Word of the week - Caring

It's been really manic at work with everyone going off sick in work and with me being the cover supervisor I've been covering GCSE Science through to year 7 DT.

There's an assumption that cover means the lesson is planned and the students sit there nicely and get on with their work.

The reality is at this early stage of term all topics are new and year 7's are new. If you work in a secondary school or have kids that age you'll know that behaviour these days isn't the best and any change from the norm is an excuse for an attempt to get away with murder.

As cover I'm moving from class to class trying to set up my lap top at the same time as the kids arrive, get the task on entry on the board, find the books etc and take the register and it's manic.

It's also not just the subject teachers who go off sick, so do admin, so I've been covering all roles the past few weeks and on Thursday morning, my migraine was no longer manageable with medication and I ended up off work sick.

Thankfully there was no cover needed that day, but for a change, I actually needed covering which I found quite amusing.

I was only off the one day and I was back on Friday and the Head and a member of SLT and my line manager, two members of the Trust and a few colleagues not only asked how I was, but came out of their way to check in on me and asked if I should actually be in work today and said they weren't surprised I'd had a migraine with all the additional responsibilities I'd willingly taken on over the previous couple of weeks.

I'm not used to being looked after or even looking after myself and I had been struggling into work all week not feeling well at all, but on Thursday I realised enough was enough and I needed the day off to take care of myself.

Friday after work I drove to South Wales for a night camping in the van by the sea. Saturday a parkrun and a day in Barry before watching the football and a night with friends and Sunday is being spent with family and friends for breakfast and a halloween party.

Week 42 2026 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

I had 7 weeks of comments to catch up with, I'm going to respond her to any questions and do excuse me for my lateness. 

Saturday 17 October I enjoyed a lie in after 10 hours sleep and spent the morning sorting out dates in my diary and doing some tidying up and picked the last bunch of grapes from the garden. I then made a packed lunch and caught the train to Birmingham for the football. I tided up a large bag of empty beer cans so I could have a seat. I got a coffee and caught the 1875 free bus to the game. We won 3-0. the game was marred by a nasty experience I can't blog about, late train home, bath and into bed.

Sunday 18 October I bit of a lie in and a drive to Cheltenham to meet DIL and granddaughter at a Christmas Market at the racecourse. The last time I was there was with Stephanie and as I pulled up into the carpark the radio was playing Bob Marley 'Could it be Love' one of the songs we played at her funeral. After the market we went to Dunelm for lunch which I missed as I had a call to deal with yesterday's events, then we met up an hour later in The Range for some shopping. After saying our goodbyes, I drove home, had a bath and fell asleep and was rudely awoken by the cat demanding food at 4pm. I had dinner, made some food for the week using the tomatoes and peppers from the garden. I was in bed by 9pm and made a couple of calls to my friends. Van tax paid.

Monday 19 October I've inherited a year 9 English class, the attendance job and am now on a rota for the behaviour room. I don't know if I'm coming or going. I'm certainly not paid enough. I came home with a blinding headache and had to take my migraine meds and after a cup of tea and a bath, I got into my pyjamas. I made some halloween bat bunting with toilet roll for my granddaughter after dinner got some things ready for a few nights away over half term. Lunch ready for the morning. I found out my ex Sister in law died last week via face book. She's still my son's aunt, they're grown up now but no one thought to tell me. I waited up for son in Australia to call me as he hadn't be told.

Tuesday 20 October 2nd day of trying to hold a migraine back with meds. Busy day in work on attendance for 2 lessons then two English and emergency cover. Home and off for coffee and down the gym followed by half an hour in the garden in the dark stripping everything from the raised beds (apart from the tomatoes for the garden waste bin that's collected in the morning. Dinner, bath and in bed by 10pm.

Wednesday 21 October Home from work after a full day of English and maths. Changed and straight out to buy cat food and a birthday gift, I had a coffee while I was out and home to weed and move my pots onto a pre built corner made from pallets for storing plants over winter. I can do a proper job next week in half term. I'd put washing on in the morning and after work so swopped it over to the tumble dryer and on the airer. Had dinner and got my lunch and clothes ready for work in the morning then had a bath and was in bed by 9pm to watch TV.

Thursday 22 October Woke up ahead of the alarm and when I stood up my head felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I managed to feed the cat and let it out but couldn't manage a cup of tea. Messaged work to say I wouldn't be in, took my maximum meds and the day passed in a blur till around 2pm. Took the rest of the day easy with packing for my trip away over the weekend. I popped out to get some meds and bread and had a coffee, then back home managed to dust the house. I'd already scheduled blog posts. I had planned to hoover and mop the floors after work tonight, but that can all wait till next week, instead I did some ironing sitting down while watching TV in the evening after I had a group zoom call with Compassionate Friends having finally found a support group for bereaved parents of children with profound and multiple disabilities.

