Christmas eve eve

It's Christmas eve eve already and thank goodness we don't take it all too seriously. Friends are running around getting last minute bits and pieces, while we had to make a dash out today because I thought we'd run out of baked beans. Turns out there were some in the garage (of course) and so I needn't have worried. As with last year we are planning on taking kids and dogs to Salisbury Plain after we've done presents to blow out the cobwebs before home for ham, egg and chips and a bit of TV.

Obviously there are moments when I wonder whether we should make more effort, and whether we are creating a new generation of Christmas Scrooges in our kids, but mainly I'm just pleased that we have found a balance whereby everyone is happy - surely that is what Christmas is about after all.

This year the girls have had Christmas upgrades on bikes and bike equipment. This is basically timed to coincide for Christmas rather than be a surprise because quite frankly it's hard to hide anything in our house (despite our best attempts the fact we have family sharing on our iPads seems to mean every purchase is announced to all members of the family). Abi has been in need of a bigger bike for a while, and Izzy has been coveting proper bike trousers for ever so this is what we ordered. Glenn managed to get a bargain bike for Abi, in need a bit of work so guess others were less interested, so we are all set for our ride.

Not that we've really gone overboard on indulgence (other than all the mince pies), but I fully intend to keep up my marathon training over the holidays. Despite really enjoying the running over the last few months, I still have to psych myself up for my weekly long run. I make all kinds of excuses in my head as to why it might not be a good idea to run outdoors, none of which are even remotely valid. It's silly because as soon as I'm out I love it (well, like it and then love the feeling afterwards) but even so it still is a real battle of mind over matter every week. This week I did just over 10 miles comfortably so I'm hoping I've built a good base before I start the ramp up in the new year. Now that bit is scary - 10 miles is relatively easy to get up to. 20 miles is another matter altogether!!

Now for a pre-Christmas glass of wine. I think I've earnt it.

Dog trainng!

Comments

Diary management!

This part of the summer is definitely typified by me trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when. Abi likes to be off doing something with someone while Izzy is happier to know she's close to home and so for the last week they've gone their separate ways. Abi has been down in Somerset making the most of Ben and Laurie being about. From what I can tell she's having a lovely time. Apart from the covert phone call one evening to tell me she was 'starving' (Mum was cooking for the hordes and so it had been delayed), I've barely heard from her. The few calls I have had have very quickly ended in "can I go now" like I'm making her speak to me! Today she switches from Mum and Dads to a night or two with Kerrie - not sure who is more excited! Izzy didn't want to be away for that long so she opted not to go. She's very conscious that Abi and Laurie are joined at the hip when together and Ben has his own things he wants to do so she ...

Blame the jet stream...

Shed prep, with oversight from the dogs Apparently we have the jet stream to blame for the truly awful weather we are having right now. I blame our builder - if he had got his act together and sorted out Glenn's workshop roof as he promised, sods law the sun would be shining from dawn to dusk. Instead it's still pouring every half hour and Glenn is constantly worried about how much water is coming though the roof / walls / floor etc. Apparently he 'literally' just needs to put the ridge on the top and the gully down the side and it will all be fixed. We are literally at the point of wanting to do him some actual bodily harm. The moment he disappears the better. This week he was also literally going to clad the office ("done") and has failed everyday to turn up and do it (which in my book is literally not "done"). He was also going to have Gary come and finish the electrics (not done), whack down the paving slabs (not done), render the last of the bri...

Ypres

Walking around the lake in Ypres while waiting for the rugby to finish! A wet Monday evening after a lovely long weekend away in Ypres - just the two of us and just what I needed after what has been a relatively stressful few months of decision making. The decision is now made however and on Monday I resigned my job in order to join a new company in January. This will be the same role, but a company that hopefully offers more long term stability than my current one. It's been hard going through the initial round of telling people.Despite only being there for 7 months I've made some good friends and very quickly become established and everybody who I've told has been happy for me but very sad that I'm going - it hasn't made it easy. I do feel like I've been through the mill a bit this year - what with leaving EY, ramping up to a big new role, finding out it probably didn't have the longevity I was looking for and then going through the process of finding ...

Abi & Izzy - the next 5 years

Search This Blog