WEEK 14!

...and counting!

Life is certainly not back to normal but it's certainly not lockdown! 

So it's 14 weeks since the madness began. Should have enjoyed a night out in Bristol at the Harbourside Festival on Friday but of course like much else, it's been re-scheduled for next year.

Sam should have been experiencing his first Glastonbury. Good job my sister has a tent to lend him for next year, this one was a little on the small side!! It would've been hit and miss on the weather front anyway. After enjoying a mini heatwave at the start of the week it's been raining off and on for the past couple of days, typical Glastonbury weather.

The butterflies have been loving the sunshine and the Buddleia in full bloom.

Jeff and I have still been out 'Borising' although for some reason there hasn't been the time to go further afield, just a quick whizz around the block each night.

We've been pretending we're enjoying our Majorcan villa, eating al fresco and making the most of the glorious weather. Just need a pool to cool down in!! Our flights have now been officially cancelled, so the decision would have been taken out of our hands anyway but we stand by our decision not to go. It didn't feel right on many levels.

We have been further afield though. On Thursday we day tripped it down to Cornwall and back, to visit my family. I've not seen them since January and the kids, since before Christmas, so it was lovely, albeit odd keeping our distance, no hugs etc. We took our own chairs, picnic lunch, antibacterial wipes, stayed 2 meters away....

....had a birthday cake with no candles, to celebrate my dad's birthday.

We then went down to see Granny. Dad got her outside, safely sat on her garden bench and we stayed a good 2m away, sitting opposite her out in the garden. It was all very odd, no hugs, couldn't make her a cup of tea or do any jobs for her but she was pleased to see us and I'm glad we went, all within the rules! She'll be 97 in a few weeks time, so we plan to go down for the day again, to help her celebrate x

Jeff is celebrating too, the end of term, he's now finished for the summer. It was all quite strange, no big finale, no real 'full stop' just a gentle roll into his summer holidays for the next 9 weeks! Given we're no longer going away on holiday, I have a little 'to do' list I keep adding to, just to keep him out of mischief or stop him getting bored!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day wishes to my Dad, Jeff's Dad and to Jeff, dad to our two.

Couldn't ask for better role models xx

I've been working all day, so we've had to wait until this evening to open his cards and a few treats. Always chocolate and a Spanish book to further his written Spanish understanding.

My two are very lucky to have a fabulous Dad like Jeff. I am so thankful that they get to have just as wonderful a father figure, as I have had throughout my lifetime. I wish I got to see more of my Dad but over recent years our time together is less frequent for lots of reasons. So later this week, I'm looking forward to socially distancing in his garden (weather permitting!!) and plan to go visit him on his birthday, it'll be worth the 6hr round trip!! xx

LOCKDOWN ROUND UP!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I feel lockdown is coming to an end, as we conclude week 13! 

Lockdown has been a period of enforced time, at home together as a family and for me that's been a huge positive, spending time together. 

I've tried to encapsulate lockdown in a few pics, as to what it's meant to me. 

I will remember clapping every Thursday night in appreciation of our fabulous NHS. 

I'm forever thankful for the fantastic weather we were lucky to enjoy, which meant lazy lunches and evening meals sat outside in the garden together. 

Daily 'Boris Walks' with Jeff and Sam mainly, along the Levels, the Polden Way and around the local area, close to home. 

Enjoying ever changing views of Glastonbury Tor.... 

....and my fabulous allium display, hostas and natural bee friendly grass verges. 

A major focus has been hair and keeping a short style in shape during Lockdown. I thank Jeff for being brave enough to tackle my locks and am glad Sam's disastrous buzz cut looks half decent again, now he'll be seen out in public!! 

I have worked throughout, a physically and mentally draining task but with great team spirit. Jeff's taught virtually, Sophie's endured exams online and Sam? Sam's A-levels got cancelled, his Gap Year starting early and he became my personal chauffeur, driving me to and from work just to keep up with his driving! 

We've eaten well, too well, baked lots, enjoyed one too many ice-creams and....

 the odd bottle of Corona!! 

