This week I have …

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#20for2020 have a rainbow 🌈 of nail colours

Wow what a week. I am grateful that on this stormy Sunday afternoon I can finally relax, breathe and reflect on an eventful week.

At present we are trying to find our son a special school placement and it is the most stressful and unpleasant experience. It’s a simple situation, everyone agrees he needs specialist support and we would like him to attend our local state Special Needs school. However the process is hell. We now have a complaint lodged with the government ombudsman and we have been given appeal to tribunal. This is what I spend most of my free time doing and it is genuinely making me quite poorly. I spent a couple of evenings on it this week when I really needed to relax.

Despite the stress caused by the above I was happy to get my Uni result and I have a good pass for my module 1, yippee. I’m now halfway to my qualification. I did feel my result was a little overshadowed by some bad news we had about the school placement and I still don’t think I’ve had chance to feel pleased with myself.

However here are some of the things from a very busy week which definitely seemed longer than 7 days!

I read …

Lots of people have recommended The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and I found myself listening to the author talk about his book on radio 4 last week. He was so lovely that I popped into the local bookshop for a copy. It is so beautiful and what I can only describe as an heirloom book with such wise words and delightful illustrations. I read the page above on Tuesday when I had really struggled to get up in the morning. I genuinely felt sick with the stress of the school place but this gave me a little hope.

I watched …

No doubt about the watch this week as Little Miss starred in her first secondary school production Fame. It was brilliant, a little gritty in places but what a show with such amazing talent. We all saw it but on different performances. Little Man saw the dress rehearsal put on for all the town’s Year 5s and 6s, this was the child friendly version. I saw it with my parents and Mr S saw it with his dad, sister and brother in law. With the dress rehearsal it was five performances in total and three late nights but Little Miss has been brilliant throughout and loved being part of such a special event.

I listened …

Two of my favourite podcasts had interviews with Marian Keyes this week. I love listening to Marian Keyes’ beautiful Irish lilt as she talks with such honesty and wit. Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail was poignant and a thoughtful listen, this is a great podcast and the interviews are always very telling. Marian Keyes features prominently this week as her new book was published and I am so excited to have a signed copy as a belated Christmas present. It’s my first ever signed book and one to treasure. Marian has been there all through my adult life, I’ve read all her books but love her in Twitter too, I’m definitely a fan girl!

I wore …

This week I treated myself to a skirt I found on the White Stuff website. During no spend January I kept it on my wish list and with a special offer I finally bought it in February. The skirt is amazing, it’s one of those items you just put on and feels so right, so you. It’s a perfect potter around town outfit and with thick black tights and a bright red jumper and pumps, I felt like skipping rather than walking, it brought me that much joy!

I made …

I’m afraid it’s a tenuous link this week as I’ve been a bit busy to make anything new. However pesto seems to have been my secret ingredient in a couple of dinners this week. One night I needed a super quick tea and tossed together a few vegetables, pesto and whole wheat pasta for a delicious meal. I also added it to the stock for a casserole which worked well too.

Happy new week.

Welcome February

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I’m looking forward to February, the days are getting longer and there’s little glimpses of spring. It’s a busy month in the Sparkles household, with lots of visitors, Little Miss’ big school production and the half term holiday to look forward .

Later this month, my uni results for module 1 are due and I’m busy planning and starting my action research project. No doubt there will be developments in our quest to find Little Man a special school place. January saw us at mediation with the local authority but after their failure to resolve the issue then it’s on to tribunal which might be this month. When I started my uni course I never realised I was going to be living some of the legal aspects we’ve been taught. It’s been handy to have the full knowledge!

I need to up my running this month to meet the 100 mile winter challenge. I did this in the summer but the weather and dark mornings are making this very much a challenge. I’m also keen to do the parkrun on leap day as it’s a special with a theme!

It’s the month of love with Valentine’s Day, it’s a bittersweet day, a day to celebrate love in all its forms but there’s a personal sadness to the date. February also features pancake day, which is always fun as we all try to toss our pancakes and create lots of delicious fillings.

Happy February everyone x

This week I …

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This was a tough week with Brexit on Friday so here’s some beautiful flowers to cheer me up. I got these in Aldi following a friend’s recommendation. I was really impressed by the quality and price of their flowers it’s just a shame that it’s over 25 miles to my nearest store.

