Jenny Burrell

Stuttering has blighted most of my life! It has prevented me from achieving my dream of being a teacher and heaped embarrassment on me over the years! My parents always thought that I would grow out of it but, unfortunately, I never did. I was never offered speech therapy or any other kind of help and just had to ‘get on with it’!

Stuttering is a speech disorder that involves frequent, significant problems with the normal fluency of speech. It is also called ‘ childhood onset fluency disorder’. Stuttering is very common among children as it is can be part of ‘learning how to speak’. Sometimes, alas, stuttering is a chronic condition that persists into adulthood. It is often genetic, which happened in my case. My father stuttered.

Most people don’t understand the effect a stutter can have on normal day to day lives. I was often ridiculed for my impediment and made to feel a freak. Reading in front of the class at school, answering questions or the telephone, just saying my name, would bring on debilitating feelings of shame, severe embarrassment and very low self-esteem. Living with a constant stutter and just hoping that no one would suddenly ask me a question, or dreading an event or social occasion, would cause huge stress and anxiety. It would keep me awake at night and I would desperately try thinking of ways to get out of the situation.

I became a walking thesaurus. Hard sounding consonants like J, D, B, V, for example, would cause a ‘block’. I would freeze and my throat constrict. Try as I might, no sound would come. I would then log onto my mental thesaurus and pick another word and force that one out! Very awkward for my Christian name as it started with a ‘J’, but my surname was okay. That was usually what I used, much to the amusement of my classmates!

As I became a teenager and started noticing boys, my stutter became even more of an issue. Being so shy, at a girls only school and having very strict parents, my early teenage years were filled with feelings of inadequacy, angst and lack of self-worth. I could expand that to self loathing as that would not be far off the mark! I obviously couldn’t teach, my place at university was cancelled and I got a job. Girls were not encouraged to have a career in South Africa when I was young. They just needed to marry well and raise a family!

When my son was little he only started speaking when he was about four! And he stuttered! There was no way that I was going to stand back and watch him live the kind of debilitating life that I had. Each time he stumbled over a word I’d hold his hands, tell him to stop, we’d both take a deep breath and he’d start again. It worked! The genetic link was broken and my son is articulate and can ‘talk the hind legs off a donkey’! However, I couldn’t replicate this treatment on myself! When I had a block, I never managed to stop, take a deep breath and try again. I just used the ‘thesaurus method’ and soldiered on!

It did help when I could ‘become’ another person. My mother used to give my sister and I the lead roles in her Sunday School plays. This was torture until I learnt my lines and ‘became’ the character. The night of the show was fine! It wasn’t me on the stage!

So, where am I now? I studied, got a good job, became a manager, gave presentations, finally stopped fretting. I did, over the years, still have the occasional ‘blocks’! When this happened I wanted to curl up into a tiny ball and roll under the carpet! Or launch myself out of the window! I have been retired for the last three and a half years. Not being at work has made my life a lot easier.

But, more to the point, I just don’t care anymore! I don’t have to play party politics with work colleagues and I have a greater choice of who I see and who I want to see! My mental thesaurus is not as good as it once was but I call upon it less! It helps with crossword puzzles so still serves some useful purpose! I have learnt to live with my disability. I would never willingly choose to stutter. However, I have accepted that it is something I was not able to completely overcome. But I have lived a good, fulfilling life despite it! This has brought some degree of comfort! I have finally found my voice!👠

It has been many years since I actively made a New Year’s resolution. These would be the usual, exercise more, eat less, buy less clothes, stop worrying ……! Gyms were always heaving in January! By February it was easier to book a class! By March class sizes had plummeted! I had also started making excuses not to attend so soon found myself in this category!

I am not proud of this admission! Alas, life just got in the way, bad habits returned and by the end of the year, I would deem myself a failure yet again! Something had to be done!

Historically, when I’ve wanted to lose a few pounds and decided to go on a diet, I would become obsessed with food. I’d plan meals and feel constantly hungry! Every waking hour I’d fantasise about large pieces of cake, chocolates, thick slices of warm bread, dripping with butter, crispy roast potatoes, the list was endless! All smells became linked to food and my diet would be history almost before it had begun!

I have learnt, by trial and error, that the only way my weight can stay on an even keel and I exercise regularly, is by changing my lifestyle. For years I have had a routine whereby I eat healthily during the week and exercise as part of my weekday regime. Weekends are for treats! This worked while I was employed and I have managed to keep the system going even since I’ve retired.

