Another cold start. I’m calling it an official three jumper day.

One of those cold starts that as hard as you work out, or regardless of how many warm layers you put on – your still cold.

The first week of schools version of homeschooling has now finished. Some subjects did embrace the opportunity. These offered the child a chance to be creative and to see where their learning interest would take them. Sadly that was not much of the week. Most of the lessons reflected the normal parrot learning teaching approach. What is the point of getting someone with dyslexia to translate page after page of French (without any context or help). What is the point of setting an online spelling test where the spoken words are so rare that I had to look every one up in a dictionary to see if they actually existed.

But he survived. The parent got through it as well. So that’s something.

Whether it was my lack of sleep, the unremittingly grim news or a week of homeschooling but last night I couldn’t get a thought out of my mind. Maybe, just maybe this is our world now. No more holidays. No more new lands. No more Switzerland. Certainly the financial shock of the next few months will take me a number of years to repair the bank balance. Generally travel may become more difficult over the next few years. Aspergers and the fear of social interactions is certainly not going away any time soon. So maybe that’s it with travel.

That’s sad but actually there is more to life than travel. So much to see and visit close by if it comes to that. Anyway we have not had a holiday since 2015 so we are used to it anyway. Doing virtual tours is a fun, safe, environmentally friendly and is so much cheaper. Then a thought crossed my mind. It was inspired by Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) while we watched Fawlty Towers. Basil was getting seriously cheesed off with a guest who was disappointed with the view from the bedroom window.

“Well may I ask what you expected to see out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically”

Actually could we scale the virtual tours up a notch. Why don’t I pick a window with a chair next to it. Then why don’t I stick a poster or large photo over the window glass. Suddenly my view of say the trampoline could be transformed into whatever I fancy. I’ve seen other people do this in the past. So tomorrow I am going poster hunting. Got a couple of belting posters of The Alps to find.. But in the meantime I’m hoping my bedroom window will look something like this.

102 thoughts on “Hotel Window”

  5. Great idea and it may help with a change of mindset especially during these difficult times.
    I also think though that life will never be the same again for lots of people and home working may become a norm for example.

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  8. You have some truly beautiful photos so you could maybe use those. Enlarged poster size. Different view from each window in the house. But make sure you keep a couple of ‘real’ views of your lovely Yorkshire! I’m awake early also with thoughts of the future whizzing round my brain. Strange tImes! X

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      1. Hey, you know what I was thinking? I could send you the gym workouts I do each day so you could do them too if you want. Today was a lot of swings but they aren’t always like that. The workouts really are geared to using your body as the resistance weight. Like we opened up with planks, one arm planks and glute bridges. Anyway – I’d be happy to send them over if you would like!

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      3. Awesome! Ok! So, today the warm up was a 30 second plank and then a minute of glute bridges. A minute of shoulder dislocates with a broom if you have it. Then these legs raises – we used a wall to hold one leg while we lifted the other, but if you can hold one leg in place and still lift the other with your core, you got it – 30 seconds each side. So, the workout was a swing workout with a kettlebell or a dumbbell – it was 10, 2 hand swings, 10 single swings left arm, 10 single swings right arm, 10 right to left alternate swings – then you did an “around the world” with the bell (google it if you don’t know) until you were ready to start again (never put the bell or weight down in between). So you do that 3 times over and then do 5 Turkish getups each side and do the whole rotation over again three times. In all it will be 360 swings and 30 getups. Then you do 20 squats, 1 push up and count down the squats by 2, So 20, 18, 16, 14, etc to 2 doing one push up in between. I’ll try to copy and paste future workouts – I just remember todays because I wrote it down as she was saying it (and boy, do my callouses hurt!)

