But I Smile Anyway…

Good morning, Peeps. It’s a Bank Holiday Monday here, so I am not rushing off to work this morning, but quite possibly rushing around doing other things.

You ready with your drink?

• If we were having chai I’d probably sit down and scratch my head, before trying to work out what went on, last week. I know it was busy, but days are blurring into one, if you know what I mean?
• If we were having chai I’d start by mentioning the house tidy. Yes, that is still going. I clear areas up, and end up with boxes packed that need transporting to the in-laws’ home, things we need, but not right now, so they can be homed somewhere else for now. The tiling is coming along nicely in the gutted downstairs shower, too. I believe we have a team coming this week to start rendering the porch as it was never completed when we had it built, and then painting the outside of the house. I still have two cupboards to destroy, but they’ll take a bit more time.
• If we were having chai I’d have to say that there was drama on the Monday night, though! Our boiler is a little old and temperamental, and it decided it didn’t like it when the new radiator pipes were set, so when I went to wash dishes, there was no hot water. This meant no showers for the kids, and we couldn’t reset the water pressure. The plumber came over, happily, and tried to no avail, which meant an emergency stop over at the in-laws, for the night. Thankfully it was sorted by the team the next day, but when you’re already a little stressed with the work going on, this was not a welcome addition to our our catalogue of issues!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that we had our socially distanced family dentist appointment on the Monday, too, and thankfully, all three of us (not Hubby Dearest, he doesn’t come with us!) have been brushing well, so that’s a relief! Even had my eyebrows done, and they feel so good after all this time! And I got their school shoes too. I think uniform is all done. If it isn’t I’ll have to sort it out as and when.
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that school opening for the children is imminent! I was in on Tuesday for a couple of hours, after having to attend a webinar at 8.30am (at my in-laws, where we’d had the emergency sleepover). A bit of paperwork, and planning done, I came home and intended to rest up on the Wednesday, ready for INSET days on Thursday and Friday, and the official beginning of my new Senior Leadership Team role, as Early Years Phase Leader. The two training days went as well as they could, with me ending up with one staff member going on early maternity (don’t blame her, it is too up in the air with COVID-19, I wouldn’t feel comfortable being pregnant, and at school with young children). So now we have a supply for a few weeks, until we find a permanent replacement. I have been making staffing plans, and timetables, and ably assisted by a wonderful team. Thankful I have them, to be honest!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that the weekend was a mixture of resting, as well as some more clearing up, in preparation for the week ahead. But I did rest, as well as read lots. I think I read four books this weekend, alone! I did contemplate writing, but my brain was far too flummoxed for it, so I left it.
• If we were having chai I’d say ‘talking of books, you know mine…?” and then I’d sneakily mention that Marriage Unarranged is on sale until the end of the day Thursday, 3rd September, which also happens to be my birthday… so if you haven’t got it yet, and you are in the US or the UK, it is on Kindle offer at 99p/99c! Grab it while you can! https://getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged

This week, after the Bank Holiday, we will be officially open for school, so I know my time will be taken up with all the stresses, and fun of starting a new school year, and meeting my new class. I look forward to telling you all about it!

I truly hope that the builders are nearly finished with that bathroom, too, by the end of the week…

Finally, I have one of the appointments for my joints, and I go for an MRI scan on Wednesday… wish me luck!

Then Thursday, along with my BIRTHDAY, I have to take Lil Princess to have two teeth extracted, in preparation for the braces she will be having fitted…

Oh, and while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Let me just sit back, and put up my aching feet… It’s been another manic one, Peeps!

You ready with your drink?

• If we were having chai I’d remind you that this week, I had planned to be on a mission. Mission Clear Out. And I am happy to report that I have been extremely productive in that respect. As of now, both kids rooms now only have their beds, desk, a hanging rail for clothes, and a set of plastic drawers, for bits and bobs. Should make life easier when moving furniture to paint! The living room is down a couple of bookshelves, and sans CDs, with the consoles not used anymore all packed up, ready to sell. The side board is being emptied, precious dishes wrapped and packed intp boxes. The upstairs bathroom is being prepped for some extra tiles, and regrouting in the existing ones. The downstairs one has been totally ripped out. The builders exposed a leak which has been sorted out. We haave people coming to sort out a guttering issue, quotes rolling in for painters for internal, as well as external walls. The kitchen will be Marie Kondoed again, soon, so what we have is only what we use and need, not what we were gifted because everyone thought we would be using certain things. The next big job is our bedroom, which has become the place to hoard things. I’ve moved a lot of stuff, but there is still plenty to do, which I hope to achieve this week. And the Skip has arrived. So that is two large wardrobes, three book shelves, a small chest of drawers, so far, that I have demolished, ane one shelf that landed on my foot! OUCH! But, I’m okay, don’t worry!

• If we were having chai I’d mention sullenly, that my writing has taken a hit, because of sasid activity around the house. I managed to add 1.2K to the manuscript, and wrote, published/scheduled several blog posts. I did manage to read, though, and got to the end of my ARC list for now, so I am working on the paperbacks by my bedside… (Once read, I can decide if they are worth keeping or passing on – less to pack!)
• f we were having chai I’d tell you that the local Age Concern charity shop has benefitted from two cars full of donations, and there are more to come! Seriously, where did all this stuff come from????
• If we were having chai I’d ask you to cast your mind back a few weeks, when I finished term, and was disappointed because I couldn’t set up my classroom, due to the flooring being done. Well, I got a message on Wednesday to say that the guy who was meant to be doing it, got caught up in the quarantine thing, and so they’ve had to reschedule… Which means I managed to get in to set the furniture up, at least, but also means that I will have to dismantle everything again come October, when they have been rebooked!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I am really tired. I’m not sleeping well, knowing that we have so much to do, but also thinking about getting back to school. I am having a few more soaks than usual, to ease my aching body, after days of hefting boxes around. The thought of everything looking sparkly-new is what is keeping me going, though! And the possibility that we could be selling up, and in our forever home sooner rather than later! (I’m dreaming of office spaces/libraries, and a lovely kitchen!)
• If we were having chai I’d say that this week has been a week filled with reflections. That Marie Kondo has something, you know. I am so sentimental, and I keep a LOT of stuff that I never look at, but they are things that, when seen, trigger memories. I have had to think long and hard about whether they are really worth keeping, if the memory is in my head, anyway? It has helped me to let go of a lot of ‘stuff’ that I am keeping for the wrong reasons, and also, my thinking has spurred both my mums on, to start their own sort outs, too! It’s quite freeing, you know!

This week, that dentist appointment that we were meant to have? Got cancelled, so we are going today. They time to school shoe shop… give me strength!

More charity shop drop offs, too, as well as more clearing out to do.

I also am officially back in school come Thursday, so life is gettinng back to some sort of normality…

Oh, and while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!