So, to improve my quality of life, I’d like to worry less and be more positive. Making it a New Year’s resolution would be a waste of time. I have, alas, accepted that I cannot achieve this on my own. I have finally bitten the bullet and sought medical advice. When years of living with high levels of anxiety had begun to affect both my mental and physical well-being, I needed to be proactive! Changing my lifestyle was not the answer to this conundrum!

I’ve tried self help, counselling and mindfulness apps in the past. These last few years have been very difficult for so many of us world wide. COVID has wreaked havoc! For me, close family bereavements, health issues and mounting stress levels finally took their toll.

It has not been easy admitting that I have a problem! There is still a stigma around any form of mental health. It was also very hard for me to accept that I needed help. I have taken the the first step, which is the hardest! My family are very supportive. The side effects from my current medications were the last straw. Stress tests have revealed that, if I could manage my anxiety levels, I wouldn’t need any medication. It was a no-brainer!

It’s bitterly cold outside and already dark at 4:00 pm but the days are slowly getting longer! I have seen the first snowdrop in my garden. There is a spring in my step and, within another few weeks, just around the corner! 🌸 👠

The build up to Christmas this year was very different. It encompassed our ‘new normal’ and had me waiting with baited breath until the 23rd December!

My daughter, partner and step daughter were arriving from Scotland a few hours before my son, daughter in law and two grandchildren from the US. Scotland had announced extra restrictions but hadn’t, fortunately, prevented anyone from travelling to England. That was a relief! America, however, was different.

My son and his family had to have a COVID test before leaving Boston. On arrival at Heathrow they had to have another PCR test before driving to Cheshire. The paperwork required by security to board the plane was excessive! The number of flights cancelled due to COVID was mounting every day so just being able to get seats had become a challenge!

I had to prepare as if nothing would prevent my family from being together on Christmas Day for the first time in many years! I had to order the turkey, get bedding and towels down from the loft, do loads of washing and make up the extra beds in preparation for everyone’s arrival!

My saving grace was that my glass is usually half empty! Not a trait that I am proud of but it does have its uses! We had stored mattresses in the eaves of the garage roof in thick plastic bags. My husband’s job was to get them down and into the house. Luckily he is still strong and very practical but did discover muscles not used for many years!

By the 22nd presents purchased on line had been received and wrapped. It was only my granddaughter’s book company that let us know, after ordering and paying, that they had run out of stock! I rushed to the village to get her a replacement gift.

I received a message from my son on the evening of the 22nd letting me know that their PCR tests in Boston were negative. They were on their way to the airport! Hurdle number one cleared! There was no further update until early on the morning of the 23rd. My daughter in law let us know that they had arrived at Heathrow and were on their way to collect their hired car. They had to have another PCR test, so, once negative results received, that would clear hurdle number two!

My daughter and her family arrived followed a few hours later by my son and his family. It was wonderful being all together again! This was such a special time and hopefully happy memories will be made by one and all! As I write this my family have arrived safely back in Boston after a long and arduous twenty four hours!

We’ve reached the end of another year, another COVID spoilt twelve months! I am probably being naive but do hope that 2022 will be different. Perhaps omicron will bring an end to restrictions and isolation as it morphs into a mild cold. I also hope that the anti-vaxxers see sense and get their jabs. That is the only way we can all fight COVID together and win.

‘Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering it will be happier ….’ Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Amen 👠

As the wheels of time go marching along I want my children to grow tall and strong

To find the courage to face every day with conviction and strength along the way

I want them to have all the best things in life and shield them from all pain and strife

And help them to find the peace that I seek, to give them courage, I don’t want them weak

Or mortally wounded by fate’s cursed blows, but sail on an ocean that peacefully flows

Through life’s treacherous harbours and turbulent seas and turn a deaf ear when old Satan’s pleas

Are coming on strong and temptation is great, please don’t fill them with bitterness and hate

Dear God, I ask you these things in your love and pray that you hear from your kingdom above

Please help me to be all the things that I should and Gaynor and Sean have a life that is good

And pure and true and never to be,

Filled with regrets

Or ashamed of me! 👠

Earlier on in the year we upgraded our kitchen. For a few days it was out of action with no water, hob or dishwasher. Fortunately it was summer and the weather had behaved! I sat outside and washed dishes after using the oven and microwave to cook our meals. It was different but I could close the kitchen door and the rest of the house was fine.

