Vicky Charles

The amount of good things in your life depends on your ability to notice them Here are some things I have appreciated lately: 🦌 The endless enthusiasm Ari has for Romeo & Juliet rehearsals - even when it means late nights; even with a sore leg 🦌 A wa… instagr.am/p/DYkh1JvAU6d/

Two years ago: we went for dinner at the Great Wall, then had a wander around town. Ryan was absolutely delighted to pose for selfies... Sort of! I don't know how I persuaded him to smile in this one - perhaps he had wind! We kept saying we would go ba… instagr.am/p/DYfLDdAMg4k/

Some photos from my week... A walk with @sallyboycepickford (a deer crossed our path but I didn't get a photo) Selfie with Sally after our walk Evening walk sunshine Gym shenanigans Walk in the sunshine after the gym A walk across the farm to collec… instagr.am/p/DYcsZ7TjIWl/

This time last year: we went out to dinner at @anokaasalisbury Ryan was determined to take me out on a "proper date" and booked Anokaa on his way home from a meeting one evening. We had a lovely dinner, then went for a walk around the Close. This was … instagr.am/p/DYcjCUYDL7U/

Remember the other day, when I posted a photo of the pie a friend had given us when Ryan died? Imagine my absolute joy this afternoon when I remembered that somewhere in the freezer we also had a container marked "chilli - not spicy" that had been deli… instagr.am/p/DYaIgDFsaUU/

The "100 best novels of all time" - and I've read less than 10 of them. For the last few years (when I began keeping track) I've read around 100 books per year so I wouldn't say I'm not widely read - but I don't think I've read a single one on the top 1… instagr.am/p/DYZaOobAdoS/

Saturday morning coffee in the garden, enjoying the sunshine before apparently predicted rain This week has been a weird one. I've spent the entire week not quite sure where I was in space and time - what day is it? What time is it? What month is it? Wh… instagr.am/p/DYZBFPtM3uN/

This is a lamp I made by shoving some solar powered garden lights into a bowl from TK Maxx. In the evenings as it gets darker, the lamp flickers to life... Except often what used to happen is that it would flash brightly, then go off, then flash again … instagr.am/p/DYXxF8xgXGz/

Today is a cake day in our house! We'll take any excuse for a cake, and May 13th was A's original due date. So we have cake. We've got cake for today, but Ari had less than an hour between getting home and heading out to rehearsal, and I'm out this eve… instagr.am/p/DYSYhFsjGcA/

Some photos from my week... Dragging A out for a bank holiday walk Heart on the footpath Gym shenanigans Random selfie Last creative writing class for a while Walking to the gym again Shoeless gym shenanigans Sunshine on the river Ari looking though… instagr.am/p/DYK1vJ7gFf4/

This time two years ago: selfie under duress... He stayed with us for a few days, probably for job interviews or looking at houses. I think in this photo we were on our way to visit a friend and drop off a birthday gift. Forever glad I was such a nuisa… instagr.am/p/DYKinKojJbL/

This evening's dinner is an example of how surrounded we are by wonderful people. A few days after Ryan died, a friend appeared at our door with a carrier bag containing some pastries and a frozen pie from @thecookkitchen . She said not to worry, she w… instagr.am/p/DYH-9lGjATA/

Saturday morning coffee in the garden This week has been quite up and down. I had thought I was coping ok - people kept saying I was doing well - but this week it was like someone jumped out with a stick and whacked me in the stomach. I know this too … instagr.am/p/DYG9r8wDCyb/

Two years ago: watching crap TV together before he headed back to camp. Am ordinary, boring day. Nothing of note happened. Ari and I spent the whole morning hiding tiny ducks in his bag and pockets for him to find when he got back. We found it hilariou… instagr.am/p/DYAW4-JjHbk/

Here are some things I am appreciating lately: 🫎 Spotting this painting in a shop window (the deer/stag thing is a running theme in my life lately) 🫎 Bumping into the right people at the right times 🫎 The fact my child is upstairs with a million tiny… instagr.am/p/DX94IP3gCze/

This time two years ago: selfie on the way to the shop to get a slushy for Ari and probably chocolate biscuits/Irn Bru for us. It was a Saturday; Ryan had driven Ari to an art day at a centre way out of town. His old van only had two seats so I stayed h… instagr.am/p/DX7XqLRjJaS/

Bank holiday coffee and Kindle in the garden Lately my weekends have been mainly reading and sitting - which is nice, but the house is a mess and I probably need to step up the effort a little. That said, I did some washing up yesterday and cleaned th… instagr.am/p/DX6FuZpDHso/

3 months I still absolutely cannot fathom it. It still feels like he's just round the corner, down the road, in bed asleep. Hiding somewhere. Like, maybe if I go to all the places we went together, eventually he'll just turn up. This photo is from t… instagr.am/p/DX4y8uIDDcs/

Some photos from my week... Ari pre brace on Monday morning Making the most of the sunshine with feet in the river Gym shenanigans Creative writing class Wednesday evening walk while Ari was at drama Enforced selfie on the way home from drama Thursd… instagr.am/p/DX4mJGljDrH/

Today's memory from last year: another evening walk! It was a Friday, and Ryan got stuck in Friday evening traffic coming home from work; he sent photos of the stationary cars. We walked our usual route and then around the cathedral, where he asked to … instagr.am/p/DX2IieXjLm2/