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      4. Thank you so much, really really appreciate this my friend. I followed this, this morning. Started in the cold sun, finished in yucky sleet. . Really enjoyed it and it was a great workout. Mine are smarting as well. But loved it, completely freshened up the exercise. xxx

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      5. Great! I didn’t sleep too well last night, so I missed this mornings class – but maybe I will do it in a little bit:
        Warm-Up:
        -Bridges: 30 seconds
        -Plank 30 seconds
        -Squat progression: 30 seconds
        -Spiderman with rotation 30 seconds
        X2
        Circuit #1:
        A. 10 Deadlifts or Swings
        B. 15 Deadbugs
        C. Lizard Stretch x 1 min L/R
        Repeat 6-8 times
        Circuit #2:
        A. 5 Squats
        B. Plank with shoulder taps
        C. 1 bodyweight get-up L/R
        Repeat 6-8 times
        Circuit #3:
        A. Row x 15
        B. Starter Stretch x 15 L/R
        C. 15 Marches
        Repeat 6-8 times
        Breathing:
        Jump Rope x 100
        Iron Curtsey Stretch x 1 min L/R
        x 3
        Stretch:
        Lizard x 1 min
        Pretzel stretch x 1 min L/R

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  17. What an awesome idea, Gary. It is funny, only about 2 hours ago, my daughter told me she has a jigsaw puzzle with a beach and palm trees on it. I said, once you are done you can put it on your window. I really like your idea a lot.
    I think you should not think too far and worry about something that may not ever become true. Maybe it takes a few years (maybe even not) but who says that you won’t ever travel again…

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  18. I so can relate with your wandering mind. Sadly that was I the night before . My mind would not shut off and the things you think of are all gloom I hope this is not our new norm. I believe you will get to Switzerland again. Stay positive about that and that you made it through the first week of homeschooling. You got this! Now for that window ahh yours is absolute beautiful. Excellent idea. Hugs to you that you sleep better tonight. I actually did last night . I turned on my playlist and let it play till I was close to sleep. It worked. I’ll see about tonight.

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      1. We’re good Gary thanks. The routine has changed for the dog, but she seems to be adapting, sort of. We’ve just got back from her third walk (normally she’s had at least 5 by now) and it’s just started to rain, so that was good timing! Might even try to shop tonight…… I’ve run out of hobnobs!!

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  20. Ooohh you are cold there … I am cold here too!!

    Lol … the wall murals – from like the 70’s lol … you should do that…

    Too bad you are not artistic and don’t make good trees… lol – I bet you are not that bad lol

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  22. You know what I love about your posts? You keep it real and always end on a hopeful note. I love that. You motivate and inspire me. You truly do. I love this idea. Sending loving thoughts and energy across the great many miles/kilometers to you and your son. And thanks for this. I will look forward to seeing your poster choices. God bless.

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  23. I will take that window seat please! 🙂
    Keep looking for those bright spots in this ever changing cray world right now and just keep doing the best you can!
    I do agree about the French!
    I don’t have dyslexia but I was awful trying to study a foreign language! I have enough trouble with English! 🙂

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  24. Ugh, I’ve felt this, too. Trump’s extended his nationwide crackdown from the 15th to the 30th, which adds another week to Wisconsin’s crackdown of the 24th. Just…ugh. It’s hard. It does feel like this is the new normal, and I don’t like it, at all. But as isolated as we feel, we know we’re NOT the only one feeling this. I also do take heart of the treatment updates, and considering how quickly the news changes from day to day, those treatments HAVE to give more solid news in the future. We just have to keep hoping.

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    1. There is always hope. Let’s not forget those who have recovered fully. These are not removed from the overall figures. The frustration is that we are stuck in this mid zone. Not reaping the benefits of the freedom of homeschooling but not getting the full regime of school life. Schools version of homeschooling puts so much pressure on you, especially with 3 kids in 3 classes.

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      3. I’ve no idea. Likely an Easter egg and basket hunt, hymns and devotion, perhaps via my pastor kid brother. We still won’t be allowed to see family at that point. It’ll be the first Easter in…twenty years? Yup…twenty years that I’d be able to sleep past dawn.

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      5. Church, usually in the afternoon, and a very quiet day at home. Buuuut again, that ain’t happenin’. I’ll probably work through the Bible story with the kiddos and have them make something. We’ll keep it simple for the day, and set Saturday aside for decorating eggs. Do you decorate eggs?

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