Category: Family

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The holiday continues …

Although it will soon draw to a close, the long summer holiday has continued with a mix of business and variety, and chilling doing little.

On Monday we went to Rockaway park near Temple Cloud – a fantastic alternative space full of sculptures from scrap. An inspirational and interesting place.

For the first half of the week, the weather held good; not as stiflingly hot as earlier in the summer, but warm, dry and sunny and on our Monday evening stroll we did a bit of blackberrying, yielding an impressive haul.

The forecast earlier in the week had threatened some rain by Wednesday, but in never materialised, and the sun continued to shine.

Late on Wednesday evening the news broke that Dolly Parton had died, the global outpouring of love for her was quite immense – she was one of the good ones.

In February this year I became concerned about a rat menace in my compost bin, and the trail camera I bought confirmed these unwanted visitors were snacking (feasting) on the contents of my compost bin. Consequently I have bought myself a new compost bin that is enclosed and sits above the ground, my goal being to keep these critters at bay. It arrived on Thursday and I spent a happy hour or so putting it together.

The weather did change on Thursday, and whilst still warm, we have had rain pretty much every day since Thursday, and sometimes quite a bit. Currently grey and windy (but warm) – whilst the water is welcome (we went on a hosepipe ban at Midnight Wednesday to Thursday) I’m already missing the consistency of knowing its going to be dry all day.

On Friday we had a fleeting visit from Sam – he came home after work to go to a 21st party for someone he used to work with in the kitchens at Millfield. Although brief, it was nice to see him.

On Saturday we travelled to Cardiff, had lunch and tea with Sophie

Before Becky and I went to see Johns’ boys choir in the New Theatre.

It was a great show, and then we hopped in the car and headed home – whilst it is nice to have the option of staying at Sophie’s, on this occasion it was good to be home before midnight to sleep in my own bed!

And today we went to Wells to see my Dad – next Sunday is his 88th birthday, but I’ll be working then, so we popped over to see him this morning. He was looking well!

And this afternoon, I set too trimming the hedge out front, taking a good foot off the height, and tidying it up.

And the few sunflowers at the front that self-seeded and survived the heat are now looking green and healthy, and beginning to flower.

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A busy, yet chilled, week

Its been a busy holiday week, with lots happening, but still a relaxed chilled week, with much time just sat outside reading (and occasionally snoozing)

On Monday (Fiat 500) and Tuesday (Micra) had their MOTs. Sophie’s Fiat 500 passed first time, the Micra needed near side front track rod – excessive play (which is a bit annoying as I replaced them both last year) and a bulb. In addition, the handbrake only just – on limit of adjustment, so I had that done, too. Anyway, by the end of the day that had a full MOT again.

Wednesday was eclipse day. Starting at around 6.14pm, we had a near total eclipse (circa 95%) of the sun. We watched, periodically, from our front garden, it was pretty impressive.

Although slightly frustratingly, just at peak coverage, and after a summer of heatwave and sunshine, a few clouds rolled in to dim the final spectacle.

It has been another hot, hot, hot week with mid-week temperatures in the 30s. Everything is bone dry and on Friday we had a national alert on our phones warning of wildfires, and to not have BBQs or outside fires.

Thursday I went to see the Odyssey at Strode cinema – I enjoyed the film, and rather enjoyed going to the cinema on my own.

On Friday Becky & I went to Bristol to watch the Bodyguard at the Bristol Hippodrome. I enjoyed it (as did Becky) but the acting was a little wooden and the performance a little stilted. Might have been better to just go and watch a Whitney tribute act, but that is a little churlish. It was a nice night out, good to see Bristol bathed in the beautiful evening sun, even if our peace was shattered shortly after 7pm by the emergency alarm, and you couldn’t cross the pedestrian bridge as earlier in the week it had broken when being lowered back into position.

When putting the washing out on Friday I thought I could smell something – when out in the garden again on Saturday morning my nostrils were assaulted again so I lifted a deck plank, poked my head in and discovered a large dead rat (at the front of the “washing line” deck.) It was pleasant removing it, but something that needed to be done.

Today, taking advantage of the continued dry spell, I stimmed the lawn, removing the dry, dead seed heads and stalks. The ground below is brown, barren and parched. There is a suggestion of rain next week (hence I did it today – much easier to do when dry) but I think it will be some time before it greens up again.

