tennnis balls and footballs

Project 52 2021 week 35

The week when school started back after summer. A summer holidays with pretty rubbish grey weather, mostly spent at home not doing a lot. And it turned out to be an expensive week.

Here’s week 35 of Project 52.

On Sunday it was our club mini tennis tournament. We’d decided that as there was no formal organised club session, we’d get our team to have a tournament. There were 6 children who played. We did it as a round robin, and we just got all the matches in within the 1 1/2 hours. It was great for me to be able to look at the scores so we can work out the team order. The final deciding match for the winner was between N and his friend, as I’d expected. After getting the best winning scores against everyone else, N’s game went to pots in the last one and he was beaten convincingly for 2nd place. It was lovely to see them all enjoying playing. Hopefully we’ll do these more regularly.

My laptop lid totally fell off. It had had a bit of the hinge fall off about a year ago, and I’d been trying to be careful when closing the lid but it had obviously just weakened too much. It was hanging off by the cord inside, so I could only use it on my desk with the lid up against the wall. So not much blogging was done this week. I ordered a new one. I ended up paying more than I’d planned because so much was out of stock with it being back to school and uni time. Others wouldn’t arrive for 15 days, but Curry’s PC World I could get it by Friday.

Monday was the bank holiday. We didn’t have any plans, but we took the dog out for a walk in the morning around the fields to see if there were any blackberries ripe yet. There were a few so went back after lunch with containers, and picked some. It makes a change because often the cows are in the good fields, but not this year. Lots still weren’t even pink, so there’ll be more to pick over the next couple of weeks. And lots of sloes as well. The blackberries went in the freezer until the cooking apples on our trees are ready. It was lovely spending the time out walking and chatting while we picked. The dog loved having 2 long walks with us both.

Tuesday was back to work for me. I had a panic before work because my tyre light had come on again on Monday. I got up to go to the tyre place before work to ask them to check the tyres were still pumped up and no more punctures. It all seemed fine to them. Then I had to make sure I’d downloaded everything I needed from my old broken laptop to my external hard drive. N didn’t feel well and his left tonsil was up. The echinacea and difflum spray wasn’t working. He mostly spent the day upstairs dozing in bed.

On Wednesday it was just a normal work day. Busy, and catching up with new people. My colleague finished work because she went into labour early, so it was mostly working out what I and her cover would need to get up to speed on. Luckily she’d left us lots of handover notes, and everything in order. N played on the xbox and went out on the farm for a bit. N still wasn’t well – nice white spot left tonsil and he wasn’t really eating much. I wasn’t sure if he’d be well enough to be back in school on Thursday. I got him to do a lateral flow test to make sure it wasn’t covid. Thankfully he just let me get on with it, and didn’t hurt his tonsils.

Thursday was the first day back at school. Surprisingly N had made a great recovery, and you’d never have known he’d been ill. N was really looking forward to going back, and into year 6. They’re still in class bubbles although are now eating lunch back in the hall together. He came home pleased that they’re now allowed to get books from the library again so he’d found himself a book which is a diary of a young girl during the Blitz. He’s really enjoying it which I’m so pleased about. It seems making him read over the summer has helped him find books more approachable.

My car was in for its service and MOT. It needed new brake discs and pads at the back so that was pricy. They charged my stop start battery, changed a key fob battery, and as my previously puncture repaired tyre was slightly low again, replaced the tyre too. So a very expensive service but hopefully it means my warning lights will stay off. It meant I had to drive the old Discovery from the farm for the school run. It’s so high up and a beast of a vehicle, it’s not the school lane friendliest – it’s not my favourite to drive. I’m glad to get my car back.

My new laptop arrived. It’s so much nicer than I had thought, and I love the easy microsoft set up. I’d forgotten that my old ctrl keys didn’t work, so I can now copy and paste so much faster again rather than having to right click with my mouse!

On Friday we arrived at school to find we’d missed a text saying someone in N’s class tested positive (first since Covid arrived), and they were asking everyone to do a lateral flow test before coming to school. Quick rush home, do the test, it was negative but had to wait for the 30 minutes. Thankfully my Tesco delivery arrived early in the slot so we unpacked it all onto the table, then took N back to school before getting back to work. N was chosen as Learner of the Week.

