Tuesday 19 May 2020

Day 62 - Leavers

Well I got the day wrong for the weather but it turned out to be quite warm anyway.  It's tomorrow that it is going to be really hot. Oops.  Rob got up a bit earlier so that he could go and put the pump on to warm up the pool.  Sorry about that but good practice for tomorrow. 👍


I woke Ellis up but as I suspected he didn't want to come.  He'll be turning 13 in August and I've noticed a real change in him over the last couple of months, physically, mood and energy.   He was never one for sleeping in but that seems to have changed.  He has said that he has had enough of this quarantine situation though and is missing his friends.  The school work is getting to him too and was quite keen to start with but now can't be bothered with any of it.  Luckily they put on live lessons which he has been attending.


I'm feeling really sad for my Leo.  Yesterday he said, with tears in his eyes, that 2020 was supposed to be the best year ever!  I tried to turn it around and say that it is still good, we're together as a family, he hasn't had to go to school, didn't have to do SATS, he gets to play in the pool etc and that although it's different, it doesn't mean it's bad.  But it is sad for him to be missing all the school leavers stuff.  I know he doesn't really know completely what he's missing out on and I hope that some things can still happen.  He should still get a leavers hoodie, but won't be doing a leavers assembly, won't be having the end of year disco where they get pizza and some go in limos, won't be having the leavers party organised by the parents and I think the biggest thing he'll miss is camp.  He would have absolutely loved it and the memories would have stayed with him forever. 😢


After school today my friend Kelly called for me (sounds like I'm 13😂) as she was going out on a dog walk and did I want to join.  We went to the local park and decided to sit down, away from everyone else as there were quite a few people there today, and had a lovely chat sitting in the sun.  It is so nice to see people face to face as you end up having a proper conversation, without distractions and you get to hear what's been going on in their lives.  It is also different from seeing my parents as when I leave them I feel sad because I can't say goodbye properly and they live a bit further away so I don't see them as often.


The boys were in the pool this afternoon and it did feel just off freezing so they didn't turn grey with blue lips and had lots of fun.  They love it!







They ate their dinner in the garden and then came in for a bit of screen time before bed.  I'm thinking of changing the bedtime routine.  It's always been the case that they are supposed to be in bed at a set time and then they have half an hour to read before lights out.  This just isn't working and it is taking a very long time to get them settled, which is the exact opposite of what I was aiming for.  I think they need a set time to go to bed and that's it.  I'll see if that will work after half term.  There is no point doing it now as it all changes in the holiday anyway.


I didn't have time for much Snapchat today.  The boys need some new clothes and I could do with a few bits so I've been scrolling through endless pages of clothes trying to decide what to get, what size, is it too much, too rubbish, etc etc.  It takes up way too much time for my liking, I'm not a shopper, although credit card would disagree 😊


Trying to come up with ideas for Leo's birthday next week.  I'm thinking of putting the tent up for him and probably Oscar to sleep in and I did try and organise a riding lesson for him but unfortunately as he is still needing to be led around they aren't doing it yet, which is totally fair enough.  I've asked for one of his friends to come and knock on the door for a chat, which I think he will like, although pretty sure he won't say very much but that's fine too.  I just can't think what else to do.🤷‍♀️ For my b day (which is the same day if you didn't know) my friends Sophie, Kathy and Saskia are organising for an afternoon tea to be delivered and then we're going to have a Zoom chat and afternoon tea together.  Really looking forward to doing that.  I would also like to see my parents.  Maybe we could go to the yard so the kids can have lots of space to run around and I can see my parents at the same time.  I wonder if McDonalds will be open by next Tuesday 🤔

Anyway, so back to Centre Parcs last year.

Ellis and I were up and out early to an activity.  We were going to do target archery.  I love archery and I'm not too bad at it.  Once this lockdown stuff is done I'm going to join the local club and give it a go properly.

We walked to the Outdoor Activity Centre and we were put in a group with a bunch of blokes on a weekend away for a birthday.  They were really nice, especially to Ellis and there was plenty of banter, which I love.😂



I am an animal lover, although I do eat meat, but I am not advocating hunting animals, but shooting at rubber targets shaped like animals was probably not a great thing to be doing with Ellis.  I just kept in mind that it was just a lump of rubber with a circle on it.



The targets vary in size and your distance away from them changes too which makes some more difficult than others. 



The smallest was the last target.  I was determined, as always and managed to get a lucky shot, phew! 😅



We had a brilliant time and it was nice just having that one on one with Ellis doing something we both enjoyed.

We met back up with the rest of the troops and headed to the sports hall again.


Climbing wall was the next activity.










Another one of our favourite things to do is table tennis.  In fact during lockdown my parents have brought over their table for the boys to use. Thank you! 👍😘



The kids loved the badminton so much we booked to do it again!


Back at the lodge everyone chilled out, I had a heart to heart with my niece Chloe and she showed me how to use Snapchat, so you have her to thank for that. 😜




Before getting back to the lodge we had to say goodbye to Ellis and Rob. 😥 When I booked the holiday I didn't realise that Ellis' end of year exams would start on the Monday we were due home so unfortunately he had to leave early.  It was really strange without them around.




They stopped off for a cheeky Nandos on the way home and I did one of my most favourite things to do when at Centre Parcs.  I lit a real fire, I love fire, wrapped up in a blanket with a bottle of red.  Ah, that's more like it. 😊 🍷🔥



I could replicate that at home, and I probably should do more often.  I'll wait for the darker winter months now though.

Baba Jude had his 6 week check today, but obviously with everything going on you don't actually go to the surgery, they just call you to discuss things, but you have to have their weight and height ready.  My sister doesn't own proper scales so she made do.  Bless him, looks like she's cooking him.🥰


My evening has been pretty uneventful.  Rob went to bed early as he hasn't had much sleep recently but I am guessing he is still awake up there on his laptop or phone.

Not too late tonight but I plan to finish watching the end of Killing Eve before heading up too.

Today I learnt that a socially distanced walk is much harder than you would think and it's best to just sit outside 2m apart, I'm looking forward to mine and Leo's birthday next week, I'm grateful for having a garden and open space near by. 💚💛💚💛

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