With the new term come all the meetings. Started with the Community Centre meeting last Thursday which went very smoothly considering the subject was vandalism of the centre. I was pretty upset by the whole subject considering Connor was being accused of taking part in it. 

Having received a visit from the police it was accepted that he wasn’t responsible but although we had been reassured that all the village children were to receive the same visit so that we could all work together to achieve harmony for the park most had not been seen. Really trying to involve all the children in being responsible for the brilliant facilities that we have here so that they can be proud of our park and do their best to maintain it. 

Last night was my first Parent, Teacher’s Association meeting as chairman. Am very excited to be able to work in this role and like the Community Centre want to involve the children more so that they will value the things we provide for them. There were lots of good ideas from the other parents, although it was a little disappointing that there were no new parents. It’s always hard to deal with complaints when people aren’t prepared to give a little time to help out.

We’re hoping to provide a bench or tree as an area that children can play when they’re feeling lonely. Other schools have successfully used this method with a ‘buddy bench’ or a ‘friendship tree.’ I know that Megan would really benefit from something along these lines as she is often the odd one out of a group. It’s hard as a parent seeing your child getting left out, especially as she doesn’t enjoy leaving home to go to school in the first place. 

Rainbows start again tomorrow with the similar problem of getting parents to help out. Thankfully it’s a small group so we manage. Really looking forward to working with the girls on different projects. Listing ideas of things to do today. Weather forecast looks pretty fine so we’ll make the most of still being outdoors whilst it’s still light enough in the evenings. 

The local youth club is due to start again next week with a new night and a new location. Thrilled that it’s going to be here in the village so that the children can walk rather than having to drive them. We have such brilliant facilities here that it’s a pity when you need to drive elsewhere to attend extra curricular groups. Again though there is a complete lack of parental support. It seems to threaten the closure of so many clubs and groups. 

My college classes start again next Friday so I’ll be back in school every Thursday to do my placement. Lots and lots of paperwork to be done to complete my course before February. Meeting tomorrow with our headmistress to discuss PTA and to plan my assessments. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Last year Ellie and Megan received four stick insects and two African land snails for their birthday. They share a tank and are very simple to care for. The stick insects love to eat either privet or brambles and the snails just need damp coconut fibre as a bedding and eat everything from cucumbers and lettuce to dandelion leaves. They also have a cuttlefish bone that keeps their digestive systems healthy and able to break down the cellulose. 

At the beginning of the Summer holidays this year we found to our surprise that the snails had laid eggs and we were now the proud owners of 51 baby snails. Snails are asexual so either can produce eggs. Ideally (unless you want to be overrun!) you need to find the eggs before they hatch and freeze them so that it kills the embryos. 

Needless to say because of our crazy lifestyle (I clean them out once a week) they had already hatched before I could do that. They are now about seven or eight weeks old and ready to find new homes so I’ve been busy advertising ‘Snails Free to a Good Home!!’ 

Last night after a glass or two of wine with my neighbour I decided to replace the brambles and lettuce and proceeded to throw away the old food stuff. It was after having already thrown two handfuls in the bin that to my horror I realised that there were a second batch of babies all the size of a peppercorn!! Out came the Marigolds and I proceeded to carefully empty the dustbin sieving through tea bags and egg shells to find every last one!! We are now the proud parents of over one hundred snails!! 

 Tomorrow I will be going out to buy a new tank to keep them in and I will be splitting up the adults so we don’t have any more ‘accidents’

So if anyone wants to adopt a snail or two, you know where to come!! 

As this is my first post I will take a minute to introduce us all. 

My name is Bryony and I’m a widow with three children, a hound, rather too many African Land snails, a stick insect and a mother for whom I care daily. 

  
My son Connor has just turned thirteen and is already in full teenager mode. He lives for his computers and his scooter. He loves spending lots of time outdoors whether it’s exploring the woods or playing ball games on the Community Centre field. He goes to secondary school in the local town but absolutely hates attending. He is of the opinion that money grows on trees and that there are no excuses for not buying him what he wants, when he wants…

  
My daughters Eleanor and Megan are six (soon to be seven!) year old twins. They both adore animals and nature and are constantly adopting another member into our menagerie. They also love their computers but are at their happiest outside exploring the local beaches with our hound Walter. They are both imaginative and creative and love producing things whether it be a fairy village in the garden or an art installation for our house! Both attend our local primary school in the village although only Ellie is happy to be there… 

   
 

I met my husband Rob whilst training as a firefighter in Pennsylvania in the States. We were happily married in 2000 and lived in an idyllic cottage in the woods with our children and various hounds. 

  
Sadly Rob passed away nearly three years ago and life as we knew it was devastated. We moved back to the UK to the village where my mother grew up and attempted to restart our lives. As anyone with children will know, life must go on… 

I care full time for my mother who has terminal cancer. She is still very active (amazingly so) and the job is very physical as she has just moved to a more manageable property and there is much to be done inside and out. She is an incredibly talented gardener and I am her labourer. I’m an only child from a very small family, so have no back up when it comes to Mum or the children. 

What I do have though are several wonderful friends. Some old, where our friendship has stood the test of me travelling for many years and some new that I have met since returning to the village. I am lucky enough to live next door to the most special one who understands me best and is always there when a glass of wine is the only solution! She also has children so we help each other out.

  
I am training part time at our local college for my Teacher’s Assistant qualifications and spend one day a week in the girl’s school as a placement. My favourite part is Forest School and would I would love to run my own. I am chairman of our PTA and also on the committee of the village’s Community Centre which our cottage backs on to. I am also the pack leader of the local Rainbow’s unit (young Brownies from ages five to seven) which I began last year. My greatest love is the natural environment and I love to share this with the children. I’m also a very keen amateur photographer and have had a lifelong interest in horses. I grew up with them and have travelled around the world working in many different stables and disciplines. 

My dream is to unschool/homeschool my children by equipping a campervan as a mobile classroom and traveling with them to as many different countries as we can as well as exploring the British Isles so that I can immerse the children in different cultures and to learn as we go. 

This blog will be a humour filled but honest journal of our journey towards fulfilling our dreams. I hope you will enjoy sharing that journey with us.