A magical place

Today we visited Crook Hall in Durham, a place we return to once every couple of years.  Each time, its charm increases, its interior displays have developed and its garden has grown.  A hidden gem in the city centre, nestling only a few hundred yards from the concrete horrors of the passport office, this lovely little 13th century house weaves a special magic.



When we first visited, dd and her friends were most taken with the ghost stories, which may or may not have any foundation.  Apparently, the ghost of a beautiful and heartbroken young woman (aka 'the white lady') periodically appears on the staircase, and there are spectral sensations to be felt on touching the walls of the Jacobean hall.


Spooks or not, it's a lovely space in which to walk, to draw, to tackle the maze, or simply to sit and chat.  Much drawing done today by dd, which will doubtless end up in some digitized form further down the line.

Climbing the wall

Climbing the wall ... literally ...            


Today, the home ed teens went rock climbing.                         


You know, those poor, sheltered kids who never get out among other children! (LOL)

Pride and Prejudice

I've certainly learned my lesson regarding the Comments sections of mainstream newspapers.  This report on why Brangelina's children won't go to school prompted so many prejudiced and stereotypical views of home education that I couldn't resist countering some of the more extreme assumptions.  Naturally, my pride in dd's achievements and interests shone through, which clearly irked some of the more judgmental participants in the debate.  The fact that DD attends a writing class facilitated by a professional author (alongside schooled children - it's one of those social activities that they don't believe our kids have access to) was evidence to this person that I am "an idiot of a parent".  Presumably, this was because I had the arrogance to believe that a published writer might be best equipped to help children with their own writing.

And despite several home educators outlining exactly how much socialization our children have, comments kept on coming through to the effect that children shouldn't be home with their parents all day.  Because it's well known we keep 'em in the cupboard under the stairs until they turn 18!  I despair, really I do.

Never again - it's not worth the effort to type a response to such ignorance.