Going with the flow

16 February 2020


I know that we are not able to look into the future, I am not sure that I would ever want to, but I know that if I had looked into February I would not believe what I could see.  It has been an interesting first half of the month.

Some days have been so full that we have only really been at home to eat.  Whilst making breakfast I have also made the other two meals to be eaten later in the day.  Those periods at home gave us time to eat and for breathing in, to rest and recharge before the next thing.  It sounds rather ridiculous and busy when I write it down like this but it worked, we were on time for everything and were not feeling rushed.  There have been several days like this.

A few years ago I would not have had this kind of my day in diary.  It would have been too much for us all, a few years feels like a lifetime ago now, with growing children their commitments have grown too.  Slowly.  It is like any change, when we do it slowly it feels more comfortable, more manageable, we can grow into it, stretch ourselves slowly and the change then feels like a comfortable pair of shoes rather than a pair that rubs and cause us pain.

At the beginning of the year I was asked if I could help out with a paid role in the village.  It is a job I have held in the past, the current incumbent was on sick leave and I was asked to step in, temporarily, not having worked for pay for 11 years this felt rather daunting.  Home educating my children has continued many of the skills that I used in my paid work life but as an unknown world to many it can be make it difficult to quantify those skills to others.  That temporary state of affairs has turned to permanence, I have been through an application process and an interview I haven't done either of these for fifteen years.  I have been digging deep into the memory bank, the grey cells have been worked hard.

I have been at home for eleven years home educating the children, I gave up work to do that, a decision I have never regretted, but I know it will not be that long before I am no longer needed as a guide, facilitating my children's education.  I came to motherhood late, by the time my daughter turns 18 I will be at an age when looking for work after a such long break, her whole life, it is most likely to make me at the bottom of the pile in an application process.  I had been giving some thought to my future over the past few months, thinking that a small part time job that I can fit around our lives might be possible now.  Don't you love it when something come to you and falls into your lap?

Last weekend we were visited by Storm Ciara, it flooded homes in my village, thankfully not mine, and effected the water supply.  Many homes in my village and those in many surrounding us were without water for several days, again we were not effected by this.  We had activities cancelled as the buildings they were held in had no water supply, commitments having to change as the roads were blocked by flooding.  I have been grateful for modern technology, allowing these changes to be passed on to us easily and in good time.

This weekend we now have a different storm paying us a visit, Dennis, we now have strong winds and more rain falling on already wet ground.  I feel for those people who have had water come into their homes which it may do again this weekend.  I have watched the field opposite my house turn into a lake once again, as it did last weekend, I am so grateful that this water has somewhere to go rather than in my house.

We are well stocked with food and wood so we don't need to go out this weekend.  I rather like not having to go out at the weekend after a full week, an enforced hibernation.  I am grateful that I have somewhere warm and cosy to shelter in this stormy weather.  Next week is a school holiday here in the UK, for us this means that many of our usual activities are not running.  We are still pretty busy but with different things, Storm Dennis may put paid to some of that as Storm Ciara did last week.

We will take each day as it comes, what about you?

29 comments:

  1. Many congratulations on your return to the workplace.
    You make extremely good points about how the complex role of being a stay-at-home-Mum/educator is valued, and I suspect what I know of the modern interview process would not immediately identify: negotiation skills, finance & budgeting, project management, purchasing, community liaison, health & welfare, resilience, perseverance, and a whole host more.

    Hope you have not been too badly affected by "Dennis" so far this weekend.

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    1. Thank you Jayne. It was interesting that all the questions in my interview related to my paid work and not the equally important work that I have been doing for the last 11 years. It does make me sad how little it is valued.

      We are safe after the recent storm and I hope you are too.

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  2. As retired people, we try to build a routine, but happily abandon all plans when something comes along. This weekend it turned out to be a plumbing emergency which got in the way of our plans, so we just did something else. Planning is good so long as you don't take it too seriously.

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    1. That is true too! There needs to be some flexibility for changes which we have had lots of in the past week. I love it when a really busy week turns into a quiet one at home it often means that I have lots of time to do those jobs that are sidelined when we are busy.

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  3. A new job. That sounds exciting, and even better that it fits into your life without too much disruption.
    I'm relieved to read you've managed to escape the worst of the storms. It's been miserable here. Sleepless nights and the worry of damage to property. Thankfully we didn't suffer too badly and my heart goes out to those who have had their homes and businesses flooded time and time again. X

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    1. It is exciting and a little nerve wracking too. I am sorry to hear that the storms have given you sleepless nights, I do hope that you have had no more damage to your house. It is really difficult to look a the pictures of the damage caused by the recent flooding isn't it.