 

Oh and I nearly forgot, I've read more books than I ever normally do, just finishing my 7th!! 

There have been tears, disappointments, cancelled trips, long tiring days at work but we've been there for each other, enjoyed more time together as a family than we have in years, appreciating the small stuff here at home. 

As life slots in to it's 'new normal' and the pace increases and we find ourselves spread slightly further afield again, I will look back on this period of lockdown, as a time together, a bit of precious family time we wouldn't have otherwise had x

WEEK 13!

It's no longer Lockdown! 

Well, officially the Government are still using that term but the reality is, that the vast amount of people are going about their everyday business as if the virus is no longer there! The 2m distance ruling is under review, which is about the only thing that makes you feel safer when out and about.

So this is the week I should've been packing Sophie up and bringing her home for the summer. This is the week we should have enjoyed Mamma Mia, we're lucky it's been rescheduled but not until June 2022!! We were due a haircut!!! Enough said about that the better.....

......it would've also been the week that Sam sat his final A Level exam!!

I am really proud of the way he has dealt with the situation. Obviously we have the dreaded results day to come but we will deal with the outcome as and when we know more. I look on our time together in Lockdown, as bonus time. Time Sam wouldn't have otherwise chosen to spend with his mother but as a result of enforced time at home, I have enjoyed his company on numerous 'Boris Walks' over the past 13 weeks.

So this week started okay....... 

......but turned into a thoroughly wet, grey, miserable, soggy week.

We cancelled our holiday!
As a family, we decided if flights were to still to go ahead, we felt that it was too risky to fly. The holiday would not be the one we booked. We have no idea what it would be like in Majorca and as we travel on public buses everywhere, get a taxi to and from the airport, enjoy eating out every evening, it wouldn't be the holiday we looked forward to. Easyjet had just emailed us, to offer transferring our flights over into vouchers and we contacted our villa owner, who is happily carrying over our booking and deposit over to next year. We had originally planned to go to Greece next year to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary but we'd be silly to waste this years booking. 

What's another year in the grand scheme of things??

So the weather has reflected our mood this week.

Although the garden has loved and needed the rain....

....I have not! 

I've felt down this week. I guess it's the realisation that there are no nice things to look forward to. That it's all work and no play. The only thing to have made this whole situation more bearable has been the sunshine and when it disappears, you notice it not being there!

So unlike the start of the week, when I got to enjoy my book out in the garden, drinking coffee in the sunshine, instead I cuddled up on the sofa with my book and a hot water bottle!!

LOCKDOWN WEEK 12!!

It feels like lockdown is coming to an end! I may no longer note it in my diary. 

Life is no where near back to 'normal' but the 'new normal' we find ourselves in, I fear, will be with us for a long time. Sam has started to meet friends, outside for walks etc I trust him to be sensible but at the end of the day I pose the biggest risk to the family of getting the virus and bringing it home. From day one I've continued to work and my interaction with 100's of people on a daily basis, whose self isolation and social distancing measures I know nothing about, poses a continual worry and threat to our family. Here in Somerset we have escaped the virus it seems, with Mendip reporting just 65 confirmed cases but we have to act as if we could potentially come into contact with the virus as much as anyone else.

This week Sam would have had another burst of exams, Sophie would have been enjoying the final week of Year Two and her Summer Ball. Jeff and I were due to see The Killers in Bristol, which has been thankfully rescheduled for next year and my Grandfather (Papa) would have celebrated his 101th birthday, had he still been alive and with us x

Next week at work some of those colleagues who have been self isolating, on full pay for the past 12 weeks return to work. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. We have become quite a tight, supportive unit during the past 12 weeks. We have had to deal with a huge range of stressful, anxious, confrontational, physically and mentally draining situations, constantly adapting and changing the way we work to fit in with new guidelines and have as a result, constantly had each others back, stepped up to do jobs we wouldn't normally do, cover gaps in the schedule, swap shifts etc. They have no idea how hard it's been but I'm hoping they will quickly slot back into place and there won't be a 'them and us' feeling.

