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This year has been a very strange one, personally I have had some real highlights, but there has been a peculiar feeling to this year, anxiety, anger, sorrow. This was supposed to be the year when the pandemic became a memory, however Covid remains the top news story and as I write this, there is a phenomenal drive on getting everyone boosted following their 2 vaccinations this year and we await news of potential new restrictions. It was relief to be able to visit my parents last week, but this was not done until we had all had negative LFTs and we only did events outside to protect and save us from a Christmas in isolation. Life is the same but different and I think we will all take a time to recover from the past 18 months, life has lost its spontaneity and plans are now only tentatively made.

The year started badly as my work had a big outbreak of Covid. We were at work onsite everyday and I was one of those trained to do the testing (in full PPE) I witnessed the double lines and needing to break it to staff that they needed to do a PCR as their LFT was positive was horrible. Our students were also separated from family and their level of disability meant that some were unable to understand what was happening, why they couldn’t see parents, do their favourite things or that they were ill and needed to stay in their homes, this was heart breaking. Sadly some of our most vulnerable and staff and students contracted Covid and the worry was immense, it was in my thoughts 24 hours, 7 days a week. I was emotionally fragile by the end of the outbreak with a level of cleanliness which probably bordered on obsessive. I also feel that the effects of this period will haunt me for a long time, there was never any time to pause and recover, the next outbreak was only ever a few months away. If I feel like this I cannot imagine how our doctors and nurses are, they are the true heroes of this year, I have never been prouder of our NHS and did have a little cry each time I was given my vaccination. I have remained very cautious throughout the year, even as the restrictions lessened, I continued to wear a mask in shops and on the one occasion I went on a train. I have avoided indoor events and pubs and restaurants if they didn’t have outdoor seating areas. Socialising with friends has changed, we now tend to get a takeaway coffee and walk and talk or share a meal in a friend’s garden around an open fire. Life has changed during the pandemic, priorities are different and values strengthened, perhaps there is no normal to return to and now is the time to develop our own path forward.

Away from Covid, there were many news stories which made me so angry, how the issues which we campaigned against as teenagers are still in the news in 2021, and worse still how we seem to have regressed in addressing and countering racism and misogyny. Society seems more splintered and divided this year, the consequences of Brexit continue and this year saw shortages and a petrol crisis, at times this was a really grim year. Best not to get me started on the government..

All the major events were affected by Covid and we had many of the big sporting events postponed from 2020 this year, the Olympics and Euros. Both gave special memories, England reaching the final of the Euros remains their best performance in my lifetime. However, it was the way in which the team behaved, and the values they shared that lasts, a team which promotes an inclusive and fair society is one to cherish. The Olympics were fun and new sports were discovered, although an Olympics without crowds was a spooky experience to view, lets hope for a raucous and loud Olympics In Paris.

Initially I though 2021 was going to be a transition year ‘back to normal’ it wasn’t as Covid continued to affect daily life, from lockdowns, significant international travel restrictions to a return to even more restrictions by the end of the year . My hope is that 2022 will be the transition period and life will be filled with more sparkles in the coming year.

Last night when my daughter was at youth club I took the opportunity to run around this very festive village. I’m only adding one photo here but I have a reel of beautiful images, the sky was so dark, speckled with stars and the decorations are amazing.

It is a small village so for a 5k run you have to do a few repetitions of the main road and take every little side road to make the miles. The lights were everywhere, pubs, hotels, shops, homes and at every turn you found more. I was wrapped up but after the storm earlier in the week it was a mild evening and perfect winter running conditions. To fully embrace the mood, I also had a Christmas playlist. Sometimes runs are hard but other times when you can add a little sparkle, they raise the spirit and warm the soul.

This week has seen us on week one of our summer holiday. With the postponed 2020 holidays, we’re doing a two centre break this year, this week in Norfolk and four nights in Kent next week. When we were planning our holiday we wanted to go somewhere a little different, we’ve enjoyed Cornwall and Devon so we’ve gone east. I have visited Norfolk before. It was the summer when I was 16 and my friend and I stayed in a small converted barn in her aunt’s garden near Diss. I remember playing Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet CD all holiday, long walks in the fields and a shopping trip to Norwich! Thirty two years later, my holiday looked a little different.

We broke up the journey as it was a long one with a stay in a hotel in Colchester. By chance on the evening we came across the most sparkly rustic pub garden where we stopped for a delicious dinner. It was pretty perfect, relaxing in the sunshine and the dusk with the fairy lights twinkling, great food and simply talking about holiday plans, an unexpected delightful start to the holiday.

We stayed in a Haven caravan park, Wild Duck. As we live at a beautiful seaside resort, we decided to stay more inland and chose the site for its woodland setting. It was a beautiful site, so well maintained and our caravan was nested in the trees, the views from the bedrooms were amazing. The picture above illustrates this, the window did feel like a picture frame for the stunning landscape. One bonus of the forest setting was really poor mobile signals so it was an enforced but welcomed digital detox.

