LIFE AFTER DIVORCE

It’s been a while.

I haven’t been writing much of late as I was unfurloughed after nearly a year ‘off’ which was a total shock to the system. However, it wasn’t long before I was put back on furlough and sent out to chew the cud in a field once again. It’s all rather worrying at my age and stage, but understandable, given the travel industry is still on it’s knees and trying to be as economic and creative as possible about the staff they’re keeping on.

But on the upside, YAY, for the lucky one person who is still popping over from time to time to read my posts….I have time to start blogging again.

So a long overdue update on Life After Divorce is where I’m going to start, because there have been a few changes of late:-

DIVORCE

It’s taken over ten years to finally reach a full and final settlement. Ridiculous and painful for everyone involved. Anyway, eventually at the end of last year we reached an agreement and everyone can now move on.

RELATIONSHIPS

I’ve met someone! Which is pretty extraordinary under the circumstances. We were introduced by our children and set up in a “parent trap” sort of way. It wasn’t love at first sight for either of us, but we were encouraged to think otherwise by the kids, because they sent us fake texts – which meant we went on several dates thinking the other one was super interested! Early days, but so far so good!

KIDS

My son had a nasty cycling accident last week whereby a driver pulled out of a side road without looking, causing him to have to brake suddenly and fly over the handlebars. He’s in a lot of pain, covered in scrapes, cuts and bruises. He has a broken wrist, a broken elbow and two damaged shoulders. However, as my young nephew pointed out “at least his heart and his brain are safe.”

Bike accident

Soooo proud of my daughter who decided to change direction in lockdown, handed in her notice at the travel company she worked for and took up an MA. She’s now more than halfway through her MA in Clinical Psychology and loving it. She’s also finished her 10K a day running challenge throughout March and now has a dodgy knee. Literally, she ran 10K EVERY DAY FOR A MONTH. Unbelievable. I got a crowd out to cheer her down the road on her last run.

Here she is on her final run, with us all out to cheer her down the road:-

My daughter finishing her 10K a day running challenge

My youngest son is still at home from university for the Easter hols, but will be heading back to Manchester soon. His second year finishes in May owing to the fact that he has no exams this year. This basically means his summer holiday will be six months long. SIX MONTHS! He needs to find a job. But what?

MOTHER

Like so many people, she’s been lonely in lockdown, but the good news is that it happens to be her birthday on the 17th May – the day the pubs open up again fully. So despite the fact that it’s a Monday, I think she’s excited that we’re going to take her on a pub crawl. It’s been far too long that she’s been incarcerated alone in her flat. Although vastly cheered up by her stash of Easter eggs:-

My Ma with her easter eggs

CAT

He’s brought a mouse into the house, that I assume is under the fridge, given how much staring he’s doing under there. I don’t know what to do about it. Any ideas? He doesn’t seem to be bothered with waiting for it to come out right now:-

Sleeping cat

PILATES

This has still been going strong through lockdown via Zoom, but I can’t wait for all of us to get together in the flesh soon (and what a lot of extra flesh there is to deal with as a result of all that baking).

Alone in my studio and missing all the people (that’s not gin in that glass, I promise!):-

Me in my studio

When I say baking….here is my attempt to make a Victoria Sponge Cake for a birthday celebration. Pathetic.

Flat cake

LOCKDOWN OPENING UP

SO relieved to be finally able to emerge from our caves and get out and about. Fingers crossed the government has finally got it right (although not if Dominic Cummings has anything to do with it). My heart goes out to other countries now buckling under the strain of the pandemic, India is having a horrendous time.

My kids and I had a wonderful evening at our favourite Chinese restaurant:-

Four Regions

NATURE

Apart from the mouse in the house and the nest a wood pigeon has made a little too close to the house which will involve a furious endeavour to keep my cat away from it’s hideously ugly chicks, I’m loving nature right now and still walking every day if I can. Some generic photos of blossom and a glorious sea of bluebells we stumbled upon:-