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.