Changing Times

Picture on card from Rosie made a Thing. According to my sister this a good likeness. Hope my nose doesn't look like this!

I finished work for the summer term on the 10th July and this year I won't be returning to school
in September.  This is quite a life changing event and I've been feeling a bit unsettled in the past couple of weeks. Even though I know it's the right decision, I sometimes find it hard to cope with change. It was sad too not to be able to have a proper leaving do to mark the occasion. I've been thinking back over my years in teaching and wrote quite a long goodbye email to colleagues with all my memories of the past 15 years at the school where I finished my career.  It was a bit self indulgent really and I am quite sure many of the younger staff didn't bother to open the attachment, but others did and responded positively.  

I was able to have a bit of a celebration here with my closest work friends in the English department coming round on that Friday for a few socially distanced drinks and lovely food cooked by Paul who was universally admired for his culinary skills and witty repartee.  Having frequently complained to these same colleagues about him and his irritating habits (foolish purchases, grumpiness,  etc), I was told to stop moaning and appreciate what I've got. They have a point.

Both Paul and I have July birthdays and we celebrated then fairly quietly this year.  On Saturday which was my birthday, it rained all day but we went ahead with our planned trip to Dunham Massey, a National Trust property near Manchester with an impressive garden even in the rain.  Back in February we took out membership of National Trust thinking that with my imminent retirement we'd be able to get our money's worth this time.  Then lockdown happened.  Now that the gardens are open again, we've been visiting the local ones. The best so far was the Japanese garden at Tatton Park which I visited on my own as dogs aren't allowed in there.  The rest of the family walked the dog in the deer park and spend a considerable amount of time chasing her as she chased a deer which unfortunately had strayed from the main herd. Paul hadn't spotted it so she was off the lead. Kate said it was like something out of David Attenborough.  It was apparently a very stressful experience which I am glad I did not witness.  I was in this peaceful garden.