A little extra post

I thought I'd write an extra post as I've a few extra photo's I'd like to share!

I always like to take a photo of  'US' at the start of a new year. Took a little longer to assemble everyone this year, due to Sophie and Sam celebrating with friends, up in their rooms through the wonders of zoom but I coaxed and cajoled them together finally after tea.

On Saturday Jeff and I headed out early to Ham Wall Nature Reserve, it's within my 5 mile radius of the house and now we're in Tier 4, I am conscious in how far I should travel for exercise. It was a beautiful morning and for most of it, we didn't see anyone.

We did meet this wonderfully friendly robin....

....and I did manage to capture this fabulous shot.

The detail!!
We did say, if we'd had food, it would have eaten from our hand.

On Friday I started to watch this fab programme - The Serpent. I had been undecided about watching it but thought I'd watch the first episode and see how it was. Well, I then binge watched a further 3 episodes on Saturday and a further 4 after work on Sunday! It was excellent but frightening, given it was based on a true story. 

As with all new years, I fill my house with bulbs.

It's my way of getting through the winter months

And today I bought my first daffodils, the first of many bunches!!

HELLO 2021!!

Pinch and a punch......

....hello January....

....and 2021!!!!

Cheers!!

It's a huge relief to say good bye to 2020 and welcome in the new year.

A cold and frosty start to 2021. 

Sophie and I went out for a walk bright and early before we changed our minds. It was such a beautiful cold, frosty start to the year but treacherous underfoot and saw poor Sophie come a cropper!!

These frosty days are so beautiful though and even more so with my new camera.

I also managed to capture these turf wars going on! 

I never knew robins had such an aggressive streak!

Anyway 2021, a year that still potentially could be as bad as the last but also a year with such promise due to the vaccine! Here's hoping the Government doesn't mess that up and gets it rolled out as quickly and efficiently as possible, so better times can begin. I miss not being able to meet with a friend for a coffee, to be able to hug my parents or hold my granny's hand. I miss being able to just meet up with others, to be in close proximity. I've missed the theatre, live music, holidays abroad...

So 2021 you need to be amazing.......

you need to deliver, we all have such high hopes xx

 

2020 ROUND UP!!

HELLO  Goodbye 2020!!

WHAT A YEAR????

A year no one could have predicted or imagined.

A year of celebrations - Sam's 18th, Sophie's 21st, my 50th. 

A year of travel to Florence, Majorca, Prague, Amsterdam, Barcelona.

A year of planned ADVENTURE.....

....or NOT!!!

Because we found ourselves in a Global Pandemic, as a result of COVID-19!

We were told to Stay at Home, Save Lives, Protect the NHS! 

and the whole country went into Lockdown, not once but twice and very nearly a third time!!

Sophie came home from Uni and is still here, doing her Placement Year from home instead of in Cardiff. Sam's A-Levels got cancelled and he's now working during his Gap Year. Jeff worked throughout the Summer term but returned in September and I just carried on as normal but now with the grandure of being called a Key Worker!!!

We clapped for the NHS, I baked, read books, walked daily on our 'Boris Walks' with Sam. We made the most of the glorious Lockdown Spring sunshine. We drank Corona, ate our meals outside and were grateful to live in a nice house, with fantastic countryside so close to home. Jeff cut my hair!! And we spent quality time together as a family.

Spending time together for me was the biggest positive to come out of such a disappointing year. 

Bonus time together as a family, with everyone back at home x

So here's my year in pictures. 

You can always look back through the blog for all the details xx

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

I follow a page called Simple Politics on Instagram and they've just posted

 this round up of 2020, sums the year up nicely too!

What a YEAR!!!! 

A year we'll never forget for sure but a year I don't want to repeat in a hurry. 

As ever we enter a new year with hope, a clean slate, a chance to discover new things, travel to new places, meet new people, catch up with old. Without doubt 2021 has to be a better year. We have a vaccine, we have hope that we can get life back to normal, whatever the new normal may be. In life I always try and look for the positives. It has been a terrible year for many but we have made the best of it and I will always be grateful for the bonus time we've had together as a family.

Twixmas....

... the bit between Christmas and New Year!

Although not so much the muddle of days for me,

 as it was back to work for me straight after Boxing Day!

We entered Boxing Day going in to Tier 3!

Boxing Day was a completely relaxed affair! They played an 'Escape' game and I 'escaped' to the sitting room to relax on the sofa and watch Grease.

I then worked the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, was down to do overtime on the Wednesday but wasn't needed, so spent the day de-christmasing the house, ready to welcome in the new year.

Love going in to a new year with a clean and tidy house.

So today is the last day of December and 2020!

And five days on from entering Tier 3, we enter Tier 4!

Jeff and I got up early, were out the door by 8:30am and made the most of the stunning weather, walking along the River Brue. It was bitterly cold but such a fabulous start to the day.

I will do a round up of the year in another post but

 will leave you with this little robin fluffed up against the cold x

Christmas x

Hope you all had a FAB-YULE-OUS Christmas x

Obviously due to Covid and Tier restrictions, Christmas for many will have felt very different this year. Be it having lost loved ones, not being allowed to travel, restrictions due to the rules, self isolating.... For us, we were lucky, our plans haven't changed. For the last few years now we have spent Christmas Day just the four of us. Yes we have missed the big family gatherings, lunches, meet ups before and after the big day but Christmas Day has been as planned.

However Christmas Eve didn't start off as planned, with a box of beer being dropped from a height, smashed glass all over the kitchen floor. So an unscheduled steam mop to stop it smelling like a brewery and numerous rounds of hoovering to ensure all the glass got picked up!!

Once sorted, Jeff, Sophie and I headed over to Shapwick Nature Reserve for a walk. Sam was working his last Christmas shift at Sainsbury's. It was a beautiful blue sky day, a chill in the air, perfect x

Following tradition, we all sat round the table late afternoon, listening to carols, 

doing all the Christmas veg prep.

With the table all set and ready, we were just waiting.....

....for the worker to return home.

Christmas could now properly begin!

Because Sam worked all day, I did allow him to spend the evening on his computer with friends, rather than have to sit in the sitting room with us all evening, watching a film. Gave Sophie and I a chance to watch Miracle on 34th Street. We seriously have run out of film watching time this year!

So the big day arrived! No mountain of presents under the tree, 

instead our new tradition Breakfast Bags!

A really lovely chilled morning, breakfast rendezvous at 9am. 

A few rounds of presents, factime with Mum and Dad and then lunch prep!

Ready and waiting for the main event - lunch!

Delicious turkey dinner for lunch but a new pud, so we could all eat the same, salted caramel chocolate sponge pud from Sainsbury's! A few more rounds of presents and the Queens speech with coffee and mints, after all the washing up was done and cleared away.

A lovely facetime with Granny.

It was lovely to see her albeit briefly and via the wonders of technology x

Will do a separate post on the breakfast bags just in case anyone is interested, plus it'll be a good reminder to me next year, when I look back through my blog to see what we did!!

The evening was spent eating leftovers, drinking, eating some more, watching Hercules on Disney+, the film of choice and just relaxing - a lovely family day just the four of us!

Merry Christmas x