hockey and hallowe'en, music and musicals

Last weekend was full of hockey for JK- regular training at Beeston followed by an U13 mini tournament, Sutton Sing U14s away v. Northern Stars, and another round of County field hockey trials!

He is also working on some new songs, and I am delighted to have discovered www.musicroom.com ! From Gang Show he has chosen Take That’s ‘Greatest Day’, ‘This is the Moment’ from the musical Sweeney Todd, and from the exam board syllabus ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and ‘Cockles and Mussels’, all of which I was able to order and pay for online and immediately download and print out. There is even the facility to hear them played (admittedly in a rather tinky-tonky musak kind of way) following the cursor through the sheet music (is it still called that if is on a screen?!) presumably helping you learn to read music in the same way the Disney Readalong Books and CDs help smalls learn to read.

Tuesday we spent the day with the Newman’s , the younger girls decorating cakes with a Halloween theme to follow a meal of hot dog with beans, mushy peas and corn on the cob, all prepared by the two eldest boys- no mean feat when you consider they were catering for nine of us with no input from the grown-ups unless asked for!

Wednesday we carried on cooking, joining the Chesterfield group pressing apples and making an absolutely delicious pumpkin soup. I’ve always thought I didn’t like pumpkin, but this is one I’d definitely try again. With grateful thanks to Suzy, here is the recipe...

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
1 large onion chopped
1/2 medium pumpkin chopped into cubes (quite small as they cook faster)
1 tsp curry powder
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 tin chopped tomatoes
oil for frying

Method
1. Fry onion until soft.
2. Add curry powder to onions and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add pumpkin cubes and coat in the onion mixture for a couple of minutes.
4. Add stock cubes which are dissolved in a pint and a half of water.
5. Add tin of chopped tomatoes.
6. Cook until pumpkin is soft then blend.

Add more water if it is too thick and maybe a swirl of cream if you are feeling very naughty!

Thursday evening Madi and friends went to see her favourite musical of the moment ‘Annie’ at the Acorn Theatre at Worksop, our discovery from this summer when she attended Theatre Week there.

Reviewing the Situation

In spite of a possible return to school for JK, we’ve quickly got back in to the swing of things. All the regular activities are underway again, and both are enjoying their chosen subjects to study.

Madi has joined a twice monthly Spanish group lesson, and is preparing for her Grade 1 Ballet and Theatre Craft exams at the weekend.

JK has been working a little more independently from his IGCSE Biology course (written by Sam Martell, HE mum), and has made a start on learning Java Script, initially using a book from the library, but with more success now with the free online tutorials by w3schools.com. These are unfortunately rather cluttered with advertising, but this doesn't seem to bother him, and he is now far more motivated than previously.

Madi enjoyed a trip to the Theatre Royal to see ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat’ with tickets she received as a birthday present, and JK joined a ‘Page to Stage’ workshop and performance of ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Playhouse with a group of local HE teens. There have also been extra rehearsals for North Nottinghamshire Gang Show with just a few more left before performance week.