Seaside Sparkles

I love the summer as the light evenings do inspire and invite us to be outside. In these hot days it’s just lovely to be sat outside in the evenings with a book and a cool breeze. However this week, there have been nights out, the World Cup semi finals, a prom and a visit to my parents for the weekend.

Sadly the football didn’t go as planned and England lost their semi final. They were criticised for their defensive play after going 1-0 up and eventually lost 2-1. It was a depressing watch and I had no real intention of watching the bronze match last night. However the tv was on and I watched the most amazing, attacking first half performance from England who were 4-0 up against France at halftime. As it was a late kick off I did go to bed but woke up to read a 6-4 win for England, the best game of the tournament was the one no one wanted to play or watch. I’ve not enjoyed this World Cup, the times have been awkward and there is such a sense of corruption within FIFA. However there have been highlights, Cape Verde’s debut, Norway’s spirit and fans, Scottish fans and their Boston adventures. I’m now watching the most bizarre pre match ‘show’ before the final starts, so far I’ve seen Robbie Williams in a sequin tracksuit singing the FIFA anthem, who knew it was a thing, the World Cup arriving in a Louis Vuitton case and Tom Cruise doing a soliloquy. I think all were supposed to be hyped by this, it was simply dull.

It was a very busy week and on Thursday I was at our school’s leavers’ prom. As I started at the school four years ago, it was the first year in which students I have taught were the leavers. This makes it more emotional as you really know the young people and their families. It was a lovely evening, although wearing mascara and eye liner was a mistake when the photo montages were shown, there were lots of tears from families and staff. As we are a 3-19 special school, these students have been with us for a very long time so seeing the students photos from Reception to Year 14 gave all the feels. We are also a special school and it was heart breaking to see the deterioration in some of the students’ presentations. You presume children will grow taller, stronger and healthier but sadly in a school like ours this is not always the case. It makes us even more privileged to be able to provide a happy, warm and joyful school environment.

Straight after work on Friday, we travelled to Somerset to see my parents. It was a little family celebration for my son whose birthday is coming up. One of my first jobs after getting there was to charge my car on a public charger. Fortunately it was a skill I can now tick off and I feel more confident in knowing it’s easy to charge the car away from home. I always like to do a bit of parkrun tourism when I’m away but my challenge was to avoid the M5 on the first weekend of the school holidays. This is pretty impossible so I looked into alternative transport options and discovered that there was a parkrun minutes away from the Severn Tunnel Junction station, and by chance there was a direct train from the local station to STJ with timings that fitted around the parkrun. With such luck, I went off to Rogiet parkrun which was a fantastic little run. I was worried given my recent injuries but the flat course meant I could run around gently without issue which was a huge bonus. I was back home and ready to go out to lunch so it didn’t impact the day too much. In fact I was showered and dressed before my daughter who had not come with me preferring a lie in. After lunch and a few bits of shopping I came home to prep a few bits for the birthday tea whilst the children amused themselves in town. On the past few birthdays the children have preferred a sweet platter with macarons, meringues, berries dipped in chocolate, top hats, so this was what I prepared for us all. It’s great treat and all gets eaten on the evening. I still put on candles and a sparkler to get the full birthday experience. Later in the evening the children did some Lego together, it’s been a while since they worked on a model together, this was a floral heart my daughter had received for her birthday and it was just so nice to see them enjoying it.

Although the students have finished for summer, we’re still in until Wednesday and then the cruise prep starts in earnest. It is the best feeling when we finish on Wednesday, 6 weeks of holidays awaits.

And so another entry, another heatwave. I’m not sure when hot weather became a heatwave but it’s the buzz term this summer. Work and my car with their excellent air conditioning provide daily respite and sitting outside in the shade at home makes evenings easier. I’ve still not quite figured out the best way to sleep in this weather though.

It feels like one of my key strategies in keeping cool is to eat ice cream, it’s a daily staple in this heat and I am loving every bite. I am experimenting with every flavour, if you’re going do it, go in hard!

Last weekend was quiet, so we decided on a day trip on the Sunday to Weymouth. I love a little day trip and we like to catch the train to make it feel a little bit different and to offer no stress with traffic and parking. There was a food festival around the harbour, perfect for pottering around, where we bought some delicious brownies. We also did a bit of holiday shopping and walked along the beach.

