Reflecting on my week #147

Before Christmas I had the forethought to book a few days off in January, and over the past few days that’s what’s been happening here. It’s been much needed, even though my company shuts over Christmas, and that was nice too. We haven’t done a huge amount - it’s still lockdown after all, but some bumbling around and not having to be at the dining room table has been nice.

We’ve walked into Greenwich, and into Blackheath and haven’t got wet. We’ve caught up with things at home, which are dull but need doing - fixing the shelf in the wardrobe where the Christmas decorations go, defrosting the freezer and that kind of thing. We’ve had days of domesticity with cake making, bread baking and some very fine food - and wine - being consumed. Fridge jenga is back after a trip to the butchers, our monthly online shop, a veg box delivery and a visit to the farmer’s market all within a few days of each other.

But best of all we’ve had some time to ourselves. Apart from each other I mean.

We probably do during the working week too, when MOH pops out on his bike. But usually I’m working, as he’ll leave here before dusk, and so I notice the alone time less, mainly because spending it working doesn’t count! And while there’s no one I’d rather spend lockdown(s) with than MOH, I’ve realised that I’ve also missed having some time to myself.

And I’m sure he has too. With (usually) busy social lives we’d often get an evening to ourselves, or solo nights out with friends, but as we all know life has been quite different to that for a while.

So these past few days I’ve found myself making a list of things to fill that time so when it happens I can make the most of it, even if that is enjoying the time without feeling the need to get things done.

1. My tax return - yes, I just need to get on with it, don’t I?

2. Reading my newest book

3. Picking up my crochet hook

4. Editing and sorting my photos - I’m up to December 2019

5. Planning and writing more blog posts

6. Catching up with TV recordings that MOH’s not keen on

7. Listening to podcast episodes I’ve tuned out of but enjoy

8. Sorting out my craft supplies, for my next and current projects including those I’ve not quite started yet

9. Joining a fitness or wellbeing session, either alone or online

10. Enjoying the silence and just being.

Each of them have their appeal and I know that having a variety of things will suit different days and different moods, and the one I think is important to include is the last. Sometimes enjoying the moment is just what’s needed and often what’s missing when we get caught up in the whirl of our daily lives.

So more of a reflective post from me this week, but I think that also ties in with the start of the year. I’ve already looked back at the top 10 posts here last year, and a word or maybe a phrase is starting to bubble in my head. For 2020 the word I chose was gumption and while the year didn’t turn out as anyone imagined, gumption was definitely something that was needed.

More on that another time though, and most likely once that tax return is submitted.

My top 10 posts of 2020

Once again in my yearly ritual I’m looking at the most viewed posts here last year. I’m sharing two lists again, the first of which shows the top ten posts created in 2020, the second list is the top ten posts created at any time, mainly just to continue what I’ve started and to satisfy my own inner data nerd.

So onto the top 10 posts created in 2020.

1 Lockdown Learnings #1

Well, how 2020 - in some ways I’m proud that this one is this year’s most viewed post. Though of course in plenty of ways I’d rather I’d never been able to write it at all. The irony isn’t lost on me either, as we’re back in national lockdown, and a lockdown in winter is nowhere like a lockdown in spring. The lunches are quite different too.

2 A growing pile of colourful crochet

Not long after the first lockdown finished I signed up for a six month subscription box of gorgeous yarn, and quickly grew a pile of colourful squares. I’ve received all the boxes now - and they were all fab - and I have the last delivery to make use of. Once I have I’ll be sharing how I got on on here too.

3 My new room crush

Back at the start of the year it seemed like we were out every weekend visiting gardens and houses. This room in Nymans became a new favourite, and it’s easy to see why isn’t it?

4 Azulejos, hand painted tiles

This post is a throwback to our holiday in Portugal the previous year, and a visit to a local tile factory that was just over the road from where we were staying. And oh, so many designs in their shop - and such great craftsmanship in all of the hand painted designs.

5 My garden in March

This is the only visit to my garden that made it onto the top 10 list this year, and it’s a great time of year for our garden. With lockdown we spent more time either in it or close by than usual this year, like many other people too.

6 The loo we couldn’t find at first

This was the loo in our hotel room on our only trip abroad in 2020. And to be honest we were lucky to get that, though a few days in Lyon in February might not be everyone’s choice, it was a great break. It was also the one where we cut it fine and almost missed the plane home, but thankfully we didn’t. Our most stressful airport experience ever, but also one of the quirkiest hotel room loos.

7 Lockdown learnings #2

The second lockdown learnings post, I’d planned a whole series but they never quite happened. Maybe I’ll restart them to complement this lockdown, who knows?

8 Starting another crochet project

The thread was part of the random bundle that I bought in Norfolk along with the tiny crochet hooks. I wanted something to take away with us for our cottage stay near Holt in October, which was also well timed taking place just before half-term and the additional restrictions. I also found a pouch, made by mum, which was pretty much made to measure to keep it all in.

9 A secluded spot

Another successful National Trust visit, this time to Standen on the August Bank Holiday. Quite a novelty as the house was actually open, with everyone required to wear face masks, quite a different experience, but one that everyone was happy to follow. This spot overlooks the terrace and would be the perfect spot to while away some time, and to people spot mostly unnoticed.

10 What a difference a month makes

This was from our trip to Barbados at the end of 2019, and shows off my new beach towel. It’s a great towel, and Barbados is a great place. It was a much needed holiday, and given everything that followed well timed. What we’d give to be able to do this now though.

So another year, and another interesting list. All I ever ask of my blog is that it reflects my life, and with the 2020 posts that have been viewed the most it certainly does that.