In our family we all have roles and Mr S is chief holiday planner and organiser. I pack! Mr S had the booking system set up very efficiently, so we had daily swimming sessions in both the indoor and outdoor pools. I preferred the outdoor pool, it was so warm and again with the hour slots it was easy to get a sun bed too. One of my holidays reads was a present from a friend the Lido by Libby Page. It’s a fantastic read and the tonic I didn’t know I needed. I did feel inspired by it and the outdoor pool did make me wonder if I should do more outdoor swimming ( I am not going to become a sea swimmer, I need a chlorinated pool!)

We also had lots of other activities on site, Segways, Archery, Paint a Pot (that’s the birds in the picture above) and Bike Hire. The bikes was my favourite activity. The previous morning I had discovered the Angles Way on my morning run and we returned to cycle it. It gave the most gorgeous views of the Norfolk Broads and in perfect weather conditions, bright blue skies, sunshine and a gentle breeze. We also found some old castle ruins and windmills which added to the fun.

Away from the site, we explored the local area too. We went to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft in the evenings and also had a morning in Gorleston where we played on the beach. I recently discovered the poet Robert M Drake and my daughter and I read some of these aloud on the beach and were really struck by his observations and commentary. There was also fun to be had making pebble sculptures. We also found a craft fair on the field behind the beach, my type of shopping and I did return with a new candle! There was also a brownie stall, with the most amazing array of flavours I have ever seen. We may have bought a few to try! I liked the quiet and peace of Gorleston a real contrast to Great Yarmouth. I didn’t know what to expect from Great Yarmouth but it was loud, bright and brash, the Blackpool of the East. The children of course loved it, spending their money on ice creams, fancy milk shakes and what I can politely describe as tat! Lowestoft was a mix of the two towns, we went to the UK’s most eastern point and enjoyed an evening drink on an outdoor terrace in sunshine. Life felt pretty normal this holiday, with only mask wearing and sanitiser as references to Covid.

We all really enjoyed Norfolk, the countryside was beautiful and the site the perfect setting to explore the Broads. Our caravan was gorgeous and we had treated ourselves to a 3 bedroom caravan so the children could have a room each. This helped night times and gave the children some space and time to do their things. We’re in a 2 bedroom caravan next week and it’ll be interesting to see the difference.

It was a really wholesome week at Wild Duck, our activities were outdoor based and we all benefited from the fresh air and sunshine. The weather was a pleasant surprise, warm and sunny every day and we left feeling refreshed and happy.

Postscript.
On Sunday in Gorleston, we came across what was signed as a Banksy piece of art. It did amuse me as it was the grabber from an arcade machine, the very machines we avoid as it only ever ends in tears. By the time we left it was covered in Perspex and there was security. In looking on the web it seems Banksy is on a staycation and it was part of an art project Great British Spraycation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-58145220

I can’t quite believe we’re nearly at the end of the month, its been a busy one which started with our holiday and has included a mum and son weekend, family celebrations, Euro 2020 and a running challenge.

I’ve taken today what I recently heard referred to as white space day, a day deliberately blank in your diary. It’s just what was needed and I am feeling slightly more in control now. It’s been nice to have the time to stop and chat with our neighbours, potter around town doing a few errands and to catch up on life admin.

As its been so long since I last wrote I won’t detail every week, simply some of the highlights. I love a football summer, football on the tv throughout the day, the anticipation of an England match and the hope that this year is our year! Our son has the Euro bug too, he has the sticker book, a flag in his bedroom window, a new England top and is busy filling in his wall chart after every game. I’m pleased the next game for England, the first knock out round, is on at 5pm, perfect timing on a school night. I’m someone who doesn’t watch much tv but my viewing habits are very different at tournament time, I always have a game on and I find the non England games less stressful and a little more relaxing.

Euro 2020 began on our mum and son weekend, Mr S and our daughter went to stay with my Father in law to help him with some jobs, so we had what we call SAM (Son and Mum) time. We had lots of little treats planned, crazy golf was the best. We’re both competitive so there was no allowing for age, it was a genuine contest, which sadly I lost, much to the absolute joy of my son. We also had those mini hot doughnuts made freshly to celebrate the win.

This month also has seen a little running challenge. Sometimes, I like to do something a bit different with my running, this year I am attempting to run the 874 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats and decided to try to do a RED month, that’s run at least a 5k everyday which I could also double up as a 100 mile month. This all seemed like a great idea as I was relaxing on holiday doing my early morning runs. However the reality of long, intense work days, the Euros, solo parenting for a weekend, heat waves and cold, wet days etc.. has certainly made this a challenge. Some days I’ve been out at 5am, other days at 10pm. On one day when it was just my son and I, we ran to the park and I would do one lap, play a little football, do another lap play more football, that was a toughie. However, I’m now on the last week and looking forward to the end. I’m not planning on repeating the challenge, I like my routine of 4 runs a week and I’ve missed the longer runs.

Other things we’ve done this month is to get a new bed for our son’s room. It’s one of those cabin designs so he has room to play underneath, it took a few hours to construct but amazingly no arguments as we made it up together. It does look good and we’re really pleased with it. I also had a much delayed and rearranged ophthalmology appointment due to the pandemic. My eye pressure was raised as a concern at a regular eye check. However, all is just within acceptable parameters at present, but I now will have 6 monthly checks in case further action is needed. Ive tried to not Google too much and get scared but I will make sure I get those check ups.

