8th April 2010

Seems we're going to the Sunshine Coast in May! Fantastic. Ian was just on the phone to James this evening (one of his Caius friends - in case anyone reading this doesn't already know - unlikely I know but there we are I was explaining things to the Littles earlier so I'm on a roll) - the ones who's now living in Brisbane. Got a new sprog birthday just after Lara's, older one I think about 3? Anyway, a few nights up northish coming up - first Australian holiday, quite a milestone that'll be, always remember your first in a country, don't you. More of that in a few month's time.

Meanwhile, another quiet day here for the girls today, lots of reading and so on - she's doing mightily well with her writing as well and today she did her maths flash-cards so well that I started making the '12' and '13' groups (they've got a possum and an echidna on the back respectively - she gets to choose). I think it's finally - after... how long?.... a year? more? .... or practice, time to take away some of the lower number additions. Standing her in good stead. I'm hoping that as long as we finally make our way up to all number bonds up till 20 she'll be OK for all future additions - which is saying quite a lot. I really think she's certainly much better than I was at that age with maths - I don't think I was personally ever taught to just memorise what the addition sums were (and they frown on it in schools, they reckon it doesn't address the 'how does it work' aspect but frankly, I really think with brains like ours the 'workings' come after and we need the answers just there at the fingertips - other people can pretend to do what they want with logic but frankly everyone just remembers that 7+4=11 and they don't think logically about it each time they make the calculation and I dare them to tell me otherwise, teachers or NOT). ..... err, what was I on about. Not sure. Quiet day, Non being very nice and good, enjoying making things and doing stuff without help. Just before Daddy came home she'd take up the challenge of making neckalces for all of us, one spelling out 'lara' (out of the tin of specially-designed hole-punched letters and shoelaces provided long ago for the purpose), then one spelling 'vesna' and lastly one for 'ian' but unfortunately she didn't quite get it done before Daddy got home, so he had to look the other way while I quickly helped her find the three letters and she strung them together. Simple it may seem but as it was entirely self-driven it's quite a novelty and she was MIGHTILY proud. Luckily, very, very happily, such moment are becoming less of a once-a-blue-moon rarity. Every day, in every way. Instilling do-it-yourself-pride is still one of the biggest challenges. In the meantime, her speech is suddenly taking a turn for the very-much-clearer. Not sure why, but it's pretty noticeable. She can say things faster, more clearly, more decidedly. Funnily enough I asked her - you can talk really nicely now, it's very clear, how does it feel? and the rather unexpected (and immediate) answer was 'very strange'. I further asked does it feel very strange or sound very strange and she said 'sound very strange' without a shadow of a doubt. What is sounds strange from the inside? and the answer was yes. If I didn't know that her hearing was 100% OK (checked and re-checked umpteen times) it would almost sound as if she'd suddenly had an ear-op successfully or something had popped back of its own accord... but actually it must be just the brain-spurt process surprising the host. Anyway, she's talking very nicely. Moreover, due to her insanely over-productive reading, her vocabulary is entirely age-disproportionate and one hears the most surprising narratives on the story-front. Today there was something about mooses (which I didn't catch) that was going on about the male mooses doing this and that, and mooses being JUST herboviours, NOT carnivours or omnivoures, JUST herbivours. Oh yes, and the other day it was various animals exhorting the Tanuki (yes, as in Japanese racoon-dog) 'no, no, go back to bed, you're diurnal, NOT nocturnal, it's time for you to sleep!'). Evidently there are some subjects that may seem dry and sterile to  others that offer her imagination copious room for manouver.
Not sure what else I was going to say but it can't have been of much note. Lots of love to all of you, V xxx