• Feeling: Tired and not so productive
• Listening to: Nothing today
• Watching: Bake off: The Professionals

Not been on best form today – quite a lot of work calls which were fine, but I didn’t really get much done apart from that. Called Mum this evening and she told me I should be getting out of the house more for walks etc – which is probably true. Tomorrow morning I’m going to Warwick to pick up some books from the amazing Warwick Books and some tea from the lovely Golden Monkey Tea Co – so that should be a nice reason to get out of the house and get a change of scenery for a little bit.

Also got a really nice treat today from C: Maponimoes – a dominoes inspired card game where each card represents a country and you can only put bordering countries next to each other as you play the cards – can’t wait to try with the kids at the weekend.

F got to sleep very late (for her) last night and was a bit tired during the day – she wasn’t really grumpy but was inclined to get frustrated a bit more easily than normal. F has discovered she has Google Assistant on her Chromebook and has spent a good proportion of the last two days talking to it – although most of the conversations seems to go round in circles and several end with exchanges like

"Go away, you're rubbish"
"I'm sorry I don't understand that"

B seemed in a good mood, and was helpful and pretty good with F all day. In the afternoon he and F tried to use a “3D” pen to make some earrings for D, and F used it to give one of her Lego minifigs a mohican.

B also followed up on yesterdays preparation and cooked pizza for us this evening (with a bit of help from me) – it was really good!

Stay safe, stay strong.

• Feeling: Tired but productive
• Listening to: Nothing today
• Watching: Great British Sewing Bee

Got up early (alarm at 6, although not out of bed until about 6:40) to get some work done in preparation for a meeting at 10am – it was nice to be up and be feeling productive first thing.

Overall a busy work day for me, D also working hard and kids had quite a bit of screen time. B did some writing (a poem) this morning but F wasn’t in the mood and just sat and listened to some music. B is making pizza for us tomorrow and did some of the preparation today (oven roasted tomatoes!) and got the dough made to rest in the fridge overnight.

The kids did manage some time outside today, as did D – raspberries, strawberries and peas all doing well.

D has also grown an impressive crop of basil in the house – just right for the pizza tomorrow.

This evening I had virtual choir – nice to see people and chat for a bit.

Checked Bs dough just before I came to bed and it looked like it might escape the bowl if I just left it, so I gave it a fold and shape – hopefully it will be OK with that and rise again for tomorrow.

Stay safe, stay strong.

• Feeling: Exhausted
• Listening to: Nothing today
• Watching: Hawaii 5-0

Struggled to get to sleep last night and felt completely exhausted today. Tried to work, but didn’t get much done 🙁

D went for a run again this morning

It’s half-term for the kids this week, so they were at a bit of a loose end, but they got two packages of treats in the post this morning (from P and my Mum) and they spent quite a while this morning putting together a quiz for tomorrow evening.

In the afternoon the kids watched Paddington 2, but apart from that F was quite grumpy – not really knowing what to do with herself.

Going to go to bed now as I need to get up early to prep for a meeting tomorrow (having failed to do it today).

Stay safe, stay strong.

• Feeling: Tired and like I’ve “caught the sun”
• Listening to: Nothing today
• Watching: Stumptown

I woke sometime in the early hours but managed to get back to sleep and then woke again at 7, and finally got out of bed around 8 when I gave up trying to pretend I wasn’t awake yet.

I’d started some sourdough starter off last night to have some to make bagels and pancakes this morning, so I started off the morning baking.

Alongside the baking I also worked (with F again) on the potting table project – and we now have a potting table ready for D to use – although F still wants to add some more details like a holder for the pots.

D got out for a run again, and we were all going to go for a walk in the afternoon, but then ____ rang having had some bad news (a friend had died suddenly) so I stayed and talked to ___ while everyone else went for a walk.

B wanted to work on a new programming project – to write a “2D rigid body physics engine” (basically a computer program that makes the physics of games like Angry Birds work) – and wanted me to help. This is definitely outside my comfort zone and I’m not sure I was lots of help, but I suggested some basic steps to get started and he gave it a go.

We also had a family quiz again with my family, and I made roast chicken + roast potatoes for tea.

We finished the day snuggled up on the sofa watching TV.

I’m feeling tired this evening but happy that its a long weekend!

Stay safe, stay strong x

• Feeling: Glad its Friday
• Listening to: Apple Music “Feeling Happy” playlist
• Watching: Shop Class

Pretty good day today. All up a bit late (even D was a bit later this morning). I had a pretty heavy day of work with calls morning and afternoon, but it was all pretty productive. I also managed to make some soda bread this morning.

