while.

 I believe that we really choose to come down to Earth to meet our families and friends who were also in other life times beforehand and we 'remember' them again as we meet them in this life...

Acorns parent and child group is one of many of these places where people come and see it was meant for them to be with us and have a strong connection...

calm before the session

Thank you all for making my Thursday sessions very special; all the children are special too and there are lots of really clever and talented and very interesting mums. It is a lovely feeling that each time is a learning and sharing experience for me.

And the children grow, some will be back and some will go...

The adventure continues...

My journey goes on...


x

Susannah

Summer sweet summer

Enjoy the last of sunshine today and be prepared as we are going to have a cooler next few days, so have your ice cream and your last dive in the paddling pool and bring your blankets out for next week!

Ah, this is the British Summer! It does still make me laugh after more than 20 years living in this country, but I kind of like it in a funny sort of way!

Today is going to be the last day I see and look after a sweet little boy who is now two years old. He has been with me a year and as usual with me and all children in my care, I am very fond of him. His family is leaving the country and I will miss him so much! Morgana also loves him dearly and so many other little friends he has been playing with.

Today at my last session at Church of Ascension, Acorn parent and Child Group, we will say goodbye to him and other people who will be leaving for nurseries or Playgroup; on a happy note we will celebrate not one, but two Birthdays! We will have special treats, cakes and candles!

Acorns session 11.00 to 13.00
 today- Thursday 26th July, Church of Ascension
susannah.andrews@gmail.com

Come to the woods!

Come to the woods!

You are all welcome to come to the woods on Wednesday at 10 for a two hour session with me.
We follow a nature trail and perhaps hunt for little creature like ladybirds or spiders...perhaps even an imaginary bear!
It is a Parent and Child session, but carers and grandpas come too, with children of all ages, especially in the school's summer holiday.
We gather in a lovely secret area by a den, sit by the logs and make nature crafts, then we sing songs and tell strories and play games.
We all bring some food to share and a blanket to sit on. Rain or shine we come prepared!
The session is £4 per child

The next session on Wednesday 25th of July
We meet at 9.45 am by the big oak tree by the black bench between the car park and the cafe.

Now some images for you-this is what we did last time:

We picked some leaves and made leaf 'art' !

Come and enjoy more lovely crafts and nature trail with us!

Susy made a Susy snail of course!!

Also Jo sang for us with her guitar...I loved all of the songs but Circle Game by Joni Mitchell was so nice, Jo has a beautiful voice!

here is a link to the original song, but I do think Jo's version was nicer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt9H19kdcSA

Circle Game

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, when you’re older, must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and dawn
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we con only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game.

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him,
Take your time, it won’t be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and dawn
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur
Coming true
There’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through.
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Come to the woods!

You are all welcome to come to the woods on Wednesday at 10 for a two hour session with me.
We follow a nature trail and perhaps hunt for little creature like ladybirds or spiders...perhaps even an imaginary bear!
It is a Parent and Child session, but carers and grandpas come too, with children of all ages, especially in the school's summer holiday.
We gather in a lovely secret area by a den, sit by the logs and make nature crafts, then we sing songs and tell strories and play games.
We all bring some food to share and a blanket to sit on. Rain or shine we come prepared!
The session is £4 per child

The next sessions on Wednesday 18th and 25th of July
We meet at 9.45 am by the big oak tree by the black bench between the car park and the cafe.

http://www.oxleaswood.com/buses-to-oxleas-wood/
ciao

Susannah

Come to the woods!

You are all welcome to come to the woods on Wednesday at 10 for a two hour session with me.
We follow a nature trail and perhaps hunt for little creature like ladybirds or spiders...perhaps even an imaginary bear!
It is a Parent and Child session, but carers and grandpas come too, with children of all ages, especially in the school's summer holiday.
We gather in a lovely secret area by a den, sit by the logs and make nature crafts, then we sing songs and tell strories and play games.
We all bring some food to share and a blanket to sit on. Rain or shine we come prepared!
The session is £4 per child

The next sessions on Wednesday 18th and 25th of July
We meet at 9.45 am by the big oak tree by the black bench between the car park and the cafe.

http://www.oxleaswood.com/buses-to-oxleas-wood/
ciao

Susannah

http://www.oxleaswood.com/buses-to-oxleas-wood/
ciao

Susannah

Come to the woods!

