Author: Jeff

Posted on

Weight

Pic of the week 19/9/21

So Thursday saw Sophie return to Reading for her final year at uni.

She’s been at home for the last 18 months have dashed home from halls in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic and its good for her to be returning to some sort of normality for a 21 year old. How everything fitted into her Micra I don’t know, but it did, and the house suddenly seems bigger again!

In other, important news, my weight fell below 13 stone for the first time this year. December ’20 was bad for me (weight-wise) the inevitabikity of Christmas pounds was added to by a lack of mobility due to my bad back. The pounds crept on, and never came off, reaching a peak of 13 stone 7 in April. In the summer, I decided I had to do something, and I started missing breakfast on a few occasions – fasting, which had a positive impact, the weight coming off, but also training my mind again that I don’t have to always eat.  Thursday and this morning saw the scales tip out at (just!) below the 13 stone mark; I don’t think its fair to say I’ve re-established my weight at sub 13, but I’m on the way.

Posted on

The last supper

Pic of the week 12/9/21

Well that was a busy week.

The start of the new school year, and I don’t think I’ve really stopped.

Anyway, on Friday we all went out to Ask for a last meal before the bambinos start returning to uni.

A lovely evening.

Posted on

Farewell to summer

Pic of the week 5/9/21

With a certain sense of irony, after a poor summer weather-wise, the sun has come out just as I return to school, marking for me, at least, the end of summer.

Its been a fantastic summer, I have enjoyed every minute of it, and it has marked a sense of something different from the groundhog days of the last 18 months, a sense of returning to some semblance of normality, giving a purpose to what I do the rest of the year, so it allows me to enjoy the eight weeks I have just had.

Of course, the two weeks in Corfu was the highlight and I can’t help but think how important it was to have those two weeks. I think they carried out a “factory reset” on me – erasing all the crap and crud of the last eighteen months and restoring my mojo.

I’ve used the time to improve my fitness and lose a little weight. I was shocked at how tough I was finding running at the start of the hols – both physically and mentally, I wasn’t really buzzing for it anymore. But the last couple of weeks, I’ve regained that joy of pounding the streets. I think its a bit of a virtuous circle – because I’ve lost a little weight (although still just the wrong side of 13 stone!) the running is easier, so you ran further and faster, so it gets easier etc. I’ve also returned to the swimming pool and swimming a Km once a week is something I need to keep up with.

My Spanish has improved, I’m now in a position where I can watch and read (easyish) Spanish TV and books, and this is hugely rewarding and enjoyable.

Our day trip to London was another highlight and, although the reason for going was very sad, I also enjoyed our day trip to Cornwall. I just really like spending time with Becky!

Sam’s speeding ticket and  the car breaking down have been low points, but on the whole its been a good summer.

Back to school tomorrow, and the adventures of a new role of Assistant Head of Middle School (Year 10)

Posted on

Lawn

Pic of the week 29/8/21

This year, I let the lawn grow “wild” and haven’t mowed it since April. I did mow a strip by the path, and a swirly path to the compost heap, but other than that it has been left to its own devices all summer.

I have been pleased with the results, particularly its “swishy-swashy-ness” in June. The ants have also enjoyed it, with a few ant hills becoming established, along with a few wild flowers and seed heads.

This week, I cut it back – quite some effort with an erratic strimmer – and have scarified it, the aim is to remove dead thatch to allow seeds to grow through. I have also dug a few holes and planted (daffodil) bulbs from last year’s pots and sowed a few packets of mixed wild flower seed – hopefully my hard work of this week will be a worthy investment, with the rewards to be reaped next spring and summer.

Posted on

Granny Woodhouse

Pic of the week 22/8/21

It is with great sadness that I write of Granny Woodhouse’s passing, on Thursday 19 August 2021. She was 98.

A fiercely independent woman, she had continued to live at home, on her own, until a recent fall hospitalised her.  Following her discharge from hospital, she was in care home, awaiting a suitable “care package” to be put together to allow her to return home.  However, 10 (?) days or so ago, following an infection, she deteriorated, lapsing into a deep sleep from which she never recovered.

She was very much loved by Becky, and that love was reciprocated. She was tremendously proud of her grandchildren, Sam in particular (a boy thing!) and was delighted that he was (at last) off to university.

The world is a better place for her passage through it.

Posted on

London

Pic of the week 15/8/21

Yesterday, Becky and I went to London. It was up with the sparrows to catch the 0749 train from Castle Cary, and before we knew it we were stepping onto the platform at Paddington.

First up was a visit to the National Covid Memorial Wall on the South Bank. It was peaceful, respectful, reverential and a sobering, moving and dignified memorial to the thousands who have lost their life. I think that it is all the more powerful that it evolved organically, an outpouring of emotion from the people and a reminder to those sat across the river in the House of Parliament that, through their inaction and corruption, there are more hearts on the wall – more lives needlessly lost – than their should be.

