Looked after, family, and getting better.

1) I’ve been unwell over the last few days – “just a virus”, but it’s left me pretty weak and exhausted, and suffering from brain fog.ย  And, of course, this is the week when K is away the whole week with work.

This morning, I was woken by A and M bringing me a beautiful Get Well Soon card that they had made together when they woke up. I was then instructed to stay in bed, where breakfast was brought to me. Then they told me that they would walk to school on their own, so that I didn’t have to leave the house. How awesome are they?ย  I’m just so incredibly proud of them both ๐Ÿ™‚ .

2) Mum and Dad picked up the kids after school and took them to their house, and they were delivered home to me after dinner by my brother. Thank you all very much!

2) After another day of doing not very much (but I did finish knitting my mystery knitting project shawl – it’s being blocked now!), by evening I realise that I have slightly more energy than I did earlier. I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m turning the corner and am on the mend…

Mandarin, good friends, and time flies.

1) With sponsorship from the Confucius Institute, M’s class have been learning to speak some Mandarin. They will also be performing a couple of songs at a concert in a couple of weeks time.

The other morning I discovered that M has obviously teaching A some of the words – as they got ready for school, I had the joy of listening to the pair of them singing together in Mandarin!

2) Friends came to visit last night. It was lovely to catch up and spend time together, but even more because they know us well, and love us anyway. Neither of us were feeling completely well and we both found ourselves struggling to concentrate, but it was all okay ๐Ÿ™‚ .

3) I really wasn’t looking forward to going bag-packing today, but we needed all hands on deck and, as Chair of the committee, I felt compelled to lead by example. I was pleased to discover that the experience wasn’t as bad as I expected, and the time flew by!!

Discussion, omelette, and to bed.

1)ย  An interesting discussion with friends about juggling (and yes, we even tried proper juggling) and finding balance in our lives.

2) Our milkman has started delivering eggs as well as milk, and we’ve taken advantage of this. Lunch was a delicious ham, cheese and chesnut mushroom omelette.

3) Zumba tonight was hard work (I assume I was just more tired than normal), but the walk home was refreshing, and I’m off to bed now ๐Ÿ™‚ .

Views, scooting, and tea.

1) We live on one side of theย (river) Forthย Valley, and on clear days we can see from Stirling to Edinburgh and further. Today was such a day, and I deliberately walked home from school a way that I knew would afford good views.

As I appreciated the scenery, I was reminded of a little incident that occured when I was coming down the front stairwell in the kids’ school last week. From the top of that stairwell, you can see over the top of all the houses across to the other side of the valley and, as I was coming downstairs I happened upon two little boys who had paused in their errand to admire the view:

“Wow, you can see the whole world from here!” said one to the other ๐Ÿ™‚ .

2) On the walk home from school, I turned the corner away from the school into a quieter lane. Away from all the people, the dad who had been walking a little ahead of me pushing his child’s now empty scooter, suddenly jumped on it and sped off into the distance.

3) I very much enjoyed a cup of steaming hot tea, after a cold walk through the winter sunshine.

Weekend away, getting it done, and in time for tea.

1) We had a fun weekend, heading north to visit my sister and the family.ย  Both drives, north and south, were stunning – beautiful skies, amazing scenery, and excellent visibility.

2) K was kind enough to drive both ways, while I got some much needed knitting (more on this on Friday) out of the way.

3) We got home in time for Mum’s Sunday roast dinner – very welcome after the long drive south!

Shopping with Dad, home, and well done!

1) Today was my annual Christmas shopping date with my Dad. We had a really nice morning, browsing and buying, and then ended with a lovely lunch out.

2) To be home, warm and dry and out of the rain. We snuggled down, and enjoyed a cosy afternoon.

3) A arrived home from his Scouts party, held at a local LaserQuest. Not only had his team won, but he’d come third overall. Given he’s the youngest there, he was reallly proud of himself (and us of him!).

Photocopier, helpful, and sleep-walker

1) To find out that the photocopier was able to copy both sides, and had a stapling function – before I started creating the eighty-two four page, double-sided booklets!

2) A has been exceptionally helpful today – not just doing his regular chores, but noticing other things which need to be done, and just quietly doing them. Very proud of my boy ๐Ÿ™‚ .

3) As I was writing, a small purple (yes, she’s moved on from pink!) person appeared in the doorway. Not a word did she speak, just stumbled across the room, curled up on my lap, and cuddled in. We had a nice cuddle, and now Daddy has carried her back to bed.

Shopping, full circle, and view.

1) K and I enjoyed our annual Christmas shopping day today. As usual, we went through to Glasgow, and enjoyed a pleasant browse through various shops and markets. We found some fun and quirky bits and pieces, got some inspiration, and generally found the day to be a good one.

2) We met a friend for lunch – someone we knew from our Glasgow days, who moved away around the same time we did, but has recently moved back. It was lovely to spend time together back in the old place, and nice to start creating new memories too.

3) Standing at the top of Buchanan Street, I looked down to see a street awash with people, lights, colour and music.

Back, new project, and independence.

1) The restoration of some semblance of routine and normality this week, and to find I finally have some time to myself.

2) Choosing yarn for a new project, one that I’ve been requested to knit. I’ve been imagining how lovely the new project will be (such a gorgeous colour and texture!), and now I can’t wait for the yarn to arrive now so that I can cast on and get started ๐Ÿ™‚ .

3) A was off school today (thankfully he seems to be on the mend now), so M had to take a bit more responsibility as I couldn’t walk her home from school as normal – “I can walk all the way home on my own if you want, Mummy”. I didn’t feel that today was the day to ask that of her, but I did ask her to walk to just beyond her friend’s house.

At home time, I parked the car just beyond the house, and could watch M and her friend walking towards me from a distance. They appeared to have a lovely time chatting and I was able to watch her observe the road rules perfectly, without her knowing I was watching. She loved that little bit of independence, and I’m proud that she proved herself worthy of my trust in her ๐Ÿ™‚ .

Improvement, cake, and fun.

1) Yesterday my Pilates teacher came over and asked me to try a trickier exercise ๐Ÿ™‚ – the one I’ve always done is too easy for me now.

2) At my meeting this morning, a birthday cake complete with candles appeared. Thank you to the lovely ladies who pulled off this complete surprise ๐Ÿ™‚ .

3) K and I spend an enjoyable evening cooking and baking. Tomorrow is my birthday party ๐Ÿ™‚ .