Wednesday, 19 August 2015

Week In The Life: Tuesday

Tuesday: Thoughts & Feelings.
Thoughts: Up at 6:30am to blog and have a chill before the long day begins.
Feelings: Sad, both boys are going to be away from the house. Anxiety, a long day and a visit from the store director on Thursday. Tired, day 6 working, supposed to be a day off. Worried about my payroll error which has led to me working. Warmth, towards this Week In The Life project and Ali Edwards for her inspiration.
 Thoughts: How much longer for this journey. Stopping for a break at Taunton Deane Southbound Services.
Feelings: Exhausted, wanting to sleep, having to drive. I have for the past two years been unable to drive for longer than an hour and a half without needing a nap  
 Thoughts: Avocado and red pepper sandwich eaten on my knee, there is a definite theme of me eating on the go this week. 
Feelings: I had forgotten how good these sandwiches are, must put them into my lunch planning more often. 
Thoughts: Work tools. I am going in as we have a huge delivery and promotion change, so tools out, my case cutter and gloves (to try and protect my hands).
Feelings: Pleased to get on with it, tinged with irritation that it is a beautiful, beautiful day and I am indoors.
Thoughts: Good to be outside.
Feelings: Heart swell at the sky and glad I picked this time to pop over the bridge to get my car (we can only park outside my shop after 6pm and saves me ten minutes at the end of the night).

Thoughts: It is 00:45. Finally leaving the shop.
Feelings: It is 00:45!!! I can't wait to drive home for half an hour now  

Week In The Life: Monday

Week In TheLife: Monday
 Early morning. He just now caught me editing the photos and gave me some jip for taking photos of him asleep. I'm sorry/so not sorry, these are the photos that will fill my heart when they move along out of my daily world.
Good Morning Minty, are you under that furry forehead?
 I love the whirls on the window pane.
Measuring out my muesli. I underestimated how long it was going to take me to get up, get to the gym and get ready by like oh, an hour. So you will see me eating it from a less attractive dish in a minute.
 On the way to the gym. a beautiful bright morning.
 Mending the swimming pool and gym roof. I enjoyed my new 30-20-10 routine, quick, painful and invigorating.
The sun is well and truly up now. I stop and drop my gym stuff on the pavement as I take the photo, now in a mild panic that I am going to truly be late. 
I always feel rush of comfort when I see my home sign. I don't always love our house (always so much to do to maintain it and improve it and never enough time or energy) but I really love the home within.
Toys bursting out of everywhere, I will sorely miss that when he goes to his Dad this week. Roll on our summer holiday next week and me picking him up on Saturday. 
 The estuary view from my bus commute. Not very glamorous, but immensely peaceful, I have talked before on my blog how much I weirdly love the bus journey and it doesn't get old. I love seeing my home county from up on high, the seasons changing, the crazy bus folk (I try to never catch the 8pm saturday night bus!), the familiar bus folk, the podcasts I listen to, the tv I watch that I download. 
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I ended up eating the muesli dry from a tupperware with an apple for moisture. Still good, but missed my normal smoothie.
 My cave of an office. Monday is paperwork day, checking all audit compliance (so interesting :)) and planning the week.
Chicken salad. Thank you Mum, delicious.
 Calling Ali in from the park. My heart is happy he can play out here in such beautiful surroundings.
 Scruffy love for this boy, and so happy that he came running to see me. How much longer? Forever please.
 Elephant Hill aka Hillsborough in the evening sun.
 That light is everything.
 My very own Loons, heart full and happy looking at them.
Grockle watching :) Lovely to see them liven up the town.
Loving the red, white and blue lights.
Calm and lovely.
 A photo of me, just as I like them, no discerning features to see at all :)
Ice-cream, salted caramel for the girls, Mint Choc Chip and Chocolate for Ali.
Love this day.
Tomorrow is going to be hard. This will lift me up.




Tuesday, 28 July 2015

Day In The Life Part 1


A few weeks ago Ali Edwards invited us to join in with her to record A Day In The Life. She has done this for many years and I have always loved seeing her posts and how she has recorded the days in her scrapbook documents.
I have tried it before and loved the process and this time I was determined to capture as much as I could and also +get it in the scrapbook+

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Anyway, Day In The Life: Tuesday May 12th 2015
Alarm 04:00-Lights Out 22:00

04:15 | Getting ready, eyes looking tired.

04:15 | My favourite make-up, The Body Shop in the main. I haven't got a "get rid of tired eyes" magic wand though sadly. 

04:25 | My reminders: I get so involved in work that I knew I would forget to take any photos. I set the reminder alarms to really loud and really annoying, much to the amusement of my colleagues.

04:25 | My Breakfast Smoothie: One banana from the bowl, I don't like it too cold so I don't freeze them first or use any ice, 1/4 cup oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp agave or honey, 250ml of almond or coconut milk, sometimes a tbsp of cocoa powder. Blitz. I don't blitz at 04:25, I think my family would be a tad mad. I do it the night before and leave in fridge. It doesn't look too good in that light does it  But it does taste delicious I will eat it on the journey I am taking later to a meeting.

04:36 | My iPhone home screen. I made the background in Rhonna Farrer's Design app.


05:02 | At work, the threshold from Colleague Room to Warehouse. Exciting   
I am in early to do my periodical cash checks where I physically check that all the money I am accountable for is where it should be and that there is as much as there should be  

07:12 | On our way to another store in Exeter about an hour and a half away, we have a new project starting in a few weeks in our store and we have been buddied with a store that have already been through it. We are going to meet their expert and get some live training on the new system. Danni, my Deputy Manager and Lucy my Admin Assistant is with me. Danni very kindly said she would drive. 
I was already through my 2nd litre of water by 08:02. This has been a great new habit.

11:22 | Walking through Princesshay in Exeter with glimpses of the beautiful Cathedral.

14:12 | Back at work for a bit as a minor drama was unfolding while we were away and we thought one of us might have to stay for the whole evening shift as well. One of my step-up team came to the rescue thank goodness. 
The view from the bridge I walk across to where we park (the store is in the high street). I don't mind the walk on lovely days like this!

14:12 | One foot in front of the other, I was beginning to feel quite tired.

14:17 | One more job before leaving Barnstaple. Collecting paving slabs and sand for my patio project. You can see more about that here.

15:05 | I headed straight to bed for a power nap. I was back awake and up by 15:35 ready to see the boys and Lauren home from school and college. Everyone is eating their own thing tonight as we are all doing different things. 

16:01 | I arrive at the pool and gym.

16:02 | The blossom is just past it's best, but still gorgeous and the petal fall made the grass look so pretty.

16:03 | Such a beautiful day. This is the pool, it has amazing views over the sea. Well from what I can remember, I duck straight into the pool from the changing rooms now as I am overweight. Back when I was a skinny teenager though, I remember sitting in those lovely bay windows at gala's and lesson's and fun sessions looking at the view when we were taking a break. 

16:43 | Finishing my 3 mile treadmill run.

16:43 | Sweaty! My running playlist today: Underworld - Born Slippy, Rihanna-Only Girl In The World, Hey Boy Hey Girl - Chemical Brothers, You've Got The Love - Candi Staton, Taylor Swift - Shake It Off, Pizza Guy - Touch Sensitive.

17:15 | A hurried walk down to the Churchyard with Minty. I am beginning to flag now. The sun flare from the Torrs catches my eye though. An attempt to get her to sit still so I can take a photo.

17:30 | Ali practicing his spellings and doing some research for his book project. 

17:45 | Louis making his dinner.


17:45 | I went outside to see the garden. I have loved doing that this year since the new patio went in. 

17:45 | The peony is showing, a few weeks yet though.

17:45 | The new clematis Mum chose.

17:45 | I couldn't resist another photo of the patio  I know it isn't spaced very well, even if I put the photo on an angle, even if you squint, but please remember #betternotperfection.

17:45 | The garden is coming along nicely now. I am looking forward to the delphiniums and lupins.

18:55 | The slow cooker meal was prepped yesterday and Mum put it on for me. I love this thing. I have a big one but no-one really likes all of the food I do so I bought a little one. It's great, makes a meal for now, one for the freezer and a small portion for next day's lunch. Helpful for running lots of shifts and working flexibly. 

19:25 | Vegetable Chilli & Rice. And no, I wouldn't have arranged it so artfully if it was not going to be included here, and I doubt I would have garnished it either, but you know what, it was all the better for it. 

19:25 | I ate on my own and updated my planner for the next few days.

20:15 | Blogging as the sun starts to set. I listen to Vaughan William's The Lark Ascending to chill me out. Then a quick warm shower.

21:12 | Bedtime, reading All The Light We Cannot See by Antony Doerr which I love.
22:00 | Lights out in every sense of it.


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Would you fancy tackling the project? Would you find value in it? I'll be honest, it always makes me question my behaviours and habits and I know it has had long term effects on me.

Two months perspective has already made me glad I recorded it. I no longer do traditional project life as the kids don't let me take so many photos so I think this will be a good way to capture routines as a snap shot. 

Thanks for reading  I hope to be able to show you the finished scrapbook in the next few days.