This week I was mostly doing other people’s work due to handovers and training, people not yet set up on certain software, and me checking in on holiday cover. I’ve just heard I’m having another switch of people on 2 projects. So yet another new person to the team. That’s 6 since end of July. I swear it’s not me driving them away! I did hear my colleague had her baby all safe so that was lovely news.

After tea my brother turned up to say hi, and N dragged him outside to play football. Considering how little N cared about football before, he enjoys kicking a ball around. Plus my brother teaches him little tricks and skills to learn. N does love a trick shot – that’s him aim for tennis too. To be good enough that he can do lots of trick shots.

I spotted the new Cinderella musical film was out on Amazon Prime, so couldn’t resist watching it. While it was a girl standing up to the patriarchy world rather than the traditional story, I loved it.

Saturday was a lazy day. We headed to town for the usual Saturday bakery and butcher stops. Car park prices in town are now £1 an hour which is disgusting when the other 2 towns in the district have free parking. I usually park in the market which is now £1.20 an hour, even though I’m usually done within 10 minutes. So frustrating there’s not even 20 or 30 minutes free. No wonder the town is dying and people shop elsewhere.

The rest of the day N did his homework, he went out on the farm for a bit, and I did some baking, reading and a bit of my jigsaw. We also caught a grey squirrel coming right up to the back window of the house. Usually we don’t see any actually in the garden.

This week’s Project 52 photo is balls. We have so many in our house – mainly tennis balls of various colours, but there’s now 3 footballs, and my brother brought N over another bag of golf balls. That’s about 80 golf balls he now has to hit around the garden! Maybe he’ll get wise to cleaning and selling them.

tennnis balls and footballs

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9 Comments

  1. It does sound like you had a very expensive week. I’m Mac-based and praying for my mac to last that little bit longer. It sound like all the children had fun at tennis. I have seen Cinderella advertised on prime but we haven’t watched it yet #365

  2. Good idea re the tournament – sounds like it went well!

    We spotted the CInderella film too and watched it, Quite enjoyed it.

    Glad N made a quick recovery for school

  3. Sounds like the min tournament went well. Sorry to hear about the laptop and the car in the same week. Having a rather expensive service myself a few weeks back I can totally relate. Hope you are still enjoying the new laptop. Car park charges are so high in our town too £2.40 for an hour! I hardly ever go in. Its such a shame.

    1. Wow that’s extortionate. Oxford is the worst, but I park and ride there, but there’s no option for that in our town. It’s frustrating that there’s 3 towns in the district, but we’re the only ones that pay

  4. The mini tournament sounds like a good idea, and well done to N for the 2nd place! Glad to hear he was happy about the library and picked a book he’s enjoying. I think I know the series he reads, they are entertaining and informative.
    Eddie’s school has no bubbles at all. He was also excited about the school library. I saw the Cinderella banner on Amazon, but probably wont’ watch it, unless my family decides they want to watch it.

  5. The mini tennis tournament sounds like it was fun. Well done N on coming second. Glad he recovered quickly from his tonsils flare-up during the week and had a good first day back at school. Hope that your car warning lights stay off now after that expensive service. #project365

  6. Parking charges are horrendous in the UK, I’ve not had to think of that for 10 years. Shame about your laptop, bet it’s nice having a new one though. Glad to hear N is better now and well done to him for the tennis. Hope the car tyre light is sorted now

  7. Well done for getting 2nd place in the tournament, for N I mean. I agree with you on the parking charges, they are making people go to malls, at least this is what we do. We tried going with the bus when our car was in the garage and it was so annoying, very expensive, people without masks, and it was late both times, not something we would consider doing again, that’s for sure.
    Hopefully those annoying warning lights will stay off. 🙂

  8. The tennis tournament sounds like fun. Well done to all of the kids playing.
    My dad usually has a whole long hedge of blackberries. I will have to see if his are ready yet.
    Poor N. I am glad he was well enough for school and made such a speedy recovery.
    I have seen that new Cinderella film advertised but we don’t have Amazon Prime. Hmmf. It does look good. x

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