You are all welcome to come to the woods on Wednesday at 10 for a two hour session with me.
We follow a nature trail and perhaps hunt for little creature like ladybirds or spiders...perhaps even an imaginary bear!
It is a Parent and Child session, but carers and grandpas come too, with children of all ages, especially  in the school's summer holiday.
We gather in a lovely secret area by a den, sit by the logs and make nature crafts, then we sing songs and tell strories and play games.
We all bring some food to share and a blanket to sit on. Rain or shine we come prepared!
The session is £4 per child

The next sessions on Wednesday 18th and 25th of July
We meet at 9.45 am by the big oak tree by the black bench between the car park and the cafe.

http://www.oxleaswood.com/buses-to-oxleas-wood/
ciao

Susannah

Rainbow, summer showers and flowers

Rainbows, storms, summer showers, wet leaves and flowers...
What an unpredictable summer so far ( anything new?)
After all this is England!

This is why I am extremely happy now that I have booked my holiday to Rome. Hurray!

Meanwhile down in Rome my dad is moaning about the heat...it is now 35 degrees every day for the last week or so and continuing like this next week! I can't wait! And I won't moan!

Well...perhaps I will moan about the mosquitos!

It has been quite a busy end of term with festivals, summer sessions, extra children to look after and people coming people leaving, tears of joy and tears of sadness...

Yes, goodbyes are hard...and I will never get used to them.

Some very special people and children will be leaving soon and I will always have a little corner of my heart for them...




I am sharing now my images of the last few days...I tried to capture some special moments...

From my window soon after a summer storm

Oxleas Woods, between summer rain a hint of sunshine...

Summer sky and drops on rain on flowers

Between me and the wall

Fallen flower after much rain in neighbourhood gardens rescued my Morgana, in my nature table bowl

Nature table

My lovely roses

Lavender blur

And so ....the great Federer
 one more time CHAMPION!

A very happy day!

 xxx

 

Multicultural festival at

Greenwich Steiner School

 

today!

Sunday 8th July

11 am to 4 pm

 

Woodlands

for full address see the link below:

http://www.bing.com/local/details.aspx?lid=YN1087x242221031&qt=yp&what=greenwich+steiner+school&where=Greenwich%2c+London%2c+England&s_cid=ansPhBkYp02&mkt=en-gb&FORM=LARE





People of our school community, including Acorns Parent and Child group, families and friends, all gather and sing and dance.

We all bring something delicious to eat that is typical of our culture.


I will be doing a short puppet play for the little children (0 to 5 years old)

I am going dressed as myself and will
dissapear shortly after my puppet play....to watch the Wimbledon Final(I am sorry English and British friends,I am supporting Roger Federer!!!)

Making fairy houses in the woods

Wednesday morning we went to the woods (Acorns Parent and Child Sessions 10 to 12 each Wednesday- Oxleas Woods)
We were all busy making fairy houses as you can see...
We chose the tree near the place where we all gather.

To make a good fairy house this is what you must do:

Find a small area with slightly damp dirt.
To tell if the dirt- earth is good enough, stick a twig in the dirt and check if it stays standing. The area could be a bit 'secret' and hidden, it adds magic! I like to choose nooks and crannies under bushes and big trees, by the roots of a tree looks good; small spaces are perfect, but it can be as big as you want.

Collect many twigs and sticks.
Depending on the size of house you plan to build. Make sure that the sticks you collect are not too thick, in case you need to break them.

Using the sticks, create either a square formation, circle formation, or a Teepee formation.
These are your foundation pieces, so ensure that you stick the twigs at least half an inch into the dirt.

Build your exterior walls.
Use the bigger sticks- logs, broken branches, on the outside to make it sturdier.

Build your roof.
You can use either a leaf or a wide strip of bark. If you use a leaf, it may be helpful to stick a thin twig through the leaf and plant it in the dirt, to prevent the leaf from blowing away.
If you made a Teepee, you will not require a roof. However, you will want to secure the top with either a long blade of grass, or some twine. We used fern leaves mostly, plenty of fern in Oxleas Woods!

Decorate.

 Try using pebbles, flowers, leaves, and moss. Make the house authentic. Add a pond, see-saw, slide, mini-garden and flags and decorations, like God's eues or feathers...even shiny stones! We will do that next week! The stones can be painted too; this is a lovely activity for us to do next time!

And here is the proof of our creative work:

The Outdoor Session's Acorns team working hard!

I hope the fairies like them...especially as it is raining quite a lot these last few days!

xxx

Susannah