Now I’ve caught up, I hope it won’t be so long until my next post.

It’s a quick catch-up this week as it’s already Monday night and I’ve not written yet. I think its quite hard to write when everything seems so dull. It’s also been a week where I’ve learnt of some really tough times that friends and acquaintances are facing, they’re not my stories to share but I’ve hugged my little family that little bit tighter his week.

The highlight of my week was a night out with friends. It was rearranged from last weekend due to storms but rain was still forecast. However we were all keen to meet and agreed to simply come weather ready. Fortunately my friend has a shelter and a fire pit in her garden and we survived the night by being totally distracted by the weather with such good company. It was a real feel good evening, I’ve missed the face to face contact with friends.

There are always walks in lockdown and these continued this week. I tried to add a bit of variety by taking some photos of the colours we saw. It was a nice little project to contrast the very grey skies. I also added a little more colour by having a manicure, I really like the varnish, I can’t remember the name but it’s a shade of taupe and looks lovely. It’s an unusual choice for me as I normally choose pastels.

I’ve continued to watch This Is Us on Amazon. It’s such a good series and Mr S and I do make an effort to sit down and watch it together. I’m also reading Nora Ephron’s Heartburn. It’s a book I’ve read reviews and articles on for a long time and it is as good as predicted.

Today, May 17th indoor activities reopened. When I picked up my son from Scouts it was great to see the warmth of the lights on in the pubs and restaurants open. Perhaps normality is finally returning.

This was another anniversary we didn’t want, a second Easter in lockdown. Consequently, it was another quiet celebration for the just the four of us.

As we didn’t break up until Maundy Thursday, we were straight into Easter weekend as we started the holidays. Thanks to long lockdown weekends, I had been pretty organised, so the cards had been sent in advance, all the items for the egg hunt added to the weekly food delivery and my Easter Fortnum and Manson’s gift to my parents had been delivered. This was so well received and something to remember for the future.

Good Friday was an unexpected day, thanks to overflowing sewage from our drain, making it not the most pleasant way to start the holiday weekend. However we are on a HomeCare scheme and Dynorod came very quickly to resolve the issue and all was left very clean and sanitary. Little Man and I went for a walk whilst this was all being seen to and went to buy the all important hot cross buns. Priorities sorted! The afternoon was a lazy, family time and of course, board games. We are totally addicted to Monopoly Deal.

Easter Saturday was a typical Saturday with nothing particularly Easter themed. Mr S and Little Miss went to the garden centre to buy some spring flowers and Little Man and I pottered around doing a few jobs. I did write the clues for the treasure hunt and decorated some card Easter eggs on which I wrote the clues. Normally, I illustrate a scavenger hunt sheet but this year changed this to a treasure hunt. I found some great clues on the Internet from http://www.muminthemadhouse and adapted them to our challenge.

On Sunday, we started with a beautiful walk in the country park, it was a stunning morning with bright blue skies and a perfect way to start the day. On our return, our neighbours popped over to the garden to share Easter greetings and to give some Easter gifts to the children (we have the best neighbours)

I then started to prep up our Easter Sunday lunch. To me this is a big deal and like Christmas, I take time to browse recipes and plan the menu. I’m also realistic that Easter Sunday is about the chocolate, so I made a lighter lunch, a Spring filo pie, filled with spinach, peppers, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and feta, served with new potatoes and spring vegetables. The filo pie from the bbc good food website was stunningly good, and a recipe to repeat, I think it would also be perfect as a main with a salad in the summer. Whilst I cooked, I played my Spring playlist, featuring old family favourites. Tulips from Amsterdam always reminds me of my dad, the spiritual songs reflected my faith and then I included a few past Easter hits, Easy Lover always evokes a hot and sunny Easter with my cousins in 1985. I do love a themed playlist and the memories they bring.

Just before lunch, I turned myself into a 1950s housewife and dressed for lunch, changing from my jeans into a pretty Easter dress. I saw this dress online at Cath Kitson about a year ago and loved the pattern and shape but it was well above my budget. However, just after Christmas I discovered it reduced to a 1/3 of its original price in the sale and I snapped it up. I love the dress it is so beautiful and one I can see me wearing for many Easters to come. I accessorised it with a few special pieces of jewellery, I inherited the bangle and cross from my grandmothers and the ring was passed on to me by my mum, a gift for her 21st birthday from her siblings. For me Easter is a family time and if we couldn’t be together, wearing the jewellery made me closer to them.

Following lunch, the afternoon was lovely and relaxed, the children worked brilliantly together on the Easter treasure hunt and its definitely an activity to be repeated next year with new clues. We then went to the garden for more Easter fun and then all chilled together with a drink and lots and lots of chocolate. It was a simple but cosy family celebration.

After two quiet Easters, it will be nice to plan a very special celebration next year, as not only will it be Easter, but my lovely father in law’s 90th birthday falls on Easter Sunday too. Now that’s what I call a very special occasion! (and the dress is definitely making an appearance!)