Inside: two-week-old tulips, supermarket daffs and scented narcissi delivered by the postman from Cornwall (the second delivery of three, a gift from a friend cheering up my winter).
Outside: early snowdrops, violets in the lawn, hellebores, a few early primroses in the sunniest spots, lots of bulb spears poking out of the soil, forget-me-not and nigella seedlings and all the signs of the spring to come.
The gorgeous blue skies and winter sun this weekend have been a welcome respite from the wind, rain and monotonous grey and it’s been a tonic to wander in the garden and see what’s going on. It’s easy to feel disconnected from outdoors at this time of year, so I savour any time outside in the sunshine, especially when it’s cold and frosty (proper winter!).
I haven’t blogged lately because I hadn’t (until today) taken any photographs – there is no time during the week and weekends have been busy with non-photogenic chores – and my brain is so full of work and empty of blogging inspiration. But I genuinely enjoy writing here and love reading others’ blogs and the connections made, and I suspect that if I leave it too long I will just stop, so please forgive the occasional post about nothing much in particular (like this one) other than humdrum life and a few flowers!
It feels that it’s been much longer than two weeks since the end of the Christmas holidays. Ollie and Harriet have had mock A-level and GCSEs (some ‘good’, some ‘meh’ and some ‘don’t even…’) and Tom has gone back to uni. David and I have been full-steam ahead with our day jobs and we’ve all barely had a spare moment. I think I’m now into the swing of full-time, going out of the house to work again (bearing in mind that the last time I did this was pre-children), although some days are a very tight fit and I am much more tired come Friday evening than I used to be. Plus I miss being the only human in the house – I think I did become quite solitary and happy to be so.
Planning and being organised are vital and some weeks run more smoothly than others. I have been late (thank goodness for flexitime) and we eat fish fingers more often than we used to 🙂 The job I do is challenging at times but always interesting and I learn new things every day. Four months in and I’m still enthusiastic and positive and hope that good things can happen via community work but I now know enough to see that it could be disheartening after a long time. As with all aspects of life, it’s important to have a balance and that’s what I need to make sure I maintain a healthy sense of perspective. Yoga, good food, good books, long walks, seeing friends, having a good laugh, enjoying time with my family have all kept me on an even keel these past few months. What about you? Any top tips?
Right, I can hear the dulcet tones of David wielding the hedge cutter in the garden which is my signal to find the rake and broom and go and lend a hand. Until next time, my friends.
PS Thank you for your recent comments. I’m sorry if I haven’t replied but I read and appreciate each one.
acoastalplot 
Beautiful to see these bright blooms. I am still getting used to full time and it’s been 11 months. Mornings are a very tight fit and I also miss my solitary time snuggling my pup. Now, my husband beats me home daily so I’m rarely the only one home, but the upside is, he almost always starts dinner:)
Balance is key, something I need to work at. I miss photo opportunities I used to have time for but appreciate living in the moment, not wasting the off time I do have.
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You have snowdrops! Still eagerly awaiting mine 🙂
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Oh my, I am sitting in cold ol’ London, Ontario, Canada and we have snow snow and snow. No green at all. So enjoy your lovlies and when time has come for spring, I shall too. Thanks for sharing your lovely posts and pics. (-:
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Beautiful xx
Sent from my iPad
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You could have posted this today and called it IAVOM, Sam! Good to hear from you and to know you are more settled into your new routines. As Jaybird said, balance will always be the key – and making sure you do some things just for YOU
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Lovely to see a post from you and I’m so glad you’re enjoying your new job. I think you’re already doing all the things I like for keeping a sense of balance – walks, friends, family, books, garden – so I don’t have anything to add. Although I’m picking up a tip from you and considering yoga. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, I really should take the plunge. Like you, I have a real lack of photos much of the time at the moment. Your pictures are beautiful though, it’s so good to see those spring flowers appearing. I was walking the dog a few mornings ago and suddenly, there were the snowdrops, almost overnight it seemed. Wonderful. Have a good week my friend. CJ xx
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Lovely blog as always. I find meditation helps me when my head is busy and I’m trying to multi task. You’re making a real difference with your job, but don’t let it wear you out. Hope to catch up soon x
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Best wishes for the year ahead Sam. Beautiful flowers and words as usual! Jane x
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It’s so good to hear that you are enjoying your new job and figuring out how to keep an even keel. It’s not easy–lots of juggling–but you have found a good recipe for sanity under duress (although I’d add some good wine, too). And what a friend you have to send flowers from Cornwall. We are buried in snow here and I’m enjoying the slower pace of winter, but your green shoots and snowdrops are a sweet preview of spring. If you can find time to write a blog post, I don’t have any excuse. You may have inspired me.
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Oh, I’m very fond of fish sticks and other mass-produced foods that we are supposed to scorn. Don’t know if you are familiar with Calvin Trillin, he’s a very good American non-fiction writer who died recently. Anyway, he wrote an essay about how his wife bought the freshest fish, cut it into stick-like rectangles which she fried with the most wonderful seasoning – and their daughters just toyed with the homemade fish, glancing at the freezer with looks of yearning.
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I’m sorry I missed this two and a half weeks ago. I skipped ahead because I was so far behind.
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