Easter holiday fun!

We are into the 2nd week of the Easter holidays, and I can safely say that the boys are ready to go back to school...as am I; I need a rest!

We've done a few fun things together. Last week we went to Sudbury Hall and Museum of Childhood in Derbyshire. We did a tour of the house, which was lovely, but I have seen nicer houses! Highlight of that tour was the library, but unfortunately we were unable to linger. It was small, but crammed with books from ceiling to floor, and had two small spiral staircases in each corner and little wooden sliding ladders. I could have spent hours in there... The childhood museum was fun too and took me back to when I was a child, and I recognised several toys for my childhood. What I liked the most was the toys from the early 19th century, even baby clothing, prams and cots...all lovely. The boys enjoyed it too, especially the woodland play area, which whilst it was small, had enough trees to play hide and seek.

We've also been to see 'Oz' at the cinema in 3d. My eldest (at 7) was less enthusiastic after seeing it, but I remember 'The Wizard of Oz' and loved every second of it; I really felt like a big kid :D

Myself and my mother-in-law have also been busy making cakes - the first a Minnie Mouse Cake, and the second, an Art Deco cake for her sister-in-law's birthday. Fun but stressful. Hopefully won't do another till next year, when my friend is getting married and I'll be doing her cake :D. She is going Gothic Victoriana, and that will be so fun to make.

Studying wise, well I haven't done much in the last two weeks...it's hard to study when your children need entertaining and the job centre are wanting you to spend every hour of everyday looking for a job...Next week, I shall edit my two drafts of my next assignment - one on Maria Callas and one on Plato. I don't think I'll do well on Plato, but I've done my best at understanding his philosophy and any mark will be gratefully received. In my last blog, I was re-writing my Marlowe essay for my 2nd assignment - I should get my mark back anyway now. I really hope I made a much better grade than last time. My next area of study, which I will start on Tuesday is Tradition and Dissent in Christianity...and while I'm not religious, I am looking forward to this one; I think it will be very interesting.

Off for now. I will leave you with some pictures from the last two weeks, and hopefully, the next time I post, Britain will actually be into proper springtime...sigh...

Busy little bee !

It's been awhile since I last blogged. I have been ever so busy...where to start ?

After several days of an agonising wait for the results of my first assignment, I finally received them on Tuesday. My assignment consisted of two 500 word essays. The first one was on Cleopatra, and the second one was on Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. I scored equal points for both, and it was about what I expected. It has been 20 years since I last studied like this, so I am happy with the result. Constructive criticism has been fed back to me, and interestingly, I agreed with all her comments. So for my second assignment, due in a couple of weeks, I have to pick one to rewrite. I am going with Marlowe, as I know I can do so much better, so fingers crossed I will. Previous to this, I have been a work horse when it comes to studying. I have completed the work required on the Dalai Lama, which was utterly fascinating. I completely respect the Tibetans for trying to free their country from repression in a peaceful, non-violent way. I have also done readings on Stalin. This, while interesting, was really hard going. I knew little about Stalin, but my goodness...he was not a nice person at all. Finally, I have also read about The Diva, starting with Madonna (boring), moving on Maria Callas (mediocre), then finally the 15th century italian Diva's of the age singing Madrigals. I loved this section and found the music delightful and calming. You may wonder why the wide scope of history... Well, it's mostly to do with the type of source material we are analysing, whether primary or secondary, and then using parts of it in a discussion as evidence to back up our arguments. The first part of the degree also teaches how to write a scholarly essay, and to use academic English. This week, I start learning about Plato, the Greek philosopher, and his mate, Socrates ! I think I will enjoy is as it is Ancient Greek history, and the focus towards the end of my degree will be Ancient Greek and roman history. I hope I enjoy it as I have an assignment on it, as well as on Maria Callas !

Onto other things, my son is due to have an operation next month, and although its routine, I'm a little worried about, as I think all parents naturally would be ! My son is sooooo laid back, I think he will just take it in his stride...I hope so anyway. But surgery can be daunting for anyone of any age.

I'm currently re-reading a favourite series of mine by +dannikadark, the Mageri Series, in preparation for her next release sometime this spring. They are paranormal in nature but not like anything you have ready before...plenty of action, romance, hot men (of course), witty banter, and even some creepy moments. I applaud this author for her amazing work, and to top it off, I found out today that I was picked from her blog to win some autographed bookmarks of the delectable Englishman. Simon Hunt, and the scrumptious Logan Cross...ooh can't wait :)

Beautiful treasure...

