ballet school performance

morgana and tessa had two performances today at their ballet school. they both danced in a piece from midsummer night's dream, and le corsaire (the le jardin part). afterwards, we came home and had tea with apple strudel and whipped cream, bought from andre's hungarian cafe!

tomorrow is palm sunday and we'll go to the sung eucharist at st. luke in the fields at 9:15. then morgana has a call for a warm-up class before her afternoon and evening performances. chanda has a patrelle gilbert and sullivan rehearsal. if it's raining again, i'll just want to stay in bed and read . . but i'll probably get up anyway . .

a day in the park

it was a beautiful day for walking through central park with our friends. the sun was warm and the breeze was cool.

on the rocks; trying to find foot holds and ways back down . .

you can actually slide down the rock here, on your bottom . .

after climbing the rocks they ran around for a bit in hecksher playground. it's a popular spot with the teenagers also. i guess it's fun hanging out on the rocks. i know that korrina used to come all the time and meet other homeschooling friends when she was 15 and 16.

this is the "indian hunter" sculpture by john quincy adams ward. he's most famous for his oversized george washington statue on the steps of federal hall on wall street.

we met a fabulous magician! he really did a great job with card tricks, cup tricks and rings.

the bubble man!

i thought this dog looked very handsome . . !

sisters? do you think?

i don't recall ever seeing the park look quite so "spiffy" with hydrangeas and narcissus in the clay planters lining the walkway! they looked beautiful.

with our friends sebastian and ingrid.

i had the most wonderful experience with two cardinals. while walking through the ramble i heard a cardinal singing up in one of the trees. i stopped and was able to find him on a branch. as i listened closely, i heard another cardinal answering to my right (to the west). as i continued walking, the path meandered in the direction of the answering cardinal and i came across her up in this tree. she's that little black dot in the center.

the cherry trees are beginning to bloom.

before the park we had a performance to attend at the new victory theatre on 42nd street. it was a wonderful show today, called AH HA! the troupe hailed from portland, oregon. i loved how they had a musician already playing when we entered. it was very fun with tap dancers, jugglers, aerialists and clowns.

the live music made for a great show. there was also a pianist and drummer. they were very in tune with the performers on stage, and would add special notes to emphasize specific actions.

i was nervous taking a short movie because they really don't like you to . . but i thought it might be alright since the show hadn't "officially" started.

---

it was after the new vic show that we walked through the park and to our friend's house for a delicious lunch. afterwards, morgana went to her modern dance class, our friends went to a violin lesson, and chanda and i went downtown to her ballet class.

i managed to cook the beets that were needed for dinner before leaving in the morning. however, there was still too much to do coming home late from ballet! of course everyone else got home late also . . so by the time everyone was home, it was finally put together: beet salad and millet croquettes.

heart and soul and practicing le jardin

i used to play this with the same variations when i was their age . . with my best friend maryann. it's the same piano too. i love the sound of it.

later on in the evening, after dance classes, it was practicing le jardin time (from the ballet le corsaire). morgana is performing it with her ballet school this coming weekend. she's also doing a piece from midsummer night's dream.

tulip and daffodil study

we went out to abingdon square park today to sketch tulips and daffodils.

tulips came to us from persia during the sixteenth century. growers from the netherlands became obsessed with tulips and rare varieties were cultivated that could be sold for thousands of dollars (such as the famous black tulip).

walking through the park at night, we have noticed how the tulips like to close their petals at dusk. they are flowers of the sun. 

chanda wrote a poem:
tulip tulip
pink and red
i like tulips
in my bed

 "see these cheeky tulips, how they raise their coloured cups and demand to sup." (hafis, 1327-90, from the language of flowers, by marina heilmeyer).

 
 on top of the stout, three-sided seed vessel (pistil) column, there is a three lobed yellowish stigma that anna botsford comstock notes looks like a doric capital. some may curl and look ionic.

morgana observed how there are six tepals, or three petals and three sepals.

