NEW START

My first post of 2014.

With new year has come lots of paper work to fill in for our son. With his approaching 16th Birthday in May this year the Education department is now asking what he would like to do up to the age of eighteen.
We have talked to Pathways the transition people and thought it over obviously taking in Arran's views as well. We have decided to keep teaching at home for another year. He has come on steadily this past year. I put its partly down to him doing Warhammer war gaming at the local Games Workshop. His social skills have really come on and he has to use maths planning his armies and his reading whilst playing when he has to refer to the rule book.
With Pathways we are going to plan some monitored work experience for him at a local animal shelter/pet shop. He does love animals but he must also cope with the not so nice job of mucking out.
I know he will find his niche.

                                                      Taken on his Birthday last year

Our daughter  is doing really well at uni. She has come on so much with her drumming and really loves the fact that she is taught by some of the best drummers in the business. Highly recommend BIMM Brighton. She is on a band now and they hope to gig soon around the local pubs. It is called Heroes Rise. Bit of a shock to look after herself and cook!

 

The day we took Hollie to Brighton.

 

 

 

On the finishing note. I have taken the plunge and we are getting another cat. I could not bring myself to get another one for a while but really miss having one in the house. I went to a local rescue centre SESAW in Leavenheath Suffolk. There are so many cats there wanting homes and have fallen in love with a little  two year old tortoiseshell we are calling Chilli. She is so beautiful. Just the house check to go and hopefully I can then post some pictures.

 

A SAD DAY

A sad day for all of us. Our beautiful cat Tigger has we think died. She was about fifteen. An estimate as we became her owners eleven years ago but before that she belonged to a neighbour. She could have been older
Over the past months she has slowed down. She then lost lots of weight so we took her to the vets and she had blood tests. Turned out she had an over active thyroid. Not fatal but needed treatment. It seemed to be going well but in the last week she stopped eating and did not want to take her medication. It was like she was preparing herself to leave us. Her heart was racing due to the condition and her renal function was not good. Poor old lady
Yesterday, We had to pop out and I last saw her in the front garden. She was safe as we live on a dirt track and there is little or no traffic. She did seem very down and not herself. I went to bring her in but she had disappeared. I searched for hours yesterday round the fields and woods but no luck. I think she knew the end was near and just slipped away. We are all devastated but it was on her terms and I think she went to one of her favourite spots.

 

Our Tigger

 

UPDATE!

 

The next day I could not rest and in my heart I know that she was still around. where would a cat go! I checked along the hedge line to our neighbours house and I caught a glimpse of her laying by some bins. When I popped round my neighbours cat was sitting by her. He had been her male partner for years. So sweet. I picked her up and she started purring immediately. she was very weak but I managed to get some water down her and my daughter and I spent her last few hours together until she passed away peacefully. She purred right up to the last! So glad she hung on for us

 

Update- Chickens and Music Gigs

The chickens have been with us for three weeks now and are quite at home. They certainly eat well and are always hungry. So temping to overfeed them as they all stand at the run when you approach looking appealingly up at me.
One has become a favourite. Little parsnip who was unnamed for a while. She is our Barred Rock and has been poorly. She is at the moment living in the lounge and is being pampered. I think it is worms so have dosed her up. She is still eating and drinking well but very tired and droppy tail. She loves cuddles and sitting on our laps. Fingers crossed for her. I seperated her just in case she got bullied and also did not want the others to get ill. The others are very bosterous adnd have great personalities

 Hollie and Parsnip

We are getting four or five eggs now a day. They are little "Wind" eggs at the moment but will increase in size in the second year but they taste delicious. We also had one without a hard shell which was odd. I did not use it. This is quite common.
It is so funny to hear them cooing when they sit in the nest boxes. It takes a while to lay an egg but they come bustling out calling and seem so proud.

Music Gig

Hollie had her final music gig in Ipswich at the Steamboat Tavern. I think she was relieved that it was over and that it went really well. They were put into bands and had to organise that whole thing themselves. There was a good turn out and they managed to make a profit. There were four bands playing in all.

 

Teenage Rebels- Hollies band

 

 

 

Glam rock band Skyline

Hollie getting ready for the gig




 

My girls!

