England - week 16 [bonfire night and goodbyes]

It is suddenly such a shock to think of SPD going home. She has become one of the family. we love her company, her laughing, her passion for awful chick flicks and will miss all that. the craziness between her and BB - mostly laughter and shrieking, but occassionally this boils over! SB will miss her company and friendship. It has been a really lovely exchange :) . We did have some trepidation, due to a number of wider not-on-the-blog life things, but we neednt have been worried. Thankyou SPD for being a lovely daughter.
So, the last week :( .  This is going to be a long blog! I took a weeks leave as well to spend altogether. we started out with with a day of home ed. SPD wanted to finish her history project book, which she very nearly did. I printed off loads of photos for her to stick in, though I am not sure she will, as she would need to do this at home. SB really needs to get stuck into exam work for her iGCSE as well. We did the classic 'home educators at the kitchen table'

It was SPD's last judo and ballet lessons. I think that she enjoyed judo most, but certainly she has lunged into our life and given these things a good shot. I didn't get any photos of them at ballet lessons or judo, as there were no open sessions whilst SPD was here, but I did make them pose for a judoka shot at home :)

Oh tuesday was  a lovely day as we went on a jaunt to London :) . SPD wanted to go to the science museum, so that was our first place to go. We meandered all round the first floor and then the flight floor [so we could see grandad's air traffic controls] . Favourite bits were different for everyone. I think I like the age of steam best! We had planned to eat at a lebanese restaurant for lunch, but for some crazy reason SPD decided to become a fruitarian for the last week. [this really wasnt well thought out!] so a bit of a kerfuffle later, and we ate in the expensive science museum restaurant with her buying 2 fruit pots from the cafe.

we then made our way to the next doors natural history museum, ostensibly to have a photo taken by dippy, as SPD has one of her dad there too. However, we got sucked in by the earth sciences, and SB shew SPD all the sections that would be useful for geog igcse, and then wished she had visited before hers! BB really loved it, but then her ankles and legs started to be really painful. i think its because she is growing, but if she walks or runs much at the moment she gets really painful ankles and legs :( , so in the end we whizzed to the main hall and sat and waited for the others whilst i gave her a painkiller.

we had thought we would do a night twirl on the London Eye, but unfortunately it started to rain heavily. So, instead we went to a really lovely Italian restaurant, and persuaded SPD that she needed some protein in her diet, and eggs were in - so it became OK to have an omelette - phew. we were all pretty tired by then!

it was a very busy week, being SPD's last! on wednesday we had a weds4ed. always lovely. we were investigating the alkali metals. we started off with v small bits of sodium, but it is quite variable when it reacts. we did it fairly safely. proved the gas was hydrogen. great fun! V happy that Merry could join us with her youngest 2 as well, as nice to have such a houseful. SB did an art group, B did maths, K did shakespeare. E did bells, which we really enjoyed too.

we kept E overrnight as well, so the girls made a film night of it and watched v silly chick flicks :) [SPD loves silly chick flicks]. This was because we had arranged a goodbye SPD/bonfire night party :) . SPD certainly has been well loved by our family and within our circle of friends. So all those that could started arriving in the afternoon to evening. the kids all laughed, joked, played games whilst waiting for it to get dark enough for fireworks. Although there was a light drizzle, the fireworks were still fab and much enjoyed, and the guy burnt well too :) . then we all had a warming pot luck dinner. Much happiness all round.

the following day SB and SpD went on a final shopping trip to get bits and pieces for her friends. She finished off sewing the bags to put her gifts in, and I made loads of tablet [scottish fudge] for her to give as gifts as well. I also made most of her Kentwell bodice so that will fit nicely. I am going to add the wool layer, DH will do the eyelet, and then SPD will make and attach the skirt so that she can come to Kentwell next year.  The wool and bodice is her Xmas pressie from us :)

and then that was it. we had got to the end of the English half exchange, and SPD was waved goodbye. Goodbye my Spanish Daughter. We loved having you here.