Hello you lovely people 💕 It has been so long since I have written a blog for you. So I thought that I would give you an insight to what the year has been like.
As we are all aware, this past year has not just been challenging for all, it has been rather unusual, surreal and somewhat like a scene that you would only ever see in a movie. One minute you are freely getting on with your day, the next, in the blink of an eye, we are going into a national lockdown. This moment in our lives was completely unbelievable. Waking up every morning for some was like “Groundhog Day”. The days would come and go like an endless loop, all of us eagerly anticipating the news that we would soon be able to get on with life, that things would be normal again within a few weeks…But, it wasn’t.
The media was pumping out negative news on a continuous hourly basis. Notifications from the BBC pinged on your phone. The days ahead seemed to be extremely dark. However, for those of us who have spent the majority of the year at Fyling Hall, it was different. Just close your eyes for a moment and imagine the feeling of waking up to the gentle chirp of early morning birdsong. To breath in the fresh salty sea air with the sun softly warming your face. To be gazing upon such a picture-perfect backdrop when you open your curtains…That was our everyday. We made life here as normal as we were able, but most importantly we were happy and we were safe.
Our boarders have embraced all obstacles, and I commend each one of them. It is not easy at times, being so far away from home. The restrictions on flights prevented some of our children travelling to their homeland and they had to spend the next four months at school. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic our time at Fyling over the course of the year, has been that of an even closer-knit family. I especially, as my role as a Matron, regard your children as my children when they spend their years here. They are loved and nurtured, in a warm-hearted community, just as they would be at home.
There has been a myriad amount of highlights over the year, and I would like to share some of these with you:
Spending time together sitting around the fire up in the woods, listening to Steph play her guitar, whilst eating pulled pork, baking the vegetarian food in foil in the fire. Watching Timothy consume so many marshmallows and dropping his bun into the fire, we all laughed. Justin organising Task Master, which was hilarious. Betting on horses with tokens in the barn during a race night, with Matron Estil and me trying to sneak an extra packet of crisps here and there, without Kian noticing. Mrs White kindly supplying us with the best pork pies in all of Yorkshire from Jackson’s. Walking along the beach to visit the seals and digging for fossils on our way back. Mr Parker and I gate crashing a rave in the barn dressed in lab coats dancing with glow sticks. Having an Easter egg hunt on the terrace and fountain lawn…I could go on and on, and I will always look back on this turbulent year with fondness. For us it has been a blast.
Sometimes, I think to myself, what is the most important thing in life? You could say, is it money? Is it having everything you ever dreamed of? Is it having the latest gadgets, the latest trends, and the latest car? Well none of those things matter as much as Togetherness. Being together, supporting one another and showing kindness and a lot of love is all you need over anything else. Our togetherness has got us through a tough year, it has got us though our ups and downs. Togetherness will always be there. My year has been bursting with this throughout. Being at ‘The Edge of The World’ on the North Yorkshire coast surrounded by my second family, my Fyling Hall family.💕
Emma Anders, Head Matron