This weekend has just been wonderful as an old school friend came to stay. There is something very special about a friend who knows you. The history of countless time spent dreaming, chatting and laughing in teenage bedrooms, school and days out, so many shared experiences, being part of the life story that you don’t need the gaps filling in, 40 years of friendship that made this weekend so easy and warm. We did simple things, it wasn’t about grand plans but catching up. Yesterday we mooched around town, walked along the beach and sat on the field with a drink listening to the jazz festival before heading back into town later to watch the football in the pub. Today was park yoga, a little throw back to PE lessons, paddling in the sea and feeling the warm sand under your feet. This weekend made me feel like me, the original version.

The World Cup has been continuing this week. England played a Round of 16 match at 2am on Monday morning but I didn’t stay up to watch it , the thought of little sleep, a busy working week and fun plans for the weekend meant I only saw the highlights. For someone who normally sleeps well, I surprisingly woke up naturally at 4am, checked the score on my phone and then followed the last 2 minutes before sleeping again. Ironically it seems that this was England’s best performance by far. Last night’s game was a mixed performance, moments of class but also of frustration. However England won in extra time, by this time it was around 12.40am and I think we were all relieved we could get to bed. I’ve not enjoyed the tournament so much because of the time difference it’s been pretty much 12 hour windows with the earliest games at 5pm to those finishing at 4/5 am. Thankfully the next World Cup is in Spain and Portugal so a much friendlier time to watch all the matches. Last night’s game was against Norway who have been one of my favourite teams of the tournament. They just got the vibe perfectly, the team photos as vikings, wearing the tops of their first youth football teams to the rowing and drumming and star quality of Haarland. They were a very refreshing team to be in the tournament.

It’s been a funny old summer, this was the second heatwave of the season yet it feels like it’s been a dull summer so far. The first heatwave fell in half term but this time it was a working week. Fortunately our school is a new build and we all have very effective air conditioning in our classrooms. I cannot imagine what classes would have been like in other schools as the heat was intense, definitely higher than the predicted temperatures. It’s rare to have a first in my 30 year teaching career but I achieved that this week with the first ‘hot’ break akin to wet break, as we needed to stay inside as it was too dangerous for the children to be out in the sunshine and heat during the day. When we took the children out at the end of the day, the intensity of the heat was like when you step off a plane on a sunny holiday abroad and the ‘hot’ break was definitely the correct option. Whilst I’ve had excellent air conditioning in the classroom and new car, the heat has sapped my energy and it has been more challenging to sleep at night. I have a smart watch and generally get a very good sleep score of at least 80 a night, this week it’s averaged 50 as I’ve tossed and turned in the sweltering heat. It’s also World Cup games at very different times so bedtimes have been affected by watching the games too. England have played at 9pm and 10pm so that’s late bedtimes. Neither game was particularly good but results mean that England got through and now play their next game in Wednesday at the very reasonable time of 5pm. I am finding it difficult to follow this World Cup as so many of the games are played at night. Normally, I love to try and cram as many games as possible in but it just isn’t possible and this tournament seems a little disjointed.

It was a full on week with two late nights at work, for a meeting and parents evening, a further late night as I sold my old car to a car dealer after work and then had to catch a bus, home, 1 hour 20 minutes on a sweltering bus, for a journey easily done in 35 minutes by car. Living rurally the bus goes through all the villages and towns en route to our town, it’s a long and windy journey. I was impressed by the ease of cancelling my insurance, breakdown cover etc.. Sometimes online admin works brilliantly.

After all the busyness of the week, we’ve had a much needed quiet weekend at home. I volunteered rather than ran at parkrun as I am trying to recover from injury. It feels like I’ve been injured on and off for most of the year. It was a lovely morning I had great company on my marshal spot and then had a lovely chatty breakfast with my parkrun buddy and son on a warm and sunny terrace. I do love chatting to the tourists and met some really interesting people, I was fascinated by a couple whom are just finishing off the South West Coastal path after walking it over the past few months, what a great adventure. I spent the rest of the day doing some admin, a couple of passes needed to be redone for the new car and I finally got to personalise the car, it’s now got the football club sticker on the back window, my spare glasses etc.. It’s my new on the road office! I am also loving the electric car, I have an app which tells me our charging costs and reduces it to the best possible rate, I charged it up yesterday, admittedly it was on 55% charge when it started but it cost less than £1. I did cash out my loyalty at the petrol station this week as I won’t be using my loyalty account again and got a nice little Amazon voucher.

