Seaside Sparkles

And finally the month of January has ended and spring seems closer and weekends busier. January’s word of the month is reset. I’ve taken the time to look at my health and wellbeing and to make positive changes. My house is also so tidy and neat, it’s felt like Lockdown again with all those hidden cupboards getting a refresh, I’m not sure how many water bottles a household needs but it’s much more manageable now!

1. This week’s book is Intermezzo. I am a big Sally Rooney fan but am finding this more difficult to read. I’m not keen on the style, too many short sentences and the story feels a little confused. I’m hoping that it’s a slow burn read and that I’ll end up loving it.
2. On Friday night after a busy week at work, I decided it was a film night and then of course had no idea what to watch. Netflix recommended Irish Wish which was a light and fluffy Friday night film. Not a classic but not unpleasant either.
3. My latest Vinted find is a very special one to me. It is the dress I wore for my 18th birthday, a Laura Ashley design. I loved this dress and have no idea what happened to my original. I have kept other pieces that mean a lot to me, my graduation ball gown hand made by a lovely family friend, a bridesmaid dress, the pink silk dress I wore to our engagement party and 30th, my wedding dress and always felt this dress was missing. I am delighted with my dress and can’t wait to wear it!
4. January has been a month of decorating and we are now on to our son’s room. It wasn’t on the original plan but when we took down his cabin bed in preparation for his new bed we felt the room needed a refresh.
5. In creating my #25for25 I decided on learning Italian through Duolingo. Rather than wait for January 1st I started immediately and this week achieved my 50 streak. It’s a little infuriating to have the little bird chirp and tell me to practice but the stats do show it works!

Next week sees more decorating, a bedroom, a new bed delivery and hopefully a new internal wall. However there are some lovely plans for February and not every weekend will be bout decorating!

And we’re still in January, which always feels like the longest month of the year with its cold, grey days. I’ve enjoyed this month, it’s given me time to focus on life and make positive changes. I’ve not gone crazy and tried to do all the things immediatly, just simply eat and sleep well and have a daily walk, the perfect way for me to clear my head in the evenings.

Here are my 5 things this week, a week to celebrate the ordinariness of life ..

1. There is no image for my first ‘thing’ this week but it’s a core memory of joy. My son and husband go to the home matches of our local football team which is doing very, very well . This week they won what was presumed to be a very tough match 5-0. Whilst watching tv footage of the end of the game, I spotted my son blissfully happily celebrating and singing along with the crowd. It was one of those times when he was totally in the moment and by pure chance I got to see him in his happiest place looking so happy it made my heart sing.
2. Not a very glamorous highlight but my trip to the podiatrist this week, gave me some pain relief and neat and tidy feet.
3. Last week whilst waiting at the doctors with Mr S, I discovered collages on Pinterest and of course I’m totally into it now and am currently working on a mood board for the year. Pinterest used to be a firm favourite but then seemed too clunky but I feel I am rediscovering my love for Pinterest.
4. I chose The Way I Used to Be as an audiobook from Spotify for my commute and am hooked. It’s the tale of how a crime affects a teenage girl and is so well written, creating a terrible character but showing her vulnerability and making you so sympathetic to her.
5. The weather on Sunday was awful, with a storm and lots of rain and wind. Bravely, my son and I headed off to the driving range for some fresh air whilst also being sheltered. We both got our furthest shots although I don’t know if these were wind assisted. In the afternoon I did one of my Santa Florence pictures which I’ve committed to do one monthly this year for my #25in25. The perfect way to spend a wet and miserable Sunday.

It all seems very quiet here at present, January is that sort of month.

My 5 this week …

1. This weekend our focus has been on updating the house. We ordered a new bed for our son yesterday, bought the paint for our bedroom and today we have been moving the furniture out to make it easier to paint. We also did some swapping around of furniture in the house, including our son’s room as we have to make a bit of extra room for the larger bed, so it’s been a physical day. We have 3 different projects in the next 3 weeks or so, a new dividing wall to help make our lounge cosier, a new bed and look in our son’s room and the refresh of our bedroom. We’ve gone bold in our bedroom colour choice, a teal called Proud Peacock. I feel we can do this in our room as we’ve not too much wall with a double aspect room and have neutral furnishings in the room. However I am very tempted to add a splash of fuchsia pink to bring the colour out.

