Always look for the positives x

 I thought I'd come on here and give a little update. 

Since our disappointment on Friday about our trip to Corfu looking in doubt, TUI removing the flight from sale but insisting it was still going ahead, they cancelled on Monday! Given how disappointed we were, we looked at alternatives and have actually booked with easyJet, flights £300 cheaper and for 3 extra days. Now I'm not going to get too excited, this may still get cancelled but this morning's flight to Corfu departed and a flight from Corfu has just landed at Bristol Airport. Our accommodation either side of our dates can accommodate us, so fingers crossed it might still happen. Although I'm keeping quiet about it, other than on here, don't want to get my hopes up.

So today I treated myself to a shopping trip to Bath all on my own, to buy a few bits just in case our trip does go ahead. I had a lovely relaxed morning, coffee in the sunshine, mooch around the shops but frustratingly a number of changing rooms are still closed. Anyway whilst there I got a phone call from Sophie, screaming down the phone.....

.....she only went and got the job!!!

For the past month life here has been pretty stressful, whilst Sophie revised and prepared herself to interview for a position at her Placement Year Post, once she finishes her degree. She had a round of timed short answer questions, that got her through to the next stage, which  then involved writing a report, giving a presentation and then an interview with top Economists at the ONS. Anyway today she found out she's been offered a position there after her degree and she couldn't be happier. And I couldn't be prouder. She works hard, most certainly hasn't had the year she'd hoped for this year, having to work from home but she'll now hopefully get to experience life in Cardiff from September 2022!!! So after my gloomy post the other day, things may be a little brighter xx 

FED UP!!!

I'm really struggling to find the positives at the moment. I'm a believer of things happening for a reason, but at the moment everything is being taken away and nothing positive is replacing it. Work is so hard, it's hard enough anyway but I've just gone to plan out tomorrow, always give myself an overview before I go in and I just wish I hadn't. There simply aren't enough people in, so I know before I even start, that it's going to be a horrible, hard 8hr shift. My Runner colleague is away, so I know it'll all be down to me!

At least I thought I only had two more Sundays to go, before 3 weeks of holiday (2 hols/1 isolation) but yesterday our flight to Corfu was cancelled. I didn't realise how much I needed/wanted/was looking forward to going, until it was taken away. I've woken up this morning in a bad mood, feeling what's the point/give up mind set, feeling thoroughly sorry for myself and it's not lifted yet.

Jeff and I have spent the past couple of months really agonising over what to do. Initially Corfu was on the Amber list, travel but isolate on your return. Then it remained on the Amber list but you shouldn't holiday/travel there. Then as time went on lots of info was available, that cases were low on the islands and it had a strong chance on going green. Jeff can isolate as it's during the school holidays, I had various discussions with my manager at work, who was happy to facilitate me isolating, so we decided to go! We're both double jabbed, we researched all the travel advice, Jeff spent hours finding out about tests, I'd started to buy things, we'd contacted our Greek hosts to check they were happy to have us, did everything possible to ensure it was safe. We were flying out of Bristol, staying in quiet villages in self contained accommodation. It all felt/feels totally safe to go but we were at the mercy of our flight still going ahead and when I checked availability yesterday, you could no longer book the flight. We've received no email notification, just twitter communication where they have told me the flight is still going ahead but it clearly isn't, otherwise it would still be open for booking.... SIGH!! I know and appreciate that lots of people have had to deal with far worse and it's nothing in the grand scheme of things over this past year but I'm exhausted and for me, it's a huge disappointment, having worked throughout, not had one day off, stepped up to a role with more responsibility, that I don't want to actually do. Maybe it's not really the holiday, maybe I just need to find a new job!!!

Coupled with not being able to see, touch, hug my Granny for the past year and a half. I haven't seen her since December due to lockdown, not spoken to her since late April as she's been in hospital, then a care home, then back into hospital.... We went down to Cornwall yesterday and I phoned the hospital to see if they could move her to a window or wheel her down in a wheel chair, so we could say hello, wave to her, blow her a kiss from a distance, let her know that we miss her and are thinking about her. But understandably they wouldn't, as we were coming from 'up country' despite Mendip where we live, having the lowest case numbers in the whole of the UK!! But they did say they had an iPad we could contact her through. Oh my God!!!! How did we not know this before?? I used to ring her daily so she had someone to talk too, I've not spoken to her since April. She'll be 98 next month and I worry I may never see her in person, hug her again. Time is precious and I have promised to go and see her the minute she goes home because honestly, I don't think it'll be for long, just a day or two before it'll be evident she can't cope and she'll end up in a home permanently (I'm tearing up just writing this!!)

Anyway we did go to Cornwall though, to celebrate my Dad's 75th birthday and it was lovely to be able to HUG them both, for the first time in a year and a half. I must remember to appreciate the little things. In fact I'm going to go away now and think of some things to fill my two weeks of holiday, here at home. It'll be day trips, walks, a meal or two out. I really wanted a break from cooking, from meal planning, from having to constantly think about what to feed everyone, go shopping.... I think I'm just fed up. There are no highs, nothing to look forward to, yet all these people can watch the football etc with no consequences. Patience, not something I'm good at, I need to be more patient and I must not stress about the things I can not control (easier said than done) 

Sorry for the moan, hopefully I'll be a little cheerier next time I'm here xx

Father's Day

Just a quickie as I was at work yesterday.

