31.8.17

Back to Blogging and Life Lately

Hello - I hope you've had a great summer. I've spent the six week school holidays relaxing and recuperating after a year of full-time teaching. There's still been a lot going on. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with a night away in Warwickshire, a day at Womad festival and a short hotel break in Mousehole, Cornwall. It was a great start to the holidays.

We've also had A level results for our youngest son; he secured his first choice at Reading uni to study architecture (I may get a tiny home one day) and we celebrated with a family meal and a trip to the cinema (A Ghost Story starring Casey Affleck) before he went camping with his friends in Cornwall over the Bank Holiday weekend (best weather of August - jammy, I know).

I've gradually been catching up with friends and beginning to make plans for life after the school holidays. From September (tomorrow-eek) I'm returning to supply teaching so that I can restore the work-life balance that I had two years ago (until I agreed to cover a teacher on sick leave and then take on her job permanently). It's all been a bit topsy turvy job wise and home life has suffered. However, I've gained not only valuable teaching experience but also a greater understanding of myself and a recognition of what I need and what others need from me, and how these two things can be incompatible. 'Live to work' is my new mantra and whilst on the last day of term I was feeling very torn about leaving lovely colleagues and children, I now feel very happy with my decision. September is a quiet month for supply work so I'm not anticipating much work - in fact I'm taking Mum away next week for three nights and hubs and I are off to Crete later in the month.

So, I've been thinking about getting reacquainted with blogging now that I've got the headspace for it. There's been a little tinkering with the design of the blog - it's still work in progress but I hope you like it. And there'll be more frequent posts with some essay type posts as well as the diary type posts. Plus lots of photos, of course. And decluttering, that's always work in progress.

Womad pretty much sums up my summer. Not perfect weather but a jolly good time. I'll leave you with some photos of our day there. Look out for the unicorn wellington.

Highlights of Womad were: seeing Ska Vengers playing on the BBC stage (yes that's Cerys Matthews); Noureddine Khourchid and the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus - hypnotising; !!! (Chk Chk Chk), an American dance band - fabulous fun; and the mellifluous Nick Mulvey. All worth checking out.
Until tomorrow when I'll post some Happy Friday Links.
It's good to be back.
Claire xo

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