This was a poem printed inside a pocket watch (date unknown), but it is a very beautiful verse and very romantic...

Nottingham Castle

This week is half term for my children. So today we have come to Nottingham Castle in Nottingham, not too far from where we live. The castle that stands today is not the original, (the original having been built out of timber in 1068). Neither is it the ducal palace that once stood here. No, it's a bit of a mish mash. We came here, and took our time in the beautiful grounds, which yesterday morning were awash in mist and fog. Inside the castle, we looked at all the beautiful objects that have been collected, the war memorabilia from every war that Britain took part in...and even found the 100 year old mouse, standing to attention with his rifle ! The boys entered a competition in which they had to draw a picture of a futuristic Nottingham Castle. Needless to say, the castle looked like someone medieval, but then buildings built in the past were made to last, unlike today. While they were drawing, I had a chance to quietly look at the paintings in the gallery. There is some beautiful work there, however I do prefer 'fine art', rare than modern work.

Tomorrow, we are off to Warwick Castle, and I am really looking forward to this. The King Maker's home, Anne Neville, Richard III, and a spot of BBC's Merlin. It's a great place to go, and since I last visited, they have just this year, opened more of the castle, so I have great expectations.

Shrove Tuesday !

It's Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day today !

The word shrove is the past tense of the English verb shrive, which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of Confession and doing penance. Thus Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the custom for Christians to be "shriven" before the start of Lent.[2]. Shrove Tuesday is the last day of "shrovetide", somewhat analogous to the Carnival tradition that developed separately in countries of Latin Europe. The term "Shrove Tuesday" is no longer widely used in the United States or Canada outside of Liturgical Traditions, such as the Lutheran, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic Churches.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Shrove Tuesday is commonly known as "Pancake Day" or "Pancake Tuesday" due to the tradition of eating pancakes on the day.

Shrove Tuesday is exactly 47 days before Easter Sunday, a moveable feast based on the cycles of the moon. The date can be 3 February or 9 March or anything between.

Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.

Here is my pancake ! I'll be putting my favourite sugar and fresh lemon juice on it...yum !

Cezanne and the proud mummy

Yesterday I plowed my head into the art world. This week I am studying Cezanne. I confess that I am finding this hard going. I wouldn't call myself an art lover. I do like to look at paintings but I definitely prefer the fine art of the Renaissance, rather than Cezanne's 'work'. I'm sorry to say that I feel my 5 year old could do better. However it's not really that simple. Cezanne's work wasn't incompetence, it was just his interpretation of how he saw life and the fact that he hated fine art. That's fine, each to their own....but I'll be glad when we have finished this section.

My five year old son came home from school yesterday, very pleased with himself and quite rightly. He had earned himself The Head Teachers Award for outstanding behaviour and hard work certificate. And he has worked hard in the last few weeks, especially with his reading, and I am sooooo pleased and proud of my baby bird !

Still nothing on the job hunt side...but I'm hoping that no news is good news. Just need to get those interviews....fingers crossed.

Cleopatra

This week as part of my History Degree, we have been looking at the reputation of Cleopatra in reference to her portrayal in the media. Roman propaganda has painted such a picture of her that we will never really know Cleopatra's real character. Any film and tv representations reflect modern day politics; cultural and social concerns.  It has been fascinating learning about her and I also enjoyed the reading of Plutarch, Dio and Horace. I believe Horace was more sympathetic towards Cleopatra.  He wrote "fiercer she was in death."  Beautiful words for a woman, who I believe was a strong, powerful Queen.

So what's this blog about ?

Well, I'm a mum to two boys aged 5 and 7. Keeping up with them is like keeping up with a tornado ! I'm married too, 9 years in August. My family is the centre of my universe, my constant point with myself orbiting around them.
After a series of setbacks in life, namely abandoning my career as a vet nurse due to spine surgery, potential redundancy, then being unemployed for the last month, I decided to chase my dreams, whilst searching for a part time job.
So as of this month, I started a BA (Hons) in History with The Open University. I have had a passion for history since I was a child and decided that I could indulge myself in my passion, with the additional hope to re-direct my career.
So this is what the blog is about - motherhood, the ups and downs of life, studying, history and generally anything that comes to mind.
I hope you enjoy...