D was also working hard, and even managed to get herself out for a run at lunch.

F created a presentation on parrots and their reproductive habits (!) with more transitions than you can imagine (text appearing on the screen only to be whipped away and appear somewhere else as you eyes desperately chase it round the slide trying to read it). She also declared an interest in doing some algebra so I had a pretty successful maths lesson with her later in the day – which finished with a discussion of “R” and whether people who had already had COVID19 could be re-infected (which seemed like a pretty perceptive question from a 9yo).

B had a Spanish test in the morning, and in the afternoon both kids worked on creating collages on the computer using images made available by the British Library and the instructions in the British Library pamphlet “How to make art when we’re working apart“. Later in the afternoon the kids went upstairs armed with the iPad and wooden swords to “make a film” – we haven’t seen the results yet, but it was hard to tell if they were having fun acting or having a raging argument.

We decided to treat ourselves to a chinese takeaway this evening which we all enjoyed, and then watched “Shop Class” on Disney+ – a show where kids and “Shop Class” teachers (what I think we’d call Design & Technology in this country – basically design and engineering + wood work/metal work etc.) compete to make things. It was good fun, although I think F is getting some pretty big ideas about what we might be able to build at home now!

At the end of the day we’re pretty relaxed and looking forward to the bank holiday weekend

Stay safe, stay strong x

• Feeling: Pretty good
• Listening to: Apple Music “Feeling Happy” playlist
• Watching: Hawaii 5-0

Slept surprisingly well and everyone except D slept in this morning – both kids struggled to get to sleep last night because of the heat.

Both B and F have music lessons (piano and drums respectively) on Thursday. B had a Grade 1 “mock exam” with his piano teacher this morning – and his teacher said he did well enough to pass – which is great since its taken him a long time to get to this stage – shame he can’t do the real exam at the moment!

F has definitely taken to the drums (we got her a drum kit for Xmas last year) and has a good sense of rhythm. More practice wouldn’t hurt but she enjoys it and its something of her own since none of the rest of us have any idea (although she does pass on her knowledge to me in occasional lessons). Staying with drumming (sort of) we watched the first episode of SK Shlomo’s Homeskool Beatbox Adventures today which she really enjoyed (we saw SK Shlomo at the Cheltenham festival last year and he was great – I’d love to be able to beatbox with some degree of skill and credibility – which I suspect at my age isn’t going to happen!). F immediately wanted to know how she could be part of the “Zoom Room” which is used to get some interactivity going in video.

F also had a session with Liz/Mrs C today which she really enjoyed – she was just overflowing with chat and wanting to share poems and stories she’s been working on – it was really lovely to see and I think was something F needed.

I had quite a full work day, and didn’t finish until 9:30 due to some interviews with people in North America – but because I knew I was going to be working in the evening I tried to take it easier during the day, especially straight after lunch – I was able to take time out and cook bolognese for tea.

And in the garden another rose is open, revealing this beautiful centre.

Stay safe, stay strong.

• Feeling: Tired during the day, better this evening
• Listening to: Nothing today
• Watching: Great British Sewing Bee

Really hot today, which left me feeling very tired during the day (and even had to have a nap in the afternoon). Although I had some training to deliver first thing, overall I had a quieter Wednesday than usual due to a couple of cancelled meetings – which was a relief.

B had “Food Tech” homework and had to cook something so decided to make pita bread – which was a great success.

Very nice virtual choir this evening, and a chat online with a few choir friends was a nice pick-me-up this evening.

In the garden one of our new roses (a Ferdinand Pichard) is out which is lovely – mainly pink with small flashes of white.

Hoping it cools down a bit tomorrow!

Stay safe, stay strong.

• Feeling: Restless
• Listening to: Apple Music “Feeling Happy” playlist
• Watching: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I think both D and I have been feeling restless the last couple of days. Work dominates most days for both of us, and we are feeling cooped up (of course – this states the obvious!). Hopefully the upcoming long weekend will be a chance for a bit of a rest and a re-set.

Spoke to F’s teacher this morning and hearing her voice really cheered F up – she had a real smile on her face afterwards. It’s amazing what these little bits of contact can do to your mood.

B was up and working early today – not sure what time he started but by the time I woke he was already at his desk and working away.

Conversely I found it hard to focus on work today and ended up having to do some catching up this evening instead.

Meanwhile the kids virtual art lessons the last two weeks have been on “colourful cats” which has been going really well – the most successful of the art projects they’ve worked on since lockdown began.

My dad’s name was added to a memorial stone in the churchyard near their house today and E sent a picture, and meanwhile, out in the garden our peony has just come into bloom.

Stay safe, stay strong.