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Raisie Bay

My Sunday Snapshot Flashback to 1999

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Do you remember New Year Eve 1999? For me it has a particular poignance, it was the night my life changed forever. The other evening I spotted this photo on my Cousin’s daughter’s Facebook asking if any of the family knew who it was.

New Years Eve 1999

Why am I sharing it with you? Well, it’s me!

The me I used to be in 1999.

I was happy, my marriage had ended but we’d finally come to peace with that. I had a fantastic job which I loved, my children were growing up, the eldest at Secondary School and the youngest in her last year at primary. We were at a party with all the family at a local pub function room and everything was going well. I’d had a few drinks but I wasn’t drunk. My ex was working as a taxi driver and had promised us a lift home so no worries. (Although we could have walked home in 20 minutes from this pub!) And it was the beginning of a New Millenium.

2000

The worst year of my life and I’ve had some bad years. I can’t even tell you what happened but the very next day my world imploded. This night was the last time I saw my Mum in five years and the last time our family was all together. There were other family parties, but they were fractured. Our family was fractured.

Isn’t it strange how one simple photo can mean so much. I’ve not even seen this photo before. I guess my cousin was going around taking photos of everyone. I probably would have hidden if I’d seen him coming, I hated having my photo taken.

My cousin’s daughter said she didn’t recognise me. I can understand, this really is a different me, I’m no longer that person and never will be again.

Life Goes On

Twenty One Years into the new century and life goes on. I met someone new, Graham, and we had three more children together. I did make some peace with my Mum just after Star was born and she got to meet both Star and Boo before she passed away.

I do try not to dwell on the past, it’s not something that can be changed. You can go over and over about all the things that you could have done differently, but it doesn’t make any difference once it’s been done. You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on with your life.

It has just been a jolt seeing the old me just hours away from becoming the different me.

I guess I had one chance to party like it was 1999……

RachelSwirl

More of my Sunday Snapshot photos.

Back to the Classroom After the Pandemic

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This Covid pandemic has been so tough on my children. The first time the schools were closed we really thought it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks. We had a ton of books picked up from the school and the kids were each designated a box of study materials which we kept behind the settee. (Luckily, I’d just purchased some new storage boxes!) This was our new classroom.

The girls were pretty rubbish. I was there to help but they didn’t want it. They spent most of the time on BBC Bitesize which was something at least. The Little Man was different, his teacher checked in every day with a pile of work for him to complete and she checked it. I had to sit and work with him. It was easier for us because only a couple of years earlier we’d spent a few months home schooling while he was in-between schools.

Back To School Last September.

The return to school didn’t go so well. It was a hard decision as I still didn’t feel safe. I was in hospital the first week back and the girls were suffering from anxiety. It was a little easier for the Little Man who was excited to be back but not happy with the new set up in school.

The girl’s ended up going back part time with extra learning at home, which they didn’t do. The cases of Covid starting rising again, and the girl’s school were really supportive. Just a few months later and the schools were closed again.

This time all the learning was online. The girls were given Chromebooks specifically for their work and online lessons and had to be up and logged on as if at school. They hated it.

The Little Man did Teams classes with his teacher and worked really hard. He got up, logged on and joined in. We even managed to get dressed most days.

The girls fell behind and even though I tried to help them catch up, they just couldn’t get used to working from home. But, they didn’t want to go back to school either.

Back to School Again

When the school’s re-opened the Little Man was back and happy. He was prepared this time for the restrictions and he just wanted to get off the settee and into the classroom. His school was amazing and they had no class or year closures because of Covid. Whereas the girl’s school had closures every week.

The girl’s didn’t want to go back so the school made arrangements for them to spend time in SEND instead. This meant a smaller classroom with fewer pupils and good social distancing. Masks were worn at all times. They went in late and came home early to avoid the other pupils. Both of them had anxiety which was through the roof.

The anxiety was much more than Covid, it was a real fear of being back at school.

