Iolanthe has take over!!!

We are now in our second week of Gilbert and Sullivan performances, with Iolanthe.  Irving and I went to see the show last week,and fortunately for me Irving loved it, so I got to watch most of it.  Arden is enjoying his first time acting, and everyone has been returning filled with enthusiasm each night (which is great, because it is quite hectic, 9performances in a fortnight!)

Irving showing off his family in Iolanthe.

We found a beautiful vintage leatherette make-up case for Willow to use for Iolanthe.

We've mostly been taking it easy during the week; just doing a bit of new work (Arden has been looking at homes,  Gabriel; engines (steam and diesel), and focusing on people being well rested.

Some interesting dice construction play!

Another sketch from Gabriel's biology block. (I really liked this but fogot to take a picture of it before!)

Examining our rotary telephone.  (We have two, one doesn't dial- we've figured out what we think needs replacing, and are hoping to find a part)

Willow trialling fairy hair styles for Iolanthe.

Arden learning to sew.  A purse for his doll.

And me, baking, baking and baking. (I've been trying to make sure there are lots of good snacks being taken to Iolanthe- so no-one feels tempted to eat junk whilst there.)

Pear, jam and cream tart.

Pumpkin pie, with our new very creepy looking Jack-o-lantern.

Looking forward to getting back to our normal routine!

Holiday Happenings

We had a very bustly and very busy holiday this time, but on the whole it was filled with a lot of fun. 

Arden and Irving and I started the break with a walk down to Queen's Gardens, where we discovered that my favourite Oak tree was gone.  We wondered, if perhaps it had split, and needed to be removed.  All the same I was a bit sad, was one of the reasons I liked going there.

Arden and I also did a bit of wood carving.  I finally finished off this spoon (I started it when Willow and I did a green wood carving workshop.)

Arden and I made him a wand for playing Harry Potter games- from a section of palm (though he's now imagining something a bit more solid.)

There was quite a bit of lego building happening; with Arden making this ship.  Plus Titanic has been in our minds still; since our copy of the book "A Night to Remember" arrived.  I just finished it, and found the book much more fascinating then the film.  Especially the details in the preface about a book written in 1898 with an almost identical event.

This is one of Gabriel's geometrical drawing finished just before the holidays.

We had quite a few workshops on this time, largely due to the Kickstart Festival and Innovation month.  Willow and Gabriel both got to an interesting array of sessions.  Willow made a terrarium, went to a film making session, and a special effects make up session (with Gabriel).  Gabriel also did a screen printing workshop; he seems keen to try more printmaking.

This is some of Gabriel's stage make up.

Willow also did a workshop on Opera with WA Opera, and Gabriel, Willow and I attended the latest opera; "The Riders".

Whilst Willow and Gabriel were off at a workshop, Arden, Irving and I head for coffee at the Treasury Buildings and met a very lovely dog.  Plus Arden made a tower of coffee cups.

Gabriel and Arden attended the innovation month workshops;  using arduino technology to make a UV sensor, and a moisture sensor.  Arden particularly was interested in using the Arduino, and Gabriel was enjoying doing some coding.

Willow, Gabriel and Arden all head to see "Bambert's book of Lost Stories" at the Heath Ledger Theatre.  Willow in particular commented that it was the best puppet show that they had seen, and that it was beautifully presented and quite poignant.

We also headed out to see a few films and caught up with friends.  In particular Arden made stout pie for a friend who came for lunch, and we watched "Topsy Turvy" with Willow and Gabriel (continuing with our Gilbert and Sullivan theme.)

Performance Central

This week has seen quite a bit of performance happening. 

Thursday last week, Irving and I were out in the city, when we were the lucky recipients of some tickets to see "William the Great" at Fringeworld.  So four of us headed out to their evening show, and it was fabulous!  There was a good variety of circus, and an amusing storyline that flowed well throughout the show.  Willow was pleasantly surprised to discover that Felix Pouliot, who taught her some chinese pole last year was in it.

