Reflecting on my week #97

This update actually covers two weeks as after a lazy day on the Bank Holiday, where I spent a good deal of time with my nose in my kindle and feeling listless about what to write, and even to pick up my crochet. So I treated myself to a couple of days away from here.

I also ended up taking a couple of days away from work as somehow I seemed to have picked up an infection. The over the counter medication definitely helped but I wasn’t convinced it was totally gone, so I booked a preemptive doctor’s appointment - the earliest available was today. I don’t know about you, but I’ve usually got a backup list of topics to talk to the doctor about, even if the original symptoms have resolved themselves. Though I’m not sure they actually have, so I’m glad I have my slot before work tomorrow.

So for a lot of the week, even when I went back to work, I was trying to take it easy and seriously up my water intake. That helped, and was much easier to do at home in a relaxed environment. I know that I need to keep this up at work, as I suspect my low water intake levels were a contributing factor.

Photo by Bino Le on Unsplash

Pair that with the warm weather, and I’m starting to think I’d missed a few warning signs. I am feeling much better, and even though I lost a couple of days in the office and so there’s work to catch up on, I’m also feeling inspired after an illuminating conversation with lasted three times the length it was supposed to.

I’m pleased that the temperatures are coming down a bit, I’ve realised that I’m not built to function normally in temperatures of thirty degrees plus, or actually even the very high twenties. Though they’ve also reminded me that I think my annual blood test check for my overactive thyroid is probably due, or overdue (another one for the doctors appointment!)

Since we went for a picnic in Greenwich Park much earlier in the summer I’ve been stalking these plates on the M&S website. At £14 they were more than I wanted to spend on something we’ll more than likely use a handful of times, there were other plates of course, but none that quite compared. Then suddenly, they were half price, and just as quickly they were in my basket, paid for and ready to collect.

I know MOH won’t like them, so he wasn’t consulted during any of this process. He can choose if he wants to eat off them, or from his hands, the next time we picnic. I think they’re gorgeous, and quite unlike the melamine plates I thought I’d find. I do need the weather to stay nice for a bit so we can use them though!

We’re off to a mediaeval banquet in October to celebrate a big birthday for my BIL. It looks great and it seems that our party is going in costume. There’s a local company that supplies and delivers costumes to the hotel, and I found a few that looked suitable. However, my concern is sizing and what you’d do if it didn’t fit, or was too long (quite likely) when it arrived.

So I’ve spent some time sourcing my own costume, and the current plan is to go as a mediaeval queen, kitted out in a burgundy outfit, with sleeves which I’m sure will drag along the ground. What’s funny though, and tickled me, is the uses for the costume, which included party wear, casual wear and office wear! The first one ok, but I suspect I won’t be wearing it for the other two, but then again, never say never, I guess…

This week is likely to bring another busy week, and one where I’ll be trying my best to keep up my newly discovered eating and drinking habits, though with a visit to the Greenwich Comedy Festival on Sunday evening it’s unlikely to last for the whole week.

But something is better than nothing in my book.

Slowing down with a book or two

There’s no better way to slow life down than with a good book is there? After a busy few weeks, which has felt like it’s been at least a hundred miles per hour at times, it was nice to have some time over the Bank Holiday at home, with not much planned.

As is often the case though, when you slow down like this and the adrenaline stops, the bugs hit, and that’s just what happened. A week or so ago both MOH and I came home from work and headed straight to bed, which I said at the time was unusual. It seems we missed that warning, and after a slow and lovely, relaxing weekend, coupled with weather that’s a little bit too hot for me to function in properly, come Tuesday my body said slow down.

So I did, and I’ve had my nose in a book or two, well actually three.

Photo by James Tarbotton on Unsplash

1 Beneath the Surface, Fiona Neill

This is a story of a family, with two daughters and set in the Fens. The daughters are very different and there’s always something in the family, that’s beneath the surface, there always is, isn’t there? It was my first time reading Fiona Neill and I’m sure it won’t be my last. It’s about how the past informs the present, and a demonstration of how parents always want the best for the next generation. While I enjoyed the book, and I wanted to get to the end, the ending felt rushed and wasn’t satisfying - I kept flicking back, to see if there was something I’d missed, and flicking forward to check there wasn’t more to come, which was a shame really as otherwise I’d say read this one.

2 Rough Magic, Lara Prior-Palmer

This was an “out of my usual genre” book and one I’m still not sure about. It’s a first person account of Lara, a 19 year old on her experiences of a gruelling endurance horse race across Mongolia. I’m not into horses as you probably know if you read my blog, but I don’t think you need to be to read the book, at times though it all felt a bit distant.