Friday 23 October Last day in work before half term and an inset day so training and I was able to take it nice and easy. Left work around 2.45pm and drove to the campsite in Rhoose, South Wales for the night arriving around 5pm and setting up for the night. I took a walk round the site but it was too cold, wet and windy so I sorted through my diary, wrote some letters and watched TV. It was snuggly in the van with my pjs and the heater on and I was asleep in bed by 10pm.

Top right and clockwise:

Train journey to Birmingham, spoils from the garden, making halloween bats, stealth gardening, photo I sent to my cousin of the large costa which reminds me of my dad and Uncle, Christmas jumpers added to the food shop, camping in a storm.

On the blog this week:

Our garden in September

Word of the week - Caring

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

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23rd-25th October 2026 Post Comment Love

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

Well I finally caught up with all the posts from the last few weeks. Just Project 365 to catch up with now where I'm 7 weeks behind.

It's half term here in the UK. A week off. My normal half term visiting plans have been scuppered by holidays so instead of twiddling my fingers and as Peter has been away in Turkey visiting friends I'm off in the campervan for a few days this weekend and next to the seaside, parkrun, visiting friends, a halloween party, time with the grandchildren and friends. I'll be home for a few days and baking some cakes ready for trick or treating and decorating the front of the house before I head back off again to West Wales for some walking, more R&R, another parkrun and recharging my batteries before the last weekend of the holidays to chill out before going back to work.

Pushkins will be enjoying part of the week with the house sitter before Peter gets home and she gets her favourite human back.

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

My Garden in September 2026 and the Malvern Autumn Show

Like August, not much has been done in the garden in September other than pick the last few crops of tomatoes, peppers and grapes. 

The lawn has regrown with the rain, there are weeds everywhere and plenty more flowers. The geraniums are doing really well and I'm pleased with the dahlia's that Peter bought me at the RHS Malvern Spring Show called 'Suzanne' 

I've been collecting seeds pods and heads from everywhere I've been and I will will be planting these directly in the ground next year. I will have a mixture of flowers and vegetables in both beds. The tomatoe and pepper seeds have been kept separate and will be planted in pots.

I've had my best crop of peppers and they've been going into October.

They've been used both raw and cooked, along with the tomatoes.

Living in Malvern means we get to visit all three of the shows every year. I buy an annual ticket and will go to all three shows twice. I will visit on the Friday after work at 4pm and wander around in the relative quiet, getting the chance to look at the displays before the start to wilt and take photos without too many people in the background. Two hours gives me the time I need to see everything that I want without dragging the family around when we all visit on the weekend.

I'm not convinced that food grown this large has any taste to it.

Granddaughter and I were looking at what we could enter for next year's shows. There was only one entry for the rhubarb and we had plenty in the garden we could have entered.

When we were in Crete this summer we noticed all the tables had basil growing in water. We propagate ours like this then plant in soil. We're going to see if we can grow it just in water. I'm going to decorate the jars with glass paint over the winter.

Jobs to do before winter kicks in:

Move the pots (once weeded) onto the raised crates and wrap in fleece. 

Lay the bricks for the path (we've been trying to do this for 6 years. Mine and Peter's job)

Plant the three fruit trees in the ground)

Weed the raised beds (after the tomatoes and peppers have finished)

Tidy the garden (pots and trugs)

Clean and put the paddling pool away.

Take the umbrella down and paint the wooden frame and metal base (Peter's job)

Sweep and rearrange the under cover area.

Bring the herbs and bougainvillea indoors.

Word of the Week - Enjoyment

Last Saturday started at Newport County FC v Colchester and a 1-0 win.

Home to a list from child 2 and family and Birthday for everyone. Oldest grandson declared granddad was 32, the highest number he could think off and pack of caterpillar cupcakes posted off so everyone gets to share and gluten free minis for me.

Out for a Sunday roast with granddaughter and middle grandson on the Sunday.

More football in the week and a 4-o'clock win over Preston North End

Birmingham City Centre on a Tuesday night.

I'm enjoy the last of the neighbours roses in the front garden.

October's gift box for the oldest and youngest grandsons. According to the oldest a Bluey t-shirt was needed for his baby brother.

Oldest grandson asked for a monster truck and I've been looking for an ambulance for ages for him. Just need a red helicopter now.

I've been quite successful on vinted so trying some vintage costume jewellery next.

Made a display for my marathon and ultra medals. It's not something I actually enjoy training for or enjoy on the day when running, but hey...

