Gingerbread men

Our boys are starting to have a decent summer tan. Our neighbours call them "gingerbread men". This reminds me of a baking session a few days ago. We prepared a gingerbread dough together (I measured the ingredients, DS2 poured them into the mixing bowl and DS1 stirred as much as he could). DS2 played happily with the dough, pouncing it, making crumbs, gathering crumbs, etc. DS1 carefully rolled out his share of dough and cut little men and circles. Here is the result...

Peeling onions

I was planning to prepare a corn-flour-based pissaladiere for dinner, which involved peeling and slicing 1kg of onions. Since the weather was nice -- albeit a little windy, I gathered a chopping board, knife and colander and joined the children in the garden. They immediately took interest in what I was doing.

This turned into a practical life exercise: they peeled onions with delight, checking that there was nothing rough or brown on their onions before placing them in the colander. Since I had not planned this as a Montessori-type exercise, it was a little disorganised, with insufficient space for 3 persons to place their peelings, especially in windy conditions. But having two helpers did help speed up the preparation.

Neither had much of the warm pissaladiere that night, but DS2 ate it with delight when it was chilled at our picnic the following day.

Day at the beach: Joss Bay, Broadstairs, Kent

A lovely day at the seaside! Blue sky and sea, lovely breeze, bright sunshine, and the exotic sounds of waves and seagulls. DS1 had not been at the seaside since he was 4 months old, and this was DS2's first contact with the sea. They both loved it. The water was cold enough to ensure they would not try to swim: they were both content to have water up to their knees.

Apologies for the quality of the pictures and video: DS2 had investigated what was hiding inside the camera's objective the evening before our trip...

Waves

Seagulls

Sandcastles (ours were more modest in scope and ambition)

Bouncy castle (a bit too bouncy for DSs' taste)

Ice cream (DS1 leaves the cone, DS2 starts with the cone...)

Treasures (crabs, seashells, seaweed, etc. and several long rusty nails, not on the photos)

And this morning, still some lovely sand seeping out of pockets, bags, etc.

Blooming

The seeds ("Fun to Grow Multi-Pot: Grow a Rainbow" set and RSPB Wildlife Attracting Seeds from Suttons Seeds) we had planted what seems like ages ago are now turning into delicate, colourful flowers.



Our new lavender plants are not thriving (yet), but then they were washed down with rain for almost 4 days after their arrival. Not what they are "used to" in the Provence...

The little eucalyptus tree we planted last week adds a lovely fragrance to its corner of the garden.

DS2 seems to have given up his habit of tearing out leaves randomly, presumably inspired by my weeding activities. He concentrates on the chives and parsley, which he nibbles happily while playing in the garden. He loves to spend some time in the garden before going to bed to check whether the ants have gone to sleep yet.

DS1 is very protective of the plants that are growing in the garden, and admiring every new petal...

Car wash

The boys decided to practice their car wash skills when the weather was warm. They washed their tricycle and ride-on car with soapy water, scrubed with sponges and brushes, then rinsed and dried them. Great attention to detail. No drop was left out. And good cooperation, too.

Nature watch

We enjoyed the beautiful summer weather last week (and how right we were, given today's rain downpours...).

While gardening and watering, we found a friendly caterpillar who took residence at home overnight and at school the following day. We treated it to fresh leaves, including some of our home-grown lettuce.

Here is our friend in action:

There are now a few colourful flowers to observe in the garden.

Yesterday was not as sunny, but we received the delivery of several plants: eucalyptus, lavender, rhododendron and more. So we spent the end of the day gardening and finding a home for all these little treasures. Several are in the form of bulbs: they will teach us a good lesson of patience.