I was just looking at the photos on my phone, and remembered some fun days in September that I hadn’t shared on here because they aren’t really enough full post on their own – so here is last month according to my camera phone!

Alex made a few attempts to master one of his birthday presents – a skateboard!  He’s finding it tricky, but I know he’s very proud to be boarding around the park.  It’ll be a while before I’m brave enough to let him loose on the hills around where we live!

We’ve had a couple of lovely, local weekends – one of which we partly spent doing a little photo diary about Herne Hill for Alex’s homework.  So we headed down to the Farmers’ Market and Brockwell Park, taking loads of snaps along the way.  Here they are on the Brockwell Park Miniature Railway, posing for Alex’s homework diary!

And at the Herne Hill Piano – Alex serenading his sister!

We spent one very very rainy Saturday afternoon at 40th birthday party at the local campsite in the Sydenham Hill Woods – some of our friends bravely camped, but we stayed for a damp but delicious BBQ and some wonderful company.  Here’s Sophie and Matt during a dry moment!

Slightly less delicious were the edible bugs I brought home from a conference in Brussels (long story!).  The kids gamely tried them, and didn’t seem too offended by the taste (although not sure they’ll be requesting them for tea!)

Matt spent a Sunday away on a training course, so I took the kids along to a local pottery painting cafe for some big slices of cake and some artistic fun!  We all chose things to paint, and enjoyed a really lovely hour decorating our creations!  Alex painted a dinosaur, Sophie a rabbit and me a little vase.  They concentrated so beautifully – I was so surprised and proud!

We’ve been out on our bikes lots – doing most school runs on two wheels and also plenty of weekend trips.  Here’s Sophie take one of her bunnies on a cycle with me.

And Alex on his new birthday bike (complete with proper gears!) heading off to Beavers.

Alex started Beavers just before the Summer holidays as a new local group was testing the water before confirming it would open.  Thankfully it did – with Matt volunteering as an assistant leader – so Alex formally joined a few weeks ago!  Here he is at the little ceremony where he was officially invested as a Beaver Scout:

And here’s the full gang – Matt tells me they are quite a handful (!), but they are all having such a good time.  So far they’ve learned first aid and emergency response, completed science experiments, a nature walk in the woods and even learned knots.  I’m so glad he’s doing it – but I’m already wishing there weren’t quite so many badges to sew onto his uniform!  Should’ve listened to my mum when she tried to teach me crafting skills!