I've been scrapbooking. I've had to change a lot about how I blog and lock down social media accounts.

I've bought some new decorations and a blanket and cushion for the van and a few new ones for outdoors.

I've been enjoying the candles.

And Pushkins had some new toys.

I spent an evening after work preparing the outdoor area for winter and I've enjoyed sitting outside reading and drinking tea.

There was more football yesterday in Birmingham against QPR and a 3-0 win.

I've been doing more scrapbooking and I've spent the day with my DIL and granddaughter  at a Christmas craft fair.

Week 41 2026 - One Daily Positive and Project 365

I'm several weeks behind with commenting but I will catch up. I enjoy reading everyone's comments in Project 365. You're part of my extended family. Some of you have been with me since the start in 2015. It's been that long since I started documenting my daily life.

Only one gym session this week and no running other than park run. I've found it hard to get motivated. I'm so tired after work and it's too dark in the morning. I'm changing gyms so I can go back to swimming before work as they start at 6am and I don't have to come home to shower and change, I can do it all there and I can sort out a parking permit the week after next in half term.

Saturday 10 October Up at 8am, had breakfast said bye to my friend and off into Monmouth for parkrun. Met a guy to chat to and was telling him about my couch to 5k and parkrun journey after asking him his, we parted at the car park, he asked my name and said his was Miles and would look out for me next time. It was then I realised I'd been chatting to Miles Jupp, I thought he looked familiar lol. I had a coffee which ended up as a take away after shit attitude from the baristas then realised I'd left my boots at my friends so popped back and got changed before heading off to Newport and had another coffee whilst watching Birmingham beat West Brom on my phone, then over the footbridge to Rodney Parade to watch Newport County beat Colchester, before driving home to spend the evening with child 2 and family who were staying at ours for the night.

Sunday 11 October Woke early to gremlins running around downstairs, had a long lazy bath as Peter got talked into spending the morning at the park. We then headed out to the pub for a Sunday lunch for Peter's birthday and I bumped into ex students, friends, parents of the kids from when they were in school. We should go out in the town more often. Back home and chilled out with neighbours kids popping in and out while granddaughter and Peter made some hummus and our cat was busy next door, granddaughter back round next door so cat popped home for some quiet. Everyone left at 3pm so I went for a coffee and to blog, then home to get ready for work in the morning and just chill out after running the hoover round, sorting washing I'd put on in the morning, I had another bath just because, watched TV and bed.

Monday 12 October Work and home and flopped on the sofa. Peter encouraged me to go to the gym. I half ran/walked down for a 45 min spin session which was spinfit. I've decided to change gyms. The one in town has a pool and is only an additional £6 a month for unlimited use. Home, dinner, bath and evening spent in front of the TV. 

Tuesday 13 October Home from work, changed and Peter dropped me at the station for my train to Birmingham to watch the football. I picked up a few bits and pieces from Primark and walked up to the ground and got a coffee from The Garrison. Left just before the whistle, the free bus the 1875 was waiting but there were no drivers and I didn't want to risk missing the train so I ran to the station, getting there as 2 buses pulled up and with 3 mins to spare. It was risky as it was late and it was Birmingham City Centre at night and I did run past quite a nasty fight on the other side of the road, but it was better than waiting for over an hour for Peter to drive up to come and fetch me. 

Wednesday 14 October I dropped Peter at the train station as he's away in Turkey for a couple of weeks. Home, cat fed, and down to the retail park and met my friend for a coffee then a bit of shopping. Rest of the evening spent sweeping up the undercover area and moving the egg pod chair to get the area ready for winter and then laminating some phonic games for grandson and putting together a parcel for their halloween treats as I'm not visiting this half term. Managed to get the dining room tidied and into bed.

Thursday 15 October A very busy day in work covering almost every job going from cover through teaching, to isolation, on call, phoning parents to confirm last minute appointments for parents evening. Straight to town to the post office and home to spend the evening sorting out the craft room, putting the suitcases and fans away properly and getting some stuff downstairs ready to photograph and upload to vinted and the halloween decorations to put up next week and then sorting out a display for my running medals.

Friday 16 October Glad to see the end of the week, non stop in work again, straight out the door on the bell, got fuel and into town to the nail bar. Home for dinner which went straight into the bin, it was a chicken dish I'd been wanting to try for a while but it was so sour. I had a bath and spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV and in bed at 10pm. I picked the last of the tomatoes and grapes in the garden. 

Top left and clockwise:

Newport County, birthday roast for Peter with the family, trying to catch the night sky, Birmingham City, getting the garden ready for winter, marathon and ultra medals, grapes from the garden.

