Things are looking up!

Although my family haven’t had anywhere near as bad a time over the past year as so many others, it’s still been very strange having had our lives kept pretty much 'on hold'. This week, though, we have each had something to celebrate that has made us feel like life is finally starting to move forward again.
 
I'm feeling very relieved that I’ve now uploaded all next half term’s remote learning lessons onto Google Classroom, the paper packs for those without internet access are ready for printing and I’m eagerly awaiting Monday’s announcement about when schools will open fully - fingers crossed it’s good news. We definitely can’t go on like this much longer but I’m sure we'll be back on track soon.
 
My son has received - and accepted - an offer of a place at his first choice of sixth form college, to study computer science and criminology, and even got an ‘excellent achievement’ email from his maths teacher for all the work he’s been doing - that’s definitely a first!
 
My daughter received a ‘Highly Commended’ award for the screenplay she entered into a national competition for young filmmakers and we watched the online ceremony, which was surprisingly good considering it was all done through a Zoom-type format. There were several well-known actors, writers, directors and producers announcing the winners and although she was disappointed to not win the main award in her category, just her teacher thinking her work was good enough to enter was a super achievement. It was quite exciting seeing her name up on the television screen and it has certainly boosted her confidence about starting university in September.
 
My husband seems fine after his vaccination on Thursday - he says he can hardly feel the microchip at all! He’s probably the one of us who’s felt the most disconnected from the real world so it was hugely cathartic for him to be among the two hundred million people worldwide who’ve now taken part in such a historic event. Just a few billion to go…
 
And... the sun is shining, there’s a warm breeze blowing, we had a refreshing walk in the Ashdown Forest, and we’ve booked a cottage - complete with ‘glamping pod’ - in the Lake District for July.