Being Mrs C

Calvin Can't Fly - Jennifer Berne

Calvin Can't Fly really is the perfect book for any little bookworm. Calvin is a starling. One with three brothers, four sisters and sixty-seven thousand four hundred and thirty-two cousins. What sets Calvin apart though is that fact that he's not interested in learning to fly like the rest of them are. Instead he spends all his time in the library with his nose beak inside a book. 

In exactly the same way as any book loving child does, he discovers a world that contains so much more than just flying and catching insects. The other starlings don't understand Calvin though and the name calling and bullying starts. The thing is, being called a bookworm is really quite an insult when you're a bird.

When it's time for the starlings to migrate south Calvin's inability to fly causes a few problems. How can he head south if he doesn't know how to fly? His brothers, sisters and cousins have a plan though and they come back to get him. He's then carried along thanks to some pieces of string that they've found. When bad weather hits them Calvin is the only one who knows what to do. He's read the books about hurricanes and what the warning signs are and explains this to everyone else.  Luckily this time they listen to what he has to say and the whole family is saved thanks to what Calvin has learnt from books.

I just loved the message in the book in terms of showing children that education is no bad thing at all. Even when I was at school children who would rather curl up with a book than run around would be teased, and hopefully Calvin Can't Fly will prevent this happening to some children today.

The other thing that really appealed to me was Calvin visiting the library to get his books and that fact that it is depicted as a happy place for him to go and read. With budget cuts many libraries here in the UK are under threat and I think it's important to encourage children to use them as much as possible. Whilst reading the book Little Miss C really picked up on the library and actually got a bit upset when it wasn't in more of the pictures.

Overall I think this is a lovely book and one that I think all children should be encouraged to read. The value of books and learning from them is an important message and one that I think it gets over really well. It's beautifully illustrated the pictures include lots of detail and objects for younger children to pick out too.

Calvin Can't Fly - Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Keith Bendis

ISBN: 9781402797286

Price £5.99

Published by Sterling, February 2012

Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of Calvin Can't Fly by GMC Publications for this review.

Topsy and Tim - a complete list?

Since I first wrote about Topsy and Tim books on here I've been amazed at how many people have found my blog post through search engines whilst trying to find out more about Topsy and Tim books. The search terms used suggest that people are looking for a list of all the books published and to find out more about the old ones that they remember from their childhood. It's been a bit of an ongoing project of mine to try to find out more and to also compile a list - so here's a summary of where I've got to so far!

In short I've struggled to find a complete list published anywhere online - people keep suggesting ones, but when I look at them I find books I have discovered that are not on there, suggesting that it is not a complete list after all. Using the books that I have managed to pick up and the lists they contain of other books published in the series this is my first attempt at a comprehensive list.

• Topsy and Tim's Monday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Tuesday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Wednesday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Thursday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Friday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Saturday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Sunday Book
• Topsy and Tim's Birthday Party
• Topsy and Tim Have a Birthday Party
• Topsy and Tim's Bonfire Night
• Topsy and Tim on the Farm
• Topsy and Tim at the Farm (*)
• Topsy and Tim Go Fishing
• Topsy and Tim's Foggy Day
• Topsy and Tim at the Football Match
• Topsy and Tim Go on Holiday
• Topsy and Tim Go to Hospital
• Topsy and Tim's Paddling Pool
• Topsy and Tim Go Pony-Trekking
• Topsy and Tim Go Safely
• Topsy and Tim At School
• Topsy and Tim Start School (*)
• Topsy and Tim At the Seaside
• Topsy and Tim's Snowy Day
• Topsy and Tim At the Zoo (*)
• Topsy and Tim Go to the Zoo (*)
• Topsy and Tim Take no Risks
• Topsy and Tim Learn to Swim
• Topsy and Tim Go Sailing
• Topsy and Tim Go Hill-Walking
• Topsy and Tim's Train Journey (*)
• Topsy and Tim Meet the Monsters
• Topsy and Tim's Picnic
• Topsy and Tim's School Outing
• Topsy and Tim Little Shoppers (*)
• Topsy and Tim A Special Visit (*)
• Topsy and Tim Buckets and Spades (*)
• Topsy and Tim Old Shoes, New Shoes (*)
• Topsy and Tim The Big Surprise (*)
• Topsy and Tim Busy Builders (*)
• Topsy and Tim Red Boots, Yellow Boots (*)
• Topsy and Tim Little Lost Rabbit
• Topsy and Tim Go to the Dentist (*)
• Topsy and Tim Go to the Park
• Topsy and Tim Look After Their Pets
• Topsy and Tim Go on an Aeroplane
• Topsy and Tim Meet the Firefighters
• Topsy and Tim Meet the Police
• Topsy and Tim Go to the Doctor
• Topsy and Tim Make a New Friend
• Topsy and Tim The New Baby (*)
• Topsy and Tim Have Itchy Heads
• Topsy and Tim Help a Friend
• Topsy and Tim Have Chickenpox (*)
• Topsy and Tim Car Games
• Topsy and Tim New Lunchboxes (*)

