Tower of Loveliness

This is what happens to Yorkshire Puddings when you cook them in a muffin tin rather than a Yorkshire tin*. I'm told, by two very fierce critics, that tonight's dinner was delicious. Katherine pronounced the lamb "the best I've ever tasted". I've advised against telling her Dad that. Imagine if he resigned as family chef: how would I ever have time for blip?

You were going to get a different shot, but in deference to the sensibilities of those in slightly cooler climates, that's described here** instead - so no-one has to be upset. The consequence of the weather I won't mention, is that the house is now full of tiny teeny flies. Good exercise killing them all though: I'm going to call it the "My word isn't the weather wonderful here" Exercise Plan. I really think it will catch on. I have more work to do though. The rest of tonight's lovely wine (opened in honour of the delicious roast lamb dinner) is sheltering under some of Katherine's trigonometry work for safety.

Lots of home schooling today: Conor learned base 10 with the help of some laboriously drawn fields of sheep (you try drawing fields with 10 and 100 sheep in). Katherine was in a similar, but harder, vein learning about big numbers and, sneakily, practising handwriting too. I have twigged that she will do anything I ask if I call it 'maths' so asking her to write out long numbers in full words counts as maths... but conveniently ends up with her - uncomplainingly - writing pages of text too.

After school, playing and lunch we had a karaoke session - making our way through most of Abba's greatest hits and a few others besides. Last time we tried karoake with the kids they ran away crying with embarrassment: this was an improvement. I'm hoping Mr B won't think it's just because he wasn't here. When he was in a band as a young man, he was the only member whose microphone was there for show only - and never plugged in. I think he's improved a lot since those days! Anyway, it was amusing watching Conor (who can only read words like "fox" "hen" "an" "mam") watching the screen intently.

So, just a lovely chilled day really.

EDIT: is it just me, or does that sprout look a bit evil?

*A Yorkshire tin is what a bun tin is called round my way. I know that a proper Yorkshire is cooked in a big roasting tin - but my Grans/Mum/me always make a dozen wee ones instead of one big one so that, for me, is traditional.


**Oh my word. What a corker of a day. Sunny from dawn till dusk. Must have got into the mid 20s at least. I had to go inside after lunch - I was too hot. See, told you you didn't want to read that. The shot was going to be of the burning hot sun through the bamboo, or the New Zealand flax bursting into flower against the hot blue sky. Don't worry, it'll probably be freezing and rainy here tomorrow.