Not this time! We’re having a new fireplace and wood burning stove fitted in the sitting room. We’ve had to take everything out and put its contents into the conservatory, dining room, office and two bedrooms! I was amazed how much ‘stuff’ we had collected over the years! And how many bottles of whisky, brandy, gin, Sherry and liqueurs my husband had managed to fit into the dresser! And all the glasses! I felt embarrassed looking at everything stacked up and covering the dining room table in the conservatory! A lot hadn’t even been opened!

This reminded me of my father in law. When my husband’s parents downsized, the amount of whisky bottles that had been stored in their cellar was mind-boggling! My husband and his two brothers rubbed their hands in glee, presuming they’d get to sample them. Over the years very little was forthcoming! When he died all three men went into the room where the bottles had been stored, hoping to get a large supply to share between them. There was nothing left! The old man had rationed himself and enjoyed nightly tipples for years! Good on him! His sons were disgusted!

The two workmen are currently removing the old fireplace and knocking down the brick wall surround. Doors are closed and dust sheets cover floors and form a curtain separating the sitting room from the dining room. The noise is periodically deafening! The windows and doors downstairs are open to alleviate the clouds of dust and allow easy access to remove the rubble.

To get out of the house this afternoon I’m going to visit a friend who owns a small boutique not far from here. She has advertised her new winter collection so maybe some retail therapy could ease my home discomfort! I dislike shopping intensely but it beats staying here! I try to keep to the mantra, it will be worth it in the end, but sometimes forget! This is my husband’s project so will make a concerted effort to be understanding but stay out of the way! COVID is not helping! I’m still loath to go out so will just have to take long walks, weather permitting!

I know this sounds churlish and pathetic but I do have a very real problem with chaos! Perhaps it’s a control issue but, whatever the reason, it’s not easy to live with! I can ignore a bit of dust but can’t ignore things out of place, cupboard doors and drawers not closed properly and clothes lying on floors or draped over chairs. I struggled as a child and this problem has never ‘gone away’! That’s my excuse and my apology!

So, it’s not not so much the noise but the mess and being restricted to the kitchen that is causing me the most anxiety. I’m also claustrophobic so don’t have much going for me! But, none of us are perfect, although my husband feels that he is pretty close ……… 😂👠

For twenty years we have lived opposite a wood. I have watched the seasons come and go. Many wonderful varieties of birds have visited our garden, lured by my bird feeder. The dawn chorus has calmed me when I have been troubled and had wakeful nights. Despite these last awful couple of years, the wood has been my stabilising influence. Nature, in all its glory, continues unabated, never deterred by life’s many challenges, disappointments and often desperate unhappiness.

That was until the owner divided the wood into smaller plots and sold them off separately! He also took out a five year felling licence which was passed on to the individual plot holders. We have been out in the garden, in our conservatory or even in the kitchen and heard chain saws, quad bikes, small tractors and wood shredders. This has caused huge upset and disquiet in our once tranquil neighbourhood. We have watched majestic trees come crashing down, leaving gaping holes in the green and bountiful woodland!

The noise has often been almost unbearable. There are a large number of rhododendron shrubs covering the forest floor, apparently planted by a previous owner many years ago to assist with hunting. I’m not sure that I follow this logic but that is the story so far be it for me to question! Over the years we have watched hunts and heard the hounds surging through the undergrowth. Horses have galloped along the lane at the bottom of our garden, riders resplendent in their hunting jackets.

My overriding concern is the removal of trees when we have all been asked to think green and to plant more! Not cut them down! I am also worried that ‘forestry building’s are popping up under the auspices of ‘restoration and improvements to woodland’! One of these buildings is for the purpose of drying and selling logs! A forestry business is being set up in the wood that was once a sanctuary for birds, majestic oak, ash, beech, birch and many other native specimens of trees. We have seen badgers, foxes, weasels, squirrels and other small species of animals native to Cheshire.

And then there is the noise! From the middle of summer we have heard the racket! It has prevented us from enjoying our own gardens. We have double glazed windows but that is not enough to keep out the commotion! Not to be churlish but will mention this anyway! One of the plot owners is a scout master. There have been whole weekends of screaming children, all day and well into the night. Sound carries and we can hear whole conversations! I know that the wood could be a magical place for a child and would hate to prevent anyone from enjoying its splendour. But maybe some restraint and thought of others wouldn’t go amiss?