inside, surrounding the seed vessel and stigma, are six stamen, paddle-shaped. their bases are expanded so they circle completely the bottom of the pistil column. bees cannot reach the nectar at the base of the pistil without dusting themselves with pollen, assuring cross-pollination.

  
we also studied the sunny daffodil today.


 the word daffodil is the common english name for the narcissus. the ones we sketched are called narcissus bugei, as they look so much like a bugle.

 chanda has been a bit weary of identifying details, so she has been writing poems:
daffodil daffodil
you are so laffodil
you are always smiling
when the sun shi-a-ning

there is one flower on the stalk of the daffodil and the poet's narcissus, but jonquils and paperwhite narcissus have two or more. i learned a lot today about daffodils. i never knew they were narcissus flowers, and i never knew that jonquils and paperwhites were all of the same family.
 

new daffodil bulbs are formed at the sides of the old one, and thus stay permanently planted and do not lift themselves out of the ground like the crocuses. the leaves should be allowed to stand as long as possible after the flowers have disappeared to furnish the new bulbs with plenty of food for storing.

dress up and dinner

yes, tsamaret and moriah were over this evening. they're such dears . .

i heart my liebster

robyn was picked for a liebster award, and then she added me to her own roster of awardees. the liebster award is given to those blogs you find inspiring and motivating (motivation - a very important noun), so i'm honored to be among her five choices. another criterion is that these blogs have under 200 followers, so awarding them will help promote connections within our blogging community. liebster means "beloved, or dearest" in german. (is that right, eva?) robyn is a fiber artist living in sunnyside, queens AND gillams in newfloundland. whenever i don't know what to write i like to visit her blog to see what thoughts she's been thinking up for that day. it's always something interesting. robyn's accounts of her mind's ramblings are humorous, philosophical, honest and witty. her art is inspiring, fun, moving and always big (even if it's small). she also is a mean hand at spinning and several times i've weakened in my resolve not to add to my overflowing stash by buying her beautiful handspun. you can visit at her blog my fair isle, and at her etsy shop wee ball yarns.

in accepting the award i must (1) link back to the awarder (see above); (2) post the award pic on my blog (hope i can manage this technicality); (3) pass on the award to five people i find inspiring and motivating (informing them with a comment on their blog page).

the envelope please . .

untrodden paths: i was one lost homeschooling mama until i found eva. she works with the live education curriculum, as i do also, and from reading about her adventures with her five beautiful and very smart children, i learned how to finally incorporate the live ed lessons into our home life. eva always has fascinating books to recommend (half in german and half in english), and a day filled with food, projects and activities that reflect the fun subjects they are learning. she juggles the lessons, activities, playtime and meals for her five children with an uplifting and inspirational air that truly blesses her home. it's not like she's perfect . . she knows what it's like to be tired and ill and discouraged, but she has a special energy that allows her to love life and reach out to others.

multifaceted madness: one day i read a comment on my blog and there was san! she left me with the warmest feeling, so i just had to see for myself who this lovely person was. she's a homeschooling mum in england with five children, two of whom are home with her. the other three she has successfully released to the wonders of the world where they are learning and living to the fullest, proof of the loving mama magic she weaves . . i mean knits! yes, she is a talented knitter with a project always on the needles for a lucky someone. her dearest little pip is home with her, playing and exploring and bringing joy to everyone, as does her smart and creative benedict. i love reading san's blog to see how she has combined her lesson plans with the creative outbursts that field trips bring or visits from family. there's always a positive strength in san, even when she's tired from a particularly sleepless night.

strikkoman: i have no idea what strikkoman means . . maybe it's time i asked christine (christine, what does strikkoman mean?). christine lives in denmark and i met her through a ravelry swap. she sent me the most beautiful skeins of yarn and the most delicious chocolate! i also got to meet her here in new york as she is a hot shot pediatric doctor in her hometown of frederiksberg and sometimes travels to conferences in the states to read special reports that she prepares. christine is also the most prolific knitter and crocheter i know, and incredibly accomplished. i hear she knits while performing intricate procedures on her patients! she has a great sense of humor, a warm heart and a big family to knit for. i can never remember how many nieces and nephews she has, but they are constantly clamoring for her gorgeous knitted creations.

