Rosedawn Ramblings

A few months ago, maybe even a year ago, I wrote a list.  A list of what I wanted; a collection of connected words and phrases describing how I'd like to spend my days at work.  I'm not sure exactly what event prompted me to start writing the list... perhaps it was the arrival of a new Moomin notebook, perhaps it was after a really challenging day at work, perhaps the announcement of yet another variation of lockdown being implemented.  But I wrote a list.  I'm not sure if I wrote the list all in one go... or came back to it over several days and added to it.  But I wrote a list.  And then forgot about it. The notebook wasn't written in again and remained lost under of pile of "filing" until just a couple of weeks ago. But during the time since writing that list, quietly and almost without realising it, I was finding a way to make my wish list a reality. I was looking at new opportunities.  I was thinking about how I wanted to spend...

There have lots of moments in the last few weeks when life felt like it was back to normal, making it seem like starting again has become a real possibility. The sun has been shining, There has been time for catching up with friends in real life (no screens involved), Mr T got a haircut, coffee and cake at a cafe, watching the newly-hatched ducklings swimming along the canal, blossoms on the trees, answering parkrun emails about barcodes, buying a new front door, even booking a few days away for a holiday .  Back to normal. Almost. Probably the most normal thing of all has been the return of club runs with the Potters Trotters.  For an hour or so at a time each time we meet, we have returned to our old routines - lots of chatter as everyone arrives, tentative questions as we set off about how far we are running and how many hills are likely to be involved, conversations as we run about what races we might do, what's happening in Line of Duty, or what is for tea wh...

A week in the Turks and Caicos? A month in Toronto or Melbourne? Maybe a long weekend in Rome? An overnight stay in York? Island hopping in the Med? Following the civil rights trail across the American South? Whale watching in New Zealand? A safari in Botswana? If we could go away tomorrow, where we would go? What would we want to do? Where would we choose to stay? Big trip or long weekend? This is a game we have played all through lockdown, a way to remind ourselves that was a big world out there, even if we didn’t feel part of it at the moment. The answer has changed depending on the time of year, the weather outside or how stressful a day we have had. It would be prompted by a TV programme, a news report or, more usually, a 60 second vacation on CNN . Where would we choose? Somewhere new? Or an old favourite? And once the game has started, it can last for hours. We have debated which restaurants to visit, museums to explore and parks to run around. We have found about festivals and ...

Since the beginning of 2020, things have been “not quite normal” for most of us. That’s probably the biggest understatement with which to be begin this new blog. But that’s how it is. Covid-19 has changed things. Life has been different in every way; and we have developed a whole new language to characterise what we have experienced. We have been in lockdown. Self-isolating may or not be optional. Virtual has been added to almost every sentence. We have been socially and physically distant. We have followed a roadmap but not gone anywhere. We have passports we cannot use (and have now expired). We have binge watched in several different languages. We have waited patiently or impatiently for the next slide. We have tracked the R rate. We have added the word global to every statement about pandemics even though it’s not needed. We are expects in spike proteins. Muted is something we have all been at one point or another, whether we meant to be or not. And yes, that is a legacy hand. A wh...

How are you?  It's now almost two months since I've been living this strange #stayathome life. Races have been postponed, holidays cancelled, concerts rearranged for later in the year. parkrun is still paused. Like most people I'm sure, there have been some tough moments especially from a well-being point of view. There have been a few tears of frustration and some moments of grumpiness. Work has been challenging and some days life has just felt tough. I've needed lots of words of encouragement and I'm extremely grateful for friends who have been in touch. But amidst all that, there have been some special moments too.  I've been able to get on with living, catch up with friends and family (virtually at least), make plans for the future and work towards my abridged summer challenge - cycling 100k on my exercise bike in June instead of Racing to the Castle. I'm loving my weekly quiz night with my sister and nieces in particular - last week,...