My husband and I used to look across at the wood and pretend it was ours! We always said that we’d buy it one day if we could afford it! Unfortunately we could have only afforded a plot and that defeated the object of owning a wood! Our hearts are heavy as we face the next few years trying to come to terms with the pain of losing our peaceful, beautiful view. We will just have to try and cope, as best we can, with the cacophony that will continue for years to come!

Our saving grace is that they are restricted by how many trees each plot owner can remove! But it does seems a lot! They can cut down all trees within five square metres, four times a year. There are ten plots! Even if they plant more trees to replace those desiccated, they’ll take many years to grow!

I am trying very hard to remain positive. My family are well. I’m looking forward to seeing them all at Christmas. Hopefully the ‘foresters’ will take a few days off and have families to visit! We are, together with a few neighbours, bringing this to the attention of our council and member of parliament. None of us are too hopeful for a positive result. But we’ll go down fighting……….! 👠

I’m sitting in the conservatory with the fan heater blowing lovely warm air into the room that has underfloor heating. Unfortunately it’s set at 18C and not warm enough for me! Because my husband doesn’t feel the cold we both have to compromise! During winter he wears a T-shirt inside our house. I wear two jumpers!

I’ve recently come back from a long walk on my own. My husband usually joins me but he wanted to prune some trees in preparation for the fireworks display and bonfire on Saturday. If we leave wood on our pavement members of the gardening team, who maintain the park and green spaces in our area, collect them and use them for the bonfire. A good way to get rid of garden waste!

I was not expecting to see my husband balancing on the top of a twenty foot ladder pollarding a huge ornamental cherry tree! This was after a laurel and holly tree had both been severely chopped! Proof of his pruning expertise lay all over the lawn! He had the lopper in his hands and was hacking away at some smaller branches right at the top of the tree. Once cut, he’d fling them onto the lawn, trying to avoid damaging plants in the flower bed beneath. I watched as the ladder swayed precariously then saw him stabilising himself before reaching for another branch.

After a couple of minutes I had to leave. His kamikaze actions were terrifying. I did take a photo and send it to the children! Mixed reactions followed this WhatsApp post, ranging from brave to crazy! I agreed with the latter!

I can hear fireworks going off around the neighbourhood. There are a number of farms and small holdings near us with space to build bonfires! We have a large park that is used annually under strict health and safety precautions! The forecast is wet and cold. I doubt I’ll bother to walk up but my husband is keen so can wander up to the green on his own! I’ll stay inside, warm and dry and watch ‘Strictly Come Dancing’!

We’ve had our booster COVID jabs this week with minimal side effects. We had our flu jabs last week! We’re ready for the winter! Bring it on…..👠

My daughter and her partner are moving to Scotland. It’s a three hour and twenty one minute journey, traffic permitting! We are so used to seeing them every second weekend so will miss them. My husband is not impressed and can’t understand why they want to leave England! I’m looking forward to meeting different people and seeing my daughter happy and contented in her lovely new home!

Last week we decided to do a recce of the area and booked a B&B fairly close to where they would be living. It was my birthday so any excuse to get away and have some fun with my daughter! The two men were looking forward to sampling different beers so something for everyone! There was a choice of towns for shopping, all within half an hour’s drive from their new home. They were all so different! I earned brownie points from my Fitbit as we wandered around taking in the sights and planning future outings. The weather could have been better but that was out of our control!

Just to confuse foreign travellers there were a number of pubs called the ‘Cross Keys’. Apparently ‘crossed keys’ was the symbol of St Peter who guarded the gates of heaven. This sign became the symbol of English nationalism and a popular pub name after the English Civil War in the 17th century. We were in Scotland so boundaries must have changed over the years!

The morning of my birthday was wet and cold. As usual I hadn’t packed properly so, walking around an old priory garden in Melrose, I was freezing cold! My own fault but was happy to find a tearoom that sold gluten free cakes, washed down with a cup of hot Yorkshire tea! We drove on to Selkirk after lunch. I had visited a glassworks there with the children many years ago and had bought two beautiful paperweights. Unfortunately this workshop had closed in 2006 but another one was open and encouraging visitors to its workshop.

