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I feel that these words from Murphy’s Sketches (an excellent Instagram account) sum up the past few weeks, some days you are eeking out the last days of summer and other days you’re cuddling under the blanket watching Bake Off! It seems that you simply don’t know what day you’re going to get!

These past weeks have all been about new beginnings which have gone smoothly and so much better than we could have hoped for. It was good to actually live the life we have been anticipating and preparing for over the summer. Our son had the biggest changes with a new college, new class mates and even a new football club. He has taken it all in his stride and is appreciating the more adult environment. He also coped remarkably well when a tree branch crashed onto the taxi he was travelling in. Fortunately neither him or the driver were injured and when you see the images it’s unbelievable they both walked away unharmed.

We have tried to keep things simple at home over the past few weeks to ease ourselves into autumn. The first weekend was the traditional end of season folk festival in our town. I always like this weekend it has that special feel and with gorgeous weather it was a lovely event. I, of course, perused the craft tent and picked up some locally designed Christmas cards. They are lovely and the scenes make it easy to pick for friends. We also ended up in the pub to watch the international football, the match was a bit dull but the bar snacks were a good distraction!

The start of the school year sees both new and familiar routines. I love my Tuesday evenings watching Bake Off. My Monday nights are hectic with mum taxi duties til late so Tuesdays on the sofa always seems a little luxury. I don’t watch much tv but Bake Off and Strictly are my favourites and my tv viewing hours definitely increases in the autumn. I have also watched a 3 part series on a special school on BBC. As a SEN teacher it gave a great insight into our sector and I felt honestly reflected life in a special school, they are magical, safe places.

As it’s back to the daily commute, and it seems a route now peppered with different roadworks, I am enjoying my podcasts and audiobooks on my journeys, they keep me sane. I have listened to the Names and it is an exceptional book. I was savouring every moment to listen to it. It’s a great story about the life of a young boy according to the name he was given with 3 different versions, a sliding doors plot line. The ending is excellent but I really appreciated the attention to detail, the author’s notes on the meanings of the names of all characters, the art and culture references etc.. it’s a well researched and very clever book.

We have planned for a quiet September so we’re enjoying simply being in the season. Work and college keep us busy and the football season is in full swing, both watching our local team and for our son to play in his new team. He was at a tournament yesterday and had a great debut, he was so happy. Sometimes it’s good to simply pause and appreciate the moment.

This summer has been a very special one. It’s been a summer of sunshine and heatwaves and lots of adventures. One which we will look back on and remember fondly forever.

Summer 2025 was

• Our ‘dolce vita’ with visits to some beautiful, historic Italian cities, Rome, Genoa, Pisa and Florence.
• The elegance and charm of Cannes, observed from La Grande Roue.
• The Nou camp in Barcelona, a magnet for all football fans.
• The picturesque port of Palma, simply stunning in the sunshine.
• Fun, football and family times in Liverpool, what a fantastic city.
• Cars, stunning grounds and sculptures at Beaulieu.
• Bristol, the Gromit trail, girlie shopping and mooching.

We celebrated birthdays and anniversaries

• SUP boarding and a Thai birthday meal.
• Barbecue and birthday platters.
• A beach hut day and fish and chips.
• A Roman meal and a visit to the Trevi fountain and Spanish steps, places with lovely memories of our wedding.

We had adventures

• Segways around old Genoa
• Zip wire across the ship

We travelled by

• Planes, ships and boats, underground, bus, coach, taxi, trains and car.
• I ran lots, parkruns, home and away, a 5k Lighthouse loop race, half marathon training.

At home, we

• Grew salad and vegetables, with a bumper yield of potatoes
• Declutterred and tidied (I like being organised)
• Admired our booming garden.
• Got dressed up for prom and celebrated at the leaving assembly.
• Packed away school books and memory books and said good bye to school for our children.

Our summer was really special, a transition from childhood to young adulthood in the most gorgeous sunshine and warmth with new adventures and experiences. Thank you summer 25, you rocked.

The last three weeks have been busy so it’s a quick resume of life lately. As a family it was the end of the football season and straight into summer sports. My husband’s sport is a summer one so it definitely is ‘if it’s not on the calendar it’s not happening’ as we try to coordinate diaries with fixtures.

For my son, he’s enjoying the build up to finishing his school and going to a new SEN sixth form college. He had a residential to Center parks just before half term so the weekend before we had a shopping trip and hair cut to ensure he was prepped and looking good. The shopping list now includes powder and sea salt spray for the hair. He had a great residential although the house was very quiet. However, I didn’t quite get the benefit of child free evenings as my class were on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition on the same dates and I stayed to help with the evening activities. I didn’t camp as with the high level of medical need, I really needed to be on top form during the day and thus needed a good night’s sleep. I had a very impressive step count for this week with two days walking in expedition. Our route included some of the half marathon course I’m doing in October so it was a good recce and of course we eagerly spotted more mermaid tails. The mermaid trail finishes tomorrow and I’ve found a few extras last week so have finished with 2/3 of the collection. It was a nice little activity over the past two months.

