Thursday photo  #314

With lockdown starting to ease slightly, things feel a little different to last week. The general mood on social media seems to be one of nervousness. People fall into two camps, those who are petrified of the virus spreading further and those who are glad to be able to do a little more than last week. For me, the return to open water swimming couldn’t come soon enough. That said, I’m sticking to quiet times and places and as a family, we won’t be going anywhere that is likely to be busy. I’m waiting to see how this weekend plays out to see whether social distancing is viable in local beauty spots before rushing out.

A lockdown birthday

Lia’s birthday on Sunday was our second family birthday in lockdown. My husband’s was a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t a big deal. As an adult, a low key birthday is just one of those things. As a six year old though, we expected the disappointment to be huge. No party, no family day out or treat with friends. She had hoped to be able to take one of her friends horse riding instead of having a party and I thought missing out on that would be the end of the world.

It turned out, it wasn’t. She had been asking for Alexa for her birthday for a few months. We bought her an Echo Dot with a digital clock display on the speaker, along with a few other little gifts. Some family members kindly dropped a gift around with her as well and she was delighted with everything she received. We had a barbecue the day before her birthday and her and Libby had a dance on the decking. She chose what to have for tea on her birthday and of course, there was cake.

Lia is a funny little girl in that she really doesn’t want much. She is generally happy with her lot and rarely asks for more. If given the option of making a change in her routine, she’d rather not thanks very much. Much as it’s not a very aspirational approach to life, I hope it’s an attitude that stays with her as she gets older. All I want for both of my girls is for them to be happy so if her quirky personality leads to her being happy with her lot, I’ll be really pleased for her.

Supporting our local theatre

I often mention how lucky we are to live down the road from Malvern Theatres. I work with them regularly, reviewing some incredible shows and we often go there ourselves to see inspirational or hilarious people touring as well. My personal favourites have been Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Lee Evans.

As with venues across the country, Malvern Theatres has had to close due to the Covid 19 crisis. However unlike other theatres, only 1% of their running costs are publicly funded. Therefore, they are entirely reliant on ticket sales to keep operating. They are appealing for public help to avoid the theatre having to close down, which would leave a huge void in the town. If you are in a position to support Malvern or your own local theatre, I know that many are struggling at present. You can find out more about their appeal and donate on their website. It is also possible to buy tickets for later in the year and gift vouchers are valid for five years, so buying one now to use in the future is a great way to offer support.

Thursday photo  #314

We loved taking photos for our collaboration with Squelch wellies. It was a glorious day and the girls haven’t been out for very many walks during lockdown so it was a real treat. We took some stunning photos of them both and I love this one of them together. I think it’s clear which of the girls feels more at home up a tree.