My current view …. campfire at Group Camp…. taken Jul 06, 2019 @ 20:26
Not my choice of a day to go in sea but 8yo loved it. taken Jul 21, 2019 @ 11:59
Much more my sort of day for sea…. 8yo went swimming as well taken Jul 23, 2019 @ 12:41
Tag: adoption
Instagram: Images
A happy Sqk – one more benefit to move for him taken Dec 19, 2018 @ 18:34
My latte this morning- T tells me random pour of milk and not sure how he managed it taken Dec 25, 2018 @ 07:23
Lots of Lego building in this house between T’s present and our present to Sqk taken Dec 25, 2018 @ 12:50
Challenges complete …. mine a few hours back T’s just now taken Dec 25, 2018 @ 21:49
Hear door creaking- lookup to see it moving and a little black paw. Lily has decided her bed is behind our bedroom door. Surprised she can move it so well as they are heavy fire doors…. taken Dec 25, 2018 @ 22:53
Today’s … Sqk left happy with his favourite honorary uncle taken Dec 28, 2018 @ 21:49
Yeah I have my decent washer-dryer back in operation thanks to friends yesterday – and plumber today to sort out slight leak in cold inlet taken Jan 03, 2019 @ 15:30
Instagram: Images
Playing with Lego Boost as a guitar & enjoying himself on his flexi school afternoon taken Nov 20, 2018 @ 18:41
Rocking it….. taken Nov 20, 2018 @ 18:42
New car is good – although have to be careful if on road as one of neighbours has one as well…. taken Nov 23, 2018 @ 22:39
Lounge coming together – new sofas (old ones wouldn’t make it up in modern town house) and 5.1 sound again finally taken Nov 23, 2018 @ 22:53
Starting to look Christmassy. Sqk said this morning it didn’t feel like our house as he thought we had left tree behind …. happy we hadn’t taken Dec 01, 2018 @ 09:53
Day 1: Sqk declares spaceship is great taken Dec 01, 2018 @ 09:59
Nothing quite like waking up to smell of freshly baked bread. Have bread maker again 🙂 taken Dec 02, 2018 @ 08:09
Family room mainly together now. Can you tell we are a gaming/techy family taken Dec 02, 2018 @ 21:46
And monitors now at right height …. office space there finally taken Dec 03, 2018 @ 21:48
Wreath looking good on new front door taken Dec 04, 2018 @ 15:06
For 2 cats who at times argue they are very friendly in our bed this morning – on top of my sweater…. taken Dec 08, 2018 @ 09:09
Someone mind telling me where I am supposed to put my feet you two ….. taken Dec 10, 2018 @ 22:52
Today is a sundried tomato & Parmesan bread day. Lovely smell in kitchen this morning taken Dec 16, 2018 @ 08:32
Instagram: Images
Flexi schooling this afternoon. One happy Sqk taken Oct 23, 2018 @ 15:00
Sqk has a full set of storage finally taken Oct 27, 2018 @ 15:58
Self care for the last few weeks taken Nov 11, 2018 @ 19:45
New bedroom coming together taken Nov 14, 2018 @ 17:26
Other wall of bedroom taken Nov 14, 2018 @ 17:26
New bedroom finished….I have wardrobe space again taken Nov 15, 2018 @ 21:48
Other bit of bedroom taken Nov 15, 2018 @ 21:50
My new car – now my commute is 5 minutes walking decided time to drop second car down to a £0 tax city car. Newer car & very low mileage for age. Cost to change covered by tax & insurance savaging plus not having to MOT & service my car in a month. DH picks it up Monday taken Nov 17, 2018 @ 19:20
Well finally have speakers back into lounge system. Plus plans for proper surround sound again…. taken Nov 18, 2018 @ 15:31
Instagram: Images
View out back of caravan. Lovely end to day taken Apr 14, 2018 @ 19:55
Batch lot of Delia’s Ragu. We had fresh last night & now to be frozen in Sqk size portions. Easy tea for a boy who loves bolognese. taken Apr 17, 2018 @ 16:21
Watching Sqk have fun in one of his favourite places. Had a lovely walk around estate as well … taken Apr 21, 2018 @ 11:30
Rocking headphones & hat look….. taken Apr 21, 2018 @ 12:29
Enjoying our favourite pastime … watching trains taken Apr 29, 2018 @ 10:55
Getting ready to scoot …. taken May 06, 2018 @ 15:36
Instagram: Images
Drone lady has joined today to go with yesterday’s helicopter. taken Dec 18, 2017 @ 17:57