On the blog this week:

Days out in the campervan in September 2026

Word of the week - Enjoyment

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Post Comment Love 16th-18th October 2026

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

Please leave a comment with the host you link up with and we'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter/X tag us and we'll RT. You can find us here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby Please also add our badge to your post.

I'm quite a few weeks behind with commenting on your posts, but I will catch up. Work has been full on. I seem to have taken on every role there is going in school at the moment. My role is Cover supervisor with responsibility for Pupil Premium when there is no cover. I also make attendance calls, plan work for students who have low attendance for when they are in school and this week I've been in isolation and on call. I don't know some days if I'm coming or going. I leave home at 7.45am and I'm home by 4pm every day and I don't do any work outside these hours.

Outside of working hours I'm running and in the gym 3-4 times a week training for the London Marathon in April 2027 and weekends are spent in Birmingham at the football and with family and friends. The rest of the time I'm either found sleeping on the sofa or I'm in the bath.

This week I've been enjoying catching up with some jobs I've been wanting to do for ages that I've just been putting off.

Prepping the outside area for winter

I've been scrapbooking

And looking at ways to display my Marathon and Ultra medals

I'm off to Birmingham to watch the football on Saturday and on Sunday I'm meeting my DIL and the grandchildren in Cheltenham to go to a Christmas Craft Fayre for the day and have lunch. There will be plenty of time to catch up with reading your posts in between and I've a book to finish for book club in work.

What have you been up to and what are your plans?

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo? 

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Days out in the campervan in September 2026

Well September was a disappointing month. There weren't many days out in the campervan. I did take it to work a couple of times, but that was it. Most of our trips were long distance and involved hotel stays so there was no need for the van, so my attempt to sleep in the van at least one night every month this year has failed. Actually it failed in August as technically whilst I did sleep in the van it wasn't over night, it was during the day to break up two very long journeys.

One of the problems we face with the van is that it is 2 meters and 7cms tall and a lot of the car parks have height restrictions to stop people camping in them with barriers at 2 meters.

We've noticed a massive increase in tent boxes on vehicles on the road that have grown in popularity this year and we've seen a lot of people using them in car parks near the coast. We have been wondering where people are storing them with so few houses being built these days without garages. We converted our garage over 20 years ago. We're guessing people just keep them on their cars.

It's also football season so most of my weekends are taken up with that, but there are quite a few trips lined up for October with half term.

Week 40 2026 Project 365 and One Daily Positive

It's not been the best week and searching for positives has been hard. It was the 2nd anniversary of Stephanie's death on Wednesday, the day after Peter's birthday. The boys and their families have been amazing with their support as have many of our friends. Work has been extremely difficult for me, but 4 colleagues went out their way, 2 recalling that I disappeared for a month round about this time of year after starting the job in 2025. They didn't know the date but two and two together and were super nice checking in on me and two colleagues just stepped up a gear sensing something was up, so there was cake for the four of them and an explanation on Friday. They said it wasn't necessary, but hell, it so was.

Saturday 3 October The worst and the one of the best days. Parkrun was awful, then off to my nephew and niece in laws for the day for great nieces Happy 3rd Halloween as she calls it. Niece and the Things joined in as did Niece in-laws sister and husband. Party food and games. We left early with the longest drive home, getting back at 7pm, bath and an early night.

Sunday 4 October Woke up in a crap mood, no running, but did manage a coffee and some shopping and a wardrobe sort while Peter watched the delayed grand prix and the rugby from Australia. I did some gardening potting up some herbs ready for over wintering, did some tidying and some paperwork. Video calls with the grandchildren. Grandson had his Achievement Certificate from school on display in his window so everyone who went past could see how proud he was. We had dinner and watched TV and bed by 10pm.

Monday 5 October Into work a little early to recover an Aston Villa mug I'd hidden on Friday as a joke. I chased up my booking for the hotel for the London Marathon. We have the payment ref on the credit card but no email. I also chased up a refund on half a coffee from a Starbucks machine, an over payment on a parcel for VAT and a few other things that I've been feeling I need sorting. I needed new slippers and DIL benefitted from the 2nd free pair. Peter had 2 new t-shirts as birthday bonus and I discovered the peanut butter bites in M&S were 25p more expensive if you bought the halloween wrapped ones.

Tuesday 6 October Peter's birthday. I bought him some beer he'd been drinking when we were in Crete along with his favourite Liquorice. We don't do much gift wise. I drove into Worcester after work and Peter caught the train. We met in Starbucks for a coffee and had a walk round the City before picking up some dinner. Mine exploded in the microwave and it took me longer to clean it up than it did to cook. We rarely use the microwave other than to warm up soup or beans. We had video calls with the grandchildren.