2. Whilst in B&Q collecting the paint, I did treat myself to some new kitchen plants 🪴 We have 3 large windows in the kitchen all looking out to the garden and I wanted to bring some of that greenery into my kitchen. The plants are currently on my smallest window sill but I would like to add a little herb garden to the longer sills too. My sills are about 125 cms long so I reckon I could get a proper herb garden growing.

3. This week my daughter started her work experience placement with animals. Everyday we have had very cute photos sent on our family WhatsApp and it has been lovely to see her in her element. This image is the one I sent her as a good luck message and looks really like her.

4. My reading mthis week is Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and it’s a wonderful book. I was so surprised by the story as although I’m not sure what I expected it wasn’t a story featuring computer games which are not my thing. The phrase don’t judge a book by its cover comes to mind as it has taken so long to read the book, despite so many recommendations, as the front cover put me off. I couldn’t work out the story from the cover. This is the beauty of a Kindle, you focus on the storyline and not the cover as you don’t really see it as you would a book lying around. This also does have its flaws, as often I forget the names and authors of books and is why I diligently record my reading on my Good Reads app.

5. This is the wolf moon on my Tuesday night walk. We had looked at the moons in class earlier in the day and I had asked my students to look out for it that night. I took a photo to share in class the next day. I liked the eeriness of the clouds and bare branches, as if it gives it a haunting feeling.

This week saw the return to school and the routine which accompanies it. I like the relaxed nature of holidays but also appreciate the routine of term time. We’re in the last year of school for our youngest although with the college course he wants to do we have a few more years of this structure. For me it’s also beginning to plan what retirement may look like. I can take my pension in four years (I am lucky enough to be in the original Teachers Pension scheme, so can retire at 55) It will be strange not to have a life scheduled to the school year as it will have been all I’ve known.

But back to now when the school routine has quickly bedded in and it’s been a good week for us all. I had an Inset day on Monday and got re certified for First Aid. We did have an excellent external trainer and it made the day go really quickly. Since my last training, I have had to use CPR (successfully) and I was very focused during this part of the day. My students returned on Tuesday and we had a gentle, fun week together. Our son was happy to be back with his mates and the gentle rhythm has returned to daily life.

On weeks like this there’s not a lot to report, the nights are very cold and dark so not much happens, although I have been trying to walk every night around the block. It’s only a half hour walk but it makes me more energised to come back and do something rather than spend the night in front of the tv. I have a real new year, new me approach this year. I lost myself over last year in what was such a difficult year and am trying to rediscover ‘me’, the healthy diet is in, I’m sorting everything, from my wardrobe to my kitchen cupboards and we are able to plan mini adventures. This week we have booked the Wembley tour for our London break in half term and I am looking into my itinerary for Monday when the boys do more football stadiums and I have a day to myself in London, joyful.

This week we have been lucky with the weather, it’s been very cold but we have not had the snow and icy conditions that other areas of the country have experienced. Parkrun was gorgeous on Saturday and the dawn as I arrived for my volunteering stint was breathtaking. Later for the run the weather was perfect for a winter run, blue skies, sunshine and a mild temperature, or it could be that my thermals kept me warm.

With my new evening routine I have been able to read and finish the book Poor by Catriona O’Sullivan. I think it may be the best book I will read this year, it is sooo good and such an amazing autobiography. There is so much in it which will stay with me for a very long time.

At the end of year I have been trying to process all that happened in 2024, it was a very tough year and I have recently been struggling with trying to make sense of all that happened. I was really pleased to have a quiet second week of the holiday which gave me the time to relax, think and prepare for the coming year.

The new year started in my favourite way, an early night and a parkrun. The weather forecast was awful but despite lots of cancellations locally, plan B was on and my friend and I popped over to a neighbouring town. The parkrun was so windy, one half of the course felt like you were running in treacle against the wind and for the other half you were practically flying with the wind behind you. My friend is a lot quicker than me so by the time I finished we had coffees and pastries, the perfect end to our parkrun.

This week has been one of organisation and planning. The Christmas decorations are all neatly packed away, tulips are now trying to replace some of the colour and I have been tackling all those closed cupboards, the ones overflowing with plastic bags, Tupperware etc.. I love the sense of order I feel when these jobs have been done. Last year l I felt so overwhelmed and my focus now on order and consistency is my way of coping.

