Reflecting on my week #105

* This post contains items that were gifted by the London Graphic Centre

I’m not quite sure how it’s Tuesday already, but general opinion says it is. The weekend was a busy one, and the start of the week has continued. It’s quite usual for me to not know what day it is, but this week even more so. At one point towards the end of last week I thought I might be succumbing to the inevitable germs that seem to be in full flow around the office, but a concerted effort to actually eat the satsumas I’ve been carrying in and storing on my desk seems to have done the trick. So far at least, let’s hope that continues.

I had Saturday to myself - which is always nice - and even got some chores done, and completed my Christmas shopping. Unheard of for me, but also helped by the fact that my family ‘Christmas’ is actually on 30 November. I am done though. Apart from the wrapping. I’ve been so organised that I’ve even managed to buy MOH’s present to me, he’s never been so organised either.

One of the parcels I collected was from the London Graphic Centre, a favourite shop of mine in Covent Garden. It’s a shop that I used to visit as a teenager, in awe of its contents, and now not much has changed really, apart from me no longer being a teenager. When they got in touch, they’d asked what art supplies I was interested in, and so opening the package was a bit of the unknown as they’d selected items based on the crafts I’d given.

There’s plenty to keep me occupied, and what I’m most keen to test out is the dual brush pens with some modern brush-style lettering. My biggest problem, apart from getting started, is what my project should be. More thought needed, but not too much, as I’m itching to get started.

The weather changed this week too, with a distinctly more wintery feel. We had our first frost here this morning, and typically it was the day my car was at the garage for its MOT. I must have known though as I’d dropped it around to the garage last night, so at least I didn’t have to deal with a frosty car.

This weekend we will - most likely (weather dependent) be out in the gardening tackling all the leaves that have come down, and more I’m sure. There’s plenty to do out there, and it’s never as bad as you think once you actually get going.

Next door’s work is continuing, and from a peek out the window on our top floor, it seems they’ve got a bit of an unplanned pool on the flat roof. Of course, this might not be new, it could have been doing that all the time, but now it’s just more obvious. I’m sure the newest water feature will be staying…

It’s coming along though, but there is still much more for them to do. I can tell you for nothing, that I don’t miss having building work underway.

* The items in this post from London Graphic Centre were gifted for the purposes of a review, once that’s taken place I’ll be sharing more about the products and my project.

Reflecting on my week #150

It feels like the hundred and fiftieth post in this series should mark a momentous occasion, and in a way it does, sort of. A Covid kind of way, of course, what else? Even though the restrictions had changed before now, this past weekend was the first time we’d visited a garden since they had. Mostly that’s because, despite being a planner, this planner prefers a bit of spontaneity. This was severely tested though when I tried to book entry to a garden, any garden, on the Early May bank holiday, which is how we found ourselves with a booking at RHS Wisley last weekend. There were no bookings to be had at such short notice and so the planner in me kicked in.

The forecast was for wet weather, which also dampened my plans for a picnic. While soup would have been the optimum choice, it’s hardly normal picnic food, and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. As it turned out we were relatively lucky with the weather - warm showers - and after a treat steak dinner (the delivered, cook at home sort) we weren’t that hungry in any case, so a coffee and a warm sausage roll did the job just fine.

It was odd, but good, to see people giving each other a wide berth and with the glasshouses and alpine houses still shut (we visited before 17 May when they reopened) we discovered new paths and spaces, in particular the area full of flowering rhododendrons and camellias, which at this time of year was a great time to visit.

The colours! Not even MOH calling them Rosie-dendrons (as he does) could detract from their brilliance.

There were paler tones too, this very pale lemon one was spectacular but there were also pale pinks and bright white rhododendrons too. They’ve certainly cemented their place on my plant “to get” list, which in their case is a plant to get list when I have a garden that’s appropriate, so I’ve a little while to wait just yet.

The only thing that could out-dazzle the rhododendrons was the lichen - so to get both, and plenty of it - no words! There was of course much more to see and these delicate succulents tumbling out of an urn were right at the start of our visit and it’s such a calming photo I had to include it here.

As we were walking around the gardens I was marvelling that things were “out already” and then quickly realising it’s May already and it’s perfectly normal for plants to be flowering. It was the Lily of the Valley that made me stop and think, ours aren’t close to flowering so it was good to get a glimpse of these. Dad has also said that his clematis is about 3-4 weeks behind where it normally would be, it’s not surprising though really is it, given the weather.