Today in snowboard boy is joined by chainsaw man taken Dec 20, 2017 @ 08:16
Snowboard boy admiring the angel who has appeared in taken Dec 21, 2017 @ 08:09
Drone lady now has a powered snowmobile to get around Snowboard boy is impressed…. taken Dec 22, 2017 @ 08:00
Well that is cake iced – T admitted last night he preferred royal icing so that is what we have. Now to let it dry then it can be finished if I can find stuff for top …. taken Dec 22, 2017 @ 11:00
Running Sqk – out for a walk on first day of his holiday. No chance of wearing him out but he is pretending Henry-dog is with us taken Dec 22, 2017 @ 12:25
Nails done for first time in a year taken Dec 22, 2017 @ 22:38
Snowboard boy getting excited in by the arrival of a sleigh but where is the big man himself? taken Dec 23, 2017 @ 08:32
Lily & Sqk are finally making friends it seems…. taken Dec 23, 2017 @ 13:11
Hear rustling behind me as wrapping presents. Look to see Lily happily ensconce herself in bag I used to get presents to dining room floor taken Dec 23, 2017 @ 14:33
The big man has arrived in to the delight of snowboard boy. taken Dec 24, 2017 @ 09:17
One very content Lily-cat….. taken Dec 24, 2017 @ 22:33
One happy Sqk this morning – snowman building later he tells me…. taken Dec 29, 2017 @ 08:54
Fire-bathing Lily-cat…. taken Dec 31, 2017 @ 22:30
Instagram: Images
Writing practice … first time he has wanted to all holiday…. taken Sep 01, 2017 @ 13:30
Well we have just purchased new caravan – T having passed extra license a fortnight ago. Pick up in 5 weeks… same dealer as we brought from 3 years ago… taken Sep 03, 2017 @ 13:23
My current view …. someone hungry it appears…. taken Sep 16, 2017 @ 09:53
Fire bathing cat … taken Sep 23, 2017 @ 20:54
So proud of Sqk- getting this at end of week 3. Good listening 🙂 taken Sep 23, 2017 @ 21:22
One Happy Lily-Cat …. taken Sep 23, 2017 @ 21:44
Reflections
Yesterday after sorting out a few things at work I got back to my office at work to discover the news that Gareth Marr has passed away. It has surprised me how much the loss of a man who I met three times in total – and heard speak twice has affected me. I was teary-eyed at the news – and in tears talking about it with T last night. I really do feel like I have lost a friend – and as the many tributes on twitter have shown so do so many of us in the adoption community.
I first met Gareth at the Adoption UK conference in November 2014 although we’d been corresponding on Twitter before then about adoption and education. Education has always been something I have a passion about due to growing up as the daughter of a teacher and now bothe the sister of a teacher and working in higher education myself. I am former school governor with special interest in PP and Gareth and I connected discussing the #adoptionschooltrain.
Every time I met him he was always well turned out with his trademark hat and that deep voice. When he talked you listened. Having met him in Birmingham when I heard he would be up to speak at the Yorkshire & Humber Adoption Consortium educaiton conference in May 2015 I immeidately invite dhim to speak to the local Adoption UK support group. We even got Ralph berry – a Bradford councillor with an interest in education and social services to come along. It is an evening that will live long in my memory and one that empowered a lot of us to go and talk to our schools. He certainly inspried me – my one regret is that T never had a the chance I had to engage with him.
When the education white paper came out earlier in this year and I realised that finally it would be recognised that our children in education terms have very similar outcomes to those in care (KS2 pass rate: 49% previously in care; 46% in care compared to 75% average nationally) I thought immediately how please Gareth would be. It was a bright spot for me in what has been a pretty horrible few months – little things with Sqk and major things with my work that I will blog about another time.
Now as I said on twitter yesterday we need to ensure that his legacy lives on.