The story explores her experiences of the race, comparing and contrasting them to growing up in England. There’s rivalry, obviously - it’s a race, and an unexpected outcome, even to the storyteller it seems, who seems to do things by chance, but then again she’s 19. The race is only seven days long, though that’s easy for me to say from my sunlounger, somehow though that’s lost as you’re caught up in the chase from station to station.

3 Ask Again, Yes, Mary Beth Keane

This is my must read recommendation. I read it in just over a day, which gives you an indication of how much it had me hooked. In fact, it was one of those books that when it ends, you have a smile on your face and a swell of pleasure in your chest, or I did anyway.

It’s a story of two generations of families, their tumultuous lives, which intertwine with twists and turns you wouldn’t expect. And importantly the ending is satisfying, I love it when a book ties up all the ends. It’s well written, and I cared for the main characters as their lives progress, and I wondered if they’ll repeat the mistakes or successes of their parents, and there’s a time when it could go either way.

There’s young love, a mother’s love, with hardship, heartbreak and devotion along the way too. It’s a book that satisfies, is true to life and I’ll be looking out for more titles from this author.

So there’s another three books, which adds to my reads from last month; two posts in two months, I really am spoiling myself with some good reads.

Reflecting on my week #96

Last week was a week for deliveries, and a week where I missed all of the deliveries for our recent purchases. Our new doormats arrived and were taken in by our neighbour, the bin arrived - more on that in a moment - and that was taken in by another neighbour, after a call from the delivery driver. He was perplexed as I was out, at work, it was Thursday and so was my neighbour. Outrageous, hey? But the ground floor flat saved the day by opening the door. Afterwards my colleagues were amused that the delivery driver knows the neighbour’s name, but then again, he does seem him, more than me! Then Friday another delivery, some shoes this time, and my neighbour was in. I am very lucky, he often works from home, so I hope when he says he doesn’t mind, he really doesn’t mind.

The mats came from Garden Trading, and I’d been eyeing them up for a while. I wanted a mat, that was narrow but long, and have struggled to find something that works. In the end I opted for two of these small star mats, and my plan is to gaffer tape them together (on the rubber back, obviously) so that they don’t become a slippy, slidey nightmare.

I was keen to have a mat (or mats) that were the width of one of our bi-fold doors, so that when we’re in and out there’s more mat to aim for. And less detritus brought inside. But I found that mats that were wide, were also deeper than I wanted. I found that I could get custom made mats, but they were just plain, and as you can see my penchant appears to be for patterned coir mats. Actually the made to measure, plain version will be useful for our porch, which is actually our smallest room in size and currently is ‘carpeted’ in coir, which could do with a bit of a refresh. It’s not square of course, so we’ll need to cut it to size, but I’m sure it’s do-able…

The bin, a new kitchen bin, arrived via a short sojourn in the ground floor flat, and again it’s another one we’ve been thinking about for a while. We saw it at Grand Designs in May, and now it’s here. It’s out of the box, but doesn’t have the batteries in yet - it’s one of those that you wave at to open, rather than the manual foot operated type. But six AA batteries, that’s a lot, they’d better last.

Both MOH and I were a bit under the weather last week, with different symptoms. Not bad enough to not go to work, but just lethargic enough that heading straight to bed for a snooze after a busy day was called for. It’s unusual for one of us to do that, let alone both of us on the same night. We’ve both recovered from/are recovering from our symptoms, but it’s a good reminder that we need to listen to our bodies more. I just wish mine wouldn’t feel the urge quite so often to talk to me at around 3:13am (and yes, I know that’s a precise time. I’ll happily not see it for a while)

I had planned to stay on track with this year’s #AugustBreak2019 over on my Instagram stories, but what with everything I’ve missed days here and there, and then been uninspired for other days. One of the prompts I did participate in though was numbers, which had me stumped for a while. Then I looked, and really saw, and even in the kitchen I was surrounded by them. And the hob made for an interesting picture too. Mindfulness, it seems to be working.

The rest of the week has been pretty mundane; two new pairs of the comfortable walking sandals arrived, and so I’ve bought in bulk (I really have, one pair the same as the ones I’ve been living in this summer, and another in a fuchsia pink colour, which I didn’t even know was an option before) I’ve started, and almost finished a new book - Beneath the Surface by Fiona Neill - well I need to do something in those early mornings, and I have new hair. Most of Saturday morning was spent being bleached and dyed, then dyed again and now I have significantly less greys and my ‘natural’ pink and orange highlights are showing again. This time the rest of my hair went a deeper brown than before, possibly darker than I thought, but it looks good and I’m loving the gloss that my hair has right now, as well as the unusual colour choice, for segments a layer or two down.

And I’ve finally finished tying in and untangling the plants just along from the patio. I’d paused work here as I wasn’t convinced the honeysuckle was still alive, but I’m happy to have been proved wrong. I’ve a feeling next year in the garden is going to be just a little more fragrant!