Chilly Sunday

Day 326...

Sunday is upon us once again, and once again it has been a slow and uneventful day.

We were in no rush to be up and about this morning so it was a late breakfast followed by a short walk out.

It was very chilly, rather windy and was even trying to snow but we were not deterred and thought we would try one of our more rural routes. However, to say all the fields around us were rather wet and muddy would be an understatement and although we were in our wellies and ready for the conditions ahead we opted to stick to the drier paths. I think it was spotting a fellow walker covered in mud from his chest down that said to us it wasn't worth the hassle!

The afternoon was spent with Simon making the final adjustments to his latest art commission while I did a little online grocery shopping and some more reading of my latest book; 'The Case for Keto'.

The afternoon was rounded out with our usual Sunday Disney quiz hosted by the podcast I co-host, the Disney Dream Girls. We had a round of questions set by Kacy in Germany all about Moana and then Michelle had a miscellaneous bunch of Disney questions and I scored 22.25 points which I was rather proud of and meant I came in second!

And there we have another Sunday done.

Take care out there.
xx

Wet Saturday

Day 325...

So another slow and steady Saturday has rolled around again.

There really was not much planned for today...no surprise there...so after a late breakfast we headed out for a walk and headed in the direction of our now local coffee shop in the next village.

On the way we bumped into a couple of friends and stopped to have a chat...20 minutes later we were back on our way in search of coffee. By the time we arrived at the coffee shop it had just started to rain...not heavy just a light drizzle.

By the time we were heading home the rain decided to get a little more persistent and suffice to say by the time we got home we were absolutely soaked through. So much so that we had to have a complete change of clothes and as I write this about 5 hours after we arrived home our coats are still drying out. But we still managed just over three and a half miles.

Suffice to say once home and in fresh clothes it was time for another coffee to help warm us up.

This afternoon was spent with me watching the Disney film Moana and Simon finishing off his latest art commission piece. The choice of film was because part of the Disney quiz that we have each Sunday will be about Moana. Now, it is a fair while since I last watched it but I have to say I loved it, I had forgotten what a beautiful and heart warming film it is. And then remembering that the songs were written by Lin Manuel Miranda who was behind the musical Hamilton, which I fell in love with last year, just made me love Moana even more.

And then as a bit of a treat we decided to have take-out tonight, and we let Ethan have the choice of food...his choice - Chinese. Now, this would not be my first choice as it's a tad too 'carby' for my liking but I managed to find a steak in black pepper sauce and then allowed myself a treat of a few prawn crackers and a little sesame prawn toast.

Well that was the day and it will be rounded out with a glass of red wine and RuPaul's Drag Race.

Take care out there.
xx

And Friday!

Day 324...

So I think today it will be a short post as there really isn't that much to talk about.

It was a day in work, which was pretty standard and saw me catch up on a few admin bits, some emails, a little banking and a couple of newsletters.

Once home I had some of my own admin bits to do, updating my online grocery shopping, a little banking and responding to a couple of emails.

We decided to watch the next episode of WandaVision on Disney + as soon as Simon had finished work for the day. Another great episode and a little longer than previous ones, although we had thought that two episodes were being released today but it was just the one. Definitely turning into a solid series although if you're not too familiar with the Marvel universe it's probably best to wait until all the episodes are out to watch them back to back. Thankfully I have Simon to fill me in on any bits I'm not too sure about!

And I think that's where I'm going to leave it today. The weekend is upon us once more and whilst I look forward to a few days without work there is at the same time a feeling that can be best described as 'meh'! That sense of knowing we have days ahead with nothing to do and no where to go and I kind of find that feeling to be rather depressing. Just knowing that our freedom has been stomped on and we are effectively under house arrest is frustrating, annoying and just a tad tiresome now. Normality as we once knew it needs to reappear sooner rather than later.

Take care out there.
xx

Thursday...again

Day 323...

And another Thursday has rolled around and another of my non-working days.

My first task this morning was to complete a little research ready for podcast recording later on this afternoon. This involved looking up some Disney history facts as well as scouring the latest Disney news for any interesting stories.

Next job was to take delivery of my latest butchers order which was quite a big delivery today. This always means having to go through it all and split it into appropriate portion sizes which then go in the freezer. Always a job that seems to take way longer than it should.

This afternoon we had someone visit to provide us with a quote for some new windows. Unfortunately we have a couple that are showing some wear and tear and really need to be replaced and we are debating whether to just get those updated or whether we get all the windows done together. I think it will all come down to the cost so I await their email!

My afternoon was rounded out by chatting with my good friend and podcast co-host Michelle as we recorded a show to be released this upcoming weekend. We spent some time just catching up before we recorded and we both agreed that the distraction of recording and the sillyness that ensued was very much needed and enjoyed.

The effects of this never ending 'lockdown' are different for all of us. Some may feel it more than others but I think a good deal of us are probably surprised by the extent to which it is effecting us and that it can catch us all off guard and at the most unexpected moments.

