Woody Wonders

It's been a year since most of us started working from home and living our lives in very different ways to how we had previously.  So in this week's blog I thought I'd take a look back at the events along the way. DISCLAIMER:   I can only relate to myself and those close to me.  Everyone has had a different journey so please bear that in mind when reading this blog!! February 2020:   Covid has become the buzz word of the moment and starting to feature more and more in everyday conversations.  At the end of February, me and Mr Bob signed on the dotted line for our new house, believing we had a couple of months to decorate before moving in very smoothly and with no mishaps - hmm! March 2020:  Covid has taken a strong hold across the world, events are being cancelled left, right and centre and it was only a matter of time before we would be in lockdown.  Everything related to our new house was grinding to a halt and we weren't in a position to move at th...

Well, I wasn't expecting that! This weekend, me and the lovely Mr Bob have been in Edinburgh and although we had a fantastic time whilst there, we had a few unexpected challenges in terms of the journey.  Unlike most long journeys, we were actually really excited as we had first class tickets all the way so this was going to be a special treat. We drove down to Meadowhall to catch the train, which is just 20 minutes from home. However, when we arrived at the station there were no parking spaces.  No great shakes, Plan B, we’ll go in the Park & Ride.   Erm, n o spaces in there either and our train leaves in 5 minutes.  Okay then, Plan C, we’ll drive into Sheffield and jump on the next train.  Ten minutes later we were parking at Sheffield station. Yay, back on track.  We had about 40 minutes to wait for the train to Manchester Piccadilly so we headed for the first class lounge.  Great, we were warm, we had coffee and we had bis...

Appreciation August Welcome to week 2 of my appreciation series where this week we’ll be focusing on how we can appreciate the natural world around us. Be honest, when was the last time you went for a walk without your phone and really stopped to appreciate the beauty around you? Don’t give me the excuse of ‘well, I always take my phone in case anyone needs to get hold of me’. No, they don’t. The world can cope perfectly well whilst you’re ‘off-line’ for 10 minutes and taking time out for yourself. It’s due to this very reason, of thinking that we’re indispensable and need to be available 24/7, that we’ve actually forgotten how to appreciate what’s around us and the natural beauty of our very own doorstop. Here’s a few ideas to get you started on the walk to appreciation: STOP!! What do you see, hear, smell? Feel the texture of leaves and bark on the trees, listen to the birds singing, cows mooing, sheep baaing, smell the fresh cut hay (or maybe farmyard s...