We're living in what feels like super slo-mo after many many years of rush rush rush. Today, for example, we had early morning practice, Isabelle went to school, Rob and Sophie went to Scienceworks and I spent the day at the library catching up on my coursework. We all returned to the house by 3:30 and spent the rest of the day playing cards in front of the fireplace and enjoying a leisurely dinner of lamb chops, couscous and roasted beets. BTW - not only do the fruits and vegetables taste exponentially better here but so does the lamb.
Sophie has given up on any pretense of schoolwork so I sneak math and science in wherever I can. We have been doing a lot of baking and we never make whole recipes, always double or half etc. Sneaky math. Quantities vary, depending on the chocolate content of the recipe.
Nanaimo Bars? Let's triple that.
Chocolate chip cookies? Let's make four batches and vary the ingredients slightly so we can turn it into an edible science experiment.
Sophie is forever redesigning her room so I think next up will be a 3D scale model of her bedroom back home so she can rearrange to her hearts content. The measurements on the house plans are imperial and all materials here are metric. Aha! More sneaky math!
Although Isabelle is going to high school here, her marks won't transfer to Canada so there is no pressure to get her usual high grades. She is still working hard on her Canadian courses by distance but that can be squeezed in whenever suits her, not slotted into a strict daily timetable.Things like a weekday matinee, a sore baby toe or a sunny winter day are now completely legitimate reasons to skip school.
Even after three months, I'm finding "time" a real luxury. I love having the time to try making things I've always been curious about:
 |
| Tortillas: totally easy, especially with a real rolling pin instead of a wine bottle - thanks Trish! |
 |
| Perogies: also easy. I formed and Sophie boiled and scooped. |
 |
| Kumquat marmalade: hmmm, here's a bag full of fruit I know nothing about (thanks, Fern and Dave! - this is one of their alpacas) - let's give it a go... |
Cleaning and weeding have fallen right to the bottom of the priority list.
Oh no, wait... I do that in real life. Now, if I could make something out of the dust bunnies and bindweed, there might be some incentive.
 |
| Also of note: Morning Glory is purple here, not white. |
Happy that your'e happy. It's good to be able to step back and watch the dust bunnies multiply. Our world is so over-scheduled (well, not my world, the real world) now. Playing in puddles, reading a book slowly, sitting in front of a fire playing cards...ever so much better. PS do you know what the Victorian English called 'dust bunnies'~
ReplyDeleteNo I don't - do tell...
Delete