As well as tidying, I am also doing my plans for the year, Gretchen Rubin’s 25for25 is always part of my year. I’m finalising my list and will post it soon, it’s an eclectic mix of the functional and fun! My theme for the year is to thrive, I feel that I merely survived twenty four, so it’s time to thrive in twenty five, yes I do like a little rhyme.

I did have a sad walk this week. I spoke to my friend’s widow, who told me that her beloved horses would be moving to a (lovely, highly regarded) animal sanctuary in the next few days. I knew that I had to go to the stable and see the horses. My daughter used to love her days up at the stable and I have lots of photos and videos of her and the horses taken by my neighbour. I looked back at these after my walk and it was pretty heartbreaking to hear my friend commenting and laughing in the background. It was a very difficult visit as my friend died at her stables, her happiest place, and I was overcome with sadness when I was there, there were lots of tears. However, despite the sadness, I was pleased that I had seen and said good bye to the horses in their home. I will go and see them at the sanctuary as it’s a nice trip and hope that they do get rehomed together in a loving new home.

I haven’t done much shopping in the sales, but did buy one item which I had been watching over the past few months. My gingerbread village is my favourite Christmas decoration and when I saw the Emma Bridgwater mug it was on my wish list. It finally came into the sale so I quickly purchased it and am delighted with it.

This week has been a lovely one in catching up with friends and the jigsaw is a little gift from a friend whom I met for a coffee. She’s a very special friend and just being in her company is comforting and inspiring. I think the shock of my friend’s death has made me cherish my friends even more.

Now I have had a week to relax after Christmas, it’s back to school tomorrow and routine. I’m excited about the year ahead, it really is time to thrive.

My last post was at the end of November in which I wrote of the shock and sadness at the sudden and unexpected death of a dear friend and neighbour. Christmas has felt different this year, it was a time she loved and we would discuss menus, presents, decorations in the preceding weeks. She was at the heart of so many things at this time of the year, our neighbourhood carols, a visit on Christmas morning and this year this season has just felt so sad. I popped around to see her husband on Christmas Eve with a gift, normally this was bubbles and a culinary gift as she was such a talented cook, instead this year, we dedicated a star in her name. The last song at her funeral was Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars and I took a line from the song in the dedication. In my decorations this year I had been planning a star themed front window, I slightly adapted my design and put a large star in the window for her, surrounded by smaller stars and twinkling lights. Next year may be a year for new traditions, this year was simply about honouring a very special and loved lady.

It has been a quiet Christmas period for us, my friend’s funeral was the week before Christmas and celebrations just didn’t seem appropriate. Instead we’ve had festive walks around local attractions, I particularly liked the wishing tree at our local National Trust and our family walks always seem to end up in a lovely little cafe for tea and cake. I’ve done my weekly parkruns, with a bonus tourist venue in Taunton. My final total for the year was 48 parkruns completed and I’m very happy with that total. My class helped to make some decorations for my home park run and it was fun to see them being used. I was also very touched to receive a thank you present for my volunteering over the year. I’m simply grateful that I can give something back to our wonderful community.

There has also been football, I’ve attended the two evening games with my son and as one was broadcast live, I got to see Alan Shearer and Gaby Logan pitch side. The results have been great and it’s wonderful to be following a team doing so well on the pitch, you genuinely sense a great team spirit and a love of the game they play. Mr S. went to the Boxing Day game, so I took Granddad to the watch the Boxing Day swim in town.

CThis month has seen the first anniversary of Mr S’ brain injury and he has had a number of appointments, most notably about his sight. The result is that he has now been diagnosed as partially sighted as he has no peripheral vision and is no longer able to drive. We had hoped that there may be special glasses which would have helped but we are now working to him not being able to drive again. Now we have this knowledge it’s time to make new plans and make a few lifestyle changes.

Christmas Day was spent as our little family and Grandad. It was a quiet day with a delicious Christmas dinner, I do love cooking a very special meal and then chilling with our new presents, my fur lined Crocs are perfect, and watching the finale of Gavin and Stacey. I had all the feels for this programme, I watched the original series and all the little references back to the old episodes were brilliant. I was very happy with the ending and I did cry a few happy tears at the perfect end to one of my favourite comedies.