All books marked (*) are ones that I have managed to get a copy of. Where possible in the above list I have paired together similar titles, for example Topsy and Tim at the Farm and Topsy and Tim on the Farm. Often where this is the case one of these titles is from my chidhood era (i.e. the 1980s and published by Blackie) and the other is a post 2000 Ladybird version. What's interesting is that the stories do differ slightly and whilst all the artwork has been reproduced some of it is very clearly based on that in the original books.

The only example where I have managed to get my hands on both copies is Topsy and Tim at the Zoo (Blackie) and Topsy and Tim go to the Zoo (Ladybird). As far as I know elephant rides no longer happen at zoos here in the UK, but yet both books do include the bit of the story where Topsy and Tim take an elephant ride, and the artwork for that page in both both is very similar.

Where the stories deviate though is when it comes to visiting the lions. In the old version of the book Tim gets separated from his parents and swept along with a group of school children who are all rushing to see the lions being fed. Tim does the sensible thing though and finds a responsible adult, tells her that he's lost and she waits with him until his parents re-appear. I'm not sure if it's just so modern day children don't get upset about the idea of getting lost, or if it's due to "stranger danger" but in the more recent book Tim stays with Topsy and his parents and they all just avoid the stampede to the lion enclosure.

Part of me misses the old fashioned tone of the original books and their illustrations, but at the same time I can also understand why publishers wanted to update them and ensure that they were appealing to the children of the day. There are some even more recent versions available in bookshops, but my book buying at the moment is limited to charity shops and stalls at village fetes where these newer versions have not yet surfaced. I'll be keeping my eyes open to do more comparisons between versions though - I'm fascinated to see what they've deemed necessary to change and to try to work out why.

Sponsored Video: Mastercard - The Big Lunch

Do you know who lives next door to you? Would you recognise them if you saw them somewhere out of context? Do you know their names and anything else about them?

I'm always amazed when I hear how many people would not be able these questions positively. In years gone by everyone did know everyone else that lived near them and knew most of their business too. There was a real sense of community that some areas just don't have these days. With people working longer hours and both parents working during the daytime you can see how some neighbours might only very rarely bump into each other, but that's no excuse not to make an effort.

Neighbours can be wonderful people and very handy to know too. Little things like keeping an eye on each other's houses when someone is away, borrowing bits of DIY or gardening equipment, taking in parcel deliveries and also just being there in case you need someone suddenly. When I was in hospital giving birth to Little Miss C one of our sets of neighbours made great efforts to make sure our recycling was out on time and both sets came round with lovely gifts and cards once we brought her home too. Being at home most days I probably see one set to say hello to at least two or three times a week and it's useful knowing that they are there and that if I needed some help suddenly I could just knock and their door and get it.

