Heart matters

Life in the Slow Lane

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Life has been satisfyingly slow recently. The last couple of years, after Covid lockdown in 2020 (Mar-July?), have been all sorts of hectic in ways I didn’t anticipate. Worst of all, I didn’t see it coming until it was too late, and I was involved in day-to-day reactive behaviour rather than stepping back calmly and dealing with stuff. In short, for the last couple of years, despite working for myself, and looking after the family (and attendant Grandmas), I was swamped. Last year for the first six months, I had five family crises ongoing. When a sixth raised its ugly head, I said, “NO UNIVERSE, I CAN NOT TAKE THIS ONE ONBOARD! I’ve only five fingers to count them on” 😀

But things are gradually sorting themselves out. Annoyingly while three of them have gotten much better through the situations changing, I’ve learnt the big Adulting lesson that responsibilities, once taken fully on board (like Adults do with dependants) may change due to circumstances but never really go away. Saying this, once you accept responsibility, if you do it firmly and calmly, this gives you a reassuring sense of control. Even if circumstances are beyond your control and you just have to go with the flow 🙂

I’ve had to start taking care of myself physically a lot better than I have been doing. I’ve taken my body for granted, and while I’m practically a vegan, don’t drink or smoke, and get moderate regular exercise through walking the dog, I could be doing better. Also, mentally, I’ve been pushing myself too hard in the wrong directions and being too stubborn and self-reliant. So some things have been given up on, and some put aside (for now). I’ve accepted that my projects aren’t as Epic as I thought they would be, and by giving up the struggle, they’ve actually become fun and much more profitable! (just like the Taoist Masters say!).

Fun

Star Trek Strange New Worlds

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Very taken with the latest Star Trek, Stanger Worlds. Not only is it new shiny Trek and visually striking, but the characters are sympathetic, presenting intelligent and positive solutions to their problems. Also, while every character has their issues, the rest of the characters are supportive and compassionate. Overall the characters face some pretty awful situations, but through skill and heart, they come through strong. 🙂

It’s a big contrast to all the Sheridan Taylor stuff I’m currently obsessed with (Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown etc), where it’s all a race to the bottom 😃

Family

D&D at School!

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Update on H at his new specialist Autistic School that he started last week. Within a week of being there, he’s been moved up a year because he’s very academic (he runs rings around Rachel and me, and we are both Masters level). He’s made a friend with an assistance dog (who sits under their desk during lessons, and H gets to stroke at break time). His new friend invited him to play in their D&D game during free social time in school on Friday afternoons. So H now has a 4th Level Dwarfen Cleric. The adventure continues on Wednesday after school D&D club. He’s the happiest I’ve seen him in years.

H after his first day at his new school
Fun

It’s like Christmas!

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Normally at this time of the year, I’d be crawling back under my covers after a brief post-Christmas burst of energy and optimism, followed by a crash due to cold weather and catching the back-to-work snots.

  • The great house spring cleaning has begun.
  • Henry is back in school!
  • Evelyn coping with school, despite it being GCSE Year
  • Next holiday booked!
  • OGL Dumpster fire avoided.
  • Elaine’s house is getting sorted. LOOK AT MY BIG BADASS HUMIDIFIER!!!
  • Not one but two games on the cusp of being released!
  • The existing back catalogue doing well.
  • Tax return done
  • Seeing a lot more of my wife, and shift work more manageable.
  • The weather is perking up!
  • I’ve started another Fallout 4 play-through and its fun and I’m finding new fresh things, even after it being my go-to game for something like seven years (with Borderlands 2 being a close second).