Wednesday 7 October Off to The Cotswold Designer Outlet Village after work to remember Stephanie. We wanted to do something and be out the house. The Village only opened just over a year ago and being close to Gloucester would've been somewhere we would have started taking Stephanie to, we'd already discussed it as we'd been taking her to the one in Street and Bicester. I picked Peter up after work and after a walk round we chose Zizzi for dinner. We'd forgotten about the non-gluten menu and the Blue Light Card 25% discount until seated. It's much colder out now and I'd left my coat in work. We were home by 7.15pm and after a bath I was in bed by 8.30pm.

Thursday 8 October Awake early at 5am so sat downstairs with the cat and a cup of tea and did some blogging and tidied my work bag, still a last minute dash out the house at 7.50am though. Don't really care much after this week, they're lucky I've made it into work with it being Stephanie's anniversary, a migraine and getting whacked on the hand in classroom some unnecessary immature behaviour that got out of control, that still hasn't been dealt with, along with being sworn at numerous times which is almost a daily occurrence. Peter went to Lyme Regis for the day with his friend to 'messing about on the water' in a fishing boat and after work I went shopping for our grandsons Halloween box of tricks and the youngest winter coat plus he NEEDS a Bluey t shirt according to his older brother. I'm not visiting over half term this year as they're on holiday.

Friday 9 October A long day in work, full on cover and a different class at opposite ends of the school, hardly had time to eat, drink or pee, but my colleagues made it happen. An incident just before the bell and me staying late to call a parent. Off then on a drive to Monmouth to put the world to rights with one of my oldest friends of around 28 years. Her mum died the same year as my dad and her partner died in this January having been diagnosed with terminal cancer the week before Stephanie died. Life is shit sometimes. We still managed to talk shit late into the night, settling down to sleep around midnight, after she collected 3 of her adult children from the pub. It's such a joy to be part of a family having watched them grow from babies into adults.

On the blog this week:

Two years on without Stephanie

Post Comment Love - Link up with any post written this week

Word of the week - World Mental Health Day

Left top to bottom: Parkrun, winter footwear, new slippers.

Right top to bottom: Highest number eldest grandson could think of, Stephanie's meal out, new coat for youngest grandson, parking up at friends house for the night.

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Word of the week - World Mental Health Day

On World Mental Health Day Saturday October 10th 2026 I started the day with one of my oldest friends having spent the night there with breakfast then headed off to parkrun in Monmouth where I started my parkrun journey, just 4 weeks after beginning the couch to 5k a whole year ago on Friday October 10th 2025.

I started running to clear my head after our daughter Stephanie died in October 2024 realising that a year on there was no support out there. No support from the NHS, private counselling only did so much and was expensive and support groups, like counselling only seem to run between the hours of 9-4pm Monday to Friday with the occasional evening session with most of it online and with huge waiting lists. My only real support in the early days was my GP and the Samaritans, for which I'll be eternally grateful.

Running has giving me the head space I need to 'just be' I'm not great at joining in with things, new places, new people, but I've plucked up the courage to join the gym and a couple of classes and socialise a little but too often I find myself getting tearful and when I'm running I don't need to hold it together in quite the same way.

I hadn't run since I left school in 1987 and I finally got round to stopping smoking in February 2026, something I also did when I was in school.

Committing to running, stopping smoking, dealing with grief has been physically and mentally exhausting and continues to challenge me, but I do like a challenge.

Since starting couch to 5k, I've taken part in two 25k ultras which I've part run and walked, a walking marathon, mostly ran/jogged the Brighton Marathon this year and completed my first ultra marathon mostly jogging in September this year. I'm now training for the London Marathon on the Saturday in April 2026 for which I got in on a ballot and I'm aiming for 5 hours.

I've been doing all of this also for Bowel Research UK, racing funds, £2,000 to date and raising awareness as Stephanie died of an Ischemic Bowel, almost possible to diagnose and in her case too late to treat. Bowel Research UK also conduct research into Hirchsprung Disease a condition that our eldest grandson was born with and spent a considerable amount of time in hospital with and had numerous surgeries in the first two years of his life having a stoma for a period of time also.

Running hasn't been a cure, it is one of many coping strategies, it's what's working for me right now. Some days I fall out of love with it and wander why I'm putting myself through such pain and such commitment, then I think, why not? I enjoy it. It gets me off my arse, out the house and doing something and dinging something that can help others in a small way through fund raising, raising awareness and I'm keeping the memory of Stephanie alive.

If you want to donate that would be lovely.

#doingitforstephanie