My September
- Sue Sheppard
- Sep 30, 2020
- 5 min read
September, ah I remember the excitement of starting a new term at school. A new timetable to look forward to, a change to the winter school uniform which was always nicer than the summer one I thought. Long socks and jackets suited my tendency to be a bit of a cold morsel – still am!
This year has been very different for us all. And the last 12 months have been exceptionally sad for me too as I lost both my parents. True, they were in their nineties so it shouldn’t be a surprise admittedly, but when that time comes it really hits you. Well it has me. But now I am coming to the end of the Probate administration and feel I am emerging from what has been a gloomy time.
This month Mr S and I took ourselves off for a short staycation break to Herefordshire. What a beautiful county it is. I had never visited until now and we thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the black and white villages, the Brecon Beacons, the Wye Valley, the Malvern Hills and the Elan Valley to name just a few of the places we visited. We took in a few garden visits as well – Hergest Croft Gardens with their exquisite collection of specimen trees and fabulous display of Colchicum autumnale, Hampton Court Castle Gardens and the really beautiful garden at Brobury House. One of the best private gardens I have ever visited. Well worth a detour if you’re in the area. True, it was rather odd not to be able to visit places spontaneously due to the track and trace regulations but we were fortunate to have good weather on our travels so we were reassured that the booking wouldn’t be wasted.
Another highlight was the visit to Gigrin Farm just outside Rhayader in Wales. A farm that has diversified from sheep farming and now helps the RSPB monitor the Red Kite population. Feeding takes place at 3pm and you can book a place in the field viewing site or one of the specially constructed bird hides. We elected to watch from the viewing field. At the allotted time, raw meat was distributed in the field and then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Would we see any red kites? Certainly there were plenty in the area circling, landing in trees but all they seemed to do is watch us watching them. Some 30 minutes later suddenly the field was a mass of beautiful red kites all swooping and gathering the booty in their talons. It was an amazing sight for sure. Apparently there were about 350 red kites feeding that day but there can be up to 500 visiting. We later learned that red kites won’t feed until another corvid bird approaches the raw meat. That is the signal that there is carrion around and triggers their massed entrance. It was a phenomenal sight and one that I shall never forget. I will visit again for sure but next time I will book a place in one of the hides.
In this short video taken at Gigrin I have tried to capture the awesome sight of the swooping Red Kites - I don't think the professional camerafolk have anything to worry about!
Being keen golfers the time away gave us the chance to play golf a couple of times, once at Kington Golf Club, the highest course in England and once at The Herefordshire. Both required one leg longer than the other as there weren’t many opportunities to play on the level but both afforded stunning views across the countryside. The views from Kington were spectacular especially; five counties could be seen on the day we visited with 360degree views from the highest tee. Bradnor Hill is some 391m above sea level so I can only imagine what it must be like to play in the winter!
So, the break was a good one. It allowed me time to rest and recharge my batteries (which were pretty much flat I must admit) and get ready for the next immediate challenge – playing in the Ladies Championship at Blackmoor Golf Club which had been delayed from earlier in the year due to lockdown. The day was warm and sunny with just a light breeze – perfect in fact for the two rounds needed to decide the champion. Golf is an infuriating sport. Just when you think you’ve cracked it, the game will bite back and bring you down a peg or two. Over-confidence is not something that golf tolerates it seems. Having experienced a marvellous shot the game will often take a mean turn and before you know it you’re hacking your way out of deep heather or worse (in my case) fluff your bunker shot three times and record a 6 on the first par 4 of the day. My mood might’ve sunk right there and then but no! My putting boots were on that day and what I lacked in finesse on the tee shots were made up on the greens and I recorded two steady rounds to come out as winner of the Kinnear Trophy (the handicap competition) and 2nd in the Medal competition. Hats off to the worthy winner of the Championship Medal, Jane S, who has a beautiful golf swing and is the epitome of calm on the course. Needless to say I was very pleased to play the way I did and it has galvanised me to redouble my efforts and regain that elusive single figure handicap that I once had.
And I started right away on return from holiday with my first session with a personal trainer to improve my strength and fitness. Don’t laugh! Yes I’ve done it, booked five introductory sessions that will take place outside in the beautiful country air of my garden or on the South Downs near my home. Rachel Lines specialises in providing motivation and training for those of us who are ‘allergic’ to gyms. Watch this space – will I make it to single figures or won’t I? I’m currently a 12 handicap so to drop three shots will take some going, and some practice, so I’m going to give myself some time and I’ve marked September 2021 as my target date.
To fit in golf practice, my love of gardening and my client work during the winter months when daylight is at a premium, will take some organisation and dedication but I’m up for it. I am extremely lucky to have a very supportive Mr S behind me picking up on all those household tasks that I put on the back-burner so I am forever grateful for his help.
What are your ambitions for the next 12 months? Are you taking up a new hobby, changing careers, or working on that project you’ve been meaning to get off the ground? Let me know – perhaps we can share progress reports.
Sue Sheppard
Sue runs Target Admin, a Virtual Personal Assistant service for Small Businesses and busy professionals.
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