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  4. I feel so sorry for all those people affected by the recent storms. Nature is certainly making her presence felt.
    Taking each day as it comes seems to be the best way to carry on.
    Congratulations on the job.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Thank you Ellie. My heart goes out to those effected by the storms, I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like to be flooded.

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  5. I hope this is the last of the storms. My mum lives in Askham and they've had trouble with the water supply too, thankfully no flooding. Good luck with your job and stay dry. X

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    1. I hope it is the last of the storms too. I am not surprised the water was effected in Askham too it is not that far from me, I hope you Mum is all sorted now and no longer needing to use bottled water.

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  6. So grateful to have escaped the floods here too - but it's heartbreaking seeing that on the news.
    I love your analogy of stretching into change like an old comfy pair of shoes - must try to remember that :) . And congratulations on the job falling into your lap ... so lovely when that happens.

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    1. It is so heartbreaking to see it on the news isn't it. I hope the analogy helps make change a little easier, it is not always an easy process to navigate is it?

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  7. As our children grow up, they're able to take on some of the responsibilities themselves so even though life can get busier, it's not quite as stressful. How fortunate to have a job offered to you just as you're considering taking on part time work. I do hope it all works out for you and that you're able to fit it around your current commitments, it sounds as though it's come at just the right time. The storms have been awful with so much devastation caused to many. We're very lucky, just a few panels blown out of the greenhouse, no real damage. It's all died down again at the moment, though it's very dull and miserable out there.

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    1. That is so true, about children taking on their own responsibilities, that is definitely what is happening here. I am hoping the job works out too, it couldn't have come at a better time. I am glad to hear that you have not been too badly effected by the recent stormy weather.

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  8. Enforced hibernation here this weekend too, though we did nip into town first thing yesterday, before Dennis formally introduced himself! We always keep a good stock of food, wood here as Wales does occasionally "get a bit of weather".

    Good luck with the new job and WELL DONE for home educating your family.

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    1. Hello and welcome, thank you for dropping by and leaving a lovely comment. Wales does get its fair share of weather doesn't it, but I am glad to hear that you are safe and dry.

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  9. After being at home with my two girls and then looking after aging grandparents and parents I returned to a part time job that I had no knowledge of at all - I was asked by a friend to help out at his firm and everything snowballed from there. Good luck with the new job who knows where it might lead. x

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    1. Thank you for sharing this, sometimes it is not about what we know but the skills we bring to the table. I am glad to hear that it turned out well for you, I am hoping this is the start of a new chapter in my life.

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  10. Beautiful waterfall photo!!!!

    The job.... There are those who feel, that when we put our mind to something (thinking about the possibility of a job), the opportunity presents itself.

    So glad you are still safe and secure, from storms. So sorry for those, who have suffered damage.

    Enjoy your *forced* hibernation! -smile- Personally, I think we all should give ourselves, lots of hibernation opportunities. Not wait, till they *magically* appear, all by themselves. -smile-


    🔥💛🔥

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    1. Thank you, I expect that waterfall is a bit bigger at the moment with all the rain we have had. I would like to think that was true, regarding the job, I have heard that said before.

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  11. I think you are on the right track with a part time job if it fits your lifestyle. I was a stay at home mom and when the kids finally were off to university I was facing an empty nest. I've taught knitting classes and now I babysit one day a week. I don't know what else I will do when the babysitting job ends possibly this year. I like to be open to new opportunities.

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    1. Being open to new opportunities is a good way to be, I hope this job opens other doors for me in the future.

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  12. Beautiful photo of the waterfall, just shows the power behind all that water. Congratulations of your new job, there are so many life skills we have learnt throughout the years that just don´t appear on certificates and official qualifications, but I think they are more relevant than pieces of paper. Good luck xcx

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    1. Thank you Chrissie. I was a bit worried that my life skills would not be seen as relevant but it seems that they were.

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  13. So pleased to hear you are OK we were thinking of you having read about the news in your area. Good news about the job your skills and expertise will be a boon for sure. Enjoy another weekend hibernation as the weather forecast is pretty dire! xx

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    1. Thank you San, we are ticking along despite what the weather throws at us.

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  14. Oh, good luck with the new job, it sounds the perfect time for it. I do admire you home schooling your kids, that is far from easy. Good to know you kept your water supply, it's the worst thing to lose. Hopefully this awful rain will ease off sometime soon. Love that photo.xxx

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. The rain keeps coming and is showing no let up, I would love to get out in the garden but I will cause so much damage if I stand on any of the waterlogged soil that I daren't.

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  15. When do you start your new paid work? I do hope it goes well for you. And I hope too that the homes that have been flooded in your area are slowly able to make their way back to normal. We live in Norfolk, in supposedly one of the 'driest' parts of the country, but even here it has been extraordinarily wet with rivers bursting their banks. So I can only imagine how it is in areas with more rain.

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