Project 365 2021 Week 3 Day 17-23 and our third week of lockdown with school and work from home.
Sunday 17th January – Day 17
I was adamant that we were going for a walk today whatever the weather was doing. It wasn’t raining for a change and we decided to walk along a footpath we’d tried during lockdown last year from our doorstep. It’s fair to say that it was muddy, very muddy. Work is underway on the East/West rail link and part of the footpath has been closed off since last year but it was good to get out in the fresh air for a couple of hours. But I’m not sure that we will be walking across footpaths again for a while. They are just a massive muddy mess and I feel so sorry for farmers trying to grow crops in these conditions.
Looks like we will be back to walking around the housing estates – joy!
Monday 18th January – Day 18
I received the news that a relative passed away this morning, it was expected (not Covid related) but still gutting. I’d been hoping to visit him and his wife at their home on the Isle of Wight last year but this damn virus put a stop to that. A lovely man.
Brewster had the right idea today, if only we could have done the same.
Tuesday 19th January – Day 19
After school and work at home were done for the day we headed out for a walk around the estate. I’m finding it all exhausting and my head is fit to explode at the end of the day.
Wednesday 20th January – Day 20
Wellness Wednesday so school finishes a bit early and my son had his weekly video call with his best friend. We got to see his dwarf rabbit today and it was just lovely to hear the boys chatting. They’ve been robbed of so much with this virus.
My son has also been busy with his Lego building, today he’s making a tank, this was the work in progress stage. He’s now added the turret and gun – it’s very impressive and great to get him away from a screen! There is way too much screen time with school at home sadly.
My son and I watched Joe Biden’s US presidential inauguration – hope at last.
Thursday 21st January – Day 21
It can be quite challenging with my son at times, he can get quite physical and there are days when it’s been hard to deal with. Today was one of those days. When I finally managed to get him out of the house and he calmed down we did have a lovely walk. I insisted we walk out of our estate for a change of scenery so we walked over to the local nature reserve. The stream looks likely to burst its banks soon with all the water we’ve been having. In one place it was flowing so fast, instead of its normal little trickle.
We listened in to a live book reading with Frank Cottrell Boyce in the afternoon, we’re reading one of his books with school at the moment, and before lockdown happened he was meant to be reading with the class. This was the next best thing, and he gave the school a shoutout which went down well with all.
In the evening I had a zoom catch up with my NCT group. We were discussing school at home and I was really quite shocked by the different strategies of five different schools, all in the same county. My son is the only one to have actual live lessons, it left me feeling very grateful that he’s ‘at’ the school he is right now.
Friday 22nd January – Day 22
We woke up to a hard frost. I’ve decided that we will avoid weather forecasts so that we can open the curtains in the morning to a surprise. Got to find excitement from somewhere at the moment. It made such a change to see that Jack Frost had been busy.
My son had a total meltdown this morning over the amount of MyMaths he had to complete, it set the tone for the rest of the morning and by the time his live lesson had finished I knew he was done. As was I to be frank! Luckily school finished as soon as his afternoon live English lesson was completed.
We had our weekly Skype with my parents in Spain and then headed out for another walk. I’m having to get inventive with walk ideas to get my son to leave home. Today I told him we could walk down to the industrial estate to see his Dad as part of our walk. That worked and he was happy to go, we enjoyed chasing our shadows on the way home. I do have to say though that I was shocked by the amount of traffic on one of the roads leading into our town, and by the number of businesses that were clearly still working on the industrial estate. Not quite the lockdown that I thought we were living through!
Saturday 23rd January – Day 23
The OH was home this morning so I caught up on some sleep. I’m only averaging 3-4 hours a night at the moment and it’s a killer for someone who really needs sleep! When I got up the OH went to work, so another day of just me and my shadow.
After lunch, I dragged my boy out for a walk. He set the route, so it was a fairly short walk around the estate, but once he was outside he was chatting away and we talked about what we might do if we ever get snow this year. We started looking at the clouds, seeing what we could make out of the shapes – my son decided this one looked like a chicken, I thought it might be a cockatiel. It kept him amused for quite a while and meant I could extend our walk a little too.
How has the third week of lockdown treated you?
Oh that path does look very muddy!
So sorry to hear about your relative and that you didn’t get to go on your planned visit.
We have been quite lazy but I need to get the girls out daily too.
It was a lot worse than that in places but too slidey to worry about photos 😀
That is a very muddy footpath. We’re the same with mostly limiting our walks to around housing estates but it does make for dull walks. I’m so sorry for the loss of your relative, what a shame that Covid meant you couldn’t visit him last year. Love seeing your son’s Lego creations and always good to get away from screens for a bit! Interesting that the five schools have such different approaches to remote learning. Looking at clouds is a nice way to make getting outside more interesting. Hope you can manage a bit more sleep over the weekend. #project365
The school thing was a real eye opener.