So much excitement….I’ll think I’ll have a calm down in a darkened room 😀

Ironically our real-life Christmas decorations, which we’ve had up since the last week of November due to us going away to Lanzarote for a week, have just gone back into the attic – because even the prime architect of Christmas year (the stylish and exuberant Evie) says it doesnt’ feel like Christmas any more. 😀

Family

A New Door Opens

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For the first time since the Pandemic Lockdown back in 2020, all the Newport Household will be at school or work. H starts at his new school today, and after feeling a bit mopey over the last couple of days about it, I’ve got my act together, and I’m happy for him. He’s certainly in a good mood about it. Evie is doing her GCSEs which is stressful, but she’s coping. Rachel is settling into a temporary role as team leader for Cancer Research at her hospital, which is still hectic, but nowhere near as mad as being the Covid Team Leader (which is a story for another day) which she did from early 2020 to just before Christmas 2022.

This leaves me with time on my hands during the day, so it’s time to get my head down and magically transform the house. Bring two rooms back from being unable, and generally clean and renovate five years of neglect. Oh, and there’s the stuff that needs fixing after ten years of the extension (like our horrific Ziggurat of Doom front stairs and a few water leaks). The Garden will get a facelift, transforming from the cover picture of Black Sabbath’s 1st LP (an overgrown wet ruin) into something more colourful and happy (with Sunflowers :D).

2023 needs to be a big year for D101 too. I’ve lots of stuff I need to get out (which I’m collectively calling the Swamp), stuff that I feel fired up to do, and getting the whole business on a firm footing so I can contribute more to the family funds consistently.

But for the first time in years, I don’t feel overwhelmed, partially because I see other things in my Reality falling into place (H getting back into school was a huge one here) and partly because I’ve been upping my game after hitting a low about it all June last year.

It’s weird, though. Like being some sort of time traveller. Moving from the preteen age to a new and exciting one for our teenage children. Now that I’m conscious of this, I’m now quietly planning for when the children have fled the nest 😀

So 2023, even without looking at the bonfire that is British Politics, is all about change. We even have new neighbours, with four(?) children who moved in last week.

Fun, True Folktales

Mr Bean

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In my second year of Leeds Uni, I knicked a life-sized cardboard cut out of Mr Bean in a Karate suit from outside Barclays Bank during freshers’ week. He stood in my 2nd-floor bedroom window, often on guard duty with the curtains open as an anti-burglar deterrent when we went out.

Years later, we visited York Castle Museum and looked around their History of Everyday Life. I was quite tickled that the Edwardians put life-sized cutouts in their front windows when they went out for the same reason.

Family

Victory Day!

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After our H’s Secondary School Head Teacher effectively expelled him last June (the fecking weasel), followed by our Local Education Authority SEND team miscommunicating and dragging their feet about sorting out a new school, we went to see a specialist Autistic school today, and he starts next week!

Here’s to a fresh start for all of us, especially H, who was mature and sensible enough to see that this school is the best place to continue his educational journey.

I’m going to miss him being at home, and I appreciate that I got to look after him and keep him safe when his previous High School failed to do so. Some of the chats about life and politics on our daily dog walks, I hope, will be as useful as anything he missed at school during the five months he was out. But it’s time for him to have a happy school life and some friends. Besides, his new school has an after-school D&D club, so they must be good 🙂

Family, Fun

Right Christmas

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We had a very cut-down Christmas, with pretty much just us and the pets. Part of this was because we had our Lanzarote holiday a week before Christmas, coming home three days before.

Also, lots of the big rituals of Christmas past were broken. Rach’s church has changed (not for the better) during Covid, so there are no carol and Christmas Day services. The kids aren’t involved in the music at school, so there are no concerts there. Honestly, I don’t miss that side of things, feeling low on energy and obliged to attend these events.

On a less happy front, my mother-in-law’s death earlier this year. meant that we didn’t have any guests. But seeing that Evie, who put together the decorations this year with great gusto, used Elaine’s tree (a great relief since it’s smaller and in better condition than our Orphanage sized tree) and her decorations, it was like she was with us. Since Rachel and Evie bought a decoration that opens up, we could have put some of Elaine’s ashes in it and hung it on the tree! I quietly ignored requests to do this, feeling a bit funny about it.

So small and cosy would sum it up. With good food and some board games (Fireball island and Monopoly), pets and time for each other.

Teh Virtual Home of Mr Newt Wiz A & W