This morning I went to park Yoga, again an absolutely beautiful session. Before I started this summer I had never done yoga and I worry in the winter months that the wonderful al fresco yoga I’ve been doing will mean that indoor practice won’t feel so special and relaxing. On my walk home from the park I walked along the beach and got a takeaway coffee, life felt pretty perfect. I also did something that I haven’t done so far this year. I got the garden recliner out and simply sat and relaxed listening to a few podcasts for an hour, the break was very much needed.

I have a new audio book for my commute, one of this summer’s bestsellers Yesteryear. I’ve read about a quarter of it so far and it’s already an interesting take on influencers and one whose themes are making me uncomfortable. I’m not quite sure where it’s going which is great, as it’s unusual to read an original story.

I’m hoping to have another quiet week, before the busy last fortnight of the term. I’m moving classes so have a little extra on my to do list too. I’m hoping to do as much as possible so the 6 week holiday is a time to relax, play and explore.

This fortnight has been one of preparation, planning and getting ahead. Next week sees a college residential, a special weekend away for our daughter’s 18th birthday and Father’s Day, so the ultimate level of planning is required. I’ve made sure I’m ahead in my work, as this is key report and assessment time, it’s actually really lovely not to be thinking about it as it’s all done and ticked off. Last weekend was wet and miserable and I didn’t mind focusing on my work admin to give me more time to organise the nice things.

So far for the birthday weekend I have confirmed our itinerary and with the exception of Mr S have organised new outfits for the special dinner. We are going to a Great Gatsby themed dinner with live Jazz music where dressing up is encouraged. I have found a couple of amazing 1920s flapper dresses on Vinted for my daughter and I and have managed to sources some accessories too. I didn’t want the outfits to look like fancy dress but stylish clothes. I hope I’ve succeeded on this project as I’m really pleased with the designs. I’ve been unable to persuade the boys to dress in 1920s fashion but did take my son shopping yesterday to get a smart shirt and trousers. Clothes shopping is not his thing unless it’s sports clothes in JD Sports but we managed to get some nice clothes which he is happy to wear.

I’ve also made a This is your Life photo book for my daughter, it took a number of nights trawling through all the photos and then theming them. I decided against just putting them in date order, except for the first double page spread which is photos from 0 – 18, and have pages as sister, daughter, granddaughter, animal lover, dancing queen etc.. There are some beautiful pictures and it was a work of love. I also chose 18 photos and had them printed as Polaroids to stick on the mirror in our hotel room to complement some other decorations I have too. It’s been hard work but I do take joy from making the sparkles.

Away from all the report writing and birthday prep I have been doing some other things. I did a special evening 5k trail run around a local beauty spot called Chase the Sun. A little bit of a misnomer as the weather has been so dull and wet over the past few weeks that there wasn’t much sun to be seen. However it was a stunning route and definitely a race to return to next year. There is a 7 miler too, so perhaps next year when I’m injury free it’ll be a treat! My son came to cheer me on and enjoyed exploring the area too. There is a really fun rope bridge so after the race we had a little play here and I got some great race photos. I did like the description the race director gave in his briefing, a summer barbecue and drinks with a little run. The race also coincided with World Running day so I got a badge on Garmin too, win, win.

On my commute I have listened to two brilliant books. Susie Chan’s running book and Libby Page’s ‘This Book Made Me Think Of You’ this is my new favourite book of the year with so many book recommendations contained within it. I managed to find the full list and have printed it off for future inspiration. I really like Libby Page’s work, other great reads have been the Lido and the Vintage Shop of Second Chances , she writes beautifully and her characters are so well written. She did an online book reading via our local library a few years ago which I watched and she came across as such a lovely, warm person. Susie Chan’s book was a recommendation after reading Sophie Raworth’s running book, the epilogue was an interview between the two women whom are friends and her enthusiasm and zest for life just made you want to read more of her running tales. She is an exceptional woman and the book was brilliant. However despite her enthusiasm, I will never do more than a half marathon. I prefer to live voraciously through others’ running adventures.

As I write I am also watching a World cup game. It’s actually been a slow start to the competition as timings mean that half of the matches have been played overnight due to time differences in the USA and Canada and England don’t make their debut til next Wednesday. I like a tournament where the games are crammed into the days and you can watch 3 or 4 matches a day quite easily. I’m hoping it’ll pick up as the tournament progresses. We have our WSC World Cup poster up in the snug. I reckon I’ve been buying the WSC magazine with the tournament’s free poster for about 35 years now! It’s always the best one, witty, cartoons and a clear scores and progression map. WSC remains a quality football magazine and the only one I read.

