I knew Oliver had certain reservations about said Quest, but in home-ed world, an expression of reluctance to voluntarily engage and enthuse whilst embarking on a new project is not unexpected, nor strange. In fact, the heavy sigh and metaphorical dragging of the heels goes hand in hand with the whole ethos, so I decided to gird my loins (again) and once more into the breach, dear friends.
It was bloody hard work and I felt my temper rising on more than one occasion. Head on into the hurricane saw me throwing a mini tantrum in the treasures room and hissing loudly over Oliver's shoulder whilst he went for the world record in 'deliberately painfully slow writing just to annoy one's mother.' Mark, to his credit, remained very calm and kindly throughout the day, but he does not have the 'benefit' of my experience with the heel-dragging (Oliver) and subsequent dummy-throwing. (me). Later he was to tell me that bits of it were boring, (I beg to differ) I should not have expected so much from him (I know) and that I should be aiming to find bits of it that Oliver did find stimulating and focus on them (I know I know I know). Hindsight is a cruel mistress. And really, I think by now I should know better. How we home-ed parents keep falling into the same holes again and again is very depressing. I have since had a chat with Oliver, agreed my expectations put too much pressure on him and said it would be different next time. Oh yes, it will be.
Anyhoo, Buckland Abbey was very beautiful, steeped in history, and full of interesting things. (I thought so anyway, sulk). It was the home of Sir Francis Drake and so there was lots of maritime history in evidence.
The Drake coat of arms:
It means 'greatness from small beginnings' (near enough). I like this idea.
Drake's drum, beat in battle at sea:
Interesting:
Also, before the reformation in tudor times, it was home to an order of Cistercian monks. This (the great barn) is where they stored their foodstuffs:
Bet it blew a hoolie up the cassock in here of a winter.
These are bits Oliver enjoyed the most:
Sic parvis magna indeed.
Well you started the Quest and notched one up..I remember being left cold about many things historical as a kid and quite often as an adult.. maybe reading a book which makes the places a little more alive..my Lisa just went to the Tower of London and loved all the stuff relating to the Anne Boleyn stories she has read.. and she is 24 .. also I remember my kids learnt most about history using a computer game ...Age of Empires I think it was.. Zac even answered a Q on Millionaire from info he learnt about Joan of Arc.. xx
ReplyDelete