Poop poop! It’s Wind in the Willows
It’s is no secret that El likes reading. Her favourite books of all are classics such as Black Beauty, Ballet Shoes and Five Children and It. And the Railway Children, Heidi and The Secret Garden. Not forgetting A Little Princess, Little Women, White Boots, Tennis Shoes, Dancing Shoes and What Katy Did (that’s not all of them). OK, just assume she likes them all.
When your child is a really confident reader it can be hard to find books that are engaging and interesting without seeming too babyish. This is why classics are great – you’ve got a story that’s stood the test of time, language that is old-fashioned enough to be fairly challenging and a story that’s suitable for a wide age range.
So when we were asked to review a special edition of a classic book it was definitely Happy Dance Time.
The book in question is Wind in the Willows and it’s been specially produced by The Folio Society. It’s a large hardback, comes in a protective slip case, and is bound in cloth and blocked in black and gold.
The paper is quite thick and the whole package has a lovely feel to it. Most pages have a gorgeous illustration – we enjoyed the fact that these were quite old fashioned and featured delights such as Mr Toad smoking a cigar and drinking his whiskey! You don’t get so much booze and fags in children’s books these days.
Despite all this it’s still quite an innocent world, as Toad, Ratty, Mole and Badger enjoy adventures by the riverbank. Just watch out for the ‘Poop Poop’ of Toad’s car!
It is a beautiful edition and we would recommend it for a very special present for your favourite reader. El is VERY CAREFUL with her copy and it’s not the kind of book you would read in the bath or take on a journey.
At £32.95 it’s not a cheap book, but it’s very much a book to keep and treasure. A keen reader would love this, or it would make a good present for a smaller child you’re hoping to entice into the love of books. El is very proud to have this on her shelf and will keep it forever and ever. And ever. And ever.
El & Jae
Poop poop!
We’re 100 posts old!
Sorry if that makes us sound really ancient (though at least one of us is). This is our 100th post. And what have we learned?
- El makes a very good cat
- Never leave the house without 5 books minimum
- Making your own lip balm is fun
- Homework really should be banned
- Stephen Fry deserves to be recognised for the deity he is
- A good pair of glasses will take you a long way in life
- Teenagers are not so scary as long as you feed them and don’t poke them with sticks too much
- You can read a book up a tree
- The Queen needs a cornflake
- Music in the past was better, except when it wasn’t
- Travelling to the far side of random is a nice place to be
- Sometimes you will make a loaf of bread and it will end up looking like Homer Simpson’s butt
Doh!
- If anyone calls you a nerd they are just jealous
- EVERYDAY I’M BUFFERING!
- Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy is possibly the only thing in existence more random than us
ooh, yeah, Luxury Comedy
So after 100 posts, is there anything left to say? Should we hand up our blogging specs and go bake some cakes instead?
Nah, we haven’t even introduced you to the Wereducks of Brighton yet, or told you about that time El saw Stephen Fry in a play.
Blog on comrades!
El & Jae
100 Posts Old
Sorry about the snow – it was the kids’ fault
Earlier last week, El was feeling sad.
*pauses for violins and sad cat noises*
The reason for this was because it was seeeeeriously cold, and yet there was no snow. It made us have a sad. 
So we started writing a post including a poem to charm the snow out of the sky (which you can’t read because it will make you cry vomit). And then the curse of homework descended and that post didn’t get finished and got left in draft.
But somehow, its magic leaked out the snows descended like magic flakes from the sky. El’s school closed early and she came home to pelt Jae with snowballs:
Today we read this post by Rosie Scribble where she confesses that her daughter also wished for snow.
So don’t blame the weather, or global warming or angel’s tears or any of that stuff. It was all the kids wishing for a snow day that made it happen. Wonder what else they can do??? (Raining chocolate maybe?)
El & Jae
Snow angels
Teenmageddon Approaches
El is turning into a teenager soon.
Jae is scared.
But at least El is still polite.
El and Jae
Balancing on a precipice. Send chocolate.
Live blogging Stephen Fry:Gadget Man
I am a MASSIVE fan of Stephen Fry and I ADORED the last episode so I have decided to live blog this new episode of Stephen Fry: Gadget Man. Wish me luck!
If you are not aware of this series, then it is basically Stephen Fry telling us about awesome gadgets. This episode promises to be particularly good as DERREN BROWN will appear at some point. It is annoying that it overlaps with the Gadget Show but that show has gone a little down hill since Suzi Perry left.
OMG IT’S STARTING!
8:32 - No it’s not, it’s late.
8:33 - Here we go, here we go!
8:33 – HE’S GOT A BEARD! An awesome beard.
8:34 – INTRO OVER!
8:35 – Hee hee, his shopping trolley was stalking him.
8:36 – I like his fork. AHHHHHHH IT’S THE STALKER TROLLEY AGAIN! And it fancies Stephen Fry. Sweet.
8:38 – He has a wine app. Might have to tell Jae about that…
8:39 – HE’S GOT A BATMOBILE!!!
8:39 – I like that little stirrer. It’s cute. OMG TOUCH SCREEN HOB!
8:41 – That sausage is in a cage…
8:42 – There’s an app for that. THERE’S AN APP THAT TELL YOU WHEN THE MEAT IS COOKED IN YOUR BBQ!!!!!!!!!
8:43 – I’m liking the gadgets of the past – CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!
8:44 – MOMENTARY FLASH OF DERREN BROWN OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8:45 – Ad break.
8:47 – Ooooo I like that vacum cleaner.
8:48 – STARTING STARTING!
8:49 – Ewwwwwwwwwwww soup!
8:50 – I like his yellow jumper. SUCCULANT STEAK!
8:50 – GADGET CHIPS! I’m all of a flutter. Oh hang on I don’t like Jo Brand. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH DERREN BROWN *starts hyperventilating*
8:52 – My life is complete. Ahhhhhh DB. HE’S EATING SOUP!
8:53 – World’s biggest wine opener. Derren Brown. Stephen Fry. My life is complete
8:54 – DB is so going to steal that thing.
8:55 – Oooooo Derren Brown is so clever.
8:56 – Why is he putting ice in a hamster ball?
8:57 – CHOCOLATE PRINTER! WOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DERREN BROWN CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8:58 – I like his igloo.
9:00 – Help! It’s Lord Sugar! Oh poop it’s over.
Well I hope you enjoyed my take on this amazing show and I hope my capital letters didn’t creep you out. I’m just really exited. 
El
Gadget Girl
Testing testing, is this thing on?
Don’t mind me, I am just testing out how this thing works.
In the meantime, here is one of our favourite funnies:
