Day 160

Two happy things today – A appearing in the Markyate Monthly for participating in Master L’s bake sale; and meeting up with my lovely old friend for dinner. Lots of laughs and catching up. Classic L as soon as she got in my car – “ok let’s get it over with straight away – I weigh 13st 7 lb’s. How about you?”. We have always compared weight as we are exactly the same height and body shape (apart from boobs – everyone has bigger boobs than me – even most men) but in recent years neither of us can be too bothered to do much about it! So now we just compare how bad it is, get it over and done with and move on. And eat lots of food! 

Day 159

Urgh. Crappy Monday’s. I hate them. Woke up with a scratchy throat. Pulled a muscle in my neck emptying the dishwasher. Busy morning catching up on work emails from the weekend. Planned cup of tea with Mrs F cancelled because had to wait for recorded delivery. Call from school at 3.20pm to say A needed collecting because there was no lacrosse practise after school as we had thought. (We were not alone.) 

But: I found a parking space right outside the opticians at 4.30pm in perfect time for A’s appointment. I baked a lovely loaf of bread which I had 2 slices of toasted with scrambled egg for my tea. I have eaten my half of the yummy Easter egg that Miss T gave K and me at the weekend. I successfully booked T’s parents evening online with no hiccups. And I’ve seen David Beckham in his underpants. Not in the actual flesh for real but it’ll do me. 

Every cloud. 

Day 158

After a lovely but busy couple of days we had a day at home yesterday. Normally I’d be feeling a bit fed up at the prospect of not getting out the house even just for a walk but yesterday I was really glad it was raining! I got the cleaning done and then sat down for a while – T went to his Tae Kwon Do grading with K (after many deliberations over where it was, what he needed to know and what time it was….!); A was drawing in her room. So I just sat. And I unravelled the knitting project. Mum’s and my idea to recover it into something else just wasn’t going to work. Wrong sizes, tricky to join up. So it’s returned to yarn and I am having a break. I’m disappointed that I won’t have a beautiful gift to give to little Miss J next time I see her, but from what I have seen she has lots of very beautiful things and I can always add to them when I have a more creative head on in the future. Yes, I had spent time on it but I enjoyed it and it doesn’t really matter whether it is used it not – I got some pleasure from it and learned some new techniques which I can hopefully use in the future. 

I keep thinking of our lovely day on Saturday and smiling. So many more lovely days to look forward to. Even though it’s manic Monday I am going to keep smiling (hopefully!). 

Day 157

Far too many happy moments today to possibly recount. Spending the day with a wonderful friend and her beautiful baby girl couldn’t fail to be happy. J is such a happy little girl and is so very content with her new mummy. They are a perfect match and anyone looking on would assume they have been together forever. Miss T is s natural, fantastic mum. Such a pleasure to share a day with them. T and A are completely obsessed and even K is smitten. We talked about it all the way home. Roll on the next visit.  

Day 156

Where to start? Day off – fabulous Friday. K day off too. A got pin in assembly. Mrs L in assembly making me laugh. Out shopping with K. New handbag. Lunch at pub. T had new friend round for tea – nice, polite boy. A at friends for tea. Quiz night at school with book club team. Came joint second. Brilliant night. *

*thinking about Mrs L losing friend. Sad. 

Day 155

Today my happy has all been to do with my girl. After school we dropped by to see my old work friend P and her twins. A was brilliant and sat looking after the little girl the whole time we were there. P said that she was a babysitter in the making which made her day!

Then on to tonight and the final evening at her beloved Brownies. She’s enjoyed it so much and has embraced every aspect of it. She’s thoroughly fed up that she has to leave now that she’s 10 and as I mentioned in last nights blog she wrote a poem to read to them (see picture below). On the way there we were stopped by two mums of younger brownies who both said how sad their daughters were that she was leaving. On arrival at the hall we heard squeals of “she’s here” and a horde of little figures came running out to meet her with letters and homemade presents for her, smothering her in hugs. So lovely to see. When I collected her at the end of the night her T-shirt was decorated with signatures and messages from all the other brownies and the leader Jane. Her message made my eyes a little misty “you are a beautiful young lady and a fab brownie. We will miss you.” So proud.

She’s very sad and has had a little cry but we are getting her enrolled in guides in the next village so she can continue her guiding journey. None of the other girls for her year chose to go to guides, opting instead for the local scout group, so she will meet some new girls who she will maybe then know when she goes on to secondary school.

A good day with some very happy moments. Fabulous Friday tomorrow!

Day 154

The happiness quest continues: over halfway through my second round of 100 Happy Days and I really think I can say that I will continue to do this indefinitely even when this round ends. It’s great to get to this point in the evening, when I’m getting ready for bed, and to think it all over. 

Today’s top highlights: 

First: Seeing a lovely chap, who is grandad to a boy in A’s class, back up and on his feet after a truly horrendous 3 months in hospital. He used to run the local Beavers group which T went to and he and his wife used to foster. They subsequently became carers of their grandson when their daughter was unable to look after him. We’ve always got on very well and A adores L – the grandson (it’s mutual). He was taken ill last summer and has since undergone extensive surgery to try and sort him out. It was touch and go for a while but he pulled through and is finally home. It was great to see him although a little shocking as he’s lost so much weight and looks very frail (to quote A who was with me when I saw him). 

Second: bacon roll breakfast with two of my favourite people – Mrs F and Mrs L. Was feeling fragile after my bad headache yesterday so this morning was just what I needed to get me feeling human again. Always laugh with these ladies and it was super lovely. 

Third: T coming home and scoffing a scone followed by a good dinner. Pain from braces has subsided considerably and he’s looking back to his usual chilled out self. 

Fourth: A is leaving brownies tomorrow. She’s very sad to be leaving and will miss it terribly. She’s determined to keep in touch with them and brown owl has promised she can go back to help make cakes at Christmas. In honour of the occasion she has written a poem which she wants to read out to them. I will share it tomorrow. It made me smile! 

Fifth but by no means the least important: I texted my brother to try and arrange to see them over Easter and he replied that he is feeling much better and almost back to normal after his colitis flare-up. Such great news and I really hope to see him next weekend. 

Not bad going for just another normal day. 

Day 153

I have days when I think I should never have got out of bed. I’m sure I’m not alone, but when you’re smack bang in the middle of one it really feels like you’re alone in your pain. 

T woke up very unhappy with pain in his jaw from his new braces. Had to be encouraged to go to school dosed up with paracetamol. 

I was leaving the house to take A to schoo and for some reason (known only to himself) K was loitering around and was outside as we were leaving. Somehow his spidey senses alerted him to a hitherto unseen (by him or me!) dent in the car. Oh lordy. Not happy. I was permitted to go eventually but he continued to badger me about it for the rest of the day. Where has I been? Where has I parked? Did the car park have CCTV? Updates on quotes from different debt people. Can I send him pictures? 

Work was ok but during the course of the morning a lack-of-fresh-air-and-bright-sun-through-the-blind induced head ache raised its ugly head and didn’t go. When I left to go home I subsequently forgot to shut the window by my desk (behind the blind. Would anyone notice? Better text and let them know). Then realised I’d also forgotten the tin of soup I’d bought for T for dinner to help with the toothy pain situation. Great! 

My plan to collect K on way home, then collect A, then collect T and go to the carpet shop to see carpet man about (funnily enough) carpet, was horribly aborted when, whilst waiting at the lights to leave the village, K asked what time the shopping was coming? Err, now. Crap. A and I jumped out and walked home leaving a rather narked K to go and collect T and see carpet man alone. This in itself doesn’t sound like a huge ask but apparently it was. 

Cancelled plans to see old friend thanks to headache. 

Attempted homework with A – maths – what was I thinking?! 

Do I need to go on?! Oh yes T remembers at 8.30pm that he’s left his water bottle at the village hall after Tae Kwon Do. For some reason this is my problem to solve……at what age do they stop expecting mum to sort all their cock-ups!? 

I have comforted myself with a large mug of tea and a hot cross bun slathered with butter. Happy. (Until I need to pee at 3am and take indigestion tablets…..) 

Day 152

I’ve caught up with current day! 

Nothing much to report – A off school. T had orthodontist for bottom braces to be fitted. G&G came to look after A. Mrs L and J popped round to borrow Wall-E for J to watch whilst recovering from an accident yesterday. It was lovely to see them and hear J’s exciting recount of his head wound! 

In true “happiness hunter” mode I was beginning to wonder if I would have anything else to be glad for, when a text arrived informing me that A will be receiving her “perseverance” pin in assembly on Friday. In a small twist of good fate K has a day off on Friday so we will both be able to go along. Hurrah! 

A seems to be feeling ok tonight so we are on track for back to school tomorrow and fingers crossed for our visit to see Miss T and little miss T on Saturday. 

Day 151

Yesterday carried on the “not very interesting” theme. We managed to get out on the morning to get done shopping done – some special things for two special girls who we are visiting on Saturday. I am getting so much joy from just looking at baby clothes and baby toys and books. I loved it when my two were little and they had some very cute things but everything seems so much lovelier these days! That was a definite happy moment. 

We popped to see G&G after the shops but A began to feel a bit rubbish again so we headed home. Luckily I had time to talk over knitting-gate with grandma and she helped me formulate a plan. She also showed me some “tricks” that my nan – and probably her nan – taught her that will hopefully make things a bit easier! 

Home for dinner (not much for A – she hadn’t got my gene – the one that allows me to carry on eating regardless of how poorly I am!) and Wild Things. It’s basically the “it’s a knockout” of the day and it’s purely ridiculous, but great fun and something that we ALL laugh our heads off at. 

So, yes another relatively mundane day but with lots of little nice bits.