I’ve realised that I added the Dancing Queen decoration into my photo montage. Every year I buy a special decoration to reflect a highlight of the year. I couldn’t find anything on our cruise but did find the Dancing Queen decoration on our ABBA Voyage visit which is a very happy memory and a real highlight of our year.

I do like to write my blog at the end of each week. Last Sunday I was all set to do it after a lovely weekend and then we had some devastating news which paused all our immediate plans. This is the first evening in which I felt able to write about last week, so here are five happy moments of my week.

I have read a beautiful book of poetry this week Donna Ashworth’s Wild Hope. After such a difficult year it was the perfect book and I will definitely be recommending it to friends. It was beautiful to read of hope.

The weather took a starring role in my week. We were really surprised to see snowfall on Thursday morning and as you can imagine working in a school this caused a lot of excitement and a lot of distraction on my PPA morning. We had a light sprinkling of snow at my school but my son’s school, which is only a few miles away from us had heavy snowfall and they closed the school. I’m not sure whether it’s fortunately or unfortunately but he wasn’t at school on that day as he was visiting a sixth form for a tour and interview. Both my husband and son really like the college so we are hoping he gets offered a place, however special needs college places are very in demand and we now need to wait for a few months to hear the decision. The boys made the most of their visit to ‘big’ town with lunch out and ended up watching Gladiator 2 at the cinema. The snow didn’t really seem to affect their day and by the time I drove home the snow was rapidly disappearing and it was an easy and quick journey.

The weather returned to the headlines on Saturday morning with Storm Bert. I always check out the weather forecast for Saturday mornings in advance because of parkrun. I had noticed that the weather looked horrendous for 9 o’clock on Saturday however as I had volunteered for car park duties, I wrapped up warm, ready for any conditions and went along to my local park run. Despite more than 400 parkruns being cancelled across the country, the conditions allowed us to run on Saturday morning. The rain never materialised and it was a mild morning. However the wind was incredible. A lot of our course is sheltered but along the coastal path, the view of the waves was stunning and well worth the exhilarating run. After parkrun I drove the boys through to the station for them to go to football and then quickly returned home as the weather had taken a very nasty turn. I had such a lovely afternoon at home on my own lots of pottering, organising and relaxing. It is so rare to have time on my own in the house and I loved every minute.

On Sunday, the weather was again awful with very heavy rain. It was a perfect afternoon to go and watch the new Paddington film, Paddington in Peru. I loved the film and its themes stayed true to the previous Paddington films. I did feel a little emotional as the children grow older in the film and the family dynamics change. I totally got the painting of the sofa, which will make sense if you have seen the film. I really enjoy going to the cinema my job as a cinema usherette from my uni days still remains one of my favourite jobs and it always feel special to see a film on the big screen. I did like how staff had decorated the Odeon sign to illustrate the films this winter, I appreciate these little touches. After the film we went out for lunch, it was such a lovely warm cosy lunch looking out onto an ice rink and little Christmas market. I had such a feeling of contentment.

I don’t really know how to write the next few lines because when we returned home from the cinema I popped over to see my neighbour and learned the devastating news that she had very unexpectedly and suddenly died earlier in the day. The news still doesn’t seem believable, as she was a very fit and healthy lady. I can’t put into a sentence or two how important she was in our family’s lives and how sad we all are at the news. We live in a tight knit community and our lovely neighbour was always at the heart of it. To me she was more than a neighbour, she was my friend, my confidante, and even my hairdresser of over 20 years. We are all so, so sad.

After a very busy week, it’s half term and time for much needed rest, relaxation and fun.

My week has been jam packed, it’s unusual for me to leave work early. I tend to leave around 4.20, which gives me an hour after the children go to tidy and organise. However this week I was gone by 3.35 each afternoon, bar our meeting night, Monday was football training, Wednesday a multi agency meeting, Thursday, a garage appointment for a new tyre and Friday an early finish so we could drive up to Bristol at a reasonable time. Needless to say my diary has been well used this week as I try to juggle all my commitments. It’s that time of year when I start to look for a new diary, I bought this year’s rather randomly at a train station shop last year and it’s been excellent. I’m off the to London by train again in a few weeks so perhaps I’ll be able to get my new diary just before I jump onto the train home!