pheasants, frogs and banana bread: i don't know how i came across moogie . . i just suddenly found myself reading her blog every week. she lives near one of our favorite areas of england, the norfolk broads which we came to know about through arthur ransome's book coot club. she's an artistic homeschooling mom who can look out her window at a landscape that makes me think of a constable painting (don't forget i live in nyc, carolyne! your place looks like a natural paradise compared to here!) she also goes on the most amazing field trips to mansions that i can find in movies . . like chatsworth, home to the duke and duchess of devonshire since 1549 (which i recognized from the 2005 pride and prejudice movie). moogie manages to bake the divinest looking sweets with her children, along with watching little chicks hatch from their eggs, feeding the hens in the yard, and putting together the harry potterest birthday party one could ever have. i never know what i'm going to find when i click on the link to her blog!

i remember how i found muslim hippie's blog. she left a link in the comment section of soulemama's blog for her "this moment" photo, which totally captivated me. her photos always do. she has a certain way of seeing her life, and writing about her life which enchants, astonishes and inspires. she has a warm heart and a brave soul, and is a very good storyteller. she'll present a thought or moment in a way you never noticed before.

monday dinner

i made eva's broccoli tart for dinner this evening. i even cooked the crust before putting in the filling. i've never done that before . . even though i put stones on top of parchment, it still puffed up for the second 10 minutes of baking (after you take the stones off to finish cooking the bottom). i had to prick and deflate! then it goes in for 30 minutes with the filling. i had it ready in the frig and then morgana put it in when she got home from ballet. it was a mixture of broccoli, parmesan, cheddar cheese, 2 eggs, milk, sour cream, heavy cream and a little nutmeg. we ate every bit.

outdoor hour challenge - spring splendor walk

over the weekend i was thinking that it would be nice to get up to the new york botanical garden. their "forest" is the largest remnant of original forest that once covered new york city. however, it's a bit of a drive and we had afternoon appointments . . so for us it was a quick run outside this morning to the river park, and it felt good to be out so early on the river. the blustery and cool breeze really woke us up and felt wonderfully refreshing after last week's abnormally warm weather.

after such a calm month of march, the waves on the river were very welcome. the wind and the cold made us all want to run.

morgana and chanda took off down the steps and around the corner and then again along the river and around the pier.

it was incredibly windy and it felt like march was going out like a lion, after being lamb-like for so many weeks.

we saw these guys again. i think we have finally and successfully identified them as brent geese.

we usually always have our journals with us, but we left them home today so as to just enjoy the walk. chanda especially liked this arrangement, i think. these are clusters of vinca, or periwinkle flowers amongst the field chickweed (the white grass-like flowers). these purple blue flowers seem to have a several varieties and several names. it's a little confusing for me. i might be able to ask a friend of mine whom i see on saturdays (who is a gardener) at third street to clarify the situation. if i remember . .

we did have a little bag in which to gather leaves and petals.

the two robin redbreasts we saw looked very plump and happy!

after looking around on the internet, i think this type of decidious magnolia tree is a jane hybrid magnolia. they're found all over the city, and they really brighten up the streets.

nine petals surround the calyx. the outer andreocium (or stamens) contain two parts: the anther and the filament that supports the anther. enclosed within the stamens are the carpals. each one will produce a fruit. i found this website to be the most informative. the jane magnolia is one of eight "little girl" hybrids made in 1955 and 1956 by crossing a star magnolia with a lily magnolia.

here is chanda's journal entry she made when we got home. she drew the magnolia petal and found it interesting how easily it bruised in the bag. she also wrote down her words for describing her walk (one word for something she heard, two words for something she saw, and three words for something she felt).

morgana's journal entry . . she drew one of the blue flowers that surrounded the tree trunks in clusters.

i tried drawing the field chickweed. the flowers were very tiny. it was difficult to reproduce.