Happy Father's Day (for yesterday!)

To my dad, Jeff's dad and Jeff, dad to our two. 

I'm very lucky to have these three in my life and so are Sophie and Sam. 

Thank you for every day, you are just you xxx

 

Always watching the weather!!

Why is it when you work the weather is beautiful and when you get a day off,

 it's grey, damp, miserable???

My little fig tree loved the warm sunshine at the start of the week.....

....it's absolutely covered in figs this year.

And this glorious sunrise made my 5am alarm more bearable.....

....and a little snooze in the garden to recover from doing an extra 'early' shift!!

But then Thursday, day off, it's grey, damp and miserable and it's shall we walk, will it/won't it rain senario!! Anyway, we did walk the Polden Way, to Hurcot Hill and back and it stayed dry!!

My sunflowers are loving both the warm sunshine and damp days. 

What a difference a week makes!!!

Thursday was a big day for Sophie - first vaccination for her and Sam is booked in for next week. Both should be 'double dosed' before they head off to Uni in September - a HUGE relief!! Friday was catch up at home day. I rowed in the morning, went and did the food shop, tidied up at home, worked my way through the never ending washing pile, a nothing sort of day!!

Then this morning, with the forecast looking grey, Sophie and I decided to get up early'ish and head over to The Newt. We've not been since Easter and I wanted to see it now in full leaf.

At least the grey made all the green's pop!! 

It was beautiful and if nothing else, this past year has taught me, that we have so much to be grateful for so close to home and the seasonal changes are worth taking notice of!!

I didn't really appreciate the wonderful fungi! Still happen upon it completely by accident but find it such an interesting thing to photograph. Partly because it's easy, it doesn't move and it stays perfectly still!!

There were also the most beautiful flowers at every turn today. 

Daises, meadows full!

Sweet peas

Water lillies....

...foxgloves!

And at home I have my beautiful rescued peonies, destined for the bin!!

So Jeff and Sam have two weeks of term remaining. Sophie has a big exam/presentation thing on Monday. She's put in a lot of hard work, so deserves to do well, hoping the stress levels will come right down once Monday is over! I've two and a half weeks to go before I'm due some time off work and boy do I need it. Work is really hard at the moment. There's never enough people to do everything, so you try and do more and more, it's blumin knackering. I keep saying I've four more years if my plan to stop/reduce my hours can happen. That's if I make it that long!! Anyway a mixed bag of weather forecast for the week ahead. Of course, it should be Glastonbury Festival next week, always rubbish weather!! Let's hope the sunshine is saving itself for my time off!! Wishful thinking xx

All the colours!

My rescued peonies have been glorious. These were being thrown out on Sunday at work and they've just got better as the week has gone on.

So worked my normal Sunday, Monday, Tuesday but have tried to fit in some exercise too.

Have rowed and went to yoga......

......and walked with a friend.

The weather has been mixed but my sunflowers are growing and I staked them all up this week, to give them a little extra support. Crossing everything, that they continue to thrive!

Just like my beautiful peonies x

Friday was a day catching up at home and today (Saturday) Sophie and I were up and out early and in Bath for 9am. First stop a much needed coffee, then Bra shopping!! An expensive part of any shopping trip. Had a lovely mooch with Sophie and then headed home as it got busy early afternoon.

It almost felt normal......well normal'ish!!!

It was lovely to sit and people watch for 20 minutes, simple pleasures x

Working for the next 4 days, whilst the forecast shows sunshine, then you've guessed it, day off on Thursday, forecast rain!! Have a good week xx

Pinch and a punch....hello June!!

JUNE!!!!

How is it June already???

I should have been in Italy with my sister this week, exploring Pisa, Florence, Siena, Lucca... 

BUT like everything, it's been postponed again for another year! 

It'll be 30 years ago, since we last went, IF we get to go next year.

So instead of enjoy Mediterranean food in Italy, we enjoyed alfresco meals here in sunny Somerset!!

We met up on Thursday, had a coffee, then went for a walk, then had lunch. It wasn't Italy by any stretch of the imagination but it was lovely to spend some time together x

Jeff and I walked on Friday. 

He'd not been there before, so I took him up and around Dundon Beacon and then

 we went up to the Trig point on top of Lollover Hill. 

And whilst the weather is warm and sunny, we eat every meal outside. Both Sophie and Sam have enjoyed getting back out there, meeting friends, doing what young people should be doing, so it was a rare treat this week to be all together.

So the Summer term begins for Jeff and Sam, just 4 weeks then Jeff will break up for the Summer. I think Sam would've liked to have the summer off but given what he's just spent this past week, I think he'll have to carry on working. Sophie continues with her Placement Year, hopeful she might get to go up to Cardiff for a day to meet everyone! It's certainly not been the year she'd hoped for but I'm thankful it still went ahead. And me? I plod on. Work is hard. Being a runner, you get moaned at by colleagues, moaned at by customers, it's hard work for no extra money. I'm looking forward to my 2 weeks off in July. Greece is looking more and more unlikely, we've decided we'll only go if it turns 'Green'. The next travel update is on the 24th of June, exactly 2 weeks before we fly but annoyingly we have change our flights (for free) the day before the announcement, so who knows!!! We don't that's for sure. I'm taking the time off regardless and we'll just enjoy day trips if we stay at home. I need a break!