Category: Family

Pic of the week 29/12/19

And so Christmas (pictured above – the the four of us at home, a lovely day) marks the beginning of the end of another year.

Thinking back across the last twelve months, and reading my blog posts for the year, I think 2019 can be best characterised as a year of music, and perhaps the start of a new decade (OK, so a little early) of travel.

We’ve been to see a fair few musical acts this year, listed in chronological order:

• The Specials
• James Taylor Quartet
• Take That (with Rick Astley supporting)
• Paul Young
• Scouting for Girls
• New Order
• Lisa Stansfield
• OMD
• Scouting for Girls (for a second time)

and each one, brilliant.

I have several times tried to rank them in order of preference, but have failed.  I think I can just about come up with a top three of JTQ, New Order & OMD, but not necessary in that order, and it can change with the weather.

Travel: we had a wonderful family holiday in Soller, Mallorca in July. The villa was great, the town wonderful, the time fantastic. And then in October, Becky and I headed of to Girona. I think those few days were the highlight of my year.

The city is great, the coast an achievable hour or so away by bus – swimming in the sea in late October is a real treat. Just to be in a different land, enjoying a different culture, language and – yes – climate was something special. I think an appetite for travel has been whetted.

Other notable events of the year – I turned 50, and had a fantastic day. I was made to feel truly special and loved. I’ve begun to learn Spanish – it started with me downloading the Duolingo app to see what it was like and maybe pick up the odd word before we headed to Mallorca, but I’ve really enjoyed it and am continuing to teach myself.

This term (ie September onwards) work has been dominated by my role as Common Room Chair and the consultation to withdraw from TPS.  At least the outcome from that should come within the first month or two of the new year.  Politically, its not been a good year – following a disastrous general election earlier this month, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party ( a more right wing incarnation than either May’s or Cameron’s) gained a significant majority. It looks like Brexit will happen, and lying, misogynistic racism has been vindicated.

But on a positive front – I have been relatively injury free this year. I finish the year at a frightening post Christmas weight of 13 stone 4 pounds, but I’m putting that down to Xmas excess. For the rest of the year I’ve been sub 13 stone – oscillating around 12. 9 and 12.11 – and I’m quietly confident I’ll soon be back under the 13 stone mark.

2019 has been a good year – I’ve loved the music and travel, but its not been a stellar year, so I shan’t cling on to it, happy to wave it good bye and look forward to what 2020 has to offer.

Pic of the week

Ok, so this blog is supposed to be an online diary where I record events of the past week for future posterity, but Becky put together the above montage of what we’ve got to look forward to in 2020.

This week I booked two tickets for Deacon Blue on Nov 14th 2020 in Plymouth and three tickets (one for Sophie!) to the Bath Festival in May to see McFly, supported by Scouting for Girls.

This evening I’ve booked two EasyJet flights to Barcelona (total cira £180)

We’ve also got Glastonbury Festival and a week in Pollensa to look forward to, along with Becky’s 50th, Sophie’s 21st and Sam’s 18th. A busy year ahead!

This has been another busy – and wet – working week. Sophie cam home on Wednesday and then went of to Newport on Thursday for an interview for a placement year at the ONS.

(On the way home, the Micra windscreen wipers stopped working. Tried to fix them today, but can’t get the wipers off.  Need a special pulling tool – ordered one today from Amazon, should be here tomorrow … hopefully this time next week I’ll be writing of my successful motor mechanic skills …)

Pic of the week 13/10/19

So Sam had his first encounter with gin yesterday, and lost.

Out with his pals in Shepton yesterday, I got a text at circa 8.30 pm – can you pick me up? (He was supposed to have got the bus, bit had missed the last one.)

The smell of booze in the car was intense. He fell asleep on the short journey home. Under the white light of his mother’s interrogation, looked green. He took himself off to bed.

This morning he was woken, ready to go to work. Oh what a sorrowful, pitiful sight! I ended up calling in sick on his behalf and he shuffled back off to bed.

We’ve all been there, schadenfreude is a wonderful thing, and (out of his eye-line) I had to suppress the odd chuckle. He’s mopped all day, “I’ve learnt my lesson” – well, time will tell!

 

Other news – it continues to be wet, wet, wet and more rain is forecast for tomorrow. Cleaned the deck in a break in the rain this afternoon, unable to mow the lawn which is beginning to reach “untidy” heights. Weather warning for more rain tomorrow – will it ever end?

Pic of the week 22/9/19

Yesterday, Sophie went back to uni for the start of her second year. It doesn’t seem like a moment that we were dropping her off in the pouring rain last year. (Fortunately, this year the weather – at least yesterday – was much better. Scorchio)

It’s also quite frightening how Sophie not being at home has become the new normal. It has been lovely to have her home for the summer but, unlike this time last year, it does not seem odd her not being home. Not quite the circle of life, but certainly the passage of time and confirmation that Becky and I are now well into a new chapter of our lives.

