{ Fresh coffee (in my all-time favourite mug), a couple of slices of banana bread, & a little portion of berries and ripe nectarine, all enjoyed on the very first morning of a much-needed few days off. Is there anything in the world more peaceful than breakfast in bed? }
Right now I’m drinking a cup of tea in the garden to calm myself down. I just got back from the church, and *might* have just got a date pinned down for our wedding. Forms were handed in, paperwork was checked, dates were assessed. Yeeesh. It’s the strangest feeling, thinking that if we can pull this all together- if the venue come back to us with a sensible quote and can book us in over the weekend we’ve pencilled in with the church- then it’ll mean that Jason and I will have just set the date that we’ll celebrate every year for the rest of our lives. Yikes. I’m all a-flutter. I didn’t really intend to write a post, but this just feels like one of those days I might look back on in a couple of years time and think ‘I’m glad I documented those feelings’. I got a bit emotional when I spoke to Jason after I was finished at the church. Booking in dates and places and getting to know the vicar who’ll marry us makes everything feel so real! Oh and also, we’re now at T-minus 2 days until my first wedding dress fitting. My Mum’s already warned me that she’s going to cry ;)
So, what else is there to catch up on? Right now I’m outside in the back garden, and there’s a robin sitting on the fence chitting angrily and Teddy and I, because its fledgling babies are leaving the nest today and Ted just chased one of them into a corner of our garden. Much shouting happened, and Teddy was very excited by the prospect of having a new ‘toy’. I have been considering going back inside the house because the robin on the fence is so cross with us both, but do I really want to be someone who can be intimidated out of their own garden by a bird? No. I do not. UPDATE:: Teddy just disturbed three fledglings who were hiding behind the hydrangea, and all hell broke loose. One flew into the living room window, another flew *into* the living room itself and I had to get it out from behind the telly by waving a tripod at it. Then it chilled out on our sofa for a bit, before allowing me to shoo it out of the room with a blanket. I don’t even know what’s going on with today.
Other stuff about this weird old Wednesday ::
- I blew bubbles in my iced latte this morning. I wasn’t ever allowed to do it when I was young, so I did it today as a 23 year old woman, and it was pretty fun.
- Pilates is tonight. Already aching from yesterday’s workout. Not sure how this is going to work out. But it means that I’ll be out of the house during dinner-cooking-time which means Jason will make his legendary super oily + salty potatoes for dinner, so at least I’ll have something great to come home to when I’m exhausted and sore…
- Jason and I ran out of toothpaste the night before last, so we went on a late night mini-road trip to buy some. We couldn’t find any at all in any of the open garages and shops near us, but we did buy some sweets instead. Sensible decision making right there.
- Can’t get off Pinterest lately, and have been lusting over white-walled bedrooms so now am trying to convince Jason that we should repaint our bedroom white. I know I know, we only just finished decorating in there. My Mum always says that all my Grandma and Grandpa ever did was decorate, so I guess I take after them both…
And that’s the lot for today. It feels as though I haven’t just rambled here in such a long time! I kind of enjoyed it! Hope you kind of enjoy it, too ;)
p.s. Photo of Teddy in high-alert robin-watching mode. Note the amount of junk stuck to the feathers on his legs. That dog’s made of velcro, I swear…
We’re all feeling pretty sorry for ourselves in this house right now. Teddy is at the vets right now, and I’m off to the dentist later on this morning. The pooch has a suspected broken tail, and I’m about 99% certain I’m about to be told I need a wisdom tooth removed. Sob! I mean, I’m really just being pathetic, but the pooch? The poor little man! He was so sad all day yesterday, and wasn’t able to wag his little tail once. It was the strangest thing, to see our dog *not* wagging and wriggling. Teddy usually wags so much that Jason’s been known to complain about the draft coming off his tail, so it’s been horrible to see him so quiet and subdued over the past day or so. I’m going to pick him up from the vet early this afternoon, and find out if his tail is broken or just sprained. Having seen how much better/bouncier/waggier he was when he woke up this morning, I’m thinking it’s probably either a super mild fracture or just a little bruised. Thank goodness for pet insurance, is all I can say! Now, if only there was an insurance company who’d pay my dentist bill…
Other (pointless, trivial) news from yesterday? Okay, get ready: Two ducks arrived on the big pond outside our house, and Jason spent a good twenty minutes bribing them to stick around by feeding them bread from our front door yesterday evening! I drank so much coffee I couldn’t calm down enough to get into bed in the evening! Teddy ate two rawhide bones, and attempted to eat a piece of tinfoil! I did absolutely zero work, because I couldn’t put my mind to anything other than worrying about Teddy’s tail! BUT bedlinen was washed, and carpets were hoovered, and the piles of clean laundry were put away in cupboards because doing manual jobs was easier than attempting to write or be creative! The most darling parcel arrived from Boden, and filled the notebook-shaped void in my life! I ate my bodyweight in hummus! Jason ate his bodyweight in beef, because I decided the other day he doesn’t get enough red meat so have been plying him with the stuff at every opportunity! My deodorant ran out, so I used Jason’s and enjoyed smelling like him all day long! (Is that too much info? I’m sorry. I sometimes forget that I’m not just writing to a friend on here…) Teddy did sad eyes at the lovely receptionist at the vet’s surgery, and got fed about a hundred biscuits! I pinned all the things!
