Skip to main content

Stormy weather

It's a good job we have a bridge!
It is winter so we shouldn't be so shocked when big storms come in but the weather over the past 2 weekends has been biblical due to Storm Ciara and Dennis (who thinks of these names?!?). The whole country has ground to a halt under the wind and rain and S Wales has been particularly hard hit with flooding and the Rivers Wye and Severn reaching their highest ever recorded point. Its on weekends like these that I'm sure Mum and Dad are happy they no longer live in the mill!

The weather has overshadowed everything we've done over the past 2 weekends, but there are some definite upsides in that we've got some house jobs done. After a busy last week of the half term (how can it be half term already?), Izzy took it upon herself on Friday evening to up end everything in her cupboards and wardrobe onto the floor to have a sort out. Normally I'd be delighted at such an activity but at 9:45pm it was hardly what I wanted to see. When I asked what she was doing she had a minor melt down over her "horrible" wardrobe and the fact that apparently I'd promised "hundreds of times" to take her to Ikea to buy new inserts for it so she could organise her clothes better. I do recall having this discussion some time ago but little had I realised that it had been circulating around her brain building up into an injustice. After we'd both calmed down, I found myself committing to a trip to Ikea on a very wet and windy Saturday afternoon - ugh.

So after a relaxing morning walk with Bertie in a window of relative weather calm, and a brilliant yoga session, I buoyed myself up for the trip, trying to keep an open mind about the whole experience. Both girls came with me and it was decided in advance that they wanted to eat there (!) so we set off before lunchtime with me already hungry - not a good start. We parked on the top deck and almost got blown away and so headed inside slightly damp but determined to go straight to what we needed. Some chance! There is no easy way to navigate your way around one of these places. It's like the lazy river at Centre Parcs - once you are in the current it's hard to get out again. Thank goodness both girls have a better sense of direction than me - if I'd been on my own I think I'd still be there! Almost immediately we entered Abi started to say she was bored - this wasn't her trip after all - while Izzy was eyeing up pretty much every display area with glee.
We dived into the multitudes of people (apparently some go for a day out!) and managed to make it to the wardrobe section where we found what we wanted and made a note of the details. Of course then you have to try and navigate (without buying the wide range of items placed strategically as you shuffle past that you don't need but are tempted by) all the way to the self selection area - no easy task. Luckily Abi cut through the nonsense and managed to get us via some short cuts to where we needed to be - onto the next task of finding our various wardrobe parts from the many aisles and locations. Only 90 minutes after we'd started we had all of what we needed (and nothing more!) and we'd paid and got out the other side. I haven't been for about 10 years and I don't need to go again for another 10 years I think. By this time the kids had given up on the idea of Swedish meatballs and were clamouring for Chicken Nuggets from MacDonalds. The weak (starving) parent I am I caved in - having kept them away from this sort of food until they reached double figures I'm a bit more relaxed about it now - its not something they eat regularly and so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. After all this home to hand it all to Glenn to build! One happy girl and one very neat bedroom (so happy Mum).

This week has been pretty hectic. I was in Southampton on Monday, Warsaw on Tuesday, Krakow on Wednesday and Thursday and London on Friday. No wonder I was tired by the weekend! Happily I sort of have 2 days off this week.  While today was theoretically a day off, I've got so much to do in the run up to year end that I've ended up doing some work. I'll claw the time back so it's OK and lets face it - with Abi at Mia's until lunchtime, Glenn out riding and Izzy in bed until noon, it was the perfect time to get some work done. Even with that I had a lovely long walk in the light this morning which even given the mud was a treat. This afternoon Abi then came out with me and we walked miles, again in the mud but with actual sunshine! Walking really is good for body and soul and I love that Abi appreciates that. Let's hope Izzy discovers a passion for it as well one day... 
A little pit stop at the half way point




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