I’m sure our local paper had a report about the farmers not being impressed with all the muddy paths. We don’t have any live lessons. I actually find this a blessing but I think our little lady would want to work more if she had some contact from the school. This isn’t a lock-down work wise. Darren is taking furniture into peoples homes everyday! The kids are getting bored with our local walks but the scooter and the bikes really do help with that #365
That’s crazy isn’t it, although my friend had been waiting months for her sofas to be delivered so I think she’d say that was an essential service right now.
The tank looks like it is coming on very well. The walks here are muddy too, I made the mistake of wearing trainers on one – safe to say they were filthy by the time I got home
Eek! Hope the trainers survived the experience
Oh wow! That was a muddy path on your walk.
So sorry about your relative. It doesn’t make it any easier even though it was expected.
The tank your boy made looks fab. He really does love his Lego.
The home learning is tough. We’ve had a couple of days where we have got to about 2pm when I know we’re done. Sending hugs x
Lego is a saviour at times, otherwise he’d be on a screen all the time one way or another.
I’ve never made a point of watching the inauguration before but sure did this year! So refreshing to listen to sensible/caring words. As Canada shares a long border with the US, I think many here shared a big sense of relief that there is a new president in place. Right now the border is closed to all non-essential travel because of covid (since last Feb or March) and I don’t see it re-opening too quickly. The US covid numbers are way high. It will take the new government some time to get covid under control. Mind you, people can fly down to the US but not drive down. So some people have flown down to spend winter in warmer settings. But most people who do that every winter have chosen to stay home.
I watched Obama live but otherwise, I’ve normally just watched on out TV News later. This time it seemed important for my son to watch it too.
Nice to be able to get out for walks. There’s been a lot of arguments on FB about people moaning about famers getting annoyed with people roaming off the muddy paths and onto crops. Too many people not being sensible like you guys, and reverting back to concrete when it’s just too muddy. It’s really interesting how schools are all doing things differently. We didn’t think we’d get any online classes or recordings, but he’s on all day – reception are the only class not doing Teams pretty much all day, they just drop in for phonics I think. Yet others, are just doing packs or online activities like we had back in the summer.
I think round here it’s also quite busy in town with all the traffic. Went and picked up pizza at 5.30 the the other night, and it wasn’t that much quieter than when I’m usually going home from work!
I’ve been really surprised by the differences between schools really.
Sorry to hear about your relative, Mary, my condolences.
That path looks very muddy indeed, you are wise to change the route. Eddie’s class is reading/listening to one of Michael Morpurgo’s books at the moment. I think it’s called The giant’s necklace and is set in Cornwall, so I want to read it myself. Your son is a Lego genius! Our greetings to him!
I’ve got War Horse from last term to read myself too.
So sorry to hear about your relative its so difficult especially at the moment. I also lost a relative the week just gone and now trying to make decisions about the funeral. Lego is a saviour here too, that tank looks brilliant. We have no live lessons either I do think its odd just how different all the schools are even in the same town. Our normal walks are really muddy at the moment too. Hope this last week was kind to you all
Sorry to read that you’ve had a loss too. It’s a hard time for all right now isn’t it x
We are lucky to live near a river but it gets very muddy and I am desperate for a change of scene then think how selfish I’m being when some people have no garden and no local green space. Lockdown feels so much harder this time around 🙁 #project365
I know, how on earth are people in high rise flats coping with all this. I’d be going out of my mind, let alone the kids.
Sorry to hear about your relative, its so hard that COVID has stopped us catching up with people for so long. Live lessons are a bit hit and miss at my boys school, some of them only last 15 minutes and they only have about five in a week. I really wish we had more live lessons and less endless tasks to complete 🙁
Wow, we’re so lucky with what we’re getting. Full lessons live and teacher available all day if needed. I’ve been so impressed even if it is still a slog
You walking trail adventures are something I look forward to reading!! I am so glad you have such places nearby. and I fell your son on the amount of mathwork he has to do!
I long for drier days when footpaths are easier to navigate really.
I feel your pain with the lack of sleep and certainly relate to the difficulties you are having with the boy, the youngest was like this and missed out on so much due to digging their heels in, Easy to give advice on ignoring the behaviour but as we know it causes so much disruption to everything else. New red coat? It does look very muddy where you are, something I’m not looking forward to when I’m allowed back out. Yes the UK seems a lot busier than normal
We bought this coat a while ago in the sales and put it away for colder days. He’s been wearing it a while now, I’m jealous as it has a fleece lined hood 🙂