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Birthdays, Anniversaries and Holidays

Friday was Sam’s birthday (24!) and we all met up in Bristol and went got lunch at PizzaRova on the Gloucester Road in Bristol. It was lovely to spend some time together as a family, the food was good and the sun shone. Sam seems to be thriving in his flat and enjoying his job with Enterprise Car rental.

(just for info to remind me in the future, it then took a looong time to drive home, Google maps sending me via the Downs, under the suspension bridge and out to Chew Valley lake before finally getting home. A problem in Farrington Guerney apparantly)

I haven’t blogged for the whole of July as from 1st July to 5th August we’ve been away on an Ionian adventure, flying out to Zakynthos, the Kefalonia, Ithaca, back to Kefalonia, Lefkada, Meganisi, Parga, Paxos and finally Corfu before flying home. It was wonderful. I haven’t (yet) blogged on our travel blog, but do still need to do that.

One of the reasons for our trip was because it was our 30th Wedding Anniversary on Monday; our very first holiday together in 1993 was to Corfu (Roda) and (part of) the rationale of our trip was to visit the islands and places we had been to before we had children. It was a wonderful pilgrimage to the past, and I loved every minute of it,

This was us 30 years on, enjoy each others company in a taverna on the beach in Kalami, Corfu, 3rd August 2026.

And this was us on 3rd August 1996, at Farrington Gurney Church.

We haven’t aged a bit!!!

As we flew back over England, it was clear from the brown fields below us that whilst we’d been away, the UK had enjoyed/endured a very dry summer and we were now in a drought. Sophie kindly collected us from the airport, taking us home to a very dry garden.

The front trugg looked very sorry for itself – after extensive dead heading and watering, it is showing some signs of life. (Sophie had been home, off an on, whilst we had been away, but was absent for about 10, dry, days, and this is when the damage was done.)

But a few sunflowers out the back …

… and the fig tree …

had survived due to my automatic watering system in that part of the garden. The tree has been yielding a hefty crop – much of it gone to rot in our absence, but some surviving to the plate.

It is good to be back, and we are well acclimatised the the hot and dry weather that persists, but if I could go back to Greece tomorrow, I’d do so in a heartbeat!

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OMD (and omg its hot!)

What an eventful week it’s been!

On Friday, Becky & I went to Bristol, met Sam, and the three of us went to see OMD at the Harbourside. It was, no surprise, excellent as they belted out hit after hit, after hit long into the night, ending at 11am. Just for the record, they were ably supported by the Undertones

Sam seemed in good form, it was good to hear about his job, what he actually does, and that he seems to be enjoying it, and living in Bristol.

A trip to see OMD is more exciting than what a do in a normal week, but this has been no normal week. It has been hot, hot, hot, hitting in excess of 36 degrees on Thursday, and we have been living under a red heat alert on Wednesday and Thursday. It has been uncomfortably hot; fortunately it was the last week of term with Y9 out on camp, Y11 and U6th departed after exams, leaving only Y10 and L6 in school, who were allowed to leave early if they wished due to the heat so work was easier than it might normally have been. We were allowed to wear sports/PE kit, meaning days in shorts which helped, but as the week wore on, and despite best efforts of closed curtains, blinds and windows during the day, the temperature inside both at home and school crept inexorably upwards.

Although Wednesday and Thursday were the most blisteringly hot, Monday was hot but come the evening, circa 5.30 pm, we were hit by the most intense storm, the like of which I have not seen before. It went dark – so dark the street lights came on – and then the rain began to fall in buckets, lightening lit the sky, thunder roared and the wind whipped trees and plants in a frenzy.

Even after the storm had passed, the sky continued to rumble in angry torment – not the odd rumble of thunder, but just continual noise from the sky. It really did feel like the end of days.

Friday came, and it was the end of the school year – hooray! This has been a better year than last, of course not easy, but much more tolerable than last year, in a large part due to a better year group. This time last year I was questioning why I did it, and I knew this year could be pivotal, but after a much better year, next year (which is still a blessed 10 weeks away!) holds no fears and my current thinking is to then do another 10/11 cycle after that. Very different from how I felt this time last year. Anyway, term finished, the temperature started to drop a little and I found a cooler spot to sit outside and read.

