Month: September 2024

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Showers, Spanish, and Bulbs

So last Sunday evening, I was brushing my teeth before going to bed, and over the buzz of the toothbrush I could hear a drip, drip, drip. The shower was dripping. Fortunately, I had Monday off as part of an extended exeat weekend, so was able to set too tackling the dripping shower. As I suspected, it was the cartridge. What I did not expect was how expensive it would be to get a replacement. £81 was the cheapest I could find one. Anyway, was able to remove the old one fairly easily (one nut that didn’t, initially want to crack) and then off to Bridgewater through the pouring rain (more of that later) to collect the replacement, which I re-fitted easily, once I’d figured out the order to put the parts back in. And now the shower no longer drips.

In some respects, it was good that I had the shower to fix as the weather on my extra day off was terrible – incessant, heavy rain all day, it really was miserable. We had a dry day on Tuesday, but the rain returned on Wednesday. Yesterday (Saturday) ended up being a lovely day: after a cold start, the sun shone and I enjoyed my afternoon refereeing on pitch 1.

The rain that had been forecast for today has not materialised (yet!) I didn’t run this morning – was still tired when I got up, and the weather forecast now had us dry until 2pm so I decided to have a leisurely start, and then get my (last years) bulbs planted into the lawn. I’m pleased to have got this job done, now need to wait until spring to reap the rewards.

And I’ve begun to re-engage with my Spanish. I have renewed my subscription to News in Slow Spanish – audio only, circa £6 a month – mainly for the “Rooms” where you join other Spanish learners for 20 minutes to chat in Spanish. Is great to practice chatting with other people, I’ve been into a couple of rooms so far, and enjoyed them. 20 minutes is about right – enough time to have a chat, but not too mentally draining! Hasta luego!

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Grease

Its exeat weekend, which means I had a rare Saturday off yesterday (and, as bonus, I get tomorrow off, too) and what better way to spend it than by taking in some musical theatre at the Bristol Hippodrome. We (Becky, Sophie and I) went to see Grease – it was greats, a wonderful night out. The music and dancing got my toe-tapping, and before the show we had been for a slap-up Greek meal at the Hat Bistro.

On Thursday we had a fleeting visit from Sam, he’s been in London for the last couple of weeks. He got the bus to Bristol, then 376 home, had a quick bite to eat before hoping into his silver dream machine and driving back to Cardiff. Whilst he doesn’t start back for a week or so – the final year of his degree – it was evident whilst we were in Bristol last night that lots of students were there for the first night of their undergraduate adventure. Hope he does some work this year, graduates (I’m sure he will – but two, three years ago, this was not a given!) and starts thinking about a job/career.

The weather over the last week has been good – warm and sunny – but, inevitably, it turned on Friday and we have had a lot of rain over the last three days, typically in big bursts for up to, say, an hour, before clearing up.

I did referee this morning in Somerset County Cup, Vets competition (Pilton v Ashcott, Pilton won) I would say I get wet, not soaked, somehow we missed the massive downpours. Enjoyed the game, I’m thinking maybe referee one Sunday a month? Who knows, will see how things pan out. Everywhere is beginning to look distinctly autumnal as the leaves on the trees begin to change colour.

And after last weeks endeavours, the lawn is tamed and ready for winter. I had hoped to plant some bulbs into it this weekend, but its just been too wet. A job for another day … With the rain, and the (reasonable) warmth, everything is looking verdant and fresh, and growing well. Geraniums still in full flower, nasturtium leaves providing ground cover (and the odd flower) and we have a succession of sunflowers – with a fair number still to bloom – to provide colour and cheer and keep autumn and winter at bay for a little bit longer.

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Lawn

This week, I have been cutting back the lawn for the winter. During the week, I gave it a strim, then today I gave it another strim before running the mower over it. In the top section (nearest the house) there is now little coverage of anything, so I scattered another packet of wild flower mix in the hope that they come up, not roses, but wild flowers next spring and summer. Later, but not today – here’s hoping for some half decent weather next week, I will begin to plant some of last years bulbs into the lawn.

As is always the case when when I mow it flat, I think it looks better than it did, and doubt whether it is worth letting it go wild, but then I remember what it looks like in February and March, and then again in May and June, and it is worth – providing colour and interest when its needed, if it does then not look so good through July and August.

