Week 4 of Ambleside Online Year 12 – some of what we covered: biology, Middle East & mapwork, current events, and common place book. The Lord God Made The All is our Natural History read aloud this year.

I also read Ourselves by Charlotte Mason aloud and we discuss it. This week we read about the Will:

‘It is well to remember that in all our relations of life, our books and friends, our politics and our religion, the act of choice, the one possible act of the Will, has always to be performed between ideas. It is not that ideas stand for things; but things stand for ideas, and we have to ask ourselves what we really mean by allowing this and that, by choosing the one or the other…
The ideas we admit become our opinions; the opinions upon which we take action become our principles; our principles and our opinions are ourselves, our character, the whole of us for which we are responsible.’

My latest finished project which was a bed quilt for my youngest daughter. She chose the colour scheme & helped arrange the blocks & I did all the sewing (except for the quilting 🙂 )

Nature Study

Little Wattlebird – has been a regular visitor in the past year. The link contains a recording of this bird. I identified its very distinct clucking call before I ever got to sight this bird whose raucous ‘song’ wakes us up in the morning.

Magnolia study

Some Audiobooks I’d Recommend

I listened to these a while ago but forgot to mention them. They are all free.

The Vanishing Man is an older detective series with a forensic scientist as the investigator. I enjoyed this one but haven’t yet got to any of his others, of which there are quite a few. Nicholas Clifford was a very good narrator.

The Best Man by Grace Livingstone Hill – my daughter has read a lot of her books on Kindle but this is the only one I’ve listened to. Great story!

Buried Alive by Arnold Bennett – not as serious as it sounds. A very shy artist is presumed dead after a doctor mistakenly presumes the man’s dead valet is actually the artist. He carries on his new life until circumstances force him to return to work, which brings all sorts of dilemmas.

Recent Podcasts

Rosaria Butterfield – ‘She tells about her experience and provides wisdom for those teaching the Bible to people like she once was—angry and skeptical, yet wanting to discover if the Bible is credible, what it has to say, and what it demands.’

I also thought Sam Allberry was excellent and very winsome on this one: Teaching Scripture in a Secular Context

Dual citizens – an Australian podcast analysing current affairs, informed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a new resource and my daughter and I listened to a podcast today which discussed the Religious Discrimination Bill that went before the Australian Parliament this week.

Available also at YouTube and David Ould’s website.

This month we’ve had a return of almost normal activities after lengthy lockdowns – orchestra is back on face to face but is being held out of doors. I’m back at Pilates face to face after having classes on zoom for ages.

Miss M is swimming 4 days a week and working out with a friend a couple of days a week. They decided they’d train for a half triathlon which involves swimming, running & cycling.

A highlight for Miss 17 was doing some art work for the Common Place Magazine. She completed four wreaths that were featured in the Way of the Will – Volume 003; Issue 004. Most days involve art of some sort, whether it’s drawing, watercolour, or illustrating.

Once a week Missy & I look after my two grandsons (a three year old and a just turned one year old) for the afternoon and we both come home exhausted. They are lots of fun but we’re kept on our toes!