On Saturday we had a trip out to get the long awaited chickens. We got them from a village not far away so it was not too stressful for them in the car. Poor Arran was car sick but we got through it and he was able to choose his own chicken . It took him  a while but I know we had found it when he had a certain expression on his face and he smiled. He went for a lovely brown Redco hen which he has named Boudicca. We also have Attila a pied Suffolk, Vindaloo (Hollie's hen) Road Island Red/Maran, Onion a French Grey, A barred Rock yet to be named, Techno, A Bovans Nero which is a lovely black hen
Meet the Girls

Onion

 

Vindaloo

 

 

 

Techno

 

Attila

 

Boudicca

 

Barred Rock

They have settled in so well and the day after they gave us two lovely light brown eggs. Not sure what the cat makes of them though. She gave them a wide birth.

Back to lessons today after a two week break for Easter. It has gone so quickly. I think I need another one. Not a good start though as Arran did not sleep well the night before so will have to ease ourselves in gently. It dosn't happen often now. I could hear him jiggling around in the night. being much older now he is really not quiet with his size eleven feet.

We went down to Brighton with Hollie to look at accommodation for when she starts uni there. We have found a large bedsit for her right on the seafront in one of the Edwardian buildings that the place is so famous for. It comes with a bit of furniture and a small kitchen. But knowing Hollie it will not really be used. She hates cooking. Just got to sort out student loans etc  then it should be all systems go. Hollie has just got to get those all important grades. Unfortunately if you pay the deposit she can't drop out or she will loose it and have to pay the remaining years rent once we sign the contract. This is pretty standard though.

Finally getting chickens

After twenty years of waiting. I am finally getting some chickens for the garden. I have prepared the ground and have a built a lovely coop and 15 foot run for my girls. Just slowly ordering what we need so they can live a happy life with us.

 

It does mean for this year that my veg patch is reduced but I am sure the girls will do their job and the soil will be great when we move it next year and we will have a bumper crop of veggies.

Just deciding on breeds. I want a hybrid mixed flock. I would like 6-8 so just looking at the different breeds that we all like.

 

I think this will be great for Arran. I will get him involved in looking after them and of course collecting the eggs.

It is difficult to guess how he feels at times as he will not enthuse over things but he is so soft over animals I am sure he will be happy when they arrive. In fact I am sure he and his sister will have a major say in what we bring home.

 

Still Here

Hi. I am still alive and kicking. There seems to be so much going on at the moment.

I am spending most of my time teaching Arran. For those who have not been to this blog before I home educate our fourteen year old Autistic son. It has its ups and downs.

I was going to make this  a blog about our life as Home Educators but I think that I want it to be more about life with Arran and what it is like to bring up a child with special educational needs. I will still include other bits and pieces about home education but I feel there are so many out there that don't know what it is like to live with someone like Arran. There are no lessons in school about what life will be if this happens to you. Saying that. I have made some good freinds and waffle on several forums with people who have similar kids so at least we stick together.

I will get my thoughts together and come back in a little while.

My baby is 18

I can't believe that Hollie is eighteen. She is so lucky that her birthday falls in the summer holidays in August. I wanted to do something special for her and at first she wanted just to go out with her friends , low key and definitely no cake but as the time came nearer she decided that she would like a BBQ. I also persuaded her to have a cake. There were about twenty friends over and as usual I made too much food. at least the sun shone but it was so hot that I was worried that the cake would melt.

 

Hollie's cake.

 

I wanted to reflect all Hollies interests in this so spent a few weeks making all the off pieces from icing and setting them to one side. It was three tiers. Each a different flavour of sponge. The tarot cards and band patches were all hand painted. She also wanted the Guns and Roses guitarist Slash's Hat on the top. I tried to do a Steam punk touch to it as well. It seemed to go down well. We have just started eating the hat.

 

 

The party

 

 

Hollie middle with some good friends of hers.

 

NEW ADDITIONS

 

We also have a new rabbit. Our little girl died early in the summer of a heart attack. Arran was so upset and for a while did not want another rabbit but one day he said that he was ready. We now have Pluto a wild coloured mini lop. He is a little monkey and into everything. In fact I call him this so often that he now answers to it.

 

 

 

Six weeks old

 

Hollie got some bearded dragons for her birthday. They are lovely creatures and enjoy charging round the lounge.

 

 

Leo and Star our Beardies

 

Hollie's Additions.

 

She is now the proud owner of twenty piercings and has been saving hard for a tattoo. She finally got it done yesterday. In fact she ended up with two. They are pretty cool actually but I hope she does not get too addicted. The heart is for her music with the drum sticks and music score. The safety pin is one she has just always liked.