Still thinking of the garden, I’m pleased with my nasturtiums – even if they are not awash with flower, they are providing healthy green foliage to keep autumn at bay a little longer. These one were virtually dead – stripped of leaves by caterpillars – when returned from Greece, but a little nurturing has seen them burst back into life.

The side of the house still seems full of life, along with the front planter – the geraniums are still going strong, even if everything is beginning to look a little leggy. And we don’t have the same amount of sunflowers as last year, but there is a steady stream of flowering plants to give that little splash of clolour. Alas, there will be no pumpkins from the garden this year – a couple of healthy plants have thrown forth their wonderful big leaves, and plenty of male flowers, but we’ve only had a couple of female flowers, and neither has been successfully pollinated.

The weather this week has been chilly – particularly in the mornings and evenings – and I have succumbed and fired up the heating on a few nights. Wednesday was cold all day, yesterday, after a very chilly start, ended up as a lovely bright, warm, sunny day; sadly today never lived up to its promise, although dry the sun never really won out. I had hoped to sit out for an hour so in the afternoon, reading and soaking up sum late summer sun, but alas, it was not to be.

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Happy New Year!

So term, and a new school year, has begun and, although only a week in, weather-wise it feels like November. It has been wet, wet, wet – Friday in particular seeing relentless rainfall. Last week, my pic of the week was the Tor shrouded in mist, this week it is the Tor hidden by huge, heavy rainclouds. Its not warm (today we put the winter tog duvet back on!), it certainly hasn’t been a glorious late summer – and the prospect of sunshine and warmth doesn’t feature in the forecast; here’s hoping we get a late burst in early October …

The term has started well, and I’ve quite enjoyed myself most of the time. Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was not having the Cathedral service and getting cracking with lessons sooner, or perhaps its just that Year 11 know what they are doing, but we seem to have got back into the swing of things, the rhythms and routines of school life, fairly quickly. (Although yesterday, Saturday, proved to be particularly busy as something came to light that needed resolving …)

I came home on Friday, looking forward to an evening of chilling, slumped in front of the telly with the windows shut and doors bolted against the worst of the rain, only to find Becky’s computer had crashed, and would not start up.

Try as I might (and my computer skills are quite limited) I couldn’t get it up and running, so I dusted off an old machine running Linux and she is currently using that, with limited options – not all “her sites” run on it – and so I ordered a “new” refurbished machine which, annoyingly although bought through Prime, won’t arrive until tomorrow. I am hopeful that it will just plug and play, at least all her Google Chrome tabs.#

Ran again this morning – after yesterday, I was looking forward to it. Curious how in term time running offers me something different than in the holidays: I think it provides a separation, something I do for me, not something I do for the school (plus a chance to see a little of the countryside/somewhere different from my daily “commute” from home to school and back) Again, wasn’t swift today, but also it wasn’t “as difficult” as it has been of late. (And I even stayed dry!)

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Farewell to summer

It could be the rain, or the cold, the grey skies or rumbles of thunder that mark the end of summer, but the real marker for the end of summer is a return to school and work tomorrow.

Its been a great summer, characterised by our month in Greece, but even since our return it has felt different, special. I don’t feel I’ve wasted much if any time and look back on a fulfilling and full August, including FA cup action, mucking around with cars, sorting out “my room”, a bit of gentle gardening (but not much!), seeing plenty of the children. Whilst I would happily not go back to work, I am similarly happy to go back to work as I know that it is that that allows me to have such a great summers like the one I have just had.

My goal for the next term is to look after myself, to try and find a balance that doesn’t leave me tired all the time, that allows me to do “other” things. (What those other things may be is a little woolly: I must re-engage with my Spanish, I’d like to continue my faltering steps in learning Greek; my running has suffered since before the end of last term – I ran today, a slow 7K: I’m running at over 5mins per km. Perhaps that is the new “me”, perhaps I need to run less/shorter distances. Perhaps I need lazy, leisurely Sunday mornings, or perhaps I do need to reconnect with hitting the streets. In the next couple of months, I do need to do some work in the garden – I’ll thank myself come spring; read, watch good TV and films …)

And so adio, adios, goodbye summer – its been great, already looking forward to next year!