My motivation for driving down on Friday was so I could do some parkrun tourism. Severn Bridge parkrun has been on my wish list for a long time. However it does need to be done in certain conditions so I had been following the forecast for the past week or so to decide my venue, I had a few reserves as my father in law lives conveniently between a number of parkruns. However on Saturday morning the weather was perfect and I headed over to Chepstow for the run. It is an iconic parkrun, you run across the Severn Crossing across two countries and through three counties. There are so many great touches, flags on the bridge to indicate the border, amazing street art in the tunnel in which you finish, flashing fairy lights on the finish sign and a witty briefing with good natured Welsh / English rivalry. To me whilst being unique, it was also a little journey down memory lane. I did my teacher training placements in South Wales and had my first teaching job there too so I was used to crossing the bridge on my commute. I broke down on it and also got to use the new Severn crossing on the morning it opened, which you can see beautifully from the bridge. The morning was brilliant and I am so pleased to have ticked Severn Bridge off my wish list. I love that wherever you are, you can find a local parkrun on a Saturday morning.

After the parkrun, we had a lovely family lunch out with my father in law before a walk in the warm, autumn sunshine. It was unseasonably warm, short sleeves weather, whilst it’s nice it’s also a further sign of climate change.

On Sunday my son and I went to the driving range, watched by two keen former golfers, my husband and father in law, no pressure there. This was a little more high tech than our usual range and we loved the gizmo which brought up a golf ball for each shot.

As we’ve been staying with my elderly father in law the pace has been slower and given me the chance to rest. I finished Dear Edward which was an excellent read and well recommended. Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash and it follows his recovery and new life following the crash and the impact of others on his new life. It’s definitely a life affirming book and is not as maudlin as my description might read.

I also used the weekend to start thinking of Christmas. Half term is my kick start to the season where I start to write my lists and plan, not simply presents but specials events, card ideas, themes, menus etc.. I have the Libby app, so read the Christmas editions of Good Housekeeping and Woman and Home to inspire. I also ordered a few decorations that were in my list from last year, some houses for my Christmas village and paper stars for a simple vintage look.

Whilst we are still with my father in law, tomorrow we travel to my parents for a few days followed by other plans for the rest of the week, including all those appointments that teachers always do at half term and a few fun things for my son.

Again much of life is taken up with trying to get our child all the help and support that they need. Whilst my weeks look empty, I’m a furious keyboard warrior in the evenings sending letters to fight their case. I have to admit that AI has been a really useful tool, one letter in which I needed legal references was beautifully written by AI, although I am awaiting how successful it was in affecting the case.

I am in a period of preparation. I have planned and purchased some accessories for our trip to ABBA Voyage. I’m loving the heart glasses which I have for the girls in our party and the headband is delightfully sparkly.

I have had my flu and Covid boosters this week. I made the decision to have them to protect the very medically vulnerable children we have in our SEN school. I arranged it for a Saturday so if I had any ill effects I had Sunday to recover. I did feel a little rough but nothing that stopped my day. I always feel so grateful when having such a vaccination.

We have been putting the final touches to my daughter’s bedroom, it’s had all new furniture, paint and furnishings and looks so much better. I do think a nice rug would complement the room and will be in the lookout on future shopping trips.

After my family admin, I have been doing lots of reading in the evenings as a perfect distraction. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton was excellent, the ghosts were a boyfriend and friends disappearing from life with no real reason or contact. I really enjoy Dolly’s work, it has strong female leads and characters you root for.

This weekend I did find myself with some time alone. This is so rare in my life, except for my weekly parkrun, and I was determined to do something useful with my time. After dropping the boys at the station, I popped into town for a tea and cake and potter and then came home to finally put away my summer clothes and get out the warmer, winter clothes. I do feel nicely organised for the coming months. The time was over so quickly and I picked up two very happy boys at the station as their football team had beaten Arsenal.

This coming week is the last before half term, of course half term is busy so it’s another week of organising days away and packing ready to relax. I’m really hoping that I may get to do one of my bucket list parkruns whilst I’m away, but given its location the w rather will decide my venue. If I don’t do it I will be going to another new parkrun for a little tourism.