Skip to main content

Spring has sprung


Busy few weeks! No blog last weekend as we were proudly supporting Kerrie running her first marathon - the one we almost all ran but in the end relied on Kerrie to run for us all and boy did she do us proud! Despite being pretty nervous beforehand she had a massive smile on her face all the way round and finished in a brilliant 4:31, bang on her target time. She suffered in the last few miles - I ran with her for a few hundred yards at mile 22 and she was willing it to be done, but she still made it over the line at a jog and even then was smiling - what a result. I can't believe how far she has come, both in her running and in her attitude - little would we have thought she could or would have achieved this even a few years ago. We headed out for a big meal to celebrate Kerrie's run and mine and Ashley's birthdays that evening and it's very clear she all grown up now.

While Kerrie ran we ate and walked our way around Barcelona with a few glasses of Rose to see us on our way. We certainly ate well, and had more to drink than we have for a while, but by most people's standards it was a pretty reserved affair - just how we like it these days, I'm happy to say that I'm far to precious about my time off to ruin it with a hangover these days.

On Monday we headed down to breakfast in the hotel to be greeted with 2 waiters, cake and champagne - clearly my birthday was on the system from check in. Not what I expected but very nice all the same to have a little mini celebration. I had to make the most of it - having been away I didn't even get a card from the girls - but I got lots of cuddles on arriving home and that's what matters.

This week has been a departure from the norm as I started the first of 3 development modules for my Grad certificate in Organsiational Development. I was at Roffey Park which was a lovely setting for 3 days of reflection and conversation amongst like minded people. This felt very indulgent, but I'm paying for it myself so that's ok. I came back feeling like I haven't seen much of the girls for a while so it was very good to be home - that's always the nicest bit of being away!

Today we have mostly been reorganising the girls rooms Every so often that they get it into their heads that their rooms need changing (I get this completely!) and so we have to work through the limited options of how their beds can go so that everything gets a new place. We did Abi's room first, and then went into Izzy's, who just wanted her bed with its head next to Abi's so that they are close at night time. As we drove Izzy to a party today Abi was chatting away and saying that she likes the fact that they are close, even if they don't admit it always at school, When I asked why she said "it's not cool", but then added "But I think it is lovely to be close" - I hope that lasts. 

I also hope that we hear Izzy chit chatting away to herself for as long as possible. She's obviously the baby of our family but they are both growing up so fast. I love to hear Izzy in the bath as she was tonight - I often remake the beds on a Sunday evening while she plays happily in the bath, chatting away to herself, complete nonsense most of the time, singing, laughing and happy in her own little world - may that last for as long as possible, my little sunshine baby.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas...

I was sure I write the blog last week.... but, it seems another 2 weeks have flown by and now we are staring down the barrel of the Christmas holidays and the end of the year! Currently it's all about Doug and what a star he has proved to be so far. He has now been with us for 3 weeks and he is (so far, I keep thinking at some point it will change) a pretty chilled out puppy. As a second dog he has been thrown in at the deep end and has been to Sunday lunch with Alan & Sarah (which he loved), socialised at home with friends and their dogs, met babies (he loved Elsie) and started to go for walks. The walking has been a bit different to our previous approaches with new dogs. In the past we have ventured out carefully, making sure that our new baby only walks a short distance so they can experience all the new sights and sounds. Doug's first walk was after Sunday lunch last week, just him and 8 other dogs for bout 45 mins - he loved it! In our defence we didn't let him wal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome Albert James!

So this week has been full of new things - Jess and Chris have welcomed Albert James Wilkinson Rayner to the family, a tad early but all doing well apparently (and so cute!!), I started my new job, Abi has her new shed and Dad got sorted on a phone that wasn't invented before the kids were born!! I always knew this week was going to be full on and it certainly has been. The first thing I had to do was try and sort out my diary which had been filled from dawn to dusk by my predecessor with meetings. I decided to set out as I mean to go on and immediately took out those that started before 9am. While I can get into  the office for 8am , it's a pain and requires me to be on the 6:30am train which is just a bit much every day (stating the obvious). I then made it clear that we don't need to be joined at the hip for the next 4 weeks which is a sensitive process - even though he is retiring it's hard to let go and he is understandably keen that the team are looked after. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diary management!

This part of the summer is definitely typified by me trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when. Abi likes to be off doing something with someone while Izzy is happier to know she's close to home and so for the last week they've gone their separate ways. Abi has been down in Somerset making the most of Ben and Laurie being about. From what I can tell she's having a lovely time. Apart from the covert phone call one evening to tell me she was 'starving'  (Mum was cooking for the hordes and so it had been delayed), I've barely heard from her. The few calls I have had have very quickly ended in "can I go now" like I'm making her speak to me! Today she switches from Mum and Dads to a night or two with Kerrie - not sure who is more excited! Izzy didn't want to be away for that long so she opted not to go. She's very conscious that Abi and Laurie are joined at the hip when together and Ben has his own things he wants to do so she ...
Post a Comment
Read more