no weeding this year, thank you

Things have taken a not-very-photogenic turn around here lately. There’s not much gardening going on, not much sewing, or knitting, or making, or baking.

I’ve been having a bit of a reassessment of goals and plans and life in general, and a few things have fallen off the bottom of the priority list.

I’m working full time at the minute, and have been for about 18 months. I can’t say I’m a fan. I used to think this was because I was idle, but I’ve realised I’m not idle at all, I’m just interested in too many different things to want to do just one of them five days a week. But I’ll be working full time until January, so that has to be factored into the equation.

The other thing to factor in is that I’ll be doing a marathon on 7th October, which is just under nine weeks away (nine weeks!!) I’m also doing a triathlon, 3 weeks before the marathon. This has a number of implications:

1. I have no common sense
2. I am doing lots of running
3. I have to learn to swim again

I knew about the lack of common sense already. Lots of running means lots of posts about running – I try to make my runs as scenic as possible though (and it was unfortunate that I didn’t have my camera with me on yesterday’s 15 miler, as the Sheffield to Rotherham canal is more picturesque than you’d think)

Learning to swim is an interesting business for one who is not a fish by nature, and I’m thankful that I have both a pool with wave machines and a giant water slide, and a glorious outdoor pool within easy reach, otherwise I imagine I’d never do it.

The other thing that’s taking up my time at the minute is music. I learned to play the flute at school, and then abandoned it for over a decade, and picked it up again last year. It looks like I’ll be doing Grade 8 after Christmas (for no other reason than to please myself), so there’s a fair bit of tootling going on here right now.

I even bought myself a new flute, which was quite a frightening experience (it cost more than anything else I’ve ever bought, including my car).  Working full time does have some advantages…

All good fun, but between work and running and swimming and tootling, that’s a lot of my time taken up and none of them provide much in the way of photo opportunities, which is perhaps why I’m posting a little less than usual at the minute.

In order to spend time on these things, I’ve had to drop a few other things I’d usually concentrate on. I’ve abandoned all declarations of grandly decluttering and decorating the entire house (as I have declared every year for the past 7 and subsequently not done). I’ve also abandoned all thought of growing veg in the garden – I’ll keep it tidy, but it’s not a focus for this year.

Much as I’d love to take lunch to work every single day, occasionally I do end up buying it there, and I’m not beating myself up about that. I’m not making most of the presents I give to people this year either. Or even cards.

I know it might seem daft – it doesn’t take long to make lunch for work, or to make a birthday card, for example, but it’s about how much space I have in my head. After work, running, swimming, tootling are all squeezed in (I’m blissfully ignoring the fact that a triathlon involves cycling too), alongside all the normal food preparation and shopping and housework,  there’s not too much time left.

That time needs to be spent on cheerful things, and resting.

(Or was this post just a very long excuse for why I’ve not done the washing up or the weeding?)

 

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