Star is now doing her GCSE exams which are not really exams, but are. I don’t know, the whole thing is crazy and I’m not sure anyone really knows what is happening. But at the end of it, she has applied for a college course which will allow her to re-do any GCSEs she fails, so we are not too worried. She has age on her side being the youngest in her year. She’s not even 16 yet. Things will get better, when she goes to college she will still have support and she will be working with animals which is perfect for her.

Boo has two more years of school to go so we had to sort something out. I went to the school for a meeting and we have come up with a plan. Fingers very tightly crossed.

Boo is moving classes, because she has lost so much learning they are putting her in the lower class for children with learning difficulties. In all honesty, Boo has always had learning difficulties anyway but has somehow managed to stay in one of the upper classes (Second from top) because of her hard work and trying to keep up. However, because of her lost learning, this just isn’t feasible anymore.

She was really upset about this at first, but then she was told the names of some of the students in the class and she brightened up. She was really good friends with three of the girls in primary school. (They have even been to our home.) Also, this means that she will be very capable of doing the work set for her, and hopefully, in time she will work her way up again. With her confidence built by actually being in school, I’m sure her work will improve.

So, next week, she will go to school the same time as the other children, but instead of lining up, she will enter the school in a different place and go straight to her classroom. She will be coming home at lunch time up until half term, but if all goes well she will return full time afterwards.

It’s a great relief for all of us. The school has been told they don’t have to wear masks from Monday, but Boo’s class can still wear them if they feel more comfortable. These are the school’s most vulnerable children so they are being taken care of well. She is one step above SEND, but not in the class of disruptive children. I’m hoping this goes well for her. I’ve seen her smile a lot more in the last few days.

stock photo of a classroom with wooden desks and vases of flowers.
stock photo of a classroom. I love the flowers!

A Beautiful New Canvas from Photowall

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I was asked if I’d like to review something from Photowall and I spent hours browsing through all of the gorgeous feature walls. I picked out around 16 favourites, but in the end my circumstances meant that I wouldn’t be able to get the wall decorated any time soon so I started looking at the canvas instead.

I had in mind what sort of image I was looking for, which is good because the choice is immense. I wanted a window view type picture. I remember, as a child, my grandma had a window view picture on her wall and I was really fond of it, so I thought if I could find something similar it would remind me of my grandma too. The colour was important too, i needed to have at least a little purple or mauve in it to fit in with my décor.

Photowall

Photowall have lots to offer and you are bound to find something you like. You can choose designer wallpaper, wall murals, canvas prints or posters. If you want, you can even submit your own image.

As there is so much to choose from, the designs are split into categories such as animals, space, nature, cities, fantasy, food and many more.

As a special treat for my readers I also have a discount code for any product from the photowall website. Just use raisiebayii25 for a big 25% discount. Do let me know if you buy something nice.

A Window With a View Canvas

So, after much deliberation here is the canvas that I chose, A Window with a View.

Photowall canvas, a window with a view.
A Window with a View Canvas

We originally put it on a wall near the corner, in a place where I would love a window but if we did have one there all we would see is our garden fence. After, some thought we decided it would go better above our settee, and it really looks good there. It’s a full 100cm by 60 cm and bigger than any canvas I have bought before. It came in a small box and had to be put together. The instructions were simple and my husband had it finished in no time. For help there is a video on how to put the canvas together.

You really are spoilt for choice at Photowall, and orders are despatched quickly. We received ours in just days after ordering.

What do you think? Would you choose a feature wall, canvas or poster? Where would you put it?

I’m still pining for a feature wall in my bedroom when the time is right. I think the children’s rooms are fabulous too. I would definitely choose a fantasy wall for a nursery. My Little Man would love to continue the space theme in his room so I may consider a feature wall for his room too.

Don’t forget, if anything does interest you on the Photowall site you can use my code raisiebayii25 for a super 25% discount!

Photowall canvas, window with a view
My canvas in it’s original position

I was gifted my canvas from photowall in return for this post. Do let me know if you buy something yourself, and don’t forget my discount code raisiebayii25.

