Various achievements & good things.

Last week Amelie and Fran went off to audition for dancing parts in our city panto, one of those with proper paid cast members (although not dancers!) and a dame and everything. It seemed like it would be a good experience for them to try out an audition, particularly as Fran, buoyed up by how positive Tim Noble was about her earlier in the year, is really? determined to try and make it as a dancer. It never occurred to me they’d get in – and I’m afraid to admit I sort of hoped they wouldn’t given that Xmas is a busy time for us – so of course they both did 😆 I think Amelie was slightly surprised as she was uncharacteristically shy during it but Fran had clearly busted a gut to get in and it sounds like she really deserved her place.

So now, among other things, we’ll be fitting rehearsals and performances into the pre-Xmas rush and post Xmas flop 😆 I’m thrilled for them, I really am, it’s a really great opportunity to see professional theatre at work but I’ll also be quite glad when it’s behind us. (Oh no you won’t… Oh yes I will!!!!)

They are deeply thrilled about having to have performance licences for it, in the manner of the Fossil girls – I’m very amused by that too – and rather less amused at the amount of paperwork it apparently is 😯

Fran has completed her first half term at school, known as a term in new fangled 6 term-y school world. I’ve had glowing emails and phone calls from staff about how hard working and conscientious she is, she’s already got an impressive collection of ‘positives’ on her record (roughly a house mark for those of us who are a bit older) and a heap of good homeworks, good class marks and tests, including a merit in a dance assessment. We are really pleased for her – as a home ed alumni, she’s doing us proud.

At home we’ve been doing lots of nice things – we’ve had several good days out which I really will try to blog:- fossil hunting with the local home ed group, a trip to a 1940’s day and a lovely History etc which the girls loved and I was gutted to miss most of due to mad ferrying about of various people. The middle girls have been revising how to multiply big numbers, which has been good for them and they’ve now got thoroughly sussed and doing lots of verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests. They’ve also been learning lots about Human Rights, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela, off the back of something Fran was doing at school. We’ve had some very interesting discussions about that which led on to racism, foot binding, female circumcision, bullying and more. There has been lots of craft, loads of reading of new and interesting books and generally productive times. Josie is a super speedy adder upper in columns now and wants to do big maths like the others. I’m going to have to teach her carrying over, but my brain doesn’t believe she is big enough 😆 She is also getting on beautifully with Reading Eggs still, in a very cool way. It’ll come and she’ll have done it herself, which I rather love.

Amelie has been back at gym these last few weeks; I feel a little odd about it in a way. I miss seeing them doing something they love and being fit, but I also didn’t miss the stress it became. However, Amelie is back and Fran may follow. 6 weeks into being back, Amelie had a competition today and did very well.

Gold on Beam.

Gold on Bars (it’s a very dull routine, but ideal for being not quite back to her best yet.)

She also got 4th on Vault, so goes to the regional finals to do all three of those pieces. Unfortunately, due to a confusion with a change in her routine at a late stage, she was an element short on her floor routine and had a huge deduction because of it. It was a shame, because it was lovely, but there you go. These things happen 🙂 It was still gorgeous to watch though, so here it is.

She was also first to go in the entire comp on floor, which must have been scary!

Well done Amelie 🙂