So, that’s what our Wednesday consisted of. How was yours? Also, if you fancy telling me stories of how you had wisdom teeth removed and it was so pain-free it was practically enjoyable, go right ahead!
p.s. photos are extras I took on Monday, that I like too much not to share. Note the poobag dangling out of the pocket in the top photo. Hashtag accessorising.
7.30am :: I woke up easily yesterday, when Jason’s 7am alarm went off. He hit snooze a couple of times, then we both got up at around half past 7. Our weekday morning routine is that Jason heads straight for the shower (since he has the time pressure of leaving the house to get into the studio) and I go downstairs to let Teddy outside into the garden. Lately we’ve been trying to keep Teddy from charging into the living room at top speed since his claws are pulling loops in the carpet, but he’s always so excited in the mornings he just can’t physically control himself. Sigh. There should be a #spanielproblems Twitter hashtag…
8am :: Bed straightening, + side table tidying.
9am :: My day to day ‘work uniform’ usually consists of boyfriend jeans of some description (these were sent to me last week by Fashion Union, and I ADORE them) a washed out tee, and a cardigan. When I first started working from home I used to slob around all day in whatever scruffy old clothes I’d worn to walk Teddy in the morning, but as I’ve gotten into the swing of things over the past few months I’ve learnt that it’s important for me to be at least a little put together, or else my mood and productivity both suffer.
10am :: Teddy had to wait for his walk because I had work to get done before leaving the house. He sulked at the bottom of the stairs whilst I answered emails and edited a few photos.
11am :: We headed up to the bluebell woods mid-morning, and I paused to take a couple of photos just next to a little stream. This ^^ is the result of me being distracted. A soaking, stinking dog, with about twenty twigs stuck in his tummy and leg fur. Despite the mess he was in, I can’t help but love the way the fur goes on his nose and forehead goes when wet.
12am :: This little spot in the woods is my favourite. It’s quiet (we never come across another soul there) and is the perfect place to take a moment to pause, and breathe deeply.
1pm :: Email answering. Post drafting. Apple + Nutella eating. Coffee drinking. List writing. Photo editing. (…procrastinating…)
2pm :: Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ is my favourite source of inspiration when meal planning these days. On our menu for this week is spinach and feta pasties, sweet potato-topped cottage pie, steak fajitas (or as I like to call them, Vaguely Mexican Wraps) with feta guacamole, and roasted Mediterranean vegetables with grilled halloumi (plus sausages for Jason).
2.30pm :: Sock thief, caught in the act. I eventually had to distract him with a rawhide bone to get that (very soggy) sock back.
3pm:: This is maybe the hundredth photo I’ve taken of these ranunculus, but I just can’t stop. Even the little buds I cut short and put in a separate jug are beginning to bloom!
4pm :: We usually head out for a second mini walk in the late afternoon. Teddy found an animal bone whilst we were out, and was very proud of his discovery. On the days when Jason takes Ted to work with him, I miss having a little blast of fresh air in the afternoons. I find it’s the best way to get over that post-lunch, is-it-the-end-of-the-day-yet slump that often appears around this time…
5pm :: I’d overdosed on milk all day (two flat whites, plus two quite milky teas) so tried drinking a cup of weak black tea instead of having another one made with milk. It was horrible, and got thrown down the sink (as soon as I’d finished taking photos of the light dancing on its surface).
6pm :: I popped to my Mum’s early yesterday evening, for a quick cup of tea (more tea!) and a catch up. My sister and I made plans for Mother’s Day, and I embarrassed her in front of her friend by using the word ‘smashing’ in a non-ironic way. We traded clothes too, which is the weirdest thing. I can’t get used to the fact that my little sister, who’ll forever be about 12 in my mind, is old enough to borrow my clothes and go out to parties and not think boys are gross.
I kind of forgot to take photos in the evening, but it went like this :: Jason got home around 7 to find me shouting at the cutlery draw. It had jammed so tightly shut (rolling pin) that Jase ended up having to take the drawer completely apart to get it open again. We ate pork shoulder steaks with sweet potato wedges and peas for dinner (which was a total cobbled together dregs-of-the-fridge job) and then a little homemade raspberry frozen yoghurt for dessert. Our evening was spent editing photos (me) putting the covers back on the sofa cushions (Jason) and watching Silk (us both). It’s a glamorous life ;)
And that was Monday! I hope yours was lovely, too.
