A little school.

My education was dismal. I went to a series of schools for mentally distubed teachers. Woody Allen.

We are back schooling. Yes indeed. After a rather shonkey start due to all the Issi drama & a ghastly *first day* wherein Ditz made it clear she felt she was well & truly educated enough. I have yet to add in all her music but I never do until I know exactly how unpredictable AVAE is going to be for the term. Very, I think.

Anyway nothing much changes round here. I'm not a curriculum hopper though my Sonlight supplier is no longer supplying. *sigh* Do hope I don't have to order from the States.

Anyway it will eventually be Sonlight 7 which covers WWII. Yes, I know. Ditz did Hitler last year & let's face it; I have a ditzy girl. She is not the least interested in either the political or the military aspects of said war. Ok, nor is her mother, but that's ok. There are other ways of skinning our cat. We have begun with Back to Billabong by Mary Grant Bruce. Now apart from the fact I adore these books for the books sake alone[they are funny & charming & completely politically incorrect!] a lot of social commentary is implicit. The books reflect the thinking of the times accurately. This is wonderful if you are trying to show how British arrogance contributed to the second war & why we, as Australians, felt so obligated to stick our noses into that European soup!

Back to Billabong takes place at the end 0f WWI & is quite simply a running commentary of the times: the lack of training of returning soldiers; the lack of available work; the inability to settle to a more normal lifestyle; the toll rationing took on people [there is a totally hysterical scene in a Melbourne dining hall where the Billabong crew remeets a 10 egg cake!]; the idea that the *colonies* were this great empty wilderness that needed to be filled with good British stock; the influenza epidemic...all of which form the backdrop for the Depression & the second war & is not normally Ditz's sort of book. I fully expected to hear her usual moan of, "It's boring!" In fact Ditz has listened in silence. I have been extra sneaky this time round. My copy of Back to Billabong does not in fact belong to me. It is one of my mother's many school prizes. The award plate for club work is still pasted inside the front cover. Ditz has listened while ma & I have discussed this book many times & how much ma loved & treasured her copies of these books. And if you're not Australian & don't own your own copy it is available as an E~book, free on~line!

My second choice has been Lewis' The Screwtape Letters ~ & you'd better believe Ditz is whining about this one! She has to think, poor chicken. I got the studies free on~line though I noticed you can buy whole books devoted to discussing this book that are far longer than the original!

I still have masses of worksheets from last year & our music & Home ec. Science I've just discovered I have to order. Apologia biology I think. I'd prefer botany but no~one seems to be offering botany ~ not even on~line. Anyone? Math, dear God! Please, please give me strength! I'm going to try Liddy's prac math, which we still have. At least it's free second time round.

Ditz has opted out of Island drama. Too amateurish but her quitting suites me. I wasn't ever keen but it was at least on island. Plus a study on Singapore though thanks to the doey Travel Agent our insurance won't be through in time for the next trip either! Grinding like the Mills of God.

And just because Ditz asked, a study of flowers & their meanings. She's going to hate me for this one. Really she will. Having thunk my thunks what I thunk was *lightbulb moment!* ~ Shakespeare!!! He's always waffling poetical about flowers. Surely, surely I could do something with that? Boy can I do something with that. Ophelia drowning herself in the Mersey finally makes sense! Not that I like Hamlet. He always struck me as a snivelling brat who couldn't deal with his mama being a sexual being & whined on & on about stuff that was none of his business. He really had a dirty little mind. My opinion & not shared by academia. I'll give you my take on why Romeo & Juliette is one of the funniest things I've ever seen one day. Whooped with laughter all through the final scenes while my entire Honours English class wept into their hankies. Honestly! But I digress. Ophelia...& Hamlet if I must. It's all in the flowers ~ the whole sad & sorry little tale of love betrayed. Hamlet was a cad! And if you want some really funny reading & are over the age of consent you can read on~line Margaret Attwood's retelling of the tale from Gertrude's point of view. An absolute howler! The things people find to say about Shakespeare's plays are often as good as the plays themselves.

So there you have it in a nutshell. We are off & running.