So, after my 2 weeks of Covid awfulness, and 16 days in isolation with a toddler, I finally really truly did start to feel better.
My symptoms properly went away and I went back to work and the kid went back to nursery. We both had a good week, she loved being back at the nursery and I had a busy week catching up on what I had missed at work and launching a new online/remote training course I had developed. Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve had many cars. You may remember that time I fell in love with Glenda, the ford focus on the M1, but most of the cars I have owned have been second hand, and quite elderly at that. Continue reading
So my optimism about feeling better last weekend was short-lived.
Sunday I felt mostly ok, though my fever came back in the evening, which was weird and annoying.
Monday I woke up feeling MILES better and had some actual energy for the first time in ages. I actually logged on and did some work for a couple of hours while the kid watched tv, and while I told my boss I’m not back yet properly I was cocky and confident that I was truly getting better.
In the afternoon I slumped a bit but figured it was just from being so refreshed and energised in the morning. My fever came back again in the evening and I sloped off to bed for another early night.
Then came Tuesday….. Continue reading
So, on the 3rd January, I wrote to the kid’s nursery and asked if they were planning to reinstate the bubble system they had before. When nurseries first reopened back in June after our first lockdown, they had to split the children into 2 bubbles, with separate areas for them to play in and separate entrances for the parents to reduce contact. This at the time was Government-mandated, though the Gov lifted this guidance in July, and our nursery kept it in place until the holidays in August, but when they went back in September they had gotten rid of it so all the kids could play together again.
I asked the nursery if we shouldn’t consider putting this precaution back into place even though the Government hasn’t required it this time around, as a voluntary measure we could take to reduce the risk to everyone. They decided not to do that, unless the Gov changes the guidance. Continue reading
This year was never going to be a perfect Christmas, and yet, in the end, it was.
I had made plans to spend Christmas this year with my support bubble, (my two best friends) as they couldn’t see either of their families this year, and I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas with friends. Continue reading
Looking back on this year, I don’t think I made many resolutions last January.
I lowered my expectations on my book reading challenge from 40 books in the year to 25, and I’ve managed to read about 20, which isn’t too bad.
I aimed to get fitter and healthier, as I do every new year, and instead I’ve sadly put on weight again, which is annoying, and getting fitter and healthier just hasn’t panned out once again. I keep trying to make time for more exercise, but I get tired, or injure myself, or get too busy at work and make other excuses for not doing it. I am still as much an emotional eater as I ever was, and while I go through bursts of healthy eating and portion control, the fact is when I feel down, or bored, or tired, or lonely, or overwhelmed, I eat sweets and chocolate and cheese, and drink wine, and I haven’t yet figured out a way to just turn off my emotional eating tendencies.
Mind you, 2020 has been an exceptionally difficult year for everyone, and I think as a working single mum coping with lockdowns and not seeing friends, family and my support system, it’s ok to give myself a bit of a break too. Continue reading
Well we have certainly had an eventful time of it lately!
I was of course jinxing myself in my earlier post when I said we had cracked the sleeping thing. It always gets me – we’ll have 2 weeks of sleeping through and I think we’ve done it, then suddenly night after night she’s creeping up into my bed at 1am, 4am, 5am etc.
I’ve discovered that the only way to handle it is to be consistent. Even if it’s 5.30am and only an hour or so to go before we get up, SHE doesn’t know that, she can’t tell time, and therefore she needs to learn the principle of staying in her bed until the sun on her alarm clock comes up no matter what. It’s hard to be consistent as some nights I’m so deeply asleep I barely register her getting into bed with me!
However on Sunday morning, when she crept in a 4.30am I got up to take her back downstairs to her bed. We had the usual “NO I DON’T WANT TO SLEEP IN MY BED I WANT TO SLEEP IN MAMA’S BED” mini-scream, so I picked her up in one arm, held on to the bannister with the other hand and headed downstairs.
Until about 2/3 of the way down the stairs when I slipped and fell down the stairs, with my daughter in my arms. Continue reading
It’s been a while hasn’t it?
Let’s see, what have we been up to? Frankly not a lot, what with winter and lockdown and so on.
I have FINALLY cracked the sleep thing and she’s got the hang of sleeping in her own bed all night, and staying there until the sun clock comes up (I really shouldn’t say such things out loud, it always jinxes it…). And I’ve installed some amazing toddler toilet seats and got some steps so I no longer have to deal with the potty most of the time, which is nice, having slightly less of someone else’s shit to dispose of…
Our mornings are in a pretty good routine now, and are punctuated by the calm, repetitive nature of CBeebies… Continue reading
This post is just entirely pictures of the bread I’ve been making, as I’m pretty proud of my sourdough skills these days!
Have to shout out to The Gypsy Baker Sourdough Workshop for teaching me the skills! Look them up on facebook if you are interested in learning to make your own sourdough, it was really fab. I am so glad I have learned a proper new skill in 2020, in spite of all the grim news this year, and while sourdough has definitely been a fad during lockdown, I’m happy to report that all of my loaves have been delicious and risen and generally edible! Continue reading
A space to share adoption stories that aren't always happy
One photographer's journey...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Stuff I've seen, and places I've been...
Had we but world enough and time... 