Tag: family life

Midwinter Moments

January has been full of cold, crisp days and subzero temperatures with the sun casting a golden glow over everything it touches but barely warm enough to thaw the frost. I started the month feeling at a low ebb with rising infection rates and increased lockdown restrictions, but there have been some lovely, little moments that have lifted my mood along the way.

We’ve continued to take daily walks, and we visited the Botanics on a very frosty day, our first visit there since March. A turn around the Botanic Gardens used to be one of our regular walks when we lived nearby, and it was lovely to spend some time wandering the familiar paths after so long, feeding the grey squirrels and spotting witch hazel flowers that always remind me of party streamers. I did take an embarrassing tumble on the ice but luckily my bum provided a padded landing.

Walking has become a part of our daily routine and our main form of exercise over the last year. I’m not at all sporty but I’ve always been fairly active, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I’ve managed to lose the baby weight just walking a few miles every day – though I reckon crawling around and chasing after my 11-month-old daughter probably burns off a few calories too. I’m missing my old yoga class though, which I’d attended almost every week for the last five years and right through my pregnancy. Lately, I’ve noticed tension, stiffness and aches creeping into my body, and I’m determined to get back to my yoga class even if it’s only on zoom for the next wee while.

A couple of weeks ago, we woke up to find an inch of snow had fallen overnight, and skipped an afternoon walk for some time playing in the garden instead. Our daughter was delighted to be crawling around in it, pulling herself up to lean on the raised beds, tugging off her mittens so she could feel the snow and giggling at the strange transformation of our garden.

I’ve been making more effort to read books instead of doom-scrolling through the news, and there have been lots of cosy evenings spent snuggled up with our cat Mara and books. On the coldest nights she burrows under the duvet with me, which is like having a furry, purring hot water bottle.

On so-called “blue Monday” I attended the NHS Louisa Jordan for my first dose of the Covid19 vaccine, and my husband received his first dose a few days later. We’re incredibly fortunate that we’ll both receive the vaccine through our work. Seeing the SECC where I’ve watched concerts, attended wedding fayres and other events transformed into a field hospital and a steady flow of people receiving their vaccinations was a heartening insight into the extraordinary, collaborative efforts that are being undertaken to save lives and bring the pandemic under control.

We also had an exciting visitor in the garden this week, a sparrowhawk. It’s only the second time we’ve seen a sparrowhawk in the garden, but it sat on our fence opposite the kitchen window just long enough for my husband to snap a photo.

Despite the pandemic and lockdown, we’ve had a pleasant start to 2021 full of wrapped up walks, golden sunshine, glittering frosts, powdery snow and little midwinter moments. Take care, and have a lovely week. X

New Year Greetings

I always like to take some time at the end of one year and the start of another to reflect on the wins and losses, the lessons and changes of the year just passed. 2020 was an emotional roller-coaster of love, joy, gratitude, sorrow, fear and frustration as a pandemic interrupted our lives and turned the world upside down.

My personal low-point of the year was when my nanna passed away in February, though in retrospect it seems like a blessing in disguise because she was spared the confusion, anxiety and loneliness of months under lockdown in a care home, but I still miss her and think of her often.

Our daughter’s birth – also in February – was easily the highlight of our year, and though we’ve had to find our way without any of the supports and services that most other new parents can rely on, it’s been such a delight getting to know our little girl and watching her grow from a sleepy, squirming newborn to a strong-willed, curious and boisterous 11-month-old.

I received a further piece of good news in July when 13 months after experiencing temporary blindness in my left eye (which has never fully recovered), I was invited for an MRI of my brain, neck, shoulders and spine to check for signs of a neurological disorder. It was such a relief when the results came back normal which gives me low odds of developing M.S.; the neurologist was as surprised as I was – I don’t think he gets to give good news often.

We had a scare in September when our cat, Mara, suddenly became the most unwell we’ve ever seen her, she has thankfully recovered but I’m very aware that she’s getting older, and we’re so lucky she’s still with us.

We ended the year by celebrating Christmas with close family, and it meant the world to us to have some time together after months of distance and separation, but like millions of others across the UK we woke up under another lockdown on Boxing Day. It feels like we’re stuck in limbo until the vaccination program takes effect, but for now I’m just trying to focus on the day ahead of me and count my blessings. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year. X