Now onto the second list

This list is posts created at any time but viewed in 2020, the year in brackets is the year it was originally posted. This year none from 2020 made the list, and that’s ok. There’s also been some movement which is fascinating, or fascinates me anyway!

1. Filling our gabion baskets (2017) (-)

2. Softening our gabion seating area with planting (2017) (+3)

3. Let’s talk Edwardian house decoration (2017) (+1)

4. My IKEA hack: HOL storage table to laundry basket (2015) (-2)

5. Sean Murray’s Great Chelsea Garden Challenge (2017) (-2)

6. 52 Cookbooks #36: Beef in easy tomato sauce (2014) (new)

7. Love this 47: Poppy brooch (2014) (new)

8. Fabulous outdoor planters (and more) from Cox & Cox (2016) (new)

9. Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson (2018) (-3)

10. Storing logs in our gabion baskets (2017) (new)

It’s good to see the gabion baskets posts retain top spot and increase popularity. But to be honest though it’s interesting, it’s hardly a scientific study is it. Who knows what the year ahead will bring - we’ll have to wait and see.

I also plan to share my favourite posts from the year - I need to work out if I’ll take the same approach as i previous years or do something different, as I’m pretty sure there’s been less posts on my blog overall.

Reflecting on my week #146

In the last of these ‘weekly’ posts, which turns out was in the middle of November - meaning this post covers a little more than a week, I said the week had been dubbed as uninspiring. Well, little did I know the events that would follow, namely Tier 4, the return to national lockdown and the stratospheric rise in the number of Covid cases, that would quite literally ground us either side of Christmas.

While not that much of note happened in those weeks, this post will just be a quick canter through the notable events, and even that won’t take long. I paused these posts as I was taking few photos, and that hasn’t really changed that much, but anyway.

We headed into central London in December. It was peculiar to think this was the first time I’d been in town since March, when for so long it was my daily commute, although more recently my commuter has changed to a walk, but even that hasn’t happened for a while. We’d carefully chosen a date that would give us plenty of time to self-isolate, should we need to, before meeting up with family at Christmas.

Before heading to a restaurant we headed to Fortnum & Mason to buy, our now traditional, purchase of posh mince pies. It was busy in the shop, but much less so than normal and as you’d expect with Covid-safe arrangements in place to protect everyone. Outside the streets were less busy, and we spent some time wandering about and window shopping. Our plan was always to walk from Piccadilly to Borough, mainly to save getting on a tube. We added an impromptu detour to Covent Garden along the way, taking in many of the Christmas lights. By the time we reached Borough we were more than ready for a very large steak, and a nice sit down to be honest. Neither disappointed.

Moving into Tier 4 was almost expected, I knew that the number of cases here in Greenwich was increasing. There were some lovely days before Christmas and one of those we did one of our extra-long walks to the shops, taking in the views at the top of Greenwich Park. It’s a view that is wondrous, and even better on a good day.

The same day as this fantastic view there was the ‘cancelling of Christmas’ as the papers and media would have us believe. Our Christmas wasn’t cancelled, but it was rearranged at short notice like a lot of other people. We weren’t able to go to Norfolk, and nor did we think it sensible for MOH’s mum, who lives alone, to come to us in a taxi so that needed to be factored in, along with a supermarket shop - something we rarely do, as we’ve been long-time online shoppers, topping up at a smaller local supermarket within walking distance.

Mostly we stay in for New Year’s Eve in any case, and so this year wasn’t too much different for us. Having had much success ordering with Cote at Home during the year we decided to order our favourite fougasse, Cote de Boeuf and frites and creme caramel. It was due to arrive the day before allowing for any mishaps. As it turned out it gave us time to contact them as the only common denominator between what we ordered and what arrived was the frites. And there was three boxes of them.

The people there were very helpful, but couldn’t explain what had happened. The order was similar, but not ours - there was a rib of beef, lots of frites, some roast potatoes, a chicken and bacon pie topped with mash, some gravlax and two chocolate fondants. But no wine, our order had two bottles - though thankfully we have a bottle or two we could use instead.

Like the people at Cote we were bemused, and of course at such short notice it couldn’t be redelivered and so we had the almost-but-random delivery as our meal, and with a full refund it was more than palatable, and not a bad way, all things considered, to end the year. Though we did have visions of the people who received our box going hungry, but at least having a couple of bottles of wine to help them through!

Our usual New Year’s Day is a walk which more often than not ends in a pub. This year we did neither, though we did recreate the pub feel at home, complete with beer, beer mats and pub snacks. Not quite the same, but something to do in this strangest of years, which seems to have handed over the batten to 2021 to start with. Let’s hope 2021 has more about it and gets back on track.

You’ve probably also noticed that it’s been quieter on here than usual, that’s partly because before Christmas my day job was super-busy, even busier than it had been before and also because after a long day on my laptop for work the last thing I wanted to do was spend time on my laptop for pleasure. My plan was to catch up and get ahead over the longer Christmas break, but actually taking a complete break worked much better. I spent a fair amount of time crafting, including picking up my patchwork quilt, which turned out to be the first time in two years and crocheting, as I’m sure you guessed. I didn’t quite get around to starting a rag rugging project, or some lettering, but that’s true to form - I’ve always more than I can actually do on my to do lists, but at least I know this!

Usually at the start of the year I’ll look back at my posts over the previous year, and I fully intend to do that - they will of course be different this year, and need some work to make happen, but after umming and ahhing about whether to or not, I’ve decided that last year should be marked as any other would be, and what it shows could be interesting in itself - the data nerd in me is almost looking forward to what it might uncover.