Project 52 2018 week 47 – Bibury

Onto week 47 of Project 52, and there’s not long left til the end of 2018. Eek, it’s gone past so quickly. 

It’s been a mixed week. Sunday N played in his first individual inter club matchplay ‘tournament’. It was at another club nearby, and was played as a round robin for the 5 who turned up. N won all of his matches so won his age group. He was so pleased and is now looking forward to playing some other tournaments. Those wins count towards his British tennis rating as well.  I’m such a numbers freak, I’ve been having a nosy at all the other profiles of people he’s played and check his previous scores that I’d not been able to note down while he was playing.

School this week was as normal. Lots of singing from N – whether choir or christmas performance songs. He’s whizzed through his maths and comprehension homework although I’m struggling to get him to read his school reading books (still). He did choose 2 picture books to read this week to me at bedtime.   Ok so they might have been really easy books, but him choosing to read to me is a big thing.

Work was manic. I had a webinar meeting so lots of actions out of that, plus some new monthly expenditure checks and chasing invoices. It just meant things kept moving and I couldn’t get going on the old things that needed doing. It’s not helping that someone who’s meant to be taking on one part, isn’t doing what they’re meant to be, so I’m still doing it to try and get it done.

I did get to have a flexi day off this week though, and that’s where this week’s photo was taken. I decided to head to Grey’s Court near Henley so had a nice couple of hours wandering round the house and grounds. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a way into the gardens, although they’d be pretty bare at this time of year.

Then I detoured back via the cotswold village of Bibury, the one with the famous Arlington Row of cottages. I was a bit disappointed – I suppose it’s not helped by the time of year and the murkey weather, but the grim messy vegetation on the river’s flood plain in front of the row of houses wasn’t the most photogenic. There’s certainly more pretty villages around to photograph. The rest of the afternoon I spent reading in a coffee shop in a little town near home. A lovely relaxing day. And I didn’t feel bad that I didn’t go christmas shopping and I certainly didn’t clean the house. I should have done the latter really.

Saturday N had his swimming lesson. More frustrations because while he had a lovely small class today, they started 12 minutes late. And didn’t make up all of that at the end, only going 5 minutes over. His class rarely starts on time, and never seems to make it up so we always miss out.  They did spend the whole lesson down at the deep end, but frustratingly going over really basic stuff again. Things that he’s been doing for the last year or more. Hopefully she’ll move him up at Christmas because he really needs to be in a class to challenge him and to have kids to aspire to.

N wanted to go out in the afternoon. I’d suggested a nature sculpture trail walk, but he turned that down and we decided we’d go to the British Motor Museum as it’s only down the road and we’ve not been for years. N loved it which I wasn’t expecting so much. Now he knows more about life, cars, races etc, he’s much more interesting in finding out more and trying things out.  It was a lovely afternoon out.

Next week my Christmas lunches start! On to week 48.