Plants, Photographers and Press

I discovered today the secret to getting the boys to pick up a pen.. tell them the photgrapher is coming!

The Daily Mail guy came today, to do some photos to go with a piece on educating boys, which I was interviewed for. We'd planned to do something using the microscope anyway, so I managed to sneak in some worksheets (gasp!) as well - this meant that the paper got some "learning" materials in the camera shots without me feeling it was too staged.

William was tasked with colouring in a picture of a flower.

Joshua had one information sheet to read, then he did a worksheet on identifying plants, and then on the inside workings of a plant. He then got on with reading some of the Bitesize Revision - GCSE Geography book that he got out of the library (which is again building his confidence as he just seems to know so much of it!).

Samuel had a labelling diagram to complete, and then we set about dissecting a flower or two. He got totally engrossed then with the microscope, especially looking at the tiny seeds which we found in an ovule of a daffodil.

There was also this interactive site for them to do. Oh, and check out two of my favourite sites for "garden science" - Backyard Nature, and the Carrot Museum!

The photographer was much more professional than the last one; arriving with three boxes of equipment, including tripods to hold a back screen, arc lights - the works! The boys were fascinated - mainly by the fact that they were working out how to turn the arc light into a monster alien.. and how to use the backcloth as a tent!

Don't you just love HE?!

(I was too busy noticing that the photographer was rather fit...)

Joshua and Samuel asked why he was using a backcloth, and, without thinking - in usual HE mum mode - I started explaining. Then realised that the guy was listening and that, actually, I was only guessing why and maybe I was actually wrong and he was going to tell me so! Fortunately, he said I was very impressed and spot on with my explanation.

Predictably, his next question was whether I was a trained teacher!

The boys were very hyped and excited. What a change from even a year ago when Samuel was seriously distressed at the idea of us being interviewed, let alone photographed.

I realised I was wearing the same clothes as for the Sunday Express piece, but decided as that had only ended up with a head crop shot, it wouldn't show... Mind you, I hope he doesn't use the full length shots - as Jonathan featured large in them! I said "make me look pregnant not fat" and he promptly put William in front of me...

I'm signed up for the Robert Kampf experiments, which he's now putting online as videos.

Check out the Inertia Eperiment: Tablecloth Trick; and Energy Experiment: High Bounce.

In the afternoon, I'd just sat down when the phone rang and it was BBC Radio Gloucestershire. I'd sent them a copy of the press release (see last post) on the abuse case and they wanted to do a recorded quick interview for a piece this evening. The piece went out at 17.13-17.17. They broadcast two of my answers (sadly, not the last one which I thought was actually rather good!), and then interviewed an HE mum from the Forest of Dean (Mary Rose?).

Go to http://www.bbc. co.uk/gloucester shire/ and click on the right hand side "listen again" button then select the Anna King show from the list on the right hand side of that pop up window. Should come up with today's date (after 7pm ish today) and you can forward it to listen to it.

Roarke has been out since early, working in Oxford again today. It took him 3 hours to get there this morning, including driving through snow. Goodness knows what time the poor man will make it home today.

By the way, yesterday's antenatal was not all I'd hoped it to be. Did actually see the Consultant, but he straight away contradicted the GP and said I didn't need iron tablets. I asked why I was so ill then, which I wasn't sure he was going to answer (one of THOSE type of consultants..). In the end he muttered something about hormones and sent me for a thyroid test. No one took my pulse, despite my having said THAT was one of the main issues. Roarke asked for me to see a dietician, as he still can't get me to eat properly (not gained any weight in 5 weeks), so apparently we'll get a phone call for an appointment.

Seeing as the hospital asked for Dad to see a dietician when HE first went into hospital, and the woman made it around (some 5 weeks later) the day AFTER he died, I won't hold my breath...