I was gifted this orchid from work. They were throwing them out as the date had gone over. It's been the little things that have kept us going, free food in the staffroom has been very received and being given this, at the end of an 8hr shift, was really lovely.

The weather this week has been a bit rubbish, a mixed bag. Not nice enough to sit out and enjoy, but a few welcome bursts of sunshine have ripened my raspberries. We've certainly not ventured that far from home on our 'Boris Walks' this week and with a brolly at the ready.

Jeff is still teaching, it's quite full on for him to be fair but he does now get the Wednesday afternoon off, when he would normally have been doing his sport commitment. So this week I cut both his and Sam's hair and he tackled mine again, braved actual scissors this time round and another undershave to keep the bulk down.

It's not looking too bad, all things considered and it's 16 weeks since it was last cut and coloured professionally. As a result it's the longest it's ever been......

.....and I'm debating whether or not to keep it a little longer!?! 

I might try it longer initially and see how I get on. I certainly wouldn't have the patience to grow it under normal circumstances, so this might be the only time it gets like this. It will be easier to colour if nothing else and Jeff could always do the undershave for me every couple of weeks.

Jeff and I went out this morning, for the first time together to a public place, the local garden centre. We've just come home armed with beans, squash, pumpkins and chard. Alas no Sweet Peas, as both seeds, then the seedlings I managed to buy have done nothing this year. Other than the one self seeded plant that survived from last summer, we will be without Sweet Peas this year. Not one bean seed planted, made an appearance above ground level either. so we're cheating and hoping these might take hold and grow.

I'll leave you with this image, taken on Thursday, typical British summer time weather!

The forecast looks to be a little better towards the end of next week, although still plenty of showers ahead. The garden needs the rain but I'm never a fan, warm sunshiny days are more my happy place and without a summer holiday to look forward to now this year, we need a lovely summer here please xx

LOCKDOWN WEEK ELEVEN!

WEEK 11!?!

Should have been a big week for Sam, with 4 exams this week.

It feels like lockdown is ending in terms of 'life' returning to normal'ish! Schools are reopening and some businesses are back up and running, McDonalds has reopened!!! just as the 'R' rate is rising here in the South West!!! I feel this is going to go on forever and ever. I have felt a little down about it all this week, nothing to look forward to, the change in the weather hasn't helped. Work for the past 12+ weeks has been mad. There was the panic buying, then the restrictions, then the transition and adaption time, as all the social distancing measures were introduced. In a weeks time some colleagues who have been isolating at home, on full pay, return, to be introduced back into our 'new norm'! It will be strange for us all, we've become quite a tight team, looking out for one another.

Pinch and a punch......so we're now in the merry month of June. 

Typically British, we enter the summer months and the rain and unsettled weather arrives.

I'm a fair weather 'Boris Walker' I do not like the rain. 

Our walks as a result have been short and sweet, just once around the block.

To be fair the garden has needed some rain. 

We've had particularly gloriously, sunshiny weather during lockdown thus far. 

Sadly the verges outside of our house have been cut. During Lockdown they'd been left to grow, to show off, to display their beauty. They have been full of grasses, wild flowers, a bees paradise, a lockdown bonus. So it was really sad to look out of the kitchen window to see this! 

Another lockdown bonus for me has been the time to read!. I've mentioned it before but I only ever read on holiday when I have time. With lockdown and nowhere to go, nothing to do and plenty of sunshine, I've sat out in the garden and read. I'm on my sixth book and have another 4 waiting for me, I just need the sun to shine again, as I oddly struggle to find time to read inside.

I did find time because of the change in the weather, to spend an afternoon updating my new diary, right through to January 2022! We book our holidays on a rolling year at work, so I can now book this time next year, when we hope to reschedual our Florence trip. 

Something that never changes is the fact my family eat me out of house and home. Literally all my wages get spent back on food!! Every week I bake a batch of cookies, it's up to them how long they last, guarenteed they're done and dusted by Friday if not before.

I have bought myself a couple of bunches of peonies to cheer myself up. The peony season doesn't last that long, so I treat myself when I spot them in the shops. During this time of uncertainty I think we need to look for the small positives to cheer us up xx