Other posts in my Home Improvement Category.

Weather is the Word of the Week 20

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Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week. A nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is ‘weather’ and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase. But please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week. There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK – Weather

weather, rain

It’s mid May and it’s miserable. This week we have seen hail and rain and wind and rain, and a little more rain. Urgh! Not that I go out much but it would be nice to sit in the garden and watch Graham do some gardening. I have plans, I have paint, I have hope but I need a change in weather.

How very British of me to talk about the weather, but I’ve always loved May because it’s generally the best month weather wise. It’s usually warm, but not too hot, and it’s often dry. The perfect time to sit out in the garden or have a trip out. I keep getting Facebook memories reminding me of the fun days out we’ve had in May, even holidays when the children were too young for school. We have often favoured the Whitsun holiday to go away in the past because the weather has been perfect. But I’m not holding out too much hope this year. Maybe it will be better by the time we do go away in August.

I decided to talk about the weather this week because there is really not much else to report. The children are going to school, the girls are still part time. Star is still doing (some) of her GCSEs and life is just plodding along. I’ve had a couple of flares ( when your chronic illness gets really bad) but I’m still alive. I have the date for my second vaccination jab (after a 13 week wait,) And the Little Man will, hopefully, be having his plaster cast off next week. I may even take him to hospital. (What! and leave the house!!)

I hope you have had a more interesting week and hopefully not too much bad weather.

Now it’s over to you, what word or phrase sums up your week this week? It’s been lovely to have some new people join in lately, I hope you have been made to feel welcome in our little community.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Fresh and fun ways of redecorating your child’s bedroom

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Over the years, the children’s bedrooms are the area of the house that will no doubt require the most redecorating. And they do require a lot of tailoring to meet specific needs and tastes. Plus, they need to be safe and practical too.

If you’re ready to redecorate your child’s bedroom and need a few fresh and fun ideas, these suggestions could help:

Decorate with calming colours

Children just love bright colours. But they don’t always suit a child’s bedroom as they can prevent a good night’s sleep. So, picking calming colours can be a good idea and they don’t have to be boring. Blues and greens are great colours to use. And purple is another good calming colour. Browns and black are also calming, but you will need to use these in a more creative way. 

As nature also has a calming effect, you could use greens and brown to paint a tree on the wall. And if you’re thinking that black is impossible to use in a children’s bedroom, how about a chalkboard wall? Or even a space inspired ceiling?

Don’t worry if all this sounds a bit complex, you can always hire trades to do it for you. You can keep costs down by buying the paint yourself and making sure you have a clear plan of your requirements. And compare painter and decorators day rates first.

child's bedroom in shades of pink and beige when redecorating
beige doesn’t have to be boring

Use zoning for play and sleep

Zoning areas of your child’s bedroom is another great idea to think about when redecorating. Having clearly set out areas for sleep and play will allow space for creative play and learning but also keep the bed for sleep time. Keeping the area around the bed free from clutter and distractions.

The zone for play will need some handy storage to keep things neat and organised, so it doesn’t encroach on the bedspace. A play table with storage could be useful and fun.

storage shelf in red, blue and yellow
colourful storage adds a little fun

Create some adaptable lighting

Getting the lighting right in your child’s bedroom is another important factor. It can help with sleep whilst creating a nice cosy atmosphere and the feeling of security. And of course, it can also be fun. So, it’s worth having some flexible options in the room.

Natural light is important in a bedroom, but it can also prevent sleep. Blinds can sometimes rustle, and curtains don’t always block out enough light during the summer. So, blackout curtains could work well. They don’t have to be black of course, these come in lots of designs.

Using a combination of artificial lighting is a good idea too. Dimmer switches give you more control, so you can lower the lighting slowly. And choosing bulbs that mimic sunlight, rather than harsh fluorescent lights are great too. Finally, nightlights and light shades are ideal for bringing in a fun, friendly aspect.

Read another of my child’s bedroom redecorating posts.

*collaborative post