Infernal English, Horrible History and funny French :)

Gorgeous sunny day today. Started by going back and reading the introduction to Wuthering Heights (it had revealed too much plot to read beforehand). Then we had some discussion about the Brontes. I’m now reading The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte by Daphne Du Maurier. Fascinated to read about the games and stories the Bronte children played at and wrote – so similar to my own children, who still play like that sometimes. Love that about home ed – how kids can grow up at their own pace, not being pushed by a peer oriented conformity madness… Reading about Branwell as a child I would say that aspergers, adhd and possibly tourettes are all labels which would be attatched today. Daniel has been slightly alarmed to recognise some similarities to himself there, given that he already knows some of Branwell’s end. Had to discuss choices – how we can all make them at any point and so avoid or head to disaster. Hmm… deep stuff for a sunny morning at the breakfast table outside. Our next book has been decided upon – The Tenant of Wildfell Hall… looking forward to sharing that with them

Were watching David Starkey’s Six Wives of Henry VIII just now which is proving very interesting – even Dan is finding much he didn’t already know there. Those poor women, being used as baby making machines… He raked out the Horrible History title Cruel Kings and Mean Queens which is giving us a humerous slant on the affairs for want of a better word, no, it is the right word! I love all that I’m learning here too. Will I blab about the history I learned at school? Can I be bothered? Well it won’t take long :Something called the Jacobites happened a long time ago and had something to do with the song ‘Over the Sea to Sky’… can remember getting to paint a section of mud, yes mud, on a large class painting of angry men in kilts (actually quite liked doing the mud so it wasn’t abject misery or anything). Ta-Da! That’s it :) We were meant to get history in the first 2 years of secondary but the poor teacher couldn’t control the class so we repeatedly got to colour in pictures of crop rotation instead (3 subjects of history, geography and modern studies were combined in one class called social subjects). I didn’t take history as a subject choice for O grades so never got any. Will spare you the long winded whine of how I couldn’t take the subjects I wanted as they didn’t fit together in the school timetable so took a somewhat useless compromise… When pregnant with Daniel I bought various educational books which happily included this title on the Tudors. Weve been having a look through that too.

French continues apace – weve had a lot of new words thrown at us today so I’m sorting through all back up material to help. Been watching little you tube bits – the French Eurovision entry in Franglais, we love it – here and Dan found a little Buffy musical bit (realise we must have that option on the DVD though, may look later). It’s especially funny seeing the demons singing in French, not quite sure why, just seems wrong…

We also took time to read FindMadeleine.com which now seem to have a sort of blog of how the family are getting through their days on it. Some powerful PR people involved there I think – I so hope it pays off…

Charlotte seems to be writing a secret book a la Brontes, Dan’s finding more French bits… Were off on a bike ride soon and then back to reading in the garden I think

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