Crumbs, as Penfold would say (we’re watching A LOT of Danger Mouse in our house at the moment)….. it’s been almost THREE years since I graced this blog with my presence. As was the case for my last post, a notification that a similarly inconsistent blogger (https://mutteringsofafool.com/) had fired up his blog again inspired me to do the same. Luckily Google had saved my wordpress login, so getting access to the thing was pretty easy. So in a moment of relative peace, here we go…..
One thing I remember about previous posts was my tendancy to craft something over a number of days, probably including some procrastination about how to word something/everything, before posting. In my last post I shared how I was about to start an experiment in shopping at Aldi. I did start that (and it continues to this day) and I did actually start crafting a follow up post in Google Doc, but it never saw the light of day because something else got in the way of finishing it and then posting it. So I figure that if I stand a chance of posting at a frequency that isn’t measured in years, that I should just get over myself, procrastinate less and JFDI. It will also provide a more productive use of screen time other than scrolling Instagram, Twitter and the news (as my fellow blogger above also shares).
So the world is quite a different place now versus September 2019 which was when I last posted. How to condense that into one post?!?! Well as part of my English A level, I did quite enjoy doing a precis of a text, so I’ll try and put that to good use now (that was 25+ years ago though…..!!!). I think chapters are the way to go…..which doesn’t scream “precis” does it?!?
Little People
The offspring (now 9, almost 10 and just turned 7) continue to be a delight and all consuming at the same time. I don’t think they are particularly high maintenance so I am certainly grateful that in the main, they get on very nicely together with only occasional meltdowns/fights. The eldest suffered with some very sudden anxiety after lockdown 3 that resulted in her not able to swallow anything that needed to be vaguely chewed. It was a harrowing experience seeing her lose weight so quickly. Personally it was debilitating. I had to take some time out from work (who were amazing), when in hindsight, working would have been the best thing to do to distract myself. Instead, on a couple of occasions I curled up in her bed in tears whilst she was at school and the house was empty. I’ve never felt so helpless. Luckily my OH a) is much stronger mentally than I and b) got some great advise from a counsellor at her school. We also (eventually) found a great psychologist who in fact told us she was in remission when we started seeing her and that we’d guided her out of the worst of it. We set a target of her being able to eat birthday cake and have fish and chips out for her birthday in August, which we did at the most amazing Squires in Braunton, North Devon (a constant for the last 10+ years when holidaying in that part of the world). She is back on fine form now but the thought lingers about whether something similar could rear its head again in the future. But for now, all is well and she’s a confident, kind and fun (not so little) girl. Secondary school beckons next September, which is really quite scary!! The youngest, I think, is turning out to be quite similar to me at that age. Definitely left brained and pretty sharp with anything logical. He picked up telling the time very quickly, whilst it took the eldest some time at the same age. He’s also chronically shy and takes a long time to “warm up”. In his first year 2 parents evening, the feedback was mainly that he didn’t actively participate, yet in the second one in the spring term, this had turned around as he got comfortable with his teachers. He’s a little fibber too, mostly low level stuff (yes I have washed my hands, no I didn’t hit my sister etc) but definitely aware of calling him on it before it becomes anything other than low level!
Furry children
Hot off the press…one has become two! A second miniature schnauzer (Bonnie) joined Alfie (15 later this year!!) last week. Follow her via her own Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/bonnie_blue_beckwith), which she obviously updates herself! We all took half term off work to settle her in and it’s going amazingly well. Alfie is tolerating her, with only the occasional growl when she tries to climb all over him. The breeder we got her from was lovely and did a great job with her. Both children, but the eldest especially, were giddy beyond belief. It was so lovely to see their excitement and provided memories to treasure. I’m glad we did it whilst they were at this age.
Work life
I’d always been a bit crap at WFH, but that had to change quickly in 2020!! The spare/junk room got converted into an office and I now use it 3 days a week and go to our fantastic office on the other two. It works perfectly, especially with a new puppy, as the OH works three days a week, so I go to the office on her off days. My employer really has stepped up to the mark in the past two years and continue to be incredibly supportive to its employees, primarily in a non financial way, but also financially. They have skillfully navigated the pandemic but the foundations were laid years before as we shifted focus to generating the bulk of our revenues from content (i.e. subscriptions) with less of a reliance on advertising. It’s a great place to work. Check us out here….https://aboutus.ft.com/careers. It hasn’t been without its (personal) challenges though. Restructuring part of my team at the end of 2020 was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do professionally. I’ve never had to make anyone redundant before and doing it from the confines of my home office made it an incredibly lonely experience (despite all the support I had). I think I still have lingering survivor guilt, but I try and keep that buried, instead focussing on rebuilding that part of my team. Signs are positive for the future.
Home life
I sometimes struggle when people ask what I enjoy doing outside of work. My mind often goes blank as the children take up so much of my non work time….and you don’t get that time back right, so I actually don’t mind that I can’t reel off a load of stuff that I like doing just for me. But what I do enjoy is cooking/baking. My ideal evening is prepping something with a nice glass of wine or a G&T in hand, listening to some music, followed by an episode from a “box set” (Stranger Things 4 right now). Walking the dog (soon to be plural when Bonnie’s had her jabs) also provides nice thinking time and an opportunity to get out the house. I also love spending time by the sea/in the country. Our twice annual trips to Devon didn’t quite cut the mustard, so in mid 2019 we fulfilled a long held ambition to get a place by the coast, opting for Suffolk. I’m incredibly aware of how privileged we are to have been able to do that (I try not to think too hard about the combined mortgage borrowing!) so we certainly don’t take it for granted. It’s almost 2 hours exactly from us so lends itself to weekend trips in addition to longer stays in the holidays. Once you get over the packing and unpacking, it’s very calming to be there and provides a nice respite from day to day life. Two of our favourite things to do when we’re there, both food related (!) are to get some delicious bread and pastries from Two Magpies Bakery and then fish and chips from Mrs T’s, both in Southwold (with a bit of a gap in between!). And a third would have to be a cheeky visit to the Adnans factory shop 😉 I have also taken on some extra curricular work by becoming the Treasurer for the church linked to the children’s school. Playing around with spreadsheets in a non work context is enjoyable and given I am a meticulous planner for our personal finances, doing it on a voluntary basis for a worthy cause isn’t at all a chore.
The OH
She is wonderful and I probably don’t tell her that enough. She and her mum ran their own day nursery for 20+ years but called it a day in July 2019 (good timing as it turned out – running your own business during covid must have been horrendous so big kudos to all small business owners). She now has a great job at a girls secondary school in Hampstead, which is a bit of a longer commute than she’d ideally like, but they, like mine, are a great employer and have been super flexible by allowing her to drop from five to three days so we can achieve a better balance as a family. As I said before, she’s mentally very tough and I’m sure I could be less of a burden on her in that regard. Must try harder.
Fin
Hope you enjoyed reading that extended precis!! Will try and be back in less than three years.
The Should I Start a Blog Blog 