Skip to main content

Happy new year!

I should be starting to get back to work but knowing that in 2 months I will have left to start my new job I quite frankly have zero motivation! Today I have no meetings in my diary so I'm working from home. This means in reality I'm going to monitor emails and clear out my study and laptop of old documents / stuff that I really don't need. I guess that needs to be done so its all good. Tomorrow I'm in Bristol (proper actual work!) and then Friday is a few calls from home again. At least I'm easing myself in gently to the year! I am very mindful of the fact that as Christmas and the new year are now done, the reality is that I can no longer think 'oh well, don't have to worry about what's to come until next year' - it's all getting very real now! I am excited and daunted in equal measures - I know it's going to be great fun, I know it's going to be hard work and the bit I worry I may miscalculated on, the travel, well, I'm approaching the fact that I will undoubtedly travel more widely with an open mind - I think I can strike the right balance and if not, it's mine to shape.


To start the new year off on a good basis we went for our annual windy walk down on the beach, joined by Simon, Sharron, John and Lucy. We had a lovely day, great food, great company and the beach was at it's best, even if very busy due to the mild conditions. The girls were on brilliant form, playing in the sand and collecting shells without managing to get themselves soaking wet (first time ever!) - I even got photos of us all together - miracle!


So here's to a year of change - with a moto of being kind to myself and accepting that while everything may not feel under my control in the short term, this time next year it will all be much more familiar and I'll be in my stride.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

All about Izzy

This weekend has mainly been about Izzy, mostly because Abi has been off riding again and so we've hardly seen her. This has its pros and cons - on the one hand Izzy gets lots of attention and the choice of what to do. On the other she misses Abi and when big sister arrives home we have the inevitable few hours of resettling which seems to involve tears as a matter of course. I did have a moment of despair this evening when I looked across to the table just before Sunday dinner - normally a happy time - to see both of them, heads on arms, holding back tears. Luckily a bit of food and a game of 20 questions to share what everybody had enjoyed about their weekend and we kind of managed to get back on track by dessert. When asked what she wanted to do, Izzy immediately shouted "Jo Jo" so my task was to sort out a visit with Jo, the boys and Ellie. No matter how much time passes they still love to see each other and the first task is always the same. Edward and Izzy have t...
Post a Comment
Read more