September- Quick Fire Ramblings.

Hello! I hope we are all well and still staying safe!

Well that September flew by didn’t it?

Yes, I realise the September blog is actually being properly written on the 4^th October and posted on the 5^th… It’s been a busy old month, what with returning to the madness that is school (with added COVID elements), and helping Lis move out into her own home, along with many other trivial life pausing moments. This blog will not be long, nor will it probably make much sense. But knowing it is done, and I can start working on my next one without the guilt of breaking my New Year’s Resolution (remember those days when we had no idea what was about to hit us, full on, in the face, and would still be bombarding us over 6 months later? Yeah that!) makes me feel much better :).

I had the idea for a topic that I wanted to write about for this blog, back in August, but wanted to wait until September when I had been back at school a month before writing about it. This will now have to wait until October. It’ll be half term by then so hopefully I will have a bit more time and the energy needed to do it justice!

Onto September’s blog; Quick Fire Ramblings.

1. School!

Well COVID hasn’t been very helpful for schools now has it? What was a difficult enough job before has now become even more so. We have spent this month settling anxious, out of routine, but just as enthusiastic children, back in, whilst also ensuring we are remaining on track for the evitable; exams to return, OFSTED to start up again, and the tabloid reports that schools have let our children down after COVID to return. All this as well as balancing all of our own stresses, anxieties and usual everyday life challenges we all face.

This is not to say that it is all bad. Not at all! The children from our school have come back smiling, full of stories and trusting that we know what is best. The class I have this year, I have had before, and wow have they grown up! They were my very first year group and despite only 16 of the original 28 I had down in Year 1 remaining, it is just epic to see how much progression they have made, and how well they are growing into lovely young people. I honestly think that for some of them, COVID has helped them to mature and come back ready to engage both socially but also academically.

My first thoughts everyday as I wake up right now are: Right what’s the weather? Is the classroom going to be a wind tunnel today? Are the children going to be wrapped up warm enough? Whilst we await more guidance from the government, all schools must have suitable ventilation running through it and ultimately this means that all doors and windows must be open to ensure correct ventilation.

One day we will be through this and we will look back and think ‘Wow, what an insane time to live in’ But we will get through it.

2. Moving House!

For the last few days I have been helping my twin Lisa and Andrew to move into their lovely new house. I have helped a few people move house in the past, but I have never been as hands on as I have this weekend! Things you would have never thought about become massively important.

Obviously I have only been a small cog in a much larger wheel but I have enjoyed it immensely J. This weekend I have been a DIY handywoman, a painter/decorator, a driver, a removal woman- so much fun. Although saying this, as people who know me will understand, giving me a paintbrush was a very risky move! Thankfully I was only putting on the second coat of paint and all inches of the carpet were covered up very well. The only thing covered in paint more than me, was fortunately the wall I was painting.

As much as I am sad to see Lisa moving on and out (her home, home room looks a little bare now… that’ll take some getting used to), I know that she is super excited and at 26 it is probably about time we all got a move on and did the same thing. Life has to change sometime and that is ok, it is a new adventure! Plus, I now have somewhere else to chill out and go to.

Bring on the next house move- who that’ll be, who knows but the thought is exciting (and scary) all at the same time.

3. Theatre, Football, London- basically a social life!

If there is something other than freely going visit family and friends, the thing I miss hugely is going to the theatre and concerts. As of March there have been 9 events (11 including a hen do and a wedding) that were supposed to happen within 2020, plus many, many more which were on the horizon, but hadn’t been booked yet, but which have had to be postponed until 2021 and beyond. Many of these events were booked a year in advance, and so the frustration of being so close to getting there, for it to be postponed for another year is painful! Of course there are far worse things happening in the world. However for the sake of Sinead’s social life, it has been detrimental.

Another obvious event that is not happening at its full capacity yet is the football as it was. Crowds are not allowed back into the ground and the new normal is artificial crowd noise which works at about 2 seconds behind real time, and is so very repetitive that actually it becomes tedious, and rather irritating after the 10^th time of hearing the same cheer, boo or a computer’s attempt at ‘singing’. Bring on the day when we can walk back through the turnstiles at Stamford Bridge safely and watch a real life game complete with real cheering, boos and the raucous singing and by God I genuinely think the singing will be loud and proud from every single person in that stadium!

Everything is topsy-turvy at the minute, and these are only a few of the things I have thought about and seen over the past week or so. There is nothing much here; it’s more of a brain dump today. I hope there is something to relate to here…

Anyhow time has run out and I have been summoned back to help at the house!

Have a lovely rest of October and stay safe!

Sinead xx