We then walked east, along the South Bank, enjoying the buzz of a city coming back to life after an 18 month tragedy, crossing the river on the Millennium Bridge. We ambled past Trafalgar Square, arriving in Covent Garden for brunch of coffee and filled croissants. Delicious.

Then a dash West, to Kensington Gardens to enjoy the Van Gough experience. I am glad that Becky enjoyed this show more than I did!

More coffee & cake followed and then a schlep  back across the city to the Sky Garden, at the top of the Walkie-Talki building, 35 stories high.

It was brilliant. To be able to look out across London was awe inspiring, humbling and a chance to try and spot a few haunts from my youth!

We were due to finish the day with a meal at the Real Greek, but an email telling us our train had been cancelled saw us hot-footing it back to Paddington to catch the earlier train – our only chance to make it back to sleepy Somerset before Sunday!

So instead of delicious Greek delights, we dined on shop bought sandwiches and crisps on the station concourse before getting a noisy (too many drunks!) train back to Castle Cary.

A great day.

Posted on

Anniversary and birthday

Pic of the week 8/8/21

Tuesday was our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

I am rather proud of that achievement, but from my perspective it has been easy – I just can’t imagine not being with Becky and loving her is the easiest thing in the world.

We went out to Ask in the evening, which was lovely, and our two weeks in Corfu were a bit a present to us both, but we certainly won’t wait another 25 years before returning!

^^This is now, this was then:

And, as always, hot on the heels of our anniversary comes Sam’s birthday. Can’t believe he’s 19. Always a “happy drunk”, last night he was declaring that he had had a great night (in ‘Spoons with his pals) – hard to believe it was only a year ago that he first discovered pubs.

Posted on

Corfu ’21

This is what a holiday can do for you …

Two weeks in Corfu was wonderful, it was perfect. Deciding to go was the best decision I have made in years. Two weeks, just me & Becky, in beautiful country, blue skies, crystal clear waters. It has left me rejuvenated, re-energised and with a headful of wonderful memories.

I’ve been a bit remis: its been nearly two weeks since we returned and I’m only just writing about it now. On my future travels, I shall endeavour to write a daily blog to capture my thoughts as they happen.  Becky has written four excellent blogs, you can see them here:

Corfu Town

Kalami

Kassiopi

Photos

and they do the trip justice far better than I could.

Picking a highlight for me? Not easy. The sight and sound of the swifts swopping overhead in Corfu Town was an unexpected delight and surprise, but I think top spot must go to swimming of Galiskari beach, an almost deserted beech a ten minute walk from Kalami, with the most wonderful water for swimming in: perfect colour, clarity and temperature.  The sea gets deep quickly, and I’ve realised I like this.

The water off Kassiopi, particularly fairly early in the morning before the wind got up and the hordes arrived, was also divine:

My love affair with Greece was rekindled. The sun, the sea, the food, the slightly chaotic nature reminded what I’ve been missing, and we’ll be back.

Posted on

School’s out for Summer!

Pic of the week 4/7/21

School’s out for summer!

At last, the most difficult of year’s has drawn to a close. I really did get the sense that this year everyone was just waiting for term to end, to crawl over the finish – no great fanfare or celebration, more just “lets get it done.”

And this week has been an eventful one.

Not only have the sunflowers continued to rocket skywards – propelled by a mix of warm sunshine interspersed with some heavy rain, but England beat Germany (2-0) and Ukraine (4-0, yes four nil!) to reach the semi-finals of Euro 20.

On Monday our Tui flights were cancelled, but we got a pair of EasyJet flights instead. It does mean we have to go for two weeks rather than 11 days (shame!) but I am so looking forward to it. The admin is quite immense – booking tests, filling out passenger location forms, and I shan’t believe I’m there until I’m chilling on the balcony in Corfu Town.

I can’t wait for Wednesday!

Posted on

Uncertainty

Pick of the week 27/6/21

So, a week ago we decided to commit to going to Corfu, on Friday our plans were put into turmoil.

On Thursday the government updated its travel restrictions, placing the Balearics, but not the Greek islands, on the green list. Corfu remains on the amber list.  On Friday Tui stopped taking bookings for our flight – it very much looks like it, and all Tui flights from Bristol to Corfu, have been pulled ’till late July. But Tui won’t confirm this, saying that the flights are still going ahead. I was on hold for two hours – yes, that’s not a typo, two hours – on Saturday to then just be told they are consolidating flights, but ours is still going ahead. I don’t believe them.

After the bitter disappointment of thinking we can’t go, we have now found we can fly by Easyjet, Wednesday to Wednesday, so we may well buy these flights, and go for  a few days longer.  Worst case scenario, we end up with a set of flights we can’t use.

Its mean a difficult few days, but it has confirmed to both of us that we do really want to go.

Who knows what I’ll be writing in next week’s instalment, hopefully something about packing my bags …

 

(re the pic: on Friday B, S & S went to Cornwall for the day to celebrate Bubba’s 75th birthday.)