Month: February 2026

Given the year so far, a half term break of wet and windy weather seemed and proved inevitable. I have never consulted tide times as much as I have in the past few months, to be prepared for possible floods and road closures. The half term was fully booked and I think that in the future, I need to plan a little day to myself, simply to relax with no to dos. I have driven more than 550 miles in the past week. It’s difficult to complain when I know Mr S would love to drive and misses it so much but his injury has affected not only his independence but mine too. In the past he would take the children out for the day, pop to the shops and just do those little things which I’m now needed for. There’s no alternative at present and it’s simply making the most of the situation we find ourselves in.

It was a family week and we’ve managed to visit all our close family. As we had a few days with my elderly father in law, our days were fairly sedentary as he has limited mobility. However for someone who’s approaching his mid 90s I would love to be as fit and sharp as him at that age. We spent a relaxed and simple Monday with him and my sister in law and husband and it was good to catch up with them. On Tuesday we went to the local trampoline park. Usually my son and daughter participate and I watch from the cafe. This time my daughter was unable to make it and I ended up giving it a go instead, in the words of Gretchen Rubin, choose the bigger life. It was great fun as it’s got such a great set up. There are loads of trampolines to practice moves and gymnastics but also activities too, basketball, dodgeball, gladiator style games, an assault course, slides and reaction games all with the bonus of being played on trampolines! I found the games lots of fun but it was the simple trampoline moves which made me anxious. I was able to remember simple jumps and twists but the thought of bouncing down to a seated pose and jumping up again seemed strangely daunting. It took me a while to muster the courage with my son showing me how it was done and several false starts, but I did it and with such ease that I really wondered what I was so nervous about. However a somersault was definitely out, I will push but I know my limits. After a pub lunch we returned back to my Father in law’s and I took a little time out to pop into a M&S selling clothes! It’s a novelty as where I am the company closed all the stores in the three towns local to me and we now only have food stores nearby. I did find a nice boho style midi skirt and got to use the vouchers that I had bought off the children at Christmas to purchase it, so it feels like a little treat! Tuesday was also pancake day, which is a little difficult away from home. For ease we brought a ready mix pack and made some pancakes for breakfast. They actually came out pretty good and it always seems fun to have them for breakfast. When the children were little if pancake day landed on a school day they would always have them for breakfast and it was also a special occasion.

Given the quiet nature of our time away I was able to read lots. I finished three books. Without a doubt the most moving and one which will stay with me was Our Last Steps. This is a true story about a local woman who was involved in a serious car accident and whose life changed irrevocably. It is absolutely heartbreaking, I cried reading it, but the book rather than being a pity memoir shows the strength of love, family and community in trying to make a different life from tragedy. I won’t give all the story as I don’t feel it’s my place to share someone else’s. However I am sure I am not the only person who watches the final firework in our summer display and blinks away the tears.

As well as reading lots I also finally finished our 2024 photo year book. Yes, for someone who is organised this delay is unheard of. 2024 was the most difficult and hardest year of my life and I think this caused the delay. Whilst there are lots of happy smiling photos the reality was different. I’m so pleased to have finally ticked it off. I still need to do 2025 but that was a much, much better year and it will be a pleasure to put the book together.

On Friday. I had the pleasure of watching my daughter compete in her first horse riding competition. Thankfully it was in half term as any other Friday and I would not have been able to cheer her on. It was a delight to see her in the environment she thrives in, she introduced me to the horses, gave me a tour and then showed such professionalism rider in the competition. I shared the competition photos and news of her first prize with my neighbour. His wife was a passionate horse rider and often took my daughter down to her stables. She would have been so proud which makes it all so bittersweet.

Finally to end half term the boys went off to West Ham yesterday for an away day. I took them over for the coach and fitted in a parkrun en route too. The boys decided to have a breakfast whilst I ran. It’s become a tradition to purchase a mug from every stadium visited. This started when we started visiting stadiums on holiday and we now have a large collection of English and European football mugs. The photo is the mugs from this season’s away games. I’m unsure how to display them, I’ve suggested we put them in order of position in the table but it’s in random at present. Whilst the boys were away I had a nice mooch around some charity shops, tried a vibroplate to try and help my running knee injury at the gym and then had a coffee with a friend. A very busy but enjoyable day.