Sophie came home on Saturday, as we are off to see Scouting for Girls at the Cheese and Grain in Frome this evening – as I said, a very eventful week – and last night the three of us took advantage of the lower temperatures to go for a walk at Ham Wall

And then tomorrow I need to start packing for our next adventure, 5 weeks in Greece.

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And relax …

Half term has arrived. The term has passed quite swiftly – only 5 weeks and the summer term always has a different (easier!) vibe to it: Volleyball not Football buys me a lot of time, plus a couple of exam classes mean preparing lessons and marking is reduced, and with the better weather everyone’s mood is improved. But I still enjoyed a little afternoon snooze outside on Saturday once it was all over (Summer Celebration in the morning ’til 1pm ish)

The week’s weather has been extreme. It started perishingly cold (and wet, but annoying not volleyball cancelling wet) on Monday and Tuesday, but by the end of the school week it was warming up, and Sunday was scorchio!. (I’m writing this in the garden on Monday morning as I didn’t have time (!) yesterday)

Sam and Sophie both came home on Thursday, Sophie to get ready to go on holiday with Lucy to Majorca on Saturday, Sam to collect the last of his stuff for his new flat. (He starts his new job tomorrow, Tuesday)

But by Saturday afternoon we were home alone again. We have decided to make the most of the weather and go for a walk after tea each evening. On Saturday we parked in the YHA and walked to the windmill and back, beautiful vistas across the levels in the evening sunshine.

and last night we walked to the weir and then followed the water to the road and the river Brue. It was still very warm, and very, very picturesque.

We’d spent the morning having a good cut back and tidy up in the garden – with our many absences due to travel, only one day weekends, and some wet weather of late, the garden has been a bit neglected and there is still much cutting back to do, but it looks neater, and provides a pretty background to enjoy reading, eating (and occasionally snoozing) in the glorious sunshine.

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And he’s off …

Sam has moved out, into his new flat in Bristol. On Friday he headed off with a packed Micra to collect the keys and begin settling in.

Today (Sunday) we went up to help him build his IKEA furniture that arrived yesterday

The flat is on Gloucester Road, above a coffee shop. It’s quite a spacious 1 bedroom flat, a little bit shabby round the edges, but has a bit of character, is light, and will hopefully prove to be a good base for his new job that starts soon.

The view from the sitting room window!

Having built his bed, shelves, mirror; helped it tidy and organise himself, we headed home with a car full of cardboard and other packaging to take to the tip!

And in entirely unrelated news, my Christmas cactus is in full bloom …

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What a week!

It all started in such a care-free manner …

Becky was going down to Cornwall for a few days, leaving on Monday morning. Before I headed off to work I said I was looking forward to a fairly easy week, a bit of a downward slope, the final full week of term.

But that morning, at school, we got the call: the Inspectors are coming, and they were going to be in from Tuesday through to Thursday. This, of course, added a layer of extra work and, if not stress, at least a sense of heightened anxiety, and I began to rue having agreed to referee a school football game that evening, knowing I could have done with the extra couple of hours to prepare.

Then, that evening at home, Becky called me from Cornwall to say the car was making a terrible screeching noise when breaking. A certain sense of de-ja-vu and long distance fault diagnosis. Anyway, my suspicions that it was worn brake pads was correct, and the next day a local garage replaced the front pads and discs for £200.

On Thursday, Sam had the next, and final stage, of his job interview, to be a trainee manager at Enterprise car rental in Bristol.

In a borrowed suit and tie (the trainers were just for driving to the interview) he said it went well, and would find out early next week.

But on Friday morning they phoned him and offered him the job!

Needless to say, we are all delighted for him! He starts on May 18th, so will work for a couple of weeks up at school after the Easter holiday, before hopefully moving to Bristol.

On Saturday morning, I got up to find a note from Sam to say the boiler was leaking. Not the best start to the day – I really did wonder if this week could throw up any more surprises. On my return home, I did some investigation – took of the front cover – and it was clear that the leak was coming from the auto air vent. I’ve found a replacement on eBay for £10 – due to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday – and have established it should be a (fairly) simple job to swap the old one out and replace it with the new one. And more research today has led me to discover that I can just screw down the cap and it stops leaking, although that does stop it being an “auto” air vent, so I my need to periodically bleed a radiator or two, but no big drama, and certainly a job that can wait until our return from Italy.