The idea behind the The Big Lunch is a very simple one from the Eden Project. To get as many of the 62 million people in the UK as possible having lunch with their neighbours once a year. It needn't be anything fancy or formal, just something that gets you talking and building a local community that is so important. This year will be The Big Jubilee Lunch and will take place on Sunday June 3 as part of the Diamond Jubilee Weekend. If that's too much short notice then don't worry, just make sure you make the effort at another point in the year.

I always remember some friends of mine who moved into a new house just before Christmas and invited all their neighbours round for some mince pies and festive drinks. Once they all got together they found one woman who had lived in the street for 35 years and yet had never properly met the people who lived just five doors away and had done for 18 years. Once they got talking they discovered so much in common and this woman made a real point of thanking my friends for helping to bring that community together in a way that no one else (herself included) had bothered to do for all these years.

So go on, knock on your neighbour's doors and ask them if they fancy joining you for lunch this Jubilee weekend, or if they can't make it at some point later in the year. You never know who you might find living next door to you and "everybody needs good neighbours".

Disclaimer: This video has been sponsored by Mastercard.

Why?

Little Miss C asked her first "why?" question the other day and I have to admit that she's got me stumped: "Why don't sausage rolls have chocolate in them?" I was expecting a bit of a softer start on the questions, but it looks like I'm going to have my work cut out!

It's therefore quite appropriate timing to been tagged by the lovely DorkyMum with an opportunity to turn the tables and ask our children a few "why?" questions, so here goes:

Dearest Little Miss C...

    Why is it that some mornings you decide to wake us up with an ear piercing scream, yet on others you're prepared to chat away for 30 minutes or so before demanding attention?

    Why do you call the Queen the "Lady Queen"? And as a follow up, just who is the "Gentleman Queen" then?

    Why do you insist on wearing socks in bed every night, even when it's nearly 28 degrees in your bedroom?

    Why was it necessary to tell everyone in the National Trust restaurant that you'd done a poo in your nappy? Surely the loud voice wasn't really needed, especially as you'd chosen the moment when everyone had already gone quiet!

    Why do you demand on taking any bits of food that you don't like off your plate and putting them on mine? Surely leaving them there is a valid option too?

    Why do you "cuddle" Schleich toys when you go down for your afternoon nap? They're not exactly cuddly are they?

    Why do you like picnic eggs so much? They're horrible, despite what your daddy tells you.

    And finally, why do you insist on pulling those cute faces, especially when I'm trying to tell you off for something? You're too adorable for your own good you are! 

I'm not going to tag anyone and force them to take part in this, but if you want to turn the tables on your child then please do and leave a link to your questions in the comments below.

 

Sponsored Video: What's that?

Any parent of a toddler will instantly identify with this lovely video from Organix Mighty Meals. What ever we do with Little Miss C at the moment she's always asking "what's that?" or more specifically "what's that noise?" Whilst the constant questioning can be a bit wearing, it's also lovely to see her taking an interest in what's going on around her. The same has to be true of the young boy in this video and it is very much a natural stage in a toddler's development - being inquisitive about absolutely everything around them. I'm sure the "why?" stage will follow, but I'm already struggling to answer some of the "what's that?" questions so I think I need to start swotting up! Yesterday's question about why sausage rolls don't also contain chocolate already has be stumped...

As much as I try to make homemade meals for LMC it's not always possible or practical to do so, especially if travelling. Organix mighty meals are the next best thing and are made from only organic, natural and healthy ingredients. LMC has been eating them since she turned one and usually yums them up. The whole Organix range is a firm favourite here and there's usually a couple of their "cake bars" (or "chocolate bars" as LMC likes to call them!) in my handbag for snacks on the go.

For the chance to win a hamper of Organix Mighty Meals and the wardrobe from the advert head over to the Organix Facebook page.

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored by Organix.

