Life Lately

The last few weeks haven't exactly been all sunshine and wild swimming. This point in the summer term is always chaotic. The end of the school year is fast approaching, and there's always a rush to try and squeeze everything in. This was not helped by us catching some sort of virus, which resulted in me having to stay home from work for three days last week. Luckily for me I soon bounced back, although not quite as quickly as Lily did. Disappointingly, the sickness meant that she'd missed out on her karate grading, so she was delighted when both herself and another student got the opportunity to grade during the weekly class instead. She is now the very proud owner of an orange stripe belt, and I am, of course, incredibly proud of her latest achievement. 

I would say it was even worth my sitting on an incredibly uncomfortable wooden bench in a draughty gymnasium week after week, but on Tuesday evening I left her to it, and instead I went out for a run while she trained. Recently, I had treated myself to some rather lovely new running shoes, and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try them out. Usually, I would buy my shoes online, but having experienced some foot pain in recent months, I decided I should really visit a specialist store. There, I was expertly measured and fitted by someone who really knew what they were talking about. The result being that I felt as though I was running on clouds. My new shoes feel amazing. They don't help me run any faster, however :)

Something else which has kept me busy recently, has been the decorating of the downstairs bathroom. I have long neglected my little house, but now that it is looking extremely likely as to which secondary school Lily will be attending from next year, it would seem I will be here to stay, for a few more years at least. And so it is time to give this house a little more of my attention, and what better way to start, than with the smallest room. I'm very happy with the result of my efforts. I just need to wait another couple of weeks to have the flooring fitted, having been let down by yet another tradesperson. Then it will be fingers crossed I can garner sufficient enthusiasm to move forward and complete the rest of the house.

At the weekend, I went with my friend for a walk around Derwentwater. I've previously walked around the lake shore, but on this occasion we took the higher route, taking in Walla Crag and Catbells. To say it was a bit breezy from time to time would be an understatement! And of course the rain arrived almost horizontally while we were right on the summit of Catbells. It felt like we experienced all of the seasons in one day, but still, it was a very enjoyable walk. After which I managed to eat one of the largest scones I've ever seen, while looking across the lake towards Skiddaw. And it was delicious!

Unsurprisingly, my diary is looking pretty full for the next two weeks, then I'm looking forward to enjoying an extended break over the summer. 

J. X