Home education means that no two days are alike. This week so far, we’ve had our usual Monday race between trampoline, gymnastics, the park and dance classes. Then on Tuesday we visited Rochester castle then the Guildhall museum for a workshop about the River Medway. On Wednesday, we had the last session of this term’s forest school at Capstone Park, which was where the fun really began…
This week, Ranger Rob had arranged for us to be supplied with shot rabbits for the children to prepare for the pot!
Isabella had been admant that she was NOT going to do this but she did agree that she’d go with me and stay within the “school” boundaries. Actually, she was fantastic. A lot of crying to begin with but she did the whole thing, all the time talking to herself along the lines of “I don’t know why I agreed to do this!” then running off to play with 2 rabbit feet in her hand….
at one point I found myself calling after her to “Bring my kidneys back here now!” And just how I’ll manage to erase the memory of her holding the head in one hand, stroking it and telling it how sorry she is that it’s dead but at the same time watching the ranger demonstrate the next bit, well…
The demo rabbit was cut up and sauted in a pan over the campfire with onion and green pepper – tasted brilliant in a roll! We’d also taken the obligatory sausages, bananas and marshmallows so it was quite a feast.
Much to my surprise, we were able to take “our” rabbit home so it got wrapped in our used sandwich bags…Isabella could barely wait for Daddy to get home and gave him a minute description (her older sister left the next room when it got too graphic!) Then I had to get busy researching online and today we have not only casseroled the meat but we have begun the tanning process with the hide and have the claws soaking in whiskey! (Well the instructions said alcohol and this was the strongest we had!)
And if you think these photo’s are not for the squeamish, honestly I haven’t shown the worst – Madam took more of the head this morning before she let me dispose of it…
Fiona's Fabric Fancies 
show us the head!