Tales from the Riverbank
Thursday, 13 March 2025
In for 4, Hold for 7, Out for 8.
Wednesday, 8 January 2025
Now we are ..............
Happy New Year and I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. For the first time in a few years we actually had Christmas at home. L had managed to sort out bunny sitters, so hopped (!) on a train and arrived here at 3:45 on Christmas Eve. E drove from Bristol and arrived later that evening, so we all celebrated en famille, which was lovely.
Presents this year were done by Secret Santa. L arranged the draw and, with a maximum limit of £20 and only one present to buy, Christmas was quite a frugal affair. I did cheat a little and did the girls a stocking as well - having my babies home for Christmas again, I couldn't resist! L's partner, V, had been given my name and I received a beautiful handmade project bag, embroidered with my name and a daffodil. L had also sneaked me an extra present - a skein of West Yorkshire Spinners' Christmas yarn in the colour 'Nutcracker', bought in Scotland over the summer and saved for the festivities. The skein fit the project bag beautifully and is sitting waiting patiently for me to cast on a pair of socks.
As well as Christmas, we have also celebrated 3 birthdays. R's came first in mid-December. As it conveniently fell on a Saturday this year, we went away for the weekend to Stratford-upon-Avon. I had booked one night's stay at the Swan's Nest Hotel in the centre. It was very conveniently located, overlooking the theatre and a few minutes walk across the bridge and into the centre. Our room was fine, and if the hotel itself seemed a little, shall we say, weary, they did a fine vegan, gluten-free breakfast, so it was a win in our book.The girls bought me a voucher for an afternoon tea for 2 at the One Aldwych hotel in Covent Garden. It is based on a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme and they are apparently known for their vegan, GF menu. I shall book it for later in the year.
Well, that's all for this post and 2024. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2025. Is it just me who can't believe that it's a quarter of a century since the Millennium? Tempus certainly does Fugit.
Toodle pip for now. x
Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Home Alone
Pre-Covid, R used to commute to London daily to work. Then there was the period when they locked us all down and it was a huge adjustment for both of us. He developed a severe case of cabin fever and I took a while to get used to him being at home all day. Since 2020, he has had a couple of contracts that involved working from home 3-4 days per week. This seemed like a perfect compromise - he didn't have the daily stress of travel, worked better and more efficiently at home (fewer distractions) and yet still met up with colleagues once or twice a week. I enjoyed it too; it's nice having him around, but absence makes the heart etc. and I relished my day or two with the house to myself.
His latest contract, however, is virtually 100% remote. That's right ..... 100%. It's not ideal for him and I've developed a twitch in my eye. On the plus side, I suppose it's good practice for retirement! I'm often out and about so he gets time alone in the house, for me though, that's never the case. If I'm lucky, on the days that I go for a lunch-time swim, he will go for a quick post-prandial walk to get some fresh air and, if I time the pool well, I might get 20 minutes to myself at home. Mostly though, the timing isn't that good.
Before someone points out how lucky I am to have someone to come home to, believe me, I know. It's just that sometimes I find it incredibly draining. Once every 2-3 months, he either has to go into London for the day or travel to Yorkshire for a meeting. The latter necessitating an overnight stay in a hotel in order to be there in time in the morning. Last night was one such night and, what can I tell you, it was blissful! It's not that I want to do anything particularly exciting - we had dinner together and, after I dropped him off at the station, my idea of a good night in involved a cup of tea, something entertaining on Netflix and a bit of knitting/crochet. I'm not exactly painting the town red here. What makes it special though, is that it's just me, myself and I, and I'm already looking forward to the next time.
Before I get into my record of this month's happies, apologies again - I still haven't worked out how to rotate some of the photos and quite a few are 90 degrees out!
My Cosy Memory Blanket is ready and waiting for new squares to be added using my yarny advent swap with the lovely Barbara at Coastal Ripples.