But we have to remember that however it is effecting us, that's okay. We will all be going through something different and that will probably change from day to day and maybe even hour to hour. All we can do is be there for those that we care about when they need us, offer that virtual hug, offer an ear, reach out and check-in and simply say 'Hi'.

The interminable routine, the lack of anything different to do or places to go is, to say the least, draining. We made the analogy a few weeks ago of comparing lockdown to being trapped in a never ending Sunday afternoon from the 1970's; when there was nothing to watch on the TV, no shops were open and there was nothing special to do. It was something we endured knowing there was better ahead and that's what we are trying to do now...but unfortunately the endurance is wearing thin and we are struggling to see when the better times will happen.

And while Simon went down 'the gym' this evening I started a blog piece for the Disney Dream Girls as well as writing my own post for today. Oh and cooking dinner...keto chicken philly cheesesteak casserole - yummy!

Take care and stay strong wherever you may be.
xx

Quiet Wednesday

Day 322...

So really not sure what to write today as it has been a pretty standard and uneventful sort of day.

It was a day actually in work and consisted of the usual emails and banking. Then my focus for a good chunk of the day was publicity and how to get information about pre-school out and about in the community.

Since the onset of the pandemic our numbers have kind of stagnated. Usually at this point in an academic year we would be full or almost full whereas this year we are probably at about 50% capacity. I think a lot of this has to do with parents of very young children not knowing what to do for the best and whether sending their child to pre-school is really essential. And I know that the effect on the early years sector as a whole has been quite significant and there have been a lot of nurseries and pre-schools that have had to close their doors in the last six months or so.

Well we are determined that's not going to happen to us so it's now a case of getting the message out that we are very much here and open. So lots of emails have been sent today trying to find places where we can put up posters and advertise while not incurring too many costs!

Once home this afternoon I carried on with a little more work before grabbing another half hour to continue reading my latest book; The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes. 

And that was Wednesday...just another day.

Take care out there.
xx

Day 311

Day 321...

So today was split into two halves; the morning was work focused and then I had the afternoon off.

I worked from home this morning as I had a 'leaders and managers' online briefing to attend. An hour and a half meeting to be brought up to date on the current happenings within early years.

I was also able to get some other work completed either side of the meeting; keeping up to date with emails, a little banking, some cash flow forecasting and inadvertently the re-organising of my 'bookmarks'!

As my morning finished we ventured outside for a walk and ended up taking a longer walk than we had intended. Ordinarily on a work day we try to be out for no more than about forty minutes but today we took a different route to normal and managed just over 3 miles in an hour.

The afternoon saw me finishing off a piece of work I'd started just before lunch as I wanted to make sure I knew where I'd gotten up to. Then there was a little online shopping to complete before I grabbed a half hour or so to start on my latest book: The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes.

Back in 2014 I read another book by Mr Taubes called 'Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It' and found it fascinating and at the same time confirmed how I'd managed to lose weight a few months earlier. 

In June of 2014 I embarked on a new diet that was being run by my daughters karate teacher (see my pages 'Getting Real' and 'Eating Well, Staying Healthy') which involved looking at the proportion of fat, protein and carbohydrates that I was eating and adjusting them to his recommendations. It was very evident from what I was presented with that I had to cut back my carbohydrates in a big way going from around 230g a day to about 70g! Well suffice to say I did as was recommended and lost the weight and that's when I read 'Why We Get Fat' and learned the science behind what I had done and everything just fell into place.

Six and a half years later I have maintained my weight and still eat 'low carb high fat/keto' and have no intention of changing. I am always looking to learn more about this way of eating and those that know me know how passionate I can be about it so I can't wait to get into this book and find out more.

Our day was finished off with a little gym workout and on a very rainy evening Simon was very glad he only had to venture out as far as the garage! I stayed in the warmth and dry of the living room and watched a documentary on Disney + while I did my exercises - how civilised!!

Whatever you are doing, wherever you may be, take care.
xx

Usual Monday

Day 320...

So another Monday has rolled around and it was pretty much like any other Monday at the moment.

We had our weekly grocery shopping to collect and whilst at the store I nipped in to see their Community Champion. Jon has been brilliant over the last few years supporting pre-school in our endeavours and this has continued throughout the past 10 months. He is gutted that he can no longer visit us and all the other local charities he supports, but he is still able to provide us with supplies. 

I came away with a trolley full of goodies for our various upcoming fundraisers; we have plenty of Easter eggs and chocolate, we have prizes for our upcoming raffle, prizes for an upcoming children's creative competition and even some treats for Valentines Day. Next week he will be providing us with some Chinese foods as we celebrate Chinese New Year.

Once home Simon was busy completing the Mandalorian helmet he had molded yesterday. And by the end of the day it had been completed, paid for and posted!

We took a walk out in the gorgeous, if a little chilly, sunshine managing 4.2 miles in about an hour and twenty minutes. I then spent some of the afternoon researching wooden floors as we still need to sort the flooring out in the bedroom after having had new wardrobes fitted last year. As well as new windows as our wooden frames are beginning to show plenty of wear and tear and really need updating.

And that was another Monday done. Another day with nothing much to report.

Take care out there.
xx