Feast of Archangels

Today we celebrate the feast of St Michael, the archangel also known as Michaelmas along with Gabriel and Raphael, the Holy helpers. The end of harvesting came in Sept and coincided with the feast of St Michael and it is considered as a special thanksgiving day for all the fruits of the land produced during the year. Name Michaelmas came from Michael's mass like  Christmas (Christ's Mass) and Candlemas where traditionally the candles for all year is blessed. It is also the time of fishing season ended, hunting season begins and apples are harvested.

In 'A book of feast and seasons' by Joanna Bogle' explains a lot of traditions followed in Europe,You have blackberries around, it is the last chance to bottle and can preserve for the winter, as it says' devil spat on them when he was cast out of heaven to hell on Michaelmas and get bitter.Worth trying some brambles around your fence or outside..

So many things you can do as a family, even  if  you have somebody or not in your  house with a name saint Michael.We have a small tradition of giving small gifts on the feast day and I got something for Munnu to make ..

Michaelmas was vanished since reformation and taken over by goose fairs and a number of places in England is still having 'goose fairs'at the end of September, although these days geese are not sold However you can prepare Michaelmas meal with roast chicken stuffed with chopped raw apple before cooking. You could put on the table anything the family has grown during the year; a pot of marigolds, some tomatoes or potatoes and before your meal you can give thanks for all the food that people has grown for this summer.

Why not sing a harvest thanksgiving hymn before the meal? The 19th century favourite of which the first verse goes like this




Or you can make a harvest bread or buy a harvest season bread which is getting increasingly popular and use this special thanksgiving prayer according to Joanna Bogle who is a Catholic journalist.

 Back of the bread is the flour
Back of the flour is the mill
Back of the mill is the wind and the rain
And the father's will

As the above author says, Michaelmas is the time when v can seriously think about our attitude to natural resources which we have dominion, examine our consciences to putting litter, parking cars at beauty spots etc. You can even think of donating some food for food banks or feed a hungry especially in this Year of Mercy..

 Michaelmas meal  can be end up by saying the prayer to St Michael to implore the Archangel' s protection for us all;

Holy Michael the Archangel,....

Michaelmas daisies bloom this time of year which is lovely tall purple daisies that can be collected with children for your Michaelmas table and make it a memorable day for your family. Previous posts on holy helpers found here and other blogs with wealth of information for this special day

St Michael, Raphael and Gabriel Ora pro nobis.

Learning color tones

I had an opportunity to attend a drawing and painting lesson, in which first lesson was all about tones. Just thought of help children with color tones also.

Black color was used to make different tones and it was wonderful opportunity to me how other people are enjoyed in doing drawing and painting, amazed at old and young.Reached home and got the idea to do the tone with children. As a family, everyone started drawing their own favourite pictures and used different colors to make tones. This helped me to open my eyes and look at pictures in a bit more wider perspective.

Since it was the feast of St Pio, I drew a picture of him and we read a book of him from cts.

Learning color tones

I had an opportunity to attend a drawing and painting lesson, in which first lesson was all about tones. Just thought of help children with color tones also.

Black color was used to make different tones and it was wonderful opportunity to me how other people are enjoyed in doing drawing and painting, amazed at old and young.Reached home and got the idea to do the tone with children. As a family, everyone started drawing their own favourite pictures and used different colors to make tones. This helped me to open my eyes and look at pictures in a bit more wider perspective.

Since it was the feast of St Pio, I drew a picture of him and we read a book of him from cts.

Exploring the woods

Good day to explore and just went to see our friends, Following that , everyone was in a mood to go to woods and Alderley edge wood is great for children to enjoy and do something in every pit with something unique like climbing, hiding, making den and so on.

It was a great day

Birthday snaps of 40

Thank Lord it was a great 40th birthday, with lots of snaps of ours displayed in different rooms by Jobychayan as I woke up. As a family, we went for H.Mass. Joby and Ani came , children brought cupcakes, cards and flowers. We all had a nice day out in Trafford centre and had buffet from Thai restaurant.

Cards from Ani, on right is the card from ichayan and bottom card is annu's.

From Munnu, me looking like a girl in forty.

                              In Trafford centre

On the next day children had a bike ride and some adults did the stroll

Thank you Lord for all the last 40 years I had and the many blessings I received.

Kitchen Science

Kids are all quite keen in doing some experiments, pinching things as much they could from the kitchen. Munnu is making indicator by boiling chopped purple cabbage leaves and boiled. After some time of boiling, he poured that into a glass and showed us how the different colors are established in different layer like in a litmus paper. It was so interesting to see munnu's experiment with the help of a  science book from the library. To do more of ph, some ph testing kit were ordered from Amazon.

Theresu is making bubbles using various things from kitchen and enjoying the bubbles getting bigger by blowing with a straw. Annu is crushing and grinding herbs and other stuffs by using mortar and pestle.

Back to School

We started our school back on the very special feast of nativity of our Lady. Had our Holy Mass and Annu and Theresu had their tap lessons.

Lot of exciting was building in the children  about what  is gonna be there for new school year.All the school items with some snacks were ready for them. We had our many school books arrived on time even from Seton too. Theresu looks so excited and very keen to learn...annu n munnu too. 

Bike ride in Mersy banks

Great time with family on bike, went around Mersy to Sale water park. Munnu likes to be adventurous and Theresu was so excited on her bike. Little Geo was on his dad's bike and Annu my mature girl we had a lovely time. About 4kms was covered in our journey tirelessly. Theresu was the star.

Ordsal Hall

It was a great opportunity to visit Ordsal Hall along with other home educators, which is a Tudor mansion built in 15th Century in Salford. Children along with parents were invited to Grand chamber and took through time machine. Children were taken to the Tudor period learning bout Radcliffe family lived there in Hall. A Tudor servant and a rich Tudor lady was the teachers for the day.  We all dressed up like Tudor people,role played having a Tudor banquet.

It was a great learning to know how rich and poor prepared for a feast, how they drew water and herbs were of prime importance for culinary and medicinal purposes. Took out to the herb garden with mints, rosemary, lemon balm were touched and sniffed to get the feel.There were real animals haging in the kitchen , only served for the lords and ladies. Tudor maid was explaining how they had feast in different metal plates and cups were used for lords, merchants and farmers.Merchants were people who sold things from far off countries and she was looking pretty much like real tudor maid. Only lords and ladies had white bread and meat.

Meat was the aristocrat's diet in Tudor times. In Henry V111's time, there were more than 1000 servants in the Hampton Court Palace, depending upon the time. The servants got their hierarchy and the spit boys and girls come in the bottom level and their job was to turn the enormous iron spits used to turn the large quantities of roast. They have to get up by 4 am and prepare , had no break in between and only time they get the break was during lent when there was no meat allowed to eat.

Tudors went to lake to fetch water and used 2 buckets to balance which is called yoke. Tudors slept upright and certain things would pass down them if lying down flat and will kill them. Servers slept under the beds of lords , ladies,kings or queens. Brushing the teeth was not practiced by Tudors and Henry V111 had six wives , disapproved by catholic church.

Children lay on a 4 poster Tudor bed and tried ruffs and sat in the Tudor bath.Tudor's put lamb's blood under the bed to prevent the bugs sucking their blood.

In the end there was a dance party

What a terrific Tudor Tuesday.