It’s now back to school but the days are getting longer and spring is coming so there is lots to look forward to. It’s nice to feel that the hardest part of the year is behind us.

Time ran away this past week and whilst I prepared the photo montage for last week I didn’t publish a blog entry. I’ve kept the two montages together for this catch up to illustrate each week.

The one theme in this past fortnight, actually all year so far is the rain. It has rained every day this year and the signs of flooding are everywhere. This has really limited activities so my first week is finishing off books and a Lego activity. Both books are excellent, Table for One a great break up book of self discovery and the Year of yes is again more self discovery but as a non fiction piece of work. The writer is not a single 20 something who has the freedom to say yes but a full time employee, mum to three who by saying yes is able to challenge herself, ‘fear the fear’ and enrich her life. It’s an inspiring read.

It’s many years since I helped the children with Lego but I couldn’t resist when I saw this Valentines heart, my first ever Lego set! On a wet Saturday afternoon when the boys were at football I sat down, football commentary playing in the background and just focused on my set. It gave me a little joy to be creative and do something fun just for the sake of it. Yes I did have a long list of things I could have done but sometimes you need to pause daily life.

Earlier on Saturday, I had discovered an art exhibition at our parkrun venue. I saw it advertised on a notice board and as the boys had gone to football I popped in to have a look. It was a fascinating exhibition featuring photos of neuro diverse people and challenged perceptions of identity. It was so good and apt for some of my students that I quickly organised a trip before it closed. It was an excellent visit and the students really enjoyed it. I felt lucky to have experienced it twice.

My final picture on the first montage is of a gift from an Australian colleague who is returning home after a sabbatical in the UK. She has been an amazing support in class and so well liked by staff and students alike. It’s been a sad goodbye. I like to think we’ve taught her as much about British culture as she has for Australia to us. However we do all agree that a Tim Tam is superior to a Penguin biscuit. Sometimes people pop into your life for a short time but make a big impression.

This second week of the post has been quiet, with the only notable thing being goodbye drinks with our Australian colleague.

I was sad to read of the death of James Van Der Beek this week, who to me and many of my generation will always be Dawson. I loved Dawsons Creek, I may have been in my 20s when it aired but the teenage angst was still so relatable and it was one of the best series on tv in the 1990s. I was team Pacey in the big love triangle but was equally taken by the other characters too, Joey, Jen, Jack and the brilliant Grams. It’s funny how even the theme tune can take you back to the 90s.

Another 90s flashback this week is the Body Shop having a big nostalgia campaign as they reintroduce Dewberry products. To be fair, I don’t need any advertising, I loved Dewberry and had all the products when I was younger and was gutted when it was discontinued. Needless to say I’ve run to the Body Shop to get new supplies and the smell is just as divine as it always was, I am a very happy person!

The final photo is of Stephanie from Lazy Town whom I was compared to this week. It was our school’s Valentines disco with the dress code to wear pink or red so I embraced this with a bright pink wig, reminiscent of Stephanie’s hair and a pink outfit. The comparison amused me and it was very accurate. It made for a fun outfit and we had a blast, doing the Macarena and all the party classics. The wig made another appearance on Valentine’s Day itself as we dressed up for parkrun. It was a fun morning for fancy dress with the run director dressed as Cupid and one runner all in black came as the Milk tray man carrying a box of the chocolates around the course. Sadly I had no love for the run itself which was brutal in such muddy and cold conditions but as always lots of love for our lovely community.

We are now on half term, but it’s a busy week away visiting family and lots of driving. On a leaderboard of the school holidays, February half term sits firmly at the bottom, it’s wet, dark and cold, it’s only saving grace is that after it, the next 3 holidays are the best of the year. Controversially I argue that Christmas is too busy with lots of holidays to be restful so only ranks 4 out of 6 in my personal league table!