Tea Smoked Trout (and yoghurt sauce)

I'm still amazed at just how much inspiration I took away from my day at Yeo Valley earlier in the month. One thing that I really wasn't expecting was quite so much kitchen based inspiration. I know that they make yoghurts and other dairy products, but as I've said before them I hadn't thought much about cooking with yoghurt before.

Their site in Blagdon is right next to Blagdon Lake and in their efforts to ensure that food miles were kept to an absolute minimum our lunch that day was trout from the lake. But, just bunging some trout in the oven is far too boring for those people at Yeo Valley, so instead chef Jamie showed us how to tea smoke our own trout at home - without requiring any special equipment. It was so simple that I'm going to share with you how to do this.

The first stage is to mix together long grain rice, demerara sugar and the contents of 10 tea bags (good old Yorkshire tea in this case, but your could easily substitute this for other blends if you wish).

Line a pan with silver foil and place your mixed ingredients in it. This will then go over a moderate heat and it's worth putting this on to heat up before you put the trout on. You just want to get it up to where it starts smoking. (Depending on how well ventilated your kitchen is you may want to put a lid on at this point.)

Once the tea, rice and sugar mixture is starting to smoke it's time to get the trout involved. Over the top of your pan lay a metal cooling rack and place your trout (skin side down) on this. Brush the trout with a little olive oil and also season with salt and pepper.

Place a suitably sized metal bowl over the fish. You want to ensure that it's not touching the fish, but it wants to contain the smoke. I managed to find a suitable mixing bowl for only a couple of pounds in a local shop which worked a treat.

It then takes about 15-20 minutes for the trout to cook through. This was the stage in the cooking where Mr C and I had a bit of a disagreement over the cooking. Mr C insisted that the whole house now "stank" of tea smoke (he's not a tea drinker) but yet I couldn't smell it at all. I've no idea if this was because I was stood right next to the cooker and therefore closer to the extractor fan, whether I'm just "hardened" when it comes to tea, or whether pregnancy has just altered my senses so much that I simply didn't notice!

I served the trout with new potatoes, some English asparagus and a yummy horseradish and yoghurt sauce. This sauce simply contained natural yoghurt (100g), 1 tablespoon of hot horseradish, the juice of half a lemon and a sprig of dill. It was delicious and in particular the dill was incredibly fresh and just the smell of it reminded me so much of meals in Scandinavia. Such an easy sauce to make and one that I'm sure we'll be doing again to go with a variety of fish.

As for the trout itself, it had a lovely taste to it and I felt that I could really taste the tea. My only "complaint" is that the trout was quite cold, despite being cooked through. I had expected it to be hotter and I'm not sure if it just didn't get hot whilst it was smoked, or whether it just went cool too quickly as I served it up.

(Once you're finished just let the rice, sugar and tea mixture cool down and you can then lift out the foil and place it all in the bin.)

Compare my dish to the artistic way in which the same dish was served whilst we were at Yeo Valley. There it was served with fresh watercress alongside potatoes and a tomato salad. Delicious.

This method of smoking really was very simple and it is something that I just wouldn't have considered doing at home before. I bought a new cooling tray and a metal mixing bowl, but they cost less than £4 in total and will definitely be useful again for many things - as well as trying out smoking again. 

Disclaimer: I was invited to Yeo Valley for their open day with several other parent bloggers. Our travel costs for the day were met and a yummy lunch, cake and tea provided. 

seven days

A weekly photograph capturing one of the magic moments of the last seven days. 

Yeo Valley Fish Tank

Full credit for this children's craft project has to go to Knitty Mummy who I met when we both went to Yeo Valley for the day. There was quite a bit of discussion whilst there about how to use all the empty yoghurt pots that we have and she went away determined to come up with some projects - and boy has she delivered the goods!

What I used for making this is quite simple: one Yeo Valley Top Notch pot and lid, some blue card, yellow and green tissue paper, glue and some fish stickers. 

The method is relatively simple. I cut the blue card so that it fit in the back of the pot. Little Miss C then stuck some of the stickers on one side of it before I glued it in position. Some scrunched up yellow tissue paper was stuck in the bottom of the pot to be the sand.

