Sunday 2 August 2015

Normality, preserves and a miracle

And so. One long exhale. I like to start writing as if we were mid conversation or that comfortable ease of good friends meeting up after a long absence. It’s been a strange few months but we’re getting there. BigR finished her first year in school – how did that happen? We managed to get away on holiday and it was the break (or as much of a break as it can be with small children) we needed.  LittleR has been back to nursery and I’m back to work. Normality strikes. I’ve been craving it but now it’s here it’s a little odd. We’re living with the shadow of the illness; it lurks there and we carry on as usual waiting for crisis. I’m sure the waiting will become normal too.

July was busy month. Birthdays (mine and the ABO…who reached that milestone), holidays, school ending, hospital visits and what seemed like endless rain!

I’ve been using my new (birthday) dish – I’m not used to cast iron cooking and as such I’m managing to stick stuff to it every time…I’m sure I’ll learn eventually! Its current home is on the worktop as it’s too big to go in the cupboard. Maybe I should rationalise some of my other cookware? Even then I would need to chuck out every other pan we have – it’s a big casserole!

In other news I made jam. Nothing exotic. Plain old strawberry. It set! It tastes nice! I call it – “a success”!

I’ve been reading a lot. But I should save that for my 'The year in books' post.

Never one to be left out, BigR is in competition with her sister for hospital appointments. We’re now a ground and tree nut free family. It took 5 years and 8 months for her to have a (big) reaction but now I’m panicking what’s in her food! I’m sure I’ll relax about it soon!

The garden survived our holidays but the torrential rain since we came back made mowing the lawn difficult. In the end I had to cut it when it was wet. Took ages and made me cross but now looks more passable.

The clematis (who shares its name with LittleR) has been resurrected! I have no idea why after growing well and producing one flower it went brown and crispy or why it suddenly decided to regrow. In any event, I’m a happy girl.


(I hope to catch up with all your posts in the coming days.)

8 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you were able to get away and enjoy a break, despite the health worries. But it seems like they are not hanging over you all as a family in quite the same way as they were before? I do hope that's the case.

    I'm obsessed with my cast iron cooking pots and they get used for pretty much anything but my god they weigh a ton. Lifting them from the cupboard requires me to mentally and physically brace myself. I'd leave yours on the cooker, much safer that way. x

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  2. Glad you had a lovely holiday, and that you're "getting there", that's always a positive feeling. The human mind has an incredible capacity to adjust to new "normals", and I do hope things go well for you all. The school year does always seem to fly by. My youngest has done three of them now, which I find hard to believe. CJ xx

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  3. I'm glad to hear things are settling down and that your holiday revived you a little. Sorry that the illness is still casting a shadow over your lives; it must be very difficult for you all.
    But it's nice to hear about the little things that keep you grounded - the garden, the kitchen...
    Have a good week.
    S x

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  4. Found your blog via Instagram, hello. I use my Le Creuset pots all the time, they are great, but very heavy, need both hands to lift them! X

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  5. Normality is so much nicer once you have experienced the other side, isn't it? I am glad you are gently easing back into a more settled life. Making strawberry jam that sets is an achievement that should be celebrated :-) mine is always a bit on the runny side. Looking forward to your book post (running out of books). x

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  6. It sounds like the stress of the past few months is easing up a bit, and I'm really glad for you. I hope you have a very nice, relaxing summer. Your pots are so nice. I don't have an cast iron pots like those but I do have a cast iron skillet that I really like. I love being able to put it in the oven. I hope you have a good week.

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  7. Hey N,
    I always think that it's those little bits of normality that keep us going when things are tough. New pots, successful jam, reading, mowing the lawn. They keep us just the right side of sane. A holiday sounded like just the ticket. I do hope your little one is on the right side of healthy too.
    Leanne xx

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  8. glad you had a lovely holiday, hope it recharged your batteries x

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