Month: April 2026

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.

After the relaxing Easter holiday, I returned to work, routines and a very full diary. I ended being late home every night this week and it did seem like I ate, tidied up, had a quick catch up with the boys and then it was time for bed. Some late returns were due to appointments, i now have lovely pink nails which by chance match my water bottle. However after a two week holiday and Inset day my son chose to inform me on the first day back that he needed new trousers and a polo shirt and it was a quick trip to town after school to purchase the items. I also had to be a proper grown up and go solo to buy a new car. This is the sort of thing that completely freaks me out. Last time I bought a car, I told my husband the make and model and the first time I saw it was when he brought it home which suited me perfectly. However, due to his brain injury he can no longer drive so I had to go to the garage and do all the practical things. Fortunately all the details of price and extras had been sorted in advance by my husband and the garage so I had the more pleasant job of having a test drive and choosing the colour and trims. It is an electric car so it was a brand new experience to drive an automatic but it was smooth and easy. I am so excited about having an electric car, with petrol prices rising daily the thought of just plug and go is very appealing. It is also so modern and stylish, I won’t ever have had such a cool car. Now we just have to wait for it to be delivered and I’m hoping by half term I’ll have a more environmentally friendly (as much as private vehicle can be) new car.

On my commutes this week I’ve been listening to the audio version of The Art of Thinking Clearly. I appreciate the short but fascinating chapters, in for example the over confidence effect, chauffeur knowledge. It’ll get worse before it gets better fallacy. It is fascinating and so interesting, the perfect commute book. I have also been loving ‘What happened that summer’ it’s a podcast true crime setting with a great twist at the end, a very easy but gripping read.

This weekend saw two family events in different households, my father in law’s birthday and my mum recovering from her hip replacement operation earlier in the week. As my son wasn’t at college, he and my husband took the train through to Bristol on Thursday night and I drove up to my mum and dad’s after work on Friday, all meeting up to come home together today, Sunday. It was a home based weekend, my mum is sore and fragile, but it was actually nice to simply have quality time together. My parents had been up to Scotland recently to see family and had brought some old family photos back which we went through together. For the first time I saw a picture of my great grandparents, on my mum’s side, including a wedding photo from 1902. I love this social history and I really enjoyed looking in the albums and seeing all the different fashions

Although we had a quiet weekend, I couldn’t miss a parkrun and went to the NENDY to my parents house at Blaise Castle. This brought back memories from the late 1990s / early 2000s when we lived in Bristol. I remembered a friend’s wedding reception in the ‘castle’ it’s a big house really, and the hot air balloons coming over from the nearby fiesta, a spectacular sight. Also we used to take our dog there for lovely walks, happy days. It was a great parkun, a bit like a cross country course across fields and through the woods but it had all the facilities you would need and a very friendly vibe. A perfect Saturday morning in the sunshine.

I’m hoping for a more relaxed week, although we do have a football game on Wednesday night which will mean a late night. It’s nearly the end of the season and I know we’ll miss the football when it’s on a break. Thankfully it’s a World Cup year!

When I was preparing this post I was genuinely surprised how much we had done but that it had also felt a restful week. We didn’t return home from Bristol til Monday afternoon and then it was a quick change and then out for dinner with friends. It was a lovely evening at a gastropub, albeit a limited menu after a very busy weekend for them. Dinner was delicious and our mini desserts, mine was a chocolate panettone bread and butter pudding, definitely weren’t mini but were absolutely delightful.

I was keen to have a balance of relaxation and purpose during the holiday. After a few days away, the washing basket was full so I did this and what a joy it was to hang the washing outside on some lovely warm, sunny days. I also did some random jobs that have been on my radar for a while but I never quite had the time to do, I went through our medicine cupboard and took the out of date meds to the pharmacy and cleaned a skylight.

I’ve also had a few games of darts this week, my son used his Easter money to buy a dartboard and we’ve been playing a lot. I was very proud of my first bullseye! 🎯

It was an arty week as I took some time to go into the garden and do some simple watercolours in the sunshine. It was only for an hour or so but it felt so good. I have also been to a couple of exhibitions that have been on ‘my to see’ lists. The first was called People Watching and I really enjoyed the curated show. It was my first visit in which I had the time to properly explore the art gallery and I was really taken by the section on Thomas Hardy, who lived locally. I discovered he actually lived in my town for a period. I’ve always been a big Hardy fan and Tess of the D’urbervilles is my favourite so I was thrilled to actually see the pen he used to write it, onto which is carved the word Tess. I went to a second exhibition in a different art gallery at the weekend for the show on the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker. Again it was an excellent show, I’m not a fairy person but the detail of her botanical pictures was remarkable. She also spent time in our seaside town and there was a stunning picture of some children playing on the beach which I really admired. I’ve recently bought the Art pass, teachers get a reduced rate and by going to these two exhibitions I’ve now saved more than the pass cost.

