More inspiration

We've had a busy week as we near the end of the holidays. It was good to have some fresh air at the sea and meet up with friends. 

Again, we've been blessed with an abundance of apples.

This is from a previous year. We have even more this year but I've learnt only to pick the number that I can process in one go. 

While I was at the sea, I learnt more about bottling fruit-thank you to the kind person who was prepared to go through the bottling process while watching the children make sand structures. My first bottle was made up last night. Sadly, I think that I failed to remove a bubble so it will have to be eaten quickly.

The Bramley apple site is a useful source of recipes. The tomato and apple soup is one of the recipes we have enjoyed.
We are now having to think more creatively about the apples! Earlier this week was the turn of apple art. Today, we made apple juice.

We blended some quartered apples and then seived and finally strained through a muslin. The result tasted fine but was a brown colour due to oxidisation. We need to research making juice more and whether lemon juice would work sufficiently well as an anti-oxidant.

I've been reading the Prudent Homemaker which has made me more determined not to waste our fruit. This is the website of a family who survived 8 months of no income, and little income since then, by careful storing and growing food.

We are coming up to the start of term. Whilst some of the children have done some work each day over the holiday, things will go up a gear or three. National Poetry Day has some ideas for including poetry. We are planning to have a time for poetry each week. It is worth looking at the lesson plans under the education section as there are some interesting ideas. As I write the plans still related to the 2010 Day but are due to be updated soon. Unlike some lesson plans, they would be easy to use at home.

This link isn't particularly new but is a list of favourite picture books by children's authors. A fascinating list with some beloved books. Please note that I'm not recommending all of these books as there are several that I haven't read. Some ideas for when we are in the library.

Finally, and by no means least, I think for the first time, the Metropolitan Tabernacle School of Theology is available as free downloads. The sessions on assurance, by Dr Masters, are particularly worth hearing.