Over the weekend Arden was invited to be a paperboy and busk harmonica in the Streetside festival in Northbridge.  From about 12noon til 5pm Arden walked up and down William st waving papers (from 1924!) yelling "paper!paper!" and various other headlines from the 1924 news.  Such as "Horse bolts down James St! Lands in Lorry!"  We did a little bit of research to help him out,which involved watching some old footage of paper boys, and then he got dressed up for the day.  He absolutely loved it and is apparently sorry that it's not possible to actually be a paper boy in this era.

Damien and Willow both auditioned for Gilbert and Sullivan's production of "Iolanthe" for this year, over the weekend.  Whilst they were out doing that Irving and I went for a walk around Elizabeth Quay, which wasn't overly pleasant, as there is *very* little shade there, the water playground wasn't working and it was an extremely hot day (42C), so I think in future we'll avoid visiting there in the heat.

This week we've been getting our lanterns ready for PIAF festival, with the rehearsal happening tonight for tomorrow's opening.  Arden isn't old enough to be in the official procession, but Willow and Gabriel will be in it, and all our lanterns will be hung up.  (Irving made one too with my help.)

Our lanterns looking ready. (They are coloured on the inside, so that they were glow beautifully!)

Irving working on his oil pastels, on a spare lantern.

This is the promo for the opening tomorrow night.

Finale

Term one is over again, and has disappeared very quickly as usual.  We seem to have a much more relaxed rhythm this year, which is lovely, three days of school work at home, one out, and one day off.  Willow is following her own timetable this time, and getting herself to most of her out of home activities.  She's had a busy term, and is enjoying rehearsing for her latest performance with Gilbert and Sullivan; this time they're doing "Pirates of Penzance".  She has been finding herself a little too busy, with her school work, music practise and circus teaching, and we have been trying to find a nice balance so that she has time for her own interests.  Currently she's madly knitting half her friends fingerless gloves!

Willow working on making herself a pillowcase.

Gabriel is now working through his second block of the term: geometry, unusually we started with geography this time.  Looking at the poles and North and South America.  Currently he's working on making a stuffed toy zebra and planning the pattern for it.  He's also decided that he wants to learn the unicycle at circus, and so has been focusing on that as his main skill.  He also passed his first jujutsu belt grading recently, so that was a bit of an exciting moment for him, and he's already planning for his next grading.  (Willow meanwhile is hoping to delay grading her next belt for as long as possible!  She likes being better than what her belt suggests.)

Gabriel's map of Antarctica

Sketching a Zebra

Arden and I worked together on lots of interesting symmetrical pictures for our first block for the year.  Some were painted, and some were using filed pieces of wax crayons that were then melted; we also did some work on his printing and cursive during this time.

Mix of symmetry works done during our form drawing block

I have been busy doing some more craft, and am gradually getting through some projects, as some things start to get easier to do again, now that Irving is getting bigger.  I'm onto my third pair of tap shorts, and have finally made Irving a Christmas stocking, and done a little bit of work on Arden's (which was fraying around the edge.)

The lining!

I found this book in David Jones for only $10.  Was a great surprise :)

We have just finished reading "The King of Island's Son" by Padraic Colum, and have really enjoyed it.  We started it when Gabriel was doing grade 2 but for some reason never finished it. so it was nice to come to the end.  We've now moved on to the "Celtic Wonder Tales" for story time, and Arden's main lesson story is Aesop's fables, whilst Gabriel is reading 1421 and Willow is reading HMS. Ulyssees.  As a family we are reading "The Princess and the Goblin" by George Macdonald- he and Padraic Colum are two of our favourite authors around here.

We had a fabulous time going to many events during Fringe and Festival time- there were a few bonus surprise outings (Arden got free tickets to a show, and we made a last minute booking into a yo-yo class), as well as planned in advance outings to see the Swing Revue.  Damien took Willow and Gabriel off to see Madama Butterfly, and we also attended some baroque orchestras and an education session on Baroque music(which was fabulous and lots of fun).  Last but not least, I must mention the giants, as they were certainly a high point of the festival.  We were very spoiled with them spending quite a bit of time in our park across the road!

The giants asleep.