And also on Saturday it was my birthday!

I had some sweet treats and a chilled afternoon/evening, but I shall have to wait a few months to be in my true happy place pictured above!

And in the course of this week, I’ve refereed three games on the Sir Gareth Edwards picth: U14 (Monday) and U15 (Wednesday) mid-Somerset sides, and on Saturday our U17s v Bristol City U16s (we won 3-0) Today I was due to do a game on the Bridgwater & District League, but 5 mins into my journey I got a call to tell me the game was cancelled as the home side couldn’t get enough players, so I turned round and came home. After the hectic week I’ve had, I was quietly quite pleased!

No blog for the next couple of Sundays as on Thursday we are off to Italy for nine days. Arrivederci!

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Four games in five days

Today is Mothers’ Day and Sophie and Becky have travelled up to Birmingham to see Benson Boone. Sophie came home on Thursday and its been nice to have her around for a few days (she plans to return early Tuesday morning) and so this morning we we all home together, which was nice. Sam has now gone to work, and I went to Bridgwater to referee a football match.

It was my fourth game in five days (and my third in three) and I am really starting to enjoy it again. It helps that the weather is warmer, and dry – Wednesday and Saturday were both beautiful days, Friday and today less so. March is oscillating from sunny blue skies to cold windy days, with the odd rain shower (which fortunately I have missed) Being on quality pitches – Pitch one twice, SGE once and BCA astro today, helps, both with the quality of the football, and the ease of running around.

I was a little worried on Wednesday as my left calf felt as though it had a tight ball in it – not a pull, but running wasn’t as fluid as it should have been. So I invested in a massage gun (£20) and it has been brilliant. Working the back of the calf, a spot, say 4 cm diameter, was painful, but by repeated use the pain has gone away, as if the problem has been “broken up”, and refereeing back to back games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been no problems, with no more than a “normal” post-exercise slight ache across all leg muscles.

With the light and lengthening says, colour is returning to our world: greens are vibrant with new growth, bulbs continue to flourish and blossom brightens many a tree. The forsythia on the way to school is a blanket of yellow

and the bulbs in the lawn and borders bring me joy, with grape hyacinths and the odd tulip joining the yellow see of daffodils.

But is the backdrop of blue sky that is the best.

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It’s Christmas!

So Christmas has been and gone, and it was a lovely few days for the four of us together.

But before that, on Monday, we all headed over to Wells Weatherspoons to meet upwith Dad & June, Jane, Mark, Ollie & Ben, and Rog & Lisa, Joe and Lois. Unfortunately we have no photos of the day (for reference, we went for 1pm, left circa 6pm) but it was nice to catch up with everyone.

And this week the rain has stopped falling, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. We had a lovely day on the 25th – plenty of presents and lots and lots of food!

On Boxing Day we wrapped up warm and headed off to West Hay to walk off some of the excesses of the previous day

before heading home to lunch and then some fun and games together – the drawing game was particularly amusing

Some semblance of normality is beginning to return to the household – yesterday the table cloth came off, I washes it, and hung it out with the rest of the washing. In the early afternoon I thought I had been pranked by Becky – it was no longer on the line. Couldn’t see it anywhere, got my ladders out, peered over into next door’s garden to see it sat forlornly on their lawn. It was a very windy day!

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Homecoming!

On Tuesday Sophie came home for the holidays, and on Wednesday the three of us went to Bristol for the Christmas spectacular which was, as ever, a fun night out

Then on Thursday it was back to Bristol for me to collect Sam who was back from staying with Poppy in Carlisle.

The weather, though, has not been good – very wet for much of the time leading to the river Brue overtopping near Pomparles bridge

Although in between the deluges, on Friday and then Saturday morning, I did manage to jet wash the decks – a job that had become increasingly necessary as the wet autumn had led to a big build up of green algae, making them very slippery and unsafe. Not a pleasant job, but a satisfying one, probably something I should do more regularly throughout the year,