We spent the next hour watching a master craftsman create a paperweight from start to finish. It was fascinating! We were all very impressed and left with a bag full of purchases, promising to return before Christmas. We headed back to our B&B for a game of scrabble before getting ready for our evening meal. Back to Melrose and a delicious feast washed down with a couple of glasses of Malbec for the girls and a strange sounding beer for the boys!

I do wish my daughter and her partner all the very best with their move to a new country (sic) and the start of a new and exciting life. Parents never stop worrying about their children no matter how old they are. We just want them to have the very best life has to offer!

Unfortunately none of us have a crystal ball! Decisions made as a teenager, with little life experience, don’t always go according to plan! Unfortunately we can’t put the clock back and try again! Hindsight is a marvellous thing but not readily available! Regrets ruin lives already devastated by circumstances often out of our control.

My daughter and her partner are good, caring, down to earth people. I fervently hope that this next chapter in their lives will be positive and a new beginning! Richly deserved! 👠

We have two lofts in our house. Both are relatively full. I am embarrassed to admit that they are mainly filled with ‘stuff’ belonging to me!

I inherited the hoarding gene from my mother. Try as I might, I cannot throw out clothes, shoes, bedding, curtains ……. the list is endless! I have never been into any of the lofts, until today. My husband has nagged me for years to sort out what needs to be kept and ‘do something’ with the rest. In my defence I did give a lot of my work cloths to my mother’s care home. They were going to sell them at their annual summer fair a few years ago. They were smart suits and jackets, many dating back to my years in South Africa. Most had padded shoulders and looked like they had come off the set of Dynasty!

Challenge number one was getting into the loft! My husband uses a step ladder then, with strong arms and legs, pulls himself up through the opening and sits down on the ledge before sliding back and standing up. My arms are not particularly strong. I do weight exercises but obviously not enough! I had tried before but had given up. Today I was not going to renege on my promise. I was going to get into the loft by hook or by crook!

I gingerly climbed the step ladder and stuck my head and shoulders through the gap. I turned around and put my hands onto the ledge and tried to push myself up. I looked and felt pathetic! There was no way that I could lift my body high enough to get inside. My husband found this amusing which didn’t help! I turned around carefully on the top step again and stood on the handle (not recommended)! Leaning forward I tried to push myself inside. This wasn’t going to work either! Eventually my husband grabbed me under my arms and yanked me up!

I was surprised at the size of the loft. The amount of bags, plastic tubs, suitcases and general paraphernalia long forgotten were neatly stacked on makeshift boards. A high chair used when my grandchildren were little, a travel cot, bedding, toys, all no longer required and could be moved on. And then there were the bags of clothes, jumpers, shoes and more shoes, boots swimming costumes, scarves, belts ……… I’m cringing as I write this!

I have another confession to make. This was the large loft running the length of the house, There is a smaller one above the sitting room downstairs. This has a rail filled with jackets, coats and evening gowns, all vacuum packed. It was supposed to be my seasonal storage cupboard where clothes were rotated, not stored indefinitely!

I opened a box and found warm jumpers that hadn’t been worn for a few years. There were several plastic containers marked boots and shoes. I also found boxes of small tissue packets, candle holders and matches in a bag marked ‘Father’s Funeral’! That was nine years ago. There was an unopened duvet bag, many sets of curtains and matching bedding. Sheets and towels which will come in handy at the end of the year. My son and his family are visiting from the States.

Half an our later I was ready to come down. I sat on the ledge above the stepladder. I tried to get my foot onto the handle. I could barely reach! I was petrified! There was no way that I could balance precariously on the handle without losing my balance! I’d knock over the ladder and fall down the flight of stairs! My husband was looking up at me, exasperated!

‘I showed you how to get down’, he said. ‘It’s easy! I’ll catch you if you fall!‘

There was no way that I was going to risk causing a potentially fatal accident! I could see two bodies, necks broken, lying in tangled heaps at the bottom of the stairs! It had been a long time since I felt so much panic! I genuinely could not contemplate getting down on my own and felt frozen to the ledge! I tried to curl my fingers around it’s rim but it was too wide. Once more I made an effort to ease myself down and touched the handle with my foot to check it’s stability. It moved slightly. Panic stricken I shot back on to the ledge.

‘You’ll have to come down,’ my husband stated the obvious! ‘Can’t stay up there all night! It’ll get cold!’ I could hear the frustration in his voice.