A few weeks back you’ll remember I set my word for this year and set about making my priorities my priority. I knew then that one of my big challenges would be logging off more timely, and on more reflection the very obvious came to me. That’s that we all always have choices and often we are the ones that can make them happen. That sounds more cryptic than it’s meant to be, but it’s true and not exactly rocket science. It’s not necessarily easy, and knowing how much I like a target I’ve set myself a target of logging off by 6pm four days a week. It really isn’t easy, the first week I didn’t manage it at all, but a target’s a target and something to work towards.

I’ve not picked up any crochet for a while, and I really should. I have plenty of new projects I want to try, but I’ve also plenty of projects to finish off - and so my priority really should be to finish those, it’s just that perhaps I’ve not fully signed up to that. Instead one night last week I got out my colouring book and pencils, and while MOH cooked tea had a thoroughly enjoyable time with this mandala. It’s not perfect, or even that symmetrical, but was great to do.

And I found them. These hooks that is. I’ve been looking for them for a while and then on Sunday I looked in a place I’d not thought of before and found the hooks we’d bought last year safely stored away. Now we stand a chance of getting our garden lights hooked up outside, just as soon as the weather behaves.

Reflecting on my week #149

It’s been a while since I started the week with one of these posts, since the start of February to be precise. That’s most probably because weeks have been pretty similar this year - eat, work, sleep, repeat and all that - and there’s been little to say. However as the whole country works its way through the milestones of the roadmap out of lockdown we’re doing more - we’ve still not managed an outside pub or restaurant visit, nor do we really have any plans to. Up until this weekend it’s been too cold to do that.

We’ve not been total hermits though - we’re gradually going further afield and planning more, and it’s great to have some semblance of normality return, with more to follow. We’ve had haircuts, our second jab, had a flying visit to Norfolk to see my parents for the first time in six months and made plans for a UK break or two. MIL’s house move is progressing and MOH is acquiring childhood stuff from his family home, which is both interesting and challenging for all involved.

MOH has started his new job, and we’re both still working from home. I’ve bagged the warmer of our two spare rooms while MOH has finally made use of the throw in his home office, and once or twice even turned on the electric heater. He’s still brilliant at bringing me tea and cakes/biscuits, and workday lunches are usually very planned or a bit ‘put together’ from leftovers in the fridge - aka Fridge Tapas - definitely a discovery of lockdown!

I randomly won a competition just by retweeting a tweet - if I’m honest I never thought anyone ever won those, but they do, as I have. My prize arrived this week and included these five jars of jam (or four jams, one honey), a bottle of rhubarb vodka liqueur, a morello cherry candle and an apple scented diffuser - all of which I can’t wait to try.

I had a lovely week off at the end of April, which cannily ran into the bank holiday extending my time away from my day job for a little extra time - it was my first full week off since last October, which is quite a while. I’d had a few days off in between, but it was nice to spend some time recharging.

I was keen to make the most of my time off and so put some structure around my days, as otherwise I knew I’d spend most of the day wondering what to do - I have lots to do and some times the choice doesn’t help. I managed daily yoga sessions - these were short (and wobbly!) - and I promised myself I’d spend at least 21 minutes a day reading. I mean, it’s not a long time so it is surely something I could commit too going forward, and mostly I have. I also spent some time really thinking about things and finally posted my word of the year, yes just before the end of April!

During that week I also got myself back into a blogging rhythm which I’m hoping to continue with. I got out and about on foot and had a first session of craniosacral therapy, something that’s new to me and I first heard of in a podcast. Looking into it further I thought it was something that could help me overcome the stresses of lockdown, and it has. I’ve since had another session with a further one booked. After the first session I felt that my body was able to relax more, and for the first time in a long time got what was meant by ‘melting into the earth’. The second session was different bringing different feelings to the fore, but it also got me logging off an hour earlier than usual and out into the evening sunlight, which in itself is quite an achievement.

On walk home the evening was one of those with that glorious golden light and a sunset that would be worthy of any horizon, but if you look closely you can see the traffic speed hump in the foreground and a litter bin on the right hand side.

I’ve some more time off in a few weeks, and we’ll be heading up to the Lake District for the holiday which was postponed last year and I’m looking forward to that. That will be the last of my leave carried over from last year, and then I can start on this year’s leave! We have plans for a long weekend away in Sussex, which is basically us in a hut complete with a hot tub in a field, and another few days in the gatehouse of a walled garden later in the summer.

All that thinking means I’ve also had a realisation about living life, as I’m sure many of us have had in this past year, and while I’m going to do that annoying thing of not saying anything more right now, it’s been quite an eye opener and given me plenty more to think about.