In other news, the weather of late has been fantastic, wall to wall sunshine and pleasant day time temps, although getting chilly in the evenings. However, rained this morning and that is, apparently, the precursor to ten days of rain. Quite a pleasant evening now, though.

Has been exeat this weekend, and I’ve enjoyed a complete break from school, listened to a lot of music, refereed a couple of OA games, tidied the garden (a bit) in preparation for autumn and winter – planted 50 allium bulbs and x 6 bare rooted peony plants. Still mowing the lawn. Mini rumbles on, quite literally, Sam has had his first couple of “proper” driving lessons, and Becky continues to be as beautiful and wonderful as ever.

Oh, and I nearly forgot, my (other) blog was mentioned by Rob Eastaway in a recent interview – rather chuffed and proud!

Whimsical and self-deprecating

Pic of the week 8/9/19

Buenos Dias. Mi llamo Jeff, y yo soy un maestro de mathematicia. Yo vivo con mi esposa, mi hija, y mi hiho. Yo quiero hablas Espanol.

Term has begun, Becky and Sophie have enjoyed a few days in Paris (Sam and I somehow survived in their absence) and I am continuing to learn Spanish. I’m rather pleased with myself in that I wrote that entire phrase above and, when I checked it using google translate it said what I wanted!

My Sunday league refereeing has begun, have done a couple of games now – I particularly enjoyed today’s game, despite it being all the way over beyond Burnham. Floodlit league starts this Tuesday with Glastonbury v Wells.

Mini making an annoying (worrying) rumbling noise, definitely something to do with the wheels/tyres as its frequency changes with speed. Hoping its just a tyre (to be fair, did drive for about 15 miles the other day with one of the run flats, flat so could be the cause.) Will swap the front wheels tomorrow – if the sound changes side it will confirm tyre/wheel problem (hoping for this easy/cheapest fix) if not, its probably a wheel bearing – not a disaster, but I’d prefer it to not be. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to update with some positive diagnosis.

 

Pic of the week

Sam has turned 17, and taken to life behind the wheel.

I haven’t been out with him (yet) but Becky’s taken him out a few times and he seems to be enjoying life on the road. They started in Strode car park, but have since graduated onto the levels back lane (that I run along) as well us driving up Downside Road, to Millfield car park (main & swimming pool) and back home, to reverse onto the drive.

Other than his birthday, the week has been a little non-descript: the inevitable come down after the highs of a week away. I’ve ref-ed a couple of games, done some more painting of hall and utility room, but not too much to write home about. The weather has not been brilliant – high winds on Friday and Saturday and today – after a bright-ish morning – we’ve had some torrential downpours, thunder and lightening:

Pic of the week 4/8/19

Just back from a great week in Soller, Mallorca. We stayed in a villa in the town of Soller – a great villa, with a fab pool, in a charming Mallorcan town.

We paid (about) £2.5K for the villa, flights were £1.5K – Thomas Cook: good times – 12.30 pm out 16.55 return (local times) but, unfortunately the outbound flight was three hours delayed.  The skipper then opened up the gas, meaning we landed “only” 2 hour 40 mins late and were thus denied the 250 euro ahead compensation for a three hour delay.

I’d booked transfers via Hoppa.com – worked well, cost £118 in advance. Probably would have been cheaper to just book local taxis, but this saved a lot of hassle – would be happy to use again.

Becky has two much better blog posts that are worth reading:

Soller    and The Villa

but below are some photos and memories from me.

Home (casa) for the week

and its pool (piscina)

El nino and padre enjoying said piscina

Perhaps the most picturesque train station in Europe? Discovering the (small) Miro  exhibition was cool. (“Jefe” means “Boss”. I think I might start mis-spelling my name with an e instead of f at the end.)

Becky, Sam & I took the bus to Deia, walked down the hill (30 mins) to swim in the beautiful, clear see, before yomping back up in the midday heat to get the bus back to Soller. (Fortunately, the bus was deliciously air conditioned and gave us a great view on the switch back roads through the mountains.)

The four of us had a day out in Plama (outbound via train – worth it, at 18 euros ahead, back by those wonderful air conditioned buses, 2.50 euro each). A lovely picturesque compact city, but hot, oh so hot! Becky & I will return for a city break – sin ninos –  at some point.

Soller itself was beautiful. I think I particularly enjoyed being immersed in a Spanish/Mallorcan town and not some “All day breakfast” tourist resort. I’m trying to learn a little espanol, I must keep this up.

I enjoyed the whole holiday, but if I must pick a best bit, i think it must have been having a leisurely breakfast in the square with Becky.

Till next time …