I read …

This was my first 5 star read of 2020, it’s such a lovely read. It’s a tale of a couple from when they meet until their deaths and shows the different types of love shared throughout their lives. It’s incredibly moving and I sobbed at the ending.

I watched …

Something else that had me sobbing this week was the tv programme shown on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, The Windermere Children. It’s the true story of the children liberated from the camp and brought to England to be cared for and supported. It’s a drama based on real stories and the final scene is incredibly moving with the real people appearing with the actor playing their younger self.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jan/27/the-windermere-children-review-how-the-lakes-saved-the-lives-of-nazi-survivors

I made …

Well this is the 3rd costume I’ve needed to create this month and we haven’t even come to World Book Day ( I’m thinking Stig of the Dump using some of the clothing above) So far I’ve done an 80s costume for Little Miss’ school production, a soldier for the cubs gang show and now a Viking for class assembly. I’m afraid that I didn’t have the time or creativity to make a helmet this week. Surprisingly we have a fancy dress shop in town so I popped in there for the helmet. It’s a v small town but with carnival, NYE, lots of local productions etc.. there’s a surprising need for fancy dress.

I listened …

With Me Now is my favourite podcast, it’s like listening to friends chatting, there are in jokes, gentle teasing and a shared love for running. It’s the only podcast for which I’ve gone back to the beginning and listened to every show. This week it was released too late for my Thursday run and I couldn’t wait until my car journey on Saturday so I cuddled up on the sofa on Friday night headphones on to listen. This podcast never disappoints.

I wore …

There were no new outfits this week but it was a week where sunglasses were definitely needed. It’s been so bright and sunny. This was a photo taken on Tuesday morning when I was out for a walk with a student. We both paused just to appreciate the sun on our faces.

Happy week everyone.

Je suis Européenne

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Today the UK leaves the European Union. I thought I would feel angry but instead it’s a deep, deep sadness. I have grown up as a European citizen and appreciated being part of Europe. It felt that the EU was a community of nations who had learnt lessons of the previous century and created a new period of cooperation and collaboration. As with all large organisations it needed ‘fine tuning’ but it was a genuine force for good.

I embraced Europe, I loved languages at school and went on to study French and European politics at uni. I spent an amazing year living and working in France. As a young person I was a beneficiary of many grant and projects funded by the EU.

So many people have benefited from projects funded by the EU. As a teacher we were able to take some pupils from a very deprived area in Cardiff to Crete for a EU project. These children who had never left their town had the world opened up to them and as a consequence had new opportunities to pursue. There have been so many rejuvenation projects in communities, art projects financed by the EU of which we have all benefited, knowingly or unknowingly.

I fear for the UK being out of Europe, a policy of splendid isolation is never effective. We are not the grand nation some think we are and others will be in no rush to work collaboratively with us. I hate the right wing politics that is pervading our society on the back of Brexit, we are becoming intolerant and divisive. One of my proudest British moments was the 2012 Olympics which seemed to showcase the inclusive society we were. I was proud to hang my Union Jack flag outside the house and dress us all in Union Jack tshirts. I would never do that now, sadly the flag has become a symbol of the right wing of our society.

I hope this is a brief sejour from the EU, the younger generation are strongly in favour of the European Union and I feel that when the reality of Brexit affects ordinary people opinions will change further. Europe, thank you for your dignity and friendship in Brexit, please leave a light on for us.

#20for2020 : Have a no spend month

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Whoop, whoop one month in to 2020 and one item ticked off. It was nearly two after I ran a really good parkrun just 3 seconds away from my PB, another goal for this year.

This was a good goal to start the year with, a no spend month. I didn’t find it as challenging as I though I would, although January is not known as a particularly expensive month. It might be more difficult in a different month. The month did show how I respond to ads on social media and email campaigns. A few clicks and you find yourself liking something that you didn’t know you needed! I also am lured in by special offers and discounts.

For clothes shopping I do try to shop mindfully and normally browse online to create a new seasonal look before purchasing. This means that I tend to buy more in one go so a no clothes month is not unusual for me. I probably only buy clothes a few times a year and top up the basics as needed. I bought no basics or clothes this month.

