A good place to start with my blog reporting this week is with the reading we did. As we slowly get back into the routine of the school term, we were able to finish two books this week. The last of the books about body systems that I was reading primarily to Munchkin, and an adult non-fiction book about cells, ("The Cell: A Visual Tour of the Building Block of Life" by Jack Challoner). This book was a re-read for me as I read it aloud to Monster about four years ago. Since then I have discovered the wonderful books of Siddhartha Mukherjee and learned that there are better ways to write about such academic (and seemingly dry) subjects as cells. So this book was a bit of a disappointment to Monkey and he only scored it three stars. The bonus of this book is that it includes fascinating photographs of a variety of different cells and the boys did enjoy that aspect of the reading the most.
Another fun photography session in the garden after church Sunday morning.
Sunday late afternoon Munchkin and I took a quick walk around the block - managing two laps before it started to get too dark. We spotted a couple of gorgeous Rainbow Lorikeets in a tree who were kind enough to allow me a couple of photos. The sky was just gorgeous as we headed home after our second lap.
Munchkin has decided to learn how to crochet. I only knit these days, but still own a couple of hooks, so I loaned him one, along with a skein of white yarn, and with the help of YouTube tutorials he was off and running. The top two photos were his first attempts on Monday and he improved very quickly through the day. I put some books on reserve at the library, and during a shopping trip mid week he purchased some little kits that interested him. Stay tuned for progress reports as his learning continues.
Friday was a solo trip to the library for me as we are still unsure what the boys are doing about youth group this term. The family that normally hosts them for dinner and transports them to and from group have some scheduling issues so while we work out the best solution for everyone involved, the boys have spent Friday afternoon and evening at home. This is the book haul photo once I got home. I had a bunch of errands to run besides the library so took NO photos while I was out. Munchkin's crochet books are here, plus a pile of picture books for another author study, and some independent reading selections for Munchkin perched on top.
The happy library bookshelf!
School books... stay tuned for the author study in upcoming blog posts.
My independent reading selections. I borrowed NO new books for myself this week as I still have all these to work through. Several of them MUST be returned to the library by 4th September so I have some work to do.
Garden photos! One of our succulents is blooming (left) and hubby was gifted a second chilli plant (there are actually three separate plants in this pot) and you can just see a tiny cream coloured flower on the right side - so we SHOULD have our first chilli soon.
Saturday afternoon Munchkin and I headed out for another walk. He walks independently during the week, but on the weekends I like to join him if my schedule allows. Originally we were just going to do a couple of laps around the block but then we decided on an "exploring" walk. We roamed around a bunch of side streets we don't normally explore and just made decisions as to which way to go on the spur of the moment. I enjoyed snapping interesting photos along the way. These two were of least interest to Munchkin as he finds bare trees in winter boring - but I find them beautiful, even on a mostly cloudy day.
We visited two of the four Little Free Libraries that are within easy walking distance of our house. I may be returning to the one on the left to grab those Ken Follett books but need to check if my libraries still have copies first.
Munchkin was thrilled to find an old wooden "fence" to walk along. He much prefers them to the newer ones they are replacing these with, as these old round ones are easier to balance on and walk along. We found a park we never knew existed, complete with playground equipment. Munchkin was thoroughly disappointed to discover he is really too big to properly play on the equipment these days, but he thought the climbing ropes were super cool.
The beautiful park we chanced upon...
We enjoy noticing different styles of houses and gardens when we are out walking. I LOVE Hibiscus and I'm so pleased with how this photo turned out. In order to take the photo I had to stand at a strange angle AND use the zoom on my phone camera which almost NEVER turns out this clear. We also found this Prickly Pear plant growing complete with a fruit. The plants are invasive and considered a pest in this country, but there are certain species you are allowed to grow.
Three walks this week - NOT in the order they were taken - but this shows Sunday, then Saturday, then Wednesday for shopping.
