The first day of the summer holidays was a weird vibe. Exhaustion combined with the usual anticlimax meant that all of us were out of sorts one way or another. Add Covid in the house into the mix and the disruption from the garage conversion currently underway and it was not the blissful peace that… Continue reading False Start
Category: Journal
Beginning of an Ending
Friday just gone was Evelina's last Friday at Primary School. After seven years of being in her little one class entry school, always being the oldest in the school (the school opened with her class so now she is in Year 6, the school is full for the first time), having a lovely group of… Continue reading Beginning of an Ending
Skies from our Walk
Harper and I took advantage of the cooler evening to go for a longer walk this evening. The skies were on point.
I Know This is True
Cooking on the barbeque in the summer and having just grilled meat with salad for most of our meals is the best. I know this is true. I am not cut out to be a primary teacher. Spending a couple of hours with some Year One age children (i.e. Austin's age) whilst I chaperoned at… Continue reading I Know This is True
I Want to Remember
I want to remember the smile on Evelina's face when she pulled off an awesome lift in her Acro show today. I want to remember the simple joy of a family barbeque and the sun bathing the garden in golden light. I want to remember how we ate and laughed and hugged. I want to… Continue reading I Want to Remember
Five Things that Made Me Smile Today
Finishing marking a whole set of books;Harper's attempts to scam an extra meal out of Evelina;Rich's return home from London;Having a healthy debate with some Year 9 students about the value of English as a subject (and the meaning of life);Watching Evelina read the opening of one of my favourite books (/ book series) of… Continue reading Five Things that Made Me Smile Today
Countdown
As I wrote today's date on the board for my first lesson, I realised with a happy jolt that we were exactly a month away from flying from New York to Orlando. We will have already enjoyed three nights in the Big Apple and we will be heading for the Magic Kingdom. We have been… Continue reading Countdown
Sunset in the Park
On Tuesdays, Evelina attends Sea Scouts at the town park in Warwick. Although we are about as far away from the sea as you can get in England, they enjoy boating, kayaking, and all manner of water activities on the River Avon. It is such a beautiful evening, I thought I would bring Harper for… Continue reading Sunset in the Park
The Wonderful Side Effect of Taking Stock
When I start writing again, I see results straight away. By writing about how I have hardly written or done any of my usual pursuits lately, it made me recognise that although it was absolutely down to my shift in focus, there was also another reason for it: my workspace had become unworkable. I started… Continue reading The Wonderful Side Effect of Taking Stock
Today’s Ta-dah List
A while back, I wrote about the beauty of keeping a ta-dah list, one that notes all the accomplishments of the day (as opposed to a regular to-do list which can sometimes sit in judgment of you for the whole day as you blithely ignore it). Here is my (our) ta-dah list for today: Sold… Continue reading Today’s Ta-dah List