May has been a good month for my running, I became the first woman to run 100 parkruns of my home parkrun and received a lovely little memento. Yesterday we had a really fun dinosaur themed parkrun. I’ve also been increasing my mileage in preparation of half marathon training. My official training plan starts during our holiday and as we’re on a cruise I’ll have limited opportunities to run, so my new plan is to start a week earlier, enjoy the cruise and focus on the training after. I’ve been creating running routes and am looking forward to the challenge.

Half term was quite tricky on family matters but we did enjoy a session at a water park and golf driving range. As the rest of the week didn’t go as planned, I used the time to plan for the upcoming birthdays, prom etc.. It’s a busy seven weeks til our holiday. I like to use my school holidays to plan as it helps me feel more organised and in control.

One of the half term highlights, was a check up at the nhs dentist. I haven’t had a nhs dentist for over 25 years so when our local dentist started accepting nhs we all signed up. I was relieved that despite not having been to the dentist in the last decade I only need a clean with the hygienist and a filling.

I do like the seasonal vegetables so have been doing lots of simple recipes with the most delicious fresh ingredients. Nothing beats the taste of a Greek salad with fresh, juicy tomatoes or an asparagus risotto. My husband has been busy in the garden and we have freshly harvested rosso lettuce too. My beautiful rose has been in bloom this week. I love this rose and it is very special as it was a 50th birthday gift from my wonderful neighbour. I miss her lots.

Hopefully that’s a sufficient catch up and fingers crossed next week it’s back to normal service.

It was difficult to find a word for February, suggestions included progress, energy and steps but I finally chose fun. February is not normally a fun month, the weather is unpredictable and not much happens. However with half term and a weekend with our daughter we wanted to have some fun. If anything positive has come out of the last year it is to be and enjoy time with those you love. Our fun came in many guises, sweet nibbles and a film cuddled up on the sofa, a trip to indoor crazy golf at Mulligans, a London break for football stadiums, art and shopping etc.. For me, I had fun dressing up for our school’s Valentines disco and dancing with my class. My weekly parkrun times are improving and I’m really enjoying my running, even with a challenge there’s fun to be had! Even though I’ve chosen fun for this month’s word, I’m pretty certain that this won’t be the most fun month of the year, but it’s given the start of the year a buzz and fun is quite contagious, the more you have, the more you seek it!

I don’t think I’ve ever gone as long without writing a post on my blog. This summer has been one of extremes, some joyful, blissful moments and other darker, awful times. My way of getting through everything has simply to focus on each day and recognise what I can and cannot control. I also find compartmentalising problems has helped too, I only have so much thinking space so try to focus on one thing at a time, whether it be work, family life etc.. Nothing is resolved at present, more appointments and consultations are needed before decisions are made. The stories are not mine to tell, I am simply trying to keep it all together.

Within all the chaos of our summer there have been some wonderful moments.

I took my son to his first ever festival at Bestival which also doubled up as my birthday treat. It was amazing, such a hot, sunny day and we loved the sets from Craig Charles, Sophie Ellis Bextor, the Smyths and the stunning Pete Tong and Jules Buckley orchestra playing Ibiza classics, a real delight. My son was so chuffed to meet a girl from school whom he really likes and they danced and held hands aloft to Pete Tong, a very happy boy. And of course there was glitter!

The week which followed was carnival and lots of fun. We headed out on Weds night to fireworks and the traditional bag of chips .

The week after Bestival we set off on our cruise. This was preceded by a very difficult week and we left for our holiday as a trio rather than the special family holiday we had planned. Our daughter chose not to come with us and we are indebted to my parents for coming to live in our home so we could go on holiday. The cruise was amazing and we’re already planning another next year. We travelled on the Arvia, such a gorgeous ship and I was so pleased not to have any motion sickness which I had been worried about. I had an inside cabin on a middle floor in the middle of the ship and I think this definitely helped counter the movement. I did have a few qualms about an inside cabin but I only slept or showered and dressed in the room and it was perfect. I also slept brilliantly. I actually think my preference is now for an inside cabin on future cruises. On our cruise we went to the Mediterranean. Our first port was La Coruna where my son and I went white water rafting which was epic and so much fun. This was followed by Valencia, a stunning city and a tour of the football stadium. We continued to Barcelona which was an excellent day. I did an organised Gaudi tour, visiting Park Güell and Sagrada Familia which was outstanding, whilst the boys were to a water park. In Marseille we visited the football stadium ( a bit of a theme here ..) and walked around the city spotting the Olympic signs. The sailing and football had taken place in the city during the Games and as it was the last day it felt appropriate to be looking out for the rings. I also impressed my son with my French, ordering in cafes, chatting to a taxi driver, navigating the metro etc.. I was just relieved to still have my language skills as a French graduate nearly 30 years ago! Our next stop was Alicante where my son and I did a day sea kayaking and a brief time on a SUP. The kayaking route took us in a group to a deserted beach for a swim in the beautiful warm, blue sea. In both the rafting and kayaking I was super impressed by my son’s skills. Our last port was Cádiz which was another beautiful city and so easy to walk around and just enjoy the sights, I loved the flower square and had a delicious fresh paella. Our days at sea were full of activities, you simply couldn’t do everything on offer. I loved the thermal spa and gym, the shows and sitting outside in the sunshine reading my book. Life is full of simple pleasures. The food was amazing too.