‘I’m stuck! I can’t do it!’ I was almost in tears! I felt like such an idiot but could not contemplate getting down the same way as my husband! ‘I’m really frightened,’ I added, pathetically. ‘I can’t get down!’

Eventually my husband joined me in the loft, held me tightly under my arms and I was able to reach the top step. I lurched forward, grabbing hold of the handle. Regaining my balance I climbed down, grateful that I was out of my prison and stating emphatically that I would never go up there again!

Until we can arrange a proper loft ladder, all my ‘stuff’ will remain untouched. That’s my husband’s challenge if he wants to get it emptied. I have faced up to the fact that I really don’t like heights and I am a coward! I’ll live with that! 👠

I had been desperate to get away for a few days. Waiting for children to go back to school before planning a break, my husband received sad news. A university friend had suddenly had a heart attack and died. His wife arranged a memorial service last Saturday in Bristol.

I had never met the family so wouldn’t be attending the service. However, I did have a friend who had moved to Bristol last year. This was a perfect opportunity to meet up again in ‘real life’ rather than our bi-weekly zoom calls. I jumped at the chance of adding a few days on to our Saturday and visiting Somerset. It’s been many years since we walked parts of the Cheddar Gorge or saw the caves. I had never been to Bristol but have bypassed it many times. My brother once lived in Taunton and we still have friends in Paignton.

The challenge was finding somewhere to stay. Once schools reopened the ‘grey brigade’ went on their holidays! Everything was booked up from the end of August through to November! Luckily for us there was a cancellation and we managed to spend three nights in a small hotel in a village a few miles south of Bristol. I also managed to get decent weather as part of the package so that was an added bonus!

We left home after the morning rush. After a couple of hours on the motorway we turned off and continued our journey along narrow country lanes, enjoying the beautiful warm sunshine. We headed for Weston – Super – Mare, driving along the coast road looking for somewhere to have lunch. Unfortunately the pubs were either full or didn’t offer gluten free options. However, back inland we found a quiet country inn that sold real ale and something innocuous for me!

Our hotel was situated in a medieval square with an impressive, church, built in the 13th century, standing in magnificent splendour at the top of the square. It was unlocked so we went inside. It was built of limestone, has six bells and retained some fascinating painted mediaeval panels. In the churchyard was a commonwealth war grave of a Dorsetshire Regiment soldier from the Second World War. I’m always fascinated with old grave stones and can spend hours reading them! Light was fading by the time we got outside so my husband was spared my morbid pastime!

There were a number of walks to choose from. On our first hike we spent four hours, which should have been three, to climb a hill for a spectacular view of the countryside! We managed to go off piste and had to retrace our footsteps, leaving the spectacular view of the countryside for another visit! We did see a lot of trees, cows, sheep and maize crops! We could have been at home in Cheshire! Seeing a young man with a teenager coming back along the path towards us my husband asked if he was also lost! He replied with a chuckle. He was a local out walking with his daughter. He and my husband poured over our map and redirected us back to the car.

After a light lunch we followed narrow lanes and overgrown hedges to a nature reserve. A large map at the entrance showed a few paths, all leading to a panoramic view at the top of the hill. We followed the ‘strenuous’ track which led us down into a gorge. Unfortunately the map omitted to warn us that we had to clamber up a step section of wet rocks to reach the panoramic view! I didn’t break any limbs or nails but my husband lost his glasses. We got off relatively lightly! We were able to appreciate the beautiful countryside on this occasion and found an easier track back to the car!

It was so enjoyable meeting up with my friend who took me on a scenic tour of Bristol, on foot! Fitbit was ecstatic as I managed 25,000 steps! I can now imagine my friend sitting in her bay window overlooking the quay and people watching. A pastime that I thoroughly enjoy and can keep me occupied for hours! The trip home was uneventful and my daughter had made a delicious chilli dish to welcome us.

So, back to our new normal again this week! Autumn has arrived. It’s wet, windy and much cooler. I do feel a bit more rejuvenated and am already planning another short break in October! That will leave November to fill and then it’s December. If all goes according to plan, my son and his family from the US will be here for Christmas! My daughter and I have already started planning meals!

So, ‘out damned spot, COVID’! Let’s all get our booster jabs and go back to welcoming family and friends into our homes! This virus has messed with our lives for far too long! Enough is really enough! 👠