Category: Pic of the week

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.)

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Decision day

Pic of the week 20/6/21

After much vacillating and agonising we have decided to go to Corfu. Now less than three weeks away, I’m really looking forward to it. I just want to do something different, and, like a sailor of old drawn to the soulful singing of the Sirens, I am drawn by pictures of the turquoise blue Ionian water, and hang the consequences!

Have spent much of the day looking at testing requirements, I think I shall have to buy us each an Amber + package from Tui for £90 each, necessitating a trip to Cribbs Causeway a few days before we travel to drop off our fit to fly tests, we will take a fit to return test with us on holiday, and then do two tests on our return in our 10 day quarantine, but it has to be worth it.

‘Tis also Father’s Day today, and I’ve recived an England T-shirt (which will get its first outing on Tuesday when they face the Czech Republic needing a draw to guarantee progression to the next round) along with a hefty “care package” of snacks. Delicious!

 

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Hot, hot, hot!

Pic of the week 13/6/21

Its been hot, hot, hot this weekend, which has been wonderful. I’ve enjoyed the sunshine, as have the sunflowers in the bed outside which are now beginning to reach for the skies!

Not too much else to report, so I’ll sign off and go and water the garden.

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Half term

Pic of the week 6/6/21

And so half term draws to a close. Its been a lovely week – the weather has (on the whole) been magnificent and I have spent much of my time outside: running, walking, reading, gardening …

The pics are a collage from Friday morning when Becky & I walked up the twin peaks of Dundon Beacon and Lollover Hill – a lovely morning out.

The garden is now in its “summer ready” state with everything planted out.

I’ve read a lot, we’ve eaten outside on a number of occasions and both Sophie & Sam have been up to “stuff” – Sophie went to London last weekend, and Reading this, Sam’s friend “Smithy” came down from Hemel Hempsted for a few days (& subsequently I’ve been a taxi service on a few occasions) and he went to Tom’s house in Weymouth on Friday, all of which has led it to feel like a “normal” holiday. It’s been lovely. Now just a four week sprint to the glittering prize of the long summer holidays …

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Double Dab

Pic of the week 30/5/21

On Tuesday I had my second dose of the Astra Zenica covid jab, and on Thursday Becky had her second dose.

Pleased to have got my second jab in – should be safe now!

Half term had finally arrived, after a long and tiring seven week term. And the weather has changed for the better as well – after a cold April and a wet May, yesterday and today has seen the sun shine and the temperature rise, which has been wonderful. Went for a lovely walk yesterday morning, this morning I did a 10K run – didn’t feel too difficult, but was slow. On Wednesday I ran 10K in school in an attempt to “beat the Head” (I didn’t!) and that was really tough – running on grass just seemed to sap the energy from me, there was no bounce to my rhythm.  I do need to spend some of this half-term getting myself back to a level of fitness I haven’t known for many months.