After the cruise we had a few days out to end the summer holidays. I went to a sculpture park I had heard so much about and it was as amazing as promised. We also headed to the air festival on another hot and sunny day, we didn’t have many of these during the 6 week holiday but luckily they fell on the days we needed great weather. On one of the less favourable weather days I took my son to his first 15 film at the cinema, Deadpool and Wolverine, it had a great soundtrack and lots of celebrity cameos. The football season has also begun and I did watch a cracking match which also coincided with the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the club.

We are now back at school. I’ve a lovely little class and team so am looking forward to the school year. I’ve been at my new school for a couple of years now and finally feel a little more settled and established.

Hopefully the writing routine will be resumed now and I’m pleased to have a record of my summer.

I was considering doing 10 things this fortnight when I realised that as some of my highlights are repeats I may as well just do my five. I didn’t manage to do this post last week as I was feeling pretty rough on Sunday and spent most of Mother’s Day, on the sofa cuddled up to my blanket. Life is so full on at present, I did need this day to simply recover for the coming week.

Yesterday saw the end of what seems to have been weeks of parkrun celebrations, our parkrun’s 100th event and then 2nd birthday, and my 100th overall and then 50th at my home parkrun. I did celebrate my 100th with a sparkling badge and tutu and cakes, but was happy to do a quiet run yesterday after my shout out. I am proud of my 100, it took nearly 5 years, but in my defence there was a 70 week COVID pause, as well as a period of Saturday swimming lessons, a summer season of junior cricket and recovery from foot surgery. I’m hoping to do my next 150 a little more efficiently, hopefully within the next 5 years for my next milestone of 250. Until then its a welcome return to the gentle plod of a Saturday run, slowly building up my numbers and maybe ticking off a challenge or town on the 5k app. What will happen first stopwatch bingo, 11 to go or my 250?

There’s been a lot of football in the past fortnight, training and then two home league games. In both the league games, our team was down in both but managed to gain something from each game. Wednesday night’s was one with all the feels and one of the best I’ve ever been to. It was rearranged from an abandoned game in December. The game took place just days after Mr S accident and whilst I was at his bedside in hospital, grandad took our son to the game to give him a little normality in a very scary time. Unfortunately at this match, a Luton player collapsed and had to be resuscitated on the pitch and the game was quite rightly abandoned. I couldn’t quite believe what had happened as our son had then witnessed two potentially life changing incidents in a matter of days. He appears to have coped admirably with what he has seen, but it was wonderful to go to the match and see the player who had ‘died’ for two minutes come out onto the pitch to thank the medical team and fans. There were lots of tributes and special activities around the ground, a focus on CPR, charity information and fundraising, a night where life was the winner. It was a perfect midweek game, a mild, dry night, a live band playing by the outside bars, a real buzz of excitement. The game was spectacular, I don’t really know how as it was pretty evenly matched, but our team found themselves trailing 3-0 at half time. They then came back to win 4-3 on the night, in a game where the atmosphere was unbelievable and the noise incredible. It was one of those ‘I was there moments’. I also feel it was closure on a football game many years ago in 1985. My brother and I used to go to every Reading home game with my dad, but on the last game before Christmas, my dad was helping at the cubs Christmas party so mum took us to the game instead. Reading were 3-0 down at half time and mum with a long to do list for Christmas persuaded us to jump in the car and head into town as the game was lost. My dad having finished the party got to the game for the second half and watched Reading overturn the score to win 4-3. It’s one of our favourite family stories and I don’t think I have left a match early since.

As Mr S continues his recovery by going to bed very early every night, on the nights when I’m not catching up on work, I have been enjoying a film or reading books. I have watched the film ‘Are you there God, its me Margaret?’ I loved Judy Blume’s books as a tween, and yes we all passed ‘Forever’ around our class. This film is just lovely, the sense of 70s seeps through every scene and its such a feel good film, i thoroughly recommend it. I have read a lot of fiction recently so am enjoying some non fiction with ‘How to Break up with Fast Fashion’ I read a similar book many years ago but am still interested in this more recent take on our ongoing and greater obsession with fashion. At the beginning of the year I set myself a little challenge to try and source as much of my cruise wardrobe from charity and vintage shops or preloved on Vinted or EBay. Whilst I do draw the line at underwear and swimsuits, so far I am delighted by a couple of sundresses, a skirt and shorts I have got for the combined total of less than £20.

Finally this week all staff at the special needs school where I work received a delightful gift from Lush, whose factories are very close by. Lush donated beautiful candles and it was such a kind gesture that made us all feel special. Even better there are enough candles for our parents too, so that special feeling will be shared by our whole school community.