A bit of a Wednesday.

Glorious Bank Holiday, wasn't it?

Swimming on Friday, gardening on Saturday, allotment on Sunday, more gardening on Monday - and now we're back to swimming.  I am feeling fit. If a tad tired.

The unexpected pleasure of my eldest son appearing on the doorstep led to a barbecue on Sunday followed by a very very nice outdoor fry up brunch on Monday (eggs, bacon, sausage, mushroom, tomato, fried potato). And as at this moment, I'm being plied with an after swim 'Marmite on slightly burnt toast' (as per instructions) by that very same eldest, this blog is obviously in danger of becoming the 'greedy pig' guide to swimming.

I didn't feel this positive before my swim. A much more mixed bag of emotions, really.

Receiving a postcard & cheque for FRED from my arty sister, I become a little 'high' on her praise: 'very impressed (way you write, what you say, sticking with the swimming and  how you talk about the FRED work'.

She's upped her donation level as a result because, as she says, she 'supports all and every way of connecting people with culture'.

But at 2am this morning I'm awake & stressing about the fact that apparently not much other money has come in.

Cue demotivated feelings.

I know I shouldn't have asked. I didn't mean to,  but I would so hate to become a nuisance, nagging people who've already donated. And I wanted to thank people, too. But the self-fulfilling prophecy feelings kick in. The fear that I promise a lot but can't deliver.

Writing this now, having had reflection time in the pool & simultaneously activated my 'feel-good' hormones, I'm reminded of FRED meetings where I've discovered that learners' feelings of failure & their expectations of repeat failure can become huge barriers, not only against them coming forward as learners in the first place, but also as they progress through the resource we use: Yes we can read.

Every now and again, they all hit parts they find more difficult.

And that's when the persistent support of our coaches can be absolutely essential. They try to be there, to catch the hand of the learner and pull them through.

And now that's what I'm asking from you. Catch my hand and pull me through.

If you've been meaning to donate but just haven't yet got round to it, please go and get your cheque book now and make one out to Forest Read Easy Deal. Whatever size. Then please find an envelope, pop the cheque inside and a stamp on the outside and address it to:

Frank Rainer, Treasurer, Oaklands, George Road, Yorkley, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4TL

Oh! And the title of today's blog?

It's a phrase of my parents'. When on holiday they have a lovely couple of days at first,  then they hit a day when they're both niggly, they can't agree what to do, things just don't go to plan.....  And then that's day's over and they start to enjoy themselves again.

So obviously, I've just had 'a bit of a Wednesday'. And things will look up again.

Yours, getting my nagging shoes on again,

Catherine