Finally, peony season has arrived and my first bunch from the supermarket have been perfect. The petals have bloomed and spark joy each time I sit down at the kitchen table and see them in the window sill. It’s always the little things which bring joy.

Although this is a two weekly catch up, it wasn’t a two week half term, just the first week of the fortnight had little to report. I was busy at work with the school production, went to a new hairdresser and got a haircut which I was really pleased with and picked up two very happy boys after a draw with Man City guaranteed European football next year.

However the second week was a corker! We got an unexpected heatwave and all the activities I had planned were done in lovely sunshine. It was definitely a half term of travelling, I went to Nottingham and back on Sunday, Bristol to see my father in law on Monday, return from Bristol to London on Tuesday and then the drive home on Wednesday. By my calculations that’s more than 800 miles in 4 days. Fortunately I took the supporter’s coach to the football and a coach to London so did not do all the driving. I would never drive in London.

My son and I travelled to Nottingham for the final game of the Premier League football season. European football had been achieved earlier in the week so this was a celebration of a successful season and good byes to the manager and a couple of players out of contract. The atmosphere was unreal, as soon as we arrived we went to the away fans hub which was loud and proud before walking back to the ground. I’ve never really visited Nottingham, we stopped en route to Scotland when I was a child to see Sherwood Forest and I recall a photo of me and my brother next to a statue of Robin Hood and I did a Uni open day there too. However I was super impressed by the city we saw, a beautiful walk by the river, live music, great pubs. Of course anywhere in the sunshine always looks beautiful. We had come prepared and on Saturday afternoon had customised a small polystyrene plane with the club logo and a few phrases. Flight and planes were definitely the theme of the afternoon, there were fans dressed as pilots, inflatable planes, all ready to fly off for the European tour. It was the hottest and loudest football game I’ve ever been to and a core memory for my son and I.

Originally when planning half term, I had organised a day out, a day at home to relax. The best laid plans etc.. My father in law was moved from hospital to a rehabilitation centre on Sunday so we travelled up on Monday to check he was settled in. This meant that I needed to change the logistics for my trip to London and travel from Bristol. Living in a rural location it blows my mind that when in Bristol not only can I catch a bus at 5.20am but that I had choices on which route to take. I love London and don’t want to waste a single moment of my day so always have a very early start (4.40am, the coach is ideal for a nap) My main aim was to visit the Print, Pattern, Paint exhibition at the Textiles and Fashion museum. As part of my journey, I walked across Tower Bridge, it always gives me delight to see all the London sights and walking in the sunshine gave me all the feels. The exhibition was excellent and well worth my trip. After seeing the work, I did pop into Liberty to see their current and classic patterns. I also became photographer to snap my daughter in a Insta worthy picture of her among the flowers at Liberty’s entrance. One of the nicest parts of the day was lunch at a Greek restaurant, our favourite, we had amazing food and sat at a table at an open window, experiencing the restaurant’s air conditioning and the sunshine, a win win. Given the heat, we headed to air conditioned shops in the afternoon and had a lovely mooch around Selfridges before returning home.

As a teacher, it’s not unusual to attend a wedding during a holiday and on Thursday evening I was invited to a former colleague’s reception. I found myself getting quite nostalgic, I had known the bride when she was just starting her career and to see how she has blossomed into a happy, confident woman was beautiful. The wedding itself was at a lovely venue with unbelievable views, it was a warm evening and just right for being outside listening to a wonderful live band. One of life’s little glimmers.

This weekend was our parkrun’s special and there were a lot of dinosaurs on the course. It was such a fun morning and the breakfast on the terrace afterwards topped off a beautiful morning. Finally today we have had a cup tournament for our son’s football team. He has been playing for an inclusion men’s team this year , so it’s been a steep learning curve as it’s much more physical and challenging. Whilst they didn’t win they did work well as a team and there’s potential for a successful next season.

So what had been planned as a mix of fun and relaxation ended up looking a little different but trips to Nottingham and London were very memorable. It’s back to work tomorrow, 7.5 weeks and then it’s summer holidays, it’s the best half term of the year.

