Eleven Random things

• This is an exercise in procrastination. I’m very good at these things. The more pressing something is, the better my ability to avoid it becomes. I should be writing a teaching session about Quality Improvement for undergraduate healthcare professionals but I’m not. I have 2 days at work before I need to do it. Not feeling the fear yet.

• Whilst I was queuing (for a substandard university) coffee. A woman rushed in and apologised for being rude to one of the coffee shop servers the day before. She couldn’t stop herself from explaining how terrible her day had been and how awful she’d felt afterward and how she’d not slept properly because she’d been so awful. I wonder what she said. Then she had to apologise for holding up the queue. I think she was apologised out after that.

• I’m feeling the start of Autumn. It’s definitely dark when the ABO gets up on earlies (4.20am today – ugh). There’s a nip to the air and the back to school stuff is in the shops. I love this time of year. It seems like the New Year to me, time to make lists and get stuff done. I feel energised and ready to buy new stationery. There’s nothing like a new pen and a notebook to get the creative juices flowing. At least that’s my excuse (see point 1!).

• The start of Autumn also means I’ve got birthday preparation anxiety. BigR is 6 in a couple of weeks. I’ve ordered bits and bobs for the cake. It’s a ‘Frozen’ theme. Again. For ease the party will be done for us in a nightmarish soft play place a couple of weeks later. She’ll love it. In fact her social life is better than mine with no less than 3 parties that weekend. Will my nerves take it? She’s written a (long) list of things she’d like for her birthday including sparkly shoes (check), hello kitty stuff (check), a unicorn beanie boo (The eyes on beanie boos. is it just me? Hmm I’m not sure about them) and a real mermaid that swims (unlikely!).

• We (using the royal we here, the ABO did the graft) redecorated BigRs room. I bought the paint and chose the curtains (and helped clear out the junk!). She’s overjoyed to now have an ‘Elsa room’. We’re lamenting over ever painting the room pink as it was blue before she was born.

• There’s nothing like DIY and specifically flat pack furniture to bring out the worst in me. It’s one of the few things we argue have discussions about! Usually because we've hjad some 'Chuckle brothers' type moving shenanigans (to me, to you) before we get to the assembly! We’re quite good at flat pack stuff but the new bed frame almost defeated us. If Ikea made normal bed sizes we’d have bought it there. Still the instructions said it would take 50 minutes. There were 4 main pieces and the slats. Three hours later we were still trying to stick it together. The old bed base had been rained on so there wasn’t even the option to give up. Finally, it was done and with a little time before bedtime.

• Apart from one room our entire house is now blue or green.

• I’ve gone all retro and am reliving my youth making friendship bracelets. Bizarrely, when my friend saw the one I made for BigR she wanted one! I’m much better at doing them now than I was 25 years ago!

• I’ve been enjoying digestive biscuits smothered in cream cheese topped with strawberries. Yum!

• I’ve come across a Japanese word which I really relate to ‘tsundoku’. The act of buying books and letting them pile up unread. I really need to read the books I have on my kindle before buying any more!

• I managed to grow a carrot. And some apples. Obviously we’re now self-sufficient with 5 apples, 2 carrots and a couple of radishes. Still there’s some tomatoes to come. If they ever ripen!

Ten things :: June

Here we are at the end of the month. I'm counting down to our (hopeful) holiday, the end of the school year and the end of the medication for LittleR. Hopefully normal life and nursery can resume soon. I need to be more positive I think.

:: It's exhausting trying to work in the evenings when you've managed a 2 year old's flighty temperament particularly when the work you're trying to do is as riveting as mine. Actually, the work is really interesting but I've reached the end of the line and need a break. I'm hoping to get one solid publication done before our holiday. That's the aim anyway.

:: The British Summer is here. I think it actually might be too hot. Well, we're experiencing 2 days of 28-30C in Leeds then, I expect it'll rain and normal service will be resumed.

:: I cannot believe it's nearly the end of the school year. We have sought and obtained a green T shirt (more difficult than it sounds) for BigRs class sports day tomorrow afternoon. It seems they position the parents in the direct sun. For hours on end whilst small people 'throw long pointy sticks' ("what's that called again Mummy?"..."Javelin?") I'll look forward to that then!

