After a terrific weekend of celebration last weekend for Jimmy’s birthday it felt a little flat on Monday morning to be back at school and Jimmy did not cope with the adjustment from fun to work well. We had a bit of a meltdown on the first day of the week but with a promise of a 4 day week for the VE Day bank holiday Friday it soon got better.
I think we struggle to make the differentiation from week days to weekends as being at home all the time still doesn’t feel normal for them to be doing school work. We are getting there but it’s a mighty tricky thing that I think parents all over the world are finding. I think we will have a whole new appreciation for teachers in general and I hope, friends of mine who have moaned in the past about how much time off they get, might realise how hard they work and that the time off is totally needed! I grew up with my Mum as a teacher so I think I have always appreciated them on the whole (give or take the odd rogue eejit) but now even more than ever. I know 100% it’s not a job I could do myself, it’s not a job I AM doing myself (not with any clarity at least)! Thakfully Jonny is on hand and he DOES get it, he’s going to be a brilliant teacher. He’s still having to work hard on his course which is why I am having to do some of the teaching more’s the pity!
The weather has mainly been sunny, especially over the bank holiday when it was like being in the med but without a pool, and we have enjoyed our outdoor walks and bike rides – one of which was 14 miles long! We absolutely need them but i’m not sure how much I like the new guidelines that we can now drive to places and have as much time outside as we like. There will be people who take that to mean it’s all systems go and it’s not. It’s still very frightening! The news is showing signs of the virus numbers going in the right direction and BoJo has offered this plan for easing lockdown but it isn’t totally clear. I feel he is appeasing the people who want to get back to normal but by doing that is putting us at risk. I think his political party as a whole only really care about the wealthy, in my opinion I think they are quite happy for deaths of the elderly and infirm as long as it doesn’t hit their wallets. I want to do my bit by being more cautious, as I think he should be advising everyone to be, and if that means staying home for a while longer yet then I am beyond happy to do so. We just want to be safe and I’m worried. I can’t deny it. I am.
Anyway, onto looking back at the week’s best bits (there was also the mother of all arguments – Jonny and me – but we won’t try to remember that) with my tribe!
Another day saw another bike ride, this time to a woods which also has bluebells and air raid shelters and bunkers! It was pretty cool!Going on explores!I think of it as a bit of a gift actually, we’d never have had the time to do this and so with all the sacrifice does come a silver lining!Finding bluebells!And bunkers!More work at the kitchen table but finding ways to make it a bit more fun. This boo has been brilliant!Brothers half under the sofa watching TV. Well why not?!We found a book, well it was recommended by Jennie Edspire, that really inspires Jimmy and has actualy got him WRITING of how own accord. It’s called the Dictionary of Difficult Words and it has all these crazy words, their phonetic spelling so that you know how to pronounce it (as wel as the actual spellings) and a bit about what each word means for example bumbershoot is an umbrella! He loves it and is giving us all a word of the day each to guess the meaning, find out about and use at some point during the day, it’s ace!More bubbles were enjoyed!And more still!We ate outside in the sunshine!Florence decided it was about time she taugt herself to skateboard in lieu of there being any surfing opportunities and she’s done pretty blooming well!This is on one of our favourite walks where there is a field with a big banging bird scarer, we like to stand and watch it bang and not flinch ourselves (we always flinch)!The walks are great – really great!Or the skates, cycles or bike rides if you prefer!These three!Mr gaps, no signs of those side top teeth coming in yet!They all moan at me for insisting on these family photos but I know they will be pleased afterwards, they always are. Everyone hates the pictures at the time but is always glad after that they are there!Raffie is properly getting into books now – it’s wonderful!He’s also been enjoying Gymboree at home!And scooting!While Florence does her skating!And Jimmy rides his bike – a LOT!Jimmy’s birthday presents still keep coming – the beauty of lockdown means drawn out deliveries and surprises for longer. This is his unty Phoebe’s old cadet cap whch she was awarded for dealing with adversity and decided he needed to have passed onto him for doing the same during lockdown!And of course I made them pose for more family photographs, well, when the sun shines!And what does every good Brit have for dinner on the slightest of sunny days?! BBQ!The meal that daddy stands over the coals for an hour cooking meat for and is declared a culinary genius. The three different salads, prepared breads, cuttlery, tableware and drinks that are put together by Mummy go entirely unnoticed when this feat of excellence is brought to the table by the father!And of course on a sunny day with a tent in the garden and what do you do? You camp with midnight feasts, movies on the lap top and games of cards! The big children, to be clear, not me!We went on an epic 14 mile round trip bike ride to drop some afternoon tea for V.E Day to my Mum!It was very eventful with both big kids falling off (Jimmy dramatically rolling into the road), a broken bike which Daddy fixed on Gram’;s driveway, Raffie had a nose bleed! It was a LONG journey! And Jimmy only moaned for the last mile as he was completely broken by then and fell asleep at 6pm playing on his Switch!Before he fell asleep he managed to join us for our own V.E Day afternoon tea in the garden!Where the big kids drank San Pellegrino from Champagne flutes!And raffie still looked like he belonged in a horror movie as was covered in blood from his nose bleed (and Bovril from his cracker)!Saturday reached highs of about 23 and felt like we were on holiday somewhere in the med only without a sea or a pool which made it VERY hot!We all took our shoes off for our walk across the fields behind our village! Didn’t quite meet the notion of a pool but it was better than nothing!It is so lovely to be in the countryside!We are so grateful for that!As it truly is beautiful all year round but especially so coming into the summer when everywhere is still rather green but beginning to be blooming!We are thinking about getting a big paddling pool that we can swim in for the next lot of sunny days!But Sunday saw the temperature drop and so we look forward to a week now where the sun won’t really be quite as on show! We will decorate and I’m sure have lots of screen time!And spend lots of time playing Orchard games with this one. He is beginning to love them and I do think he gets the bum end of me right now which isn’t fair – More Gymboree at home for he and i with games mixed in!
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