The biggest challenge was items for the home. The shops had lots of ideas for organising and sorting, just my sort of thing. I’m also very fond of home furnishings and with the house looking a little bare after Christmas it was so tempting to buy a few new cushions and nicnacs. However I resisted and at the end of the month I am not rushing back to a shop because I loved an item I couldn’t buy. Another challenge was to be very careful not to buy stationery, another of my guilty spending pleasures.

I liked that the month started in a more mindful way, whilst there was a financial boost, the biggest attraction was a simpler lifestyle.

So that’s one down, 19 to go …

This week I â€¦

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This post is back to a weekly entry.  Its been one of those ordinary January weeks of work, school, clubs and friends.  I appreciate these weeks as sometimes you need to pause and just be.   I think this may be a short post but that’s the way some weeks roll.

I read … 

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This book, Running for my Life by Rachel Cullen was on my Kindle daily offer a few weeks ago and the runner in me couldn’t resist the title.  This is such a great book and it really isn’t about running.  Its about understanding who we are, our self identity. I would readily recommend it to runner and non runner alike as there is something for everyone to take from the book.

I listened …

Again don’t be put off by the podcast title, this is an inspiring and emotional podcast about a father and son doing the ultra marathon Comrades in South Africa.  Again, its not about running its about something so much bigger.  Its the story of the father’s exile from South Africa for his anti apartheid campaigning and the history of Comrades, the race he watched as a child.  Its an incredibly emotional half hour broadcast as father and son run Comrades, have your tissues ready.

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I watched …

Apart from my favourites detailed last week, I’ve not really watched much television this week.  Its back to my studies, podcasts and reading in the evenings.

Although a tedious link, I have watched nature this week.  There have been some spooky sea mists this week, whilst one day the sea was so still and the most beautiful shade of blue you couldn’t help but just stop and stare.

I made …

There are no special recipes this week.  I’ve been enjoying some winter salads for lunches at work, with more pulses and grains as ingredients and made my favourite celeriac soup last weekend.  This week’s dinners have been a menu of warming, comforting foods.

I wore … 

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There are no new or different outfits this week but Little Miss and I have spent time putting together her costume for her school’s upcoming show, set in the 1980s.  I did a trail around the charity shops for a few items and ordered a few bits online too. Little Miss is very busy with rehearsals and we’re all looking forward to seeing the show next month.

 

 

 

This week I …

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I’m still not sure how to structure or name this post but unless I write some content soon, it will be hopelessly out of date. This post is simply a round up of things I’ve been doing recently. I would like it to be weekly but there are times when life will get in the way! This happened for the first fortnight of January when I spent all my time finishing off my uni assignments and finalising all the evidence for mediation with the local authority over our son’s SEN placement. I’m now anxiously waiting for results for both.

However here’s what I have been doing in my free time so far this January.

I read …

One of my #20for2020 is to read 15 minutes a day for pleasure. I am reading so many academic journals and books that I need light relief! So far I’ve read two books Fat Girl Slim by Marina Johnson and How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran. Fat Girl Slim was a real guilty pleasure, definitely not what I expected and it does have a wicked twist. I really wanted to rave about How to be a Woman as I love Caitlin Moran’s columns in the Times. However I found it too similar to her last book I read How to be Famous.

I listened …

I’m not a tv girl but have always loved the radio. I find myself listening to podcasts rather than music now on walks and runs or pottering around the house alone. These four are my current favourites, covering parkrun (With me Now) and lifestyle. My #20for2020 is based on an idea from Happier.

I watched …

Despite saying I don’t watch much television, probably only a few programmes a week, two of my favourites have returned this week, Call the Midwife and Cold Feet. I love the social history of Call the Midwife and now it’s set in the 60s the interior decor and fashion are just fabulous. Cold Feet has been a favourite since if began in the 90s and it still makes me laugh and cry.

I wore …

My work wear is practical and my free time clothes casual and comfy so I don’t often get the opportunity to dress up. However when I do my uni course it’s set in such an stunning location I feel the desire to look good and studious! Today I wore my new starry dress from the Fat Face sale with my boots, thick tights and chunky necklace. It’s been such a dreary month that when there was a break in the rain at lunchtime I walked around some of the grounds, beautiful walled gardens to the lake.

I made …

And finally this fortnight has all been about making plans for the year. Whilst January is not my favourite month I like to use it as a month to plan and prepare. I’ve lots of plans in draft and a few definite dates in my diary. Roll on 2020, it’s going to be a fantastic year.