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2025

I just read 1421 again last year with Irving,  I wasn't sure that he'd be that interested in it, but because he loves sailing, he found it very interesting.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2024/12/closing-on-another-year.html

We're considering reading Gavin Menzies follow up book, 1434, later this year.

2014

We've recently had our annual review, which as usual I'm pleased is done, and we've pretty much finished our work for this year- Willow and Gabriel are just finishing off a few extra things. It's been very hectic chasing around our almost 18month old Irving, and doing yr 9, yr 7 and yr 1, but there's been lots of lovely work done and some really enjoyable events this year.

So after a very hectic term and year we are finally finished.

Arden finished his first knitting project earlier in the year.  A purse for his doll.  It was knitted with pure wool and then wet felted, and finished with a button.  We didn't really need to wet felt it, as Arden's knitting was very beautiful.  Often little people make a few mistakes here and there, and the wet felting helps to finish it off nicely.

Arden has been working at his cursive and print this year, with the focus on cursive.

 

I've been learning to write right handed at the same time!  The top is left, the bottom right.

 

Arden has been very lucky to go busking with some friends of ours this year.  He's been loving busking the harmonica, and has been experimenting with lots of instruments.

Gabriel finished knitting his socks.  He's become adept at following the patterns and has finally really settled into knitting well.

Willow finished her doll off finally.  She's being well loved by Irving :)

 

And she finished her weaving project: a small blanket!

She was lucky to get an opportunity to make a harp.

She also got to attend a recording session of voice overs, and get an idea of what it's like to be a voice actor.  She's also joined the Gilbert and Sullivan society with her Dad, Damien, which she is loving.  She's really enjoying getting to perform and sing on the stage again.

There has been a lot of interesting excursions and activities this year and particularly this term.  We've been to Herdsman Lake and the Literature Centre and learnt about beekeeping.  We've done lots of circus, jujutsu, basketball and dancing.  We've been to the ballet a few times (last performance is this week) and we won an incursion to the balllet (thanks ballet WA :) !) where we discovered that ballet originates from fencing! Not surprising when one thinks about it.

Anyway it's been a very full and interesting year.  With everyone progressing along nicely, and lots of fun and work along the way!

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2025

I've continued learning to be right handed, and my writing is now reasonable albeit slow.  It seems to have had the positive affect of improving my left handed writing too I think.  I never liked my left- handed "cursive" as it was a weird mess of real cursive and "linked up letters" as the Government/school called what they introduced to us.  For some reason instead of letting us finish off cursive, since we'd already started it, they had to change everyone over to the new system, at the same time.  I've been quite purposeful with my right hand, in trying to develop an attractive cursive style, and I think this is starting to blend over to me other side, which I did not expect.

Also the above is a good illustration of the silly way schools teach things.  Implementing with poor timing, and changing things because it would be easier for some, of course we can dumb everything down, but then the children who would thrive with the challenge of something more difficult are ignored then too.  The only people who are really served in this system are those that are in the middle, "average", and how many kids really fit that mould?

This is how cursive  was mostly likely removed as the main way we teach writing ( more on cursive here).  Which seems to have progressed to beginning with printing, and then moving to cursive, and now there are people that wonder why we need to write at all.  Sadly they are completely ignorant of the fact that doing complex finger based activities and developing dexterity strengthens the brain, and learning to write is as much about that as it is about the writing itself.

Alternatively much is done for the convenience of the teacher, because TBH it is a challenge to manage children.  They are in various levels of "asleep" mode compared to an adult, and so getting them to learn in  structured group is not natural to their current mode of being.  I share some links in this post about children's brainwaves.
https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2025/01/beginnings-and-endings-and-thoughts-on.html

We had a few fun filled years in the Gilbert and Sullivan society, whilst Willow was on her journey to getting into WAAPA.

Pirates of Penzance performance can be found here.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2015/05/pirates-of-penzance.html

Iolanthe can be found here.

https://unicorn-pegasus.blogspot.com/2016/06/iolanthe-has-take-over.html

She still has her harp; it was another one of those excellent one off learning opportunities that we came across over the years.  Since Irving was very young, she did the class independantly, and managed most of the work herself, with some minor assistance.