I have always loved the Baz Luhrmann song Everybody’s Free. Whilst there is lots of advice that stands out I particularly like the line above that what blindsides you is something you never imagined on a random Tuesday afternoon. This week that happened to us, although it was a Wednesday afternoon rather than Tuesday. My husband had spoken to his dad earlier in the day and all was good and he was enjoying a coach day trip. We then had one of ‘those’ calls as we sat down to eat dinner. You know it’s bad news immediately, it’s the tone, the words, the absolute sick feeling in the pit of your stomach even before you know what’s happened. We learnt that my father in law had had a bad fall in a cafe on the trip and they were waiting for an ambulance to take him to hospital. From that moment on, we were reliant on the kindness of strangers to stay with him and get him to hospital as we were a 2.5 hour drive away and my sister in law was abroad on holiday. Everybody was amazing, I do believe, only strengthened by this experience that we are there for each other, and they got him safely to hospital where X-rays showed he had fractured his hip which led to a hip replacement operation. This meant that as soon as school finished on Friday night, it was a trip to Bristol to support him and my husband. I have nothing but praise, gratitude and respect for our wonderful NHS. It was the first time I’ve been to the new hospital building at Southmead and it is unbelievable, more like a hotel than a hospital. His single room is huge with everything he needs and an en suite. The staff have been brilliant and we know he is getting the best possible care. Our focus is now to support him in his recovery and we will need to have a few difficult conversations about his future plans. He is in his mid 90s and has always been fiercely independent but I fear that this accident may impact his current lifestyle. Whilst my son and I are back home tonight my husband remains in Bristol and I think this may be the pattern for the next few weeks.

With the week being turned upside down I was very grateful to be able to get to a parkrun. Saturday’s visiting hours were from 11am which gave me a window to run and just get in the right head space as I run for my mental as much as my physical wellbeing. Fortunately there is a run, minutes from my father in law’s house where we were staying, so I went simply for the parkrun, no faffing this week. It’s so close that I was home and in the shower by 9.45am, this has never happened before.

There are limited visitor facilities at any hospital but Southmead has a M&S and Costa, which meant nice drinks and snacks. I joke that I only ever use a Costa at a hospital or service station but it’s true and we worked our way through their new summer drinks menu over the days we were there. On the tough days you need those little glimmers and if a fancy drink was what did it for us this weekend, so be it.

Whilst it was easy to postpone my (much needed) hair appointment, my son did have a football tournament today, Sunday which he was really keen to play in. It was a very early start to get to the ground for the 10.30am start from Bristol. I do think after such a few stressful and worrying days it was important for him to be able to play, especially after all the time he has spent at the hospital with no word of complaint, he has only shown love and care to his grandad. Typically after some beautiful weather this weekend, it was dull and breezy on the touchline, but he had a great time and it was worth the early alarm call.

I normally have an idea of how my week is going to look , but for the moment we’re just going with the flow and making it all work.

It’s a week and a day for this week’s post to include bank holiday Monday. I’ve had a lovely day of pottering, cooking a pretty impressive roast dinner and taking a walk along the coast. It was forecast to be a wet and cold day, but we’ve had bright blue skies and warm sunshine. Needless to say our seaside town was busy, which is good for our local businesses and actually brings a nice atmosphere, everyone’s happy be at the seaside on a sunny day. We had planned a quiet Monday as the weekend was very busy, Saturday was parkrun and then a train ride to the county town for lunch and to see the film Michael at the cinema and Sunday was a home league match and then a quick drive to football training.

It’s difficult to review the Michael Jackson film. As a film, it’s fun, sad and has a cracking soundtrack. But there is something which doesn’t sit right. Whilst the film is part one which conveniently ends before the abuse allegations there is a feeling that it is a sanitised version of events and many unanswered questions remain about the acceptance of violence in the home, power of money etc Personally, I couldn’t understand why Michael remained living on the family estate, where so much violence and abuse had taken place, when he had the financial security to have his own place. I also questioned if anyone ever said no to Michael when he became the superstar, I knew of Bubbles the monkey, but he had a llama he took for walks around the neighbourhood and a giraffe walked around the gardens. It was a bizarre setup and the film only leads to more questions than answers.

Fortunately I have watched a much more fun and gentle film this afternoon. Whilst the sequel came out this week, I had never seen The Devil Wears Prada and after having had lots of recommendations whilst chatting to work friends this week, I finally watched it, just the 20 years after its release! I enjoyed the film, it was amusing and an easy way to spend a couple of hours. I’m keen to see part two now and hope to do it in the new few weeks. I love the cinema and each time I go it only encourages me to go more often.