The green tissue paper was cut into strips and then the ends stuck onto the inside of the lid so that when it is in position they hang down like seaweed. Once the lid was in place we stuck some more stickers on the outside of the tank too. Hey presto - one completed fish tank.

Very hard to photograph, but easy to make and very effective to look at. It's also a great way to recycle some of the many empty pots that we end up with.

Make sure you head over to Knitty Mummy's blog and also check out the fantastic lighthouse that she also made from a cream pot and a bread stick tube - there's no limit to that woman's talents!

Crafty hedgehogs

I'm lucky to be currently reviewing Creative Steps magazine - a fantastic resource for anyone involved in childcare (whether that be professionally or as a parent) who wants crafty projects to do with kids of all ages. As part of my review Little Miss C and I are trying out some of the projects in the issues I've got and it's providing me with some great inspiration as to how to structure these chicken pox filled days. There will be a whole separate post soon on the magazine, and an opportunity to win a year's subscription, but for now I just want to share today's project - these crafty little hedgehogs.

One thing I've recently learnt is just how useful paper plates are as a basis for so many craft projects. Whether it be for drawing faces on or something more complicated a packet of these from your local discount store are a great addition to your craft supplies. A plate is also the basis for these hedgehogs too.

With a pair of scissors to shape them and felt-tip pens to colour them in it really doesn't take much time or effort at all before your plate is transformed into a cute, spiky creature that's ready for an adventure in the garden. Sticking on a wiggly eye is a great touch, but if you don't have any then a black felt tip will easily do.

Whilst these didn't take long at all to make Little Miss C really got stuck in to what we were doing and having shown her a photograph in the magazine of what we were making she instantly seemed to get what needed to be done. Before I could get a wiggly eye out of the packet she was already trying to draw an eye on in the right place.

The other thing that I loved about these hedgehogs was that once they were complete rather than just sitting on a shelf to be admired they were taken straight out into the garden to be played with. They were moved round the garden and put in various places as LMC told me that the hedgehogs were walking round the garden. We also had a great game of hide and seek with them where one of us would "hide" one of them and then the other had to find it. Finding one of these in a section of long grass seemed to make LMC's day!

Disclaimer: I was sent two back issues of Creative Steps for review. All craft materials used were purchased myself.

Walk to School Week

I had this blog post all planned out as soon as I heard about Walk to School Week (21-25 May 2012). Little Miss C has recently started walking both to and from nursery on her own rather than being pushed in the buggy. Half a mile each way and she loves being able to point everything out to us and tell us about what she's going to do at nursery, or what she's done that day. It's a lovely part of the day for both of us, but the slight spanner in the works this week is that she's got chicken pox so no nursery and hence no walk to nursery. Tuesday is usually nursery day so it seemed right to write about it on the day we usually do our "walk to school".

That's absolutely no excuse for the rest of you though! Walking to school is a great way of spending time with your children and also getting some exercise. Looking out of the window right now the sun even seems to be coming out in support, but as long as you're dressed appropriately even the British weather shouldn't get in the way. 

Last year over 1 million children from 4000 schools ditched the school run to walk to school instead. Will you be one of the number this week, or even better are you someone who already walks to school regularly? A big pat on the back to those of you that are, but to the others have a think about it - I realise that sometimes getting to work may prevent this in a morning, but please try to make the time to spend those precious moments with your children by walking with them to school (and home again). Not only will you get exercise and fresh air, but you should be making a saving in fuel costs too - cars are never at their most efficient when stuck in traffic stop-start on the school run!

Walk to School Week is taking part as part of the Living Streets' Great British Walking Challenge and there are lots of fun activities taking place as part of the week, including an opportunity for one class of junior school children to each win a pair of Start-rite shoes - find out more here.

Disclaimer: No payment has been received for this post - I simply think more people should be walking instead of getting in their cars!