Hello again, February brought my first week of Unpaid Leave as well as a turn in the weather! Half Term First week of Unpaid Parental Leave came in February and after rain every day in January and the first couple of weeks in February, it was really nice for the weather to finally break and to get a few sunny days. I managed to get a night away at a Castle-fronted hotel in Bollington, just north of Macclesfield. The kids loved the hotel (Hollin House Hotel), it was very reasonable - especially given it was half term! - and very handy for walks in the area as well. We went on a 5k walk up a hill to see 'White Nancy', originally built as a summerhouse 200 years ago, and thought to have commemorated the Battle of Waterloo. We then walked down to a small hamlet with a waterfall, which the kids thought was absolutely fantastic. Lord of the Rings After starting the first Lord of the Rings book just over a year ago, me and the kids have finally finished the last one! We finished ...
Switching things up slightly from this month going forwards, nothing major, don't worry. I'm just swapping around the finance and non-finance update. Over the past couple of years, as my numbers have compounded the numbers have mattered less and the lifestyle has risen to a priority. 2 months off work, again! Regular readers will know that I took 8 weeks Unpaid Parental Leave in 2025, taking off pretty much all of the school holidays to spend time with my kids. In January I've submitted the same again, and just had it approved (not that they can't not approve it, they can delay it under extreme circumstances but can't turn it down outright - see more in a previous post of mine here ). Lots of plans this year, so far we have booked a 2 week driving holiday in the French Alps, a long weekend in Salzburg, a biking holiday and Efterling in the Netherlands as well as a few days in Wales and the Peak District. Snowy Scarborough We had a night booked in Scarborough right a...