Month: February 2026

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Half-term – a retrospective

And so half term draws to a close. On the one hand, I don’t feel I have done a lot, but when I look back, it has been an important week. I do feel rested – although still a little snuffly: mid-week I developed a bit of a cold, and I am still not 100% – but I do think it has taken most of the week for me to recuperate after a long, wet, cold, dark six week half term. This week has still been wet, but it has been interspersed with pockets of brightness – like now: I awoke to rain, but by mid morning it had stopped and now we have a mix of sun and clouds with a stiff breeze. I do get the sense that the awful, depressing locked in weather we have endured since the start of 2026 has now moved on, and that the weather (whilst still not perfect) has changed. And this, is evidenced in part by the flowering of some spring bulbs. Above are the snowdrops I planted in March ’21 – they are looking good, perhaps I ought to plant some more? And the daffodils in the lawn, and some bulbs salvaged from last year are in bloom, there yellow heads dancing in the breeze and lifting my spirits.

Also this week in the garden, I used a window of weather to remove a couple of the Miscanthus from the bed by the fig tree, and potted them into three pots. I hope they survive and thrive. (For the record, cut down the Miscanthus staying in the bed to ground level, but left those in the pots uncut.)

I also tidied up the porch – ditching some junk, gave the walls and floors a good clean, put up a shelf and built a couple of shoe racks from Argos. It looks a lot better: cleaner and more spacious.

Before …

During …

… and after

On a different note …

Yesterday I had my PSA test at an event run by Somerset Prostate Support Association. I went to Wells for my booked appointment, the test itself took less than 5 minutes – they took a small blood sample from m y arm – and now I await the results, which I should hopefully receive in the next day or so,

Whilst talking of my health – I went for a run on Tuesday, but at around the 5K mark my calf went ping again, so I hobbled home, and have done no exercise since!

Back to school tomorrow for a five and a half week term, hopefully the weather continues to improve, and at the end of which we head of to Italy for nine days, which I am starting to look forward to.

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More rain, and some wildlife

Yesterday was beautiful – blue sky and after an initial frost, some warmth to the sun. It was wonderful. But today the rain has returned with a vengeance – I didn’t run this morning: I just didn’t fancy getting soaked once again, and the picture above is me looking forlornly out onto the street this afternoon as, once again, the heavens opened. Tuesday was a particularly tough day – it was House football: we kicked of in the pouring rain at 1.45, and I finished two and a half hours later, cold, and very, very wet. I wasn’t best pleased!

Worried by a lot of soil activity around my compost heap – at times there seems to be as much outside the bin as in – I have invested in a “trail camera” and for £35 I am pleased with the results. You set it up and leave it, and it will take both video and still pictures. My first attempts didn’t capture anything untoward, just a wren:

(unfortunately, I can’t upload the videos directly to my blog, so will have to do so via Youtube)

I moved the camera so it was on the ground, and one night I got a bit of rat action.

The videos show it/them much more clearly.

Its a good little gizmo – I haven’t caught anything else on camera since Thursday night, but will keep trying. At some point I’ll move it to different parts of the garden,

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Tired, so tired

This week I have been very tired. I’ve also had a bit of a cough and a cold although its a bit of a chicken and egg situation – did I fall ill because I was so tired, or was I so tired because I was ill? Anyway, the good news is is that I have crested the hump and feel 100% better today, and much more rested, in part because, due to the continued and unrelenting rain, all fixtures were cancelled yesterday, so I had the afternoon off, was able to come home, and enjoyed an hour long snooze. I had another 45 minute nap today, and feel better for that, too.

Wednesday was a rare day of no rain, and by the afternoon we enjoyed blue skies and a breeze. Becky took the opportunity to get three loads of washing done and I ran the line at Kingweston, enjoying the change in the weather, and hoping of better things to come. But come the next day, it was wet, grey and miserable again.

Given how tired I’ve been, I wasn’t planning on running today, but given I did no exercise yesterday, and was feeling human once again after a restful day, I decided to head out this morning. Wish I hadn’t. I had just about reached the Red Brick building, one and a half k’s in, when I felt a painful “pop” in my right calf, and pulled up. I managed to hobble and slowly run my way back, but my run was over, and I’ve been hurting all day. Oh dear!

Anyway, one week – the wind down to half term begins.

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Rain, formal, and a (belated) new year resolution

Yesterday was my Year 10 Formal Dinner – the pic is of me after Becky and I had added the balloons, but before the event, which passed off, on the whole, without major incident. Glad to get it done, at the end of a tiring week a in a tough time of term – end of week 4 in the first half the Spring term. I will admit I am tired now (because of the cumulative four weeks, not just last night’s event) and wondering how I can manage myself through the next two weeks.

And how it has rained. I got lucky with my fixture on Wednesday afternoon – we started a few minutes late, (oppo arrived late) just as the rain stopped, and it remained dry for the afternoon. Not so lucky yesterday, it hailed just before we kicked off, and then rained throughout the first half. Shouldn’t have really played – standing water all over the pitch, very wet, very muddy, and very cold. And then I compounded my woes today. Earlier in the week I had agreed to referee Ashcott U16s on Strode astro. Its has pretty much rained all day, and was raining when we kicked off, and rained throughout. It was heavy, cold, rain. It was a good game, and I enjoyed it, but would have preferred to not get so cold and wet. (And Sod’s law, within 20 minutes of blowing the final whistle, the rain had stopped, the skies cleared and a weak February sun began to shine.)

This morning I hit upon a new New Year’s Resolution – albeit a month late. I’m going to start listening to more albums on Spotify, rather than just whatever it serves me up. Began to day by listening to Sound Affects by the Jam. Some others to listen to in the future:

Setting Sons by The Jam

More Specials – The Specials

You can’t hide your love forever – Orange Juice

Love – Aztec Camera

Purple Rain – Prince