On Saturday I found myself with the opportunity for another parkrun adventure. I had to drop the boys off at the Bournemouth stadium for 7am and rather than go home, I chose to go further afield and do Netley Abbey parkrun for my N for the namely, parkrun and alphabet challenges. I also got to run through bluebells something that had been on my running wish list. The parkrun was gorgeous, you run on paths, grass, along an estuary, Southampton water, and through the woods blanketed with bluebells. It was one of my favourite parkruns. I loved the country park where it was and there was so much to explore. The centre piece is the chapel the only remaining building of the military hospital and I spent an interesting visit finding out about the hospital and its history. I also discovered fairy trees, trees with faces and admired so much beautiful cherry blossom. The boys loved their trip to Arsenal with a mighty impressive and unexpected win for the Cherries. The football didn’t stop on Saturday as our son was in a tournament on Sunday and then it was time to pack my work bag!

I’ve really enjoyed this Easter holiday, a mix of family visits, days out, parkruns and relaxation. I feel ready and excited for the term ahead.

I love the Easter holiday and this has been a wonderful week mainly at home. It feels like I haven’t had time at home for ages, I was away all of Feb half term and then Christmas was spent visiting family with only the odd day or two at home. So this time at home has felt like a real luxury and I have done so much ‘home making’ which I love.

I was really keen to do a deep clean of the house. I must stress that as he no longer works Mr S does a great job during the week of cleaning and tidying but there were those little things that needed doing, cleaning the grouting, removing limescale off the shower doors, cleaning and reorganising the cupboards inside and out and cleaning the inside windows. I was really motivated and armed with my cleaning materials and podcasts I enjoyed my hard work and feel very satisfied with my endeavours. I also decided that it was time to light my fancy candles, there were lots dotted around the house and if not now, when?

I also spent time decorating the house for Easter. The picture only shows my kitchen window but I’ve also done 2 other feature windows and decorated the lounge fire place. I didn’t do it last year as we were away for all but two days of the holiday. Whilst this year we were away for the Easter long weekend I felt it important to do it so it doesn’t stop becoming a part of our traditions. I think it’s always nice to make the effort although it was with a tinge of sadness as my decorations no longer contain a hand made card or a school Easter craft project . I miss the Easters when we had egg hunts, decorated bonnets and read Easter stories together. It is always about cherishing the moment.

It’s been nice to have the time to slow down and potter. On a miserable afternoon I took my son down to the arcade for 2p machines and interactive games. We hardly ever go here as I think living in a seaside resort the arcade never quite has the attraction of when you’re on holiday. However, it was fun way to spend an hour on a grey day. I also read the excellent book Why did you Stay by Rebecca Humphries. It’s about a toxic relationship sadly played out and ended in a very public way. It’s a book I would like to share with my daughter. I have nothing but respect for the way Humphries conducted herself in such a horrible situation.

For this Easter weekend we have been staying with my father in law in Bristol. On Friday the boys went to see Bristol Rovers and I went up to Cribbs, the out of town shopping centre. It’s rare that I go shopping in such a large centre and I enjoyed looking at what was in the shops, trying a few things on and just browsing, a very satisfying afternoon. I also managed to get a traditional Easter lunch from M&S. It was an inspired idea from the store as everything was ready to go in the oven or microwave and as my father in law’s kitchen is quite basic it was perfect for us and delicious.

Of course, I found a new parkrun to try on Saturday and it was Easter themed as it was at a former chocolate factory in Keynsham. Its nickname is the Curly Wurly as it is like a maze, at any point you have no idea how you got to where you are or how to get out but somehow it works smoothly. The RD didn’t even try to explain the course simply follow the person in front! It was a lot of fun because at all times you can see everyone and we’re all running in different directions. I always love a new parkrun and am so grateful that wherever I am there is normally one to try nearby.

After such a lovely week I am looking forward to more of the same next week, there are a few things in the diary and also the time for my own little projects I genuinely love my job but also I love the holidays.