Our first few weeks of planned work have been busy and interesting. Since the weather has been up and down and all over the place this Summer, we ended up with a cool start to our term time, and then a burst of heat. So we took it easy again for a bit and spent a bit of time around the river and down the beach.
South Cottesloe beach
Swan River
Outside the WA Maritime museum, after visiting the Travellers and Traders exhibit. (We were watching a container ship leave the port).
We have an old flute, that is not worth spending money on to repair, so Arden and Irving and I been doing some online study to clean and repair it ourselves. I
Gabriel, Arden and Irving and I headed to the aviation museum for a tour last week.
I finished making Irving a bag (mostly out of scraps)...Arden is still working on his cushion.
Arden and I have been working on drawing some celtic knots.
Modelling on our balcony.
Our current reading and reciting. Arden is learning he first section of Sigurd and Gudrun. Willow and Gabriel learnt the epic Voluspo, but Arden was keen to do Tolkien's version.
Arden and my modelling. I did Odin as Vegtam the wanderer, before he gave his right eye to Mimir. Arden modelled Thor, with Miolnir, his hammer.
Arden's and my sketches of Odin, and Arden's rune work.
My picture of Frigga.
Arden's sketch of Frigga as a Falcon.
Gabriel has been working on creative writing, and is looking at planning a time line for his history studies this term before moving onto writing an essay on WW2. He's also reading "Lord of the Rings" as his English text for this term. We're gradually working on some holes in his spelling, and he seems to be improving nicely, we're complimenting the spelling sessions, with some kinesiology, using "Switch on your Brain." He's planning all his time for study this year, so it's challenging now that it's quieter around here to remember to leave him to it! Since Willow's off at WAAPA and Irving is a bit more grown up, I'm noticing when he's not working (and tending to think that he should be!) and am reminding myself that he's got to work out how to manage his own schedule. It was much easier to let Willow just get on with it, as I was also busy with the younger three, and Irving was much smaller.
Otherwise I've been getting a little sewing done, and of course cooking. Arden in particular has taken to having his own cooking night, and is planning his night, in advance with Damien. He made us pasties this week. Arden and Gabriel are also very keen to eat chillis. So I've made them some chilli butter this week.
2025
LOL, Gabriel has really only gotten the hang of time management and organisation in the last couple of years, as he's been doing Open uni subjects. We've had lots of conversations about how he can organise himself and his time over the years.
His first course at TAFE, he struggled with this, and didn't pass a couple of the subjects, so he didn't get the Cert 3. He was nervous about the transition to TAFE, and so this is why he was doing a Cert 3, and not a Cert 4 (neither course had a pre-requisite). After failing the Cert 3, he felt that he understood how to manage the workload better and he passed the Cert 4 fine. He got a Cert 4 in Digital Screen and Media.
The following year he hoped to get work in a Cafe, as he decided that he was more interested in actual art than digital art. Unfortunately Covid happened and that seemed to disrupt Gabriel's momentum. During that time he worked at a juicing stall, and until fairly recently at a coffee stall. He's been working on Open uni for the last couple of years, focusing largely on Japanese studies, and Art related topics.
