Skip to main content

Time to relax!

After 6 very hectic months, with more twists and turns than I could ever have imagined in my new job, I finally have a week off - hooray! It feels like it as taken forever to get here and I am definitely in need of a break - its hasn't all been downhill but there have been one of two moments recently where I felt like I was crawling to the finish line. Our Group General Counsel emailed me yesterday to wish me a good break, laughing at the fact that I clearly had  a final push on Friday afternoon where where I'd been noticeably firing out the final emails to various people of things I'd like to see done when I get back, or started at the very least. I appreciate if only half get addressed it will be a result, but at least it made me feel better.

The theory is that the kids are going to do half days this week, with me not having appreciated that it is actually their last week of term anyway and let's face it - they've pretty much given up already. I have consoled myself with Izzy's wise counsel where she said by this point they do very little "because its generally too hot in the classrooms and the teachers have given up"! I shall listen to he wisdom and stop stressing - their schooling has been my biggest anxiety throughout the whole of lockdown.

The school asked for feedback this week and I found it hard to be balanced. On the one hand, the school have done a good job of shifting everything online and delivering online lessons via Teams. they've maintained the same timetable and if its a case of judging the provision of content, I guess you cant fault it. If you look at the kids experience on the other hand, they are bored stiff with listening to endless teachers talking at them via a screen, with limited debate between the kids themselves, its all between teacher and individual pupil as a sort of extended Q&A. The academic girls are generally the ones that put themselves forward to speak, while the others (the vast majority lets face it) wait to be asked so listen with half an ear until their name is called and then do their best to wing it. I know its still better than what so many children have had to deal with, but its hardly world class schooling, if they remember anything from this time it will be how much Snapchat and TikTok they've all managed to get away with! Breathe.... its all going to be OK. Given all of this, I think I'm just going to tell the school we've planned various things and we look forward to seeing them all, full time and in person, in September!

So this week we have some family stuff planned - lunch tomorrow with Simon & Audrey and then Stourhead on Tuesday (we have to book a slot!) with Mum  & Dad, Amanda and the boys. Wednesday I have to do a work call so we'll stay closer to home but I'm hoping to see a friend for a walk, and then Thursday and Friday I plan to potter in the garden, weather permitting. Of course last week it was scorchio and this week is looking mixed at the best but who cares - no video screens for a week!!! As long as it's a break that's all that matters. Anyway, that's all for now - I'm off to see if I can sneak into the hot tub without anyone noticing :-)

Blue skies, sunny days





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