:: To make sure we make the most of the weather, we had another BBQ yesterday. In the last 3-4 years we've had maybe 3 BBQs but decided earlier this year to invest in a gas BBQ. Now there's no stopping us. I think this is the 4th BBQ in 2 months! I made some burgers and bought some sausages - standard BBQ fare.The ABO has plans for doing a whole fish now!

:: The garden is looking pretty good even if I say so myself. It could do with a bit more planning rather than chucking it in and seeing what happens (aka hoping for the best!) but most of it is looking pretty good so far. Let's hope it can continue into the later summer.

:: Somewhat disappointing is this year's strawberry haul. I'm not sure what's happened but lots of the strawberries have turned white and hard rather than ripening. We shared the only one suitable for human consumption yesterday. Fingers crossed for a few more. Still our peas and runner beans are looking good. And then there's a late show for the sunflowers, no buds yet but I'm still hopeful!! And of course we still have some apples on the tree.

:: One major success (for me at least) was the fact I grew a radish! Yes just the one but it was peppery and delicious. There are potentially some others on the way - possibly even enough for a salad!  I've tried radishes for the last 2 years and finally appear to have gotten somewhere.

:: There have been a few sweet treats. My parents visited and brought treats from Betty's.
I have made a cherry cake and rocky road (how easy is rocky road? -I'd assumed it was a dark art!). Now I'm planning my birthday cake. Hmmm...what to make?

:: I treated myself to some supermarket peonies. Finally, I found some on offer. I love how they take ages to open and unfurl and then are suitable blousy and frilly.

:: We took the girls to Abbey House Museum one Saturday afternoon. It's a great place to look round, particularly if the weather's bad and the cafe's open. They have one area set up as a Victorian street then the rest of the museum is devoted to toys and games from throughout the ages. Of course the girls' favourite part is where they can make pretend tea parties...of course they can't do this at home because they don't own any cups/plates/jugs/coffee pots or play food.

Forgetting, Flowers, words and in the garden :: days 79 - 86

Day 79

:: Beautiful peony stems to delight our dining room. It’s the best place (the one with the high surfaces) for flowers these days with a very inquisitive toddler

:: Bizarrely my last Friday worked before going part time...

 

Day 80

:: A crisp new magazine

 

Day 81

:: Father’s day – my lovely Dad and my girls’ lovely Daddy.

:: A much needed and deserved glass of wine.

 

Day 82

:: Appreciating the library. I needed some quiet space to work and the Brotherton library at the University is one of the best places I can find to work. It’s not the library I ‘should’ work in but it’s got a lovely feeling to it and I get a 7 minute fresh air jaunt across campus. Just being in there means the stuff just goes in by diffusion...right?

 

:: University planting...

Day 83

:: My friend brought her new baby daughter in as she had some work to sort through. I got 15 minutes solitary baby cuddles. Delightful.

 

Day 84

:: The girls had the first strawberries off the plants today. There was no time to grab a picture as they were swiftly consumed. Here’s the next one that’s not quite ripe...maybe tomorrow...

 

:: BigR visited her school today. She loved it. Had made a couple of friends within minutes and ran off to paint a picture of some lions for their jungle project. Then she played in their outside water area and mud kitchen (Grrrr I thought we might have left this behind but no! I love that she loves to gets stuck in but not the stains!!). I was struck by how tall she is compared to children a year older! And how confident she is...I was not quite as impressed about the enormous fuss she made when it was time to leave. Don’t worry from September you can go back every day for the next 15 odd years!!

 

Day 85

:: On the way to work I drive past some allotments. I am always impressed and intrigued by their neat lines of planting. One in particular has some homemade windmills constructed from empty pop/water bottles. I’m assuming they’re there to deter birds from eating the produce/plants but it’s the kind of thing the girls would like to see. There must be something online on how to do it...


:: Forgetting and then remembering that this is the last Thursday I was working!

 

:: Forgetting that I’d preordered the new Robert Galbraith book and it appearing in my kindle list just as I finished the book I was reading.

 

:: The peonies I saw last time have opened into full blousy glory

 

:: The blueberries are coming...

 

Day 86

:: Enjoying an hour in the garden and finally putting some of our overgrown seedlings into the flowerbeds. Still a lot to go...which is lucky as there’s lots of slugs and snails too.

:: Finding that the peppers are also coming too...

:: The most deliciously sweet and juicy nectarine eaten after the girls were in bed so I didn’t have to share. Meanie Mummy.

I cannot believe there are only 15 days left of this challenge I set for myself...