I’ve been doing more planning for special events this week, honestly this year there is so much happening and I need to plan and save. In just 4 months, I have my daughter’s 18th, my dad’s 80th and my mum’s 75th birthdays. I am the family member who comes up with the ideas, sorts everyone and everything and I also pride myself on doing all the little extras, so planning is key. I suppose this planning and execution is my love language. We are going away for our daughter’s birthday, the hotel is booked and I have some ideas for activities during the weekend. However this week I managed to book the main event, which is described as ‘An underground jazz bar where filming isn’t allowed, why? to break the habit of reaching for your phone and allow you to be dropped back into a time when nights were about being present. Your night includes a three course dinner and three sets of jazz inspired live music, blending the old with the new.’ I really hope this meets her brief. I haven’t quite broken it to the boys that it is dress to impress with a twenties theme. I have ordered a flapper style dress from Vinted this week and hope this works well.

When I booked the tickets to the Paint, Pattern, Print exhibition in London, I also ordered the accompanying book. I like to know what I’m going to see, what I really want to see etc.. and by getting the book in advance I can make the most of my visit. I’ve started reading it this week and it’s only made me more excited for the trip in May half term.

As the football season comes to its end, our household is becoming more focused on the impossible dream of European football, as it really could happen. This means every game is even more important and the nerves high. I’m trying to maintain a balance at home as I know how crushing the disappointment could be too. Only 3 more games until we know the final table and the places for Europe are decided. We will be at the final game, away in Nottingham at the end of the month, it could be a very emotional day.

I’ve tried to keep this week quiet as a midweek football fixture does have an impact on the week, a busy day coordinating everyone’s schedule and then a late night. It was an incredibly frustrating game, one we should have won if VAR and refereeing were a little more consistent and fair. It’s still annoying me now and I’m generally pretty balanced about results. The night itself was great, such a banging atmosphere, a brilliant live band outside before the game and then free scarves for everyone to raise aloft during INXS’ Never Tear Us Apart. My friend and I did the wave across the stands again and the photo is one she took showing the stand I was in. The result didn’t dishearten us and my son and I have booked the tickets for the last game of the season, away to Nottingham Forest. Another road trip for the two of us. Fortunately it’s on the Sunday preceding the bank holiday and half term so there’s time to relax after. This week I’ve also booked a trip to London during half term to see an exhibition I’m interested in. It will be the first time I’ve taken a coach to London but the difference in price between a train and coach was so much, £14 vs £71, that I felt the difference could be used to make the day even nicer in London.

With a quiet week I’ve been reading in the evenings and am enjoying Influenced, about the protagonist’s online persona and how social media shapes identity, rightly or wrongly.

Yesterday was my final parkrun tourism in a mini streak of five. This has not been because of any grand plans to tour, but simply due to circumstances and life plans. After being away for what seems an age, I am looking forward to returning to my home parkrun and volunteering and running. Yesterday’s parkun was one of my parkrun buddy’s and my little adventures as we both needed a F for our alphabets. Some friends of his were also planning to tour so we all met up and had breakfast together after. It was a morning with all the feels, bright sunshine, warm weather, stunning river scenery, excellent company and a delicious breakfast. I was also happy with my time, the quickest post injury and that there were no twinges or aches after.

Continuing on the running theme, I have loved the London Marathon coverage today. Mr S had an away fixture this morning so left early leaving me to watch it in peace. I was in awe of Sawe who broke the world record and became the first person to record a sub 2 hour time in a marathon race. It really was stunning. The woman’s race also saw a world record, I just cannot imagine the times these athletes run. Then there are all the charity runners and their stories which are so inspirational and sometimes just a little heart breaking. It’s probably the only day I ever watch tv on a Sunday morning and it is one of my favourite programmes of the year. However, as much as I love running, I have the upmost respect for marathon runners, I know it’s not for me. I like the distance of a half as my challenge and even though my injury has meant I won’t be running next weekend, I have deferred to 2027 and look forward to my next half marathon challenge.

A quick shout out must go to the weather this week, the sunshine and warmth has certainly made this week seem a little more cheerful and I’ve spent lots of time outside. On a couple of evenings we’ve gone straight to the garden after tea and I love the casual conversations with neighbours who pass and just feeling the sunshine on your face.