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#SoCS June.17, 2023 – Sight

17 Jun 2023 16 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Socs

Linda’s SoCS prompt…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “sight/site.” Use one, use them both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use them both. Have fun!

When you are in the thick of turmoil, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that this, too, will pass.

Chai And A Chat #241 #ChaiAndAChat

12 Jun 2023 24 Comments

by Ritu in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat

Hello again, Peeps! I am on the home stretch now at school. Term 6 has started. It is both a really fun one and a hectic one, with reports, data, transition for the next year, sports days and all sorts happening. And that is just school Ritu’s busyness. There is Lil Man finishing his A-Levels, and his non-stop cricket. He also turns 18 in a few weeks! Then Lil Princess has her needs, and I really need to write this book three!

But, for now, let’s recap last week! Did you grab your drink?

If we were having chai, I’d start by talking about school, but not necessarily mine. I did pop in, yes, for a morning to get some printing done and to water some of our beds, but other than toil away at the last reports (with my helper… see below) I had plenty of other stuff to keep me busy. I was mum-taxi, as my own kids were back in school. So no lie-ins for me! (But, seriously, who even knows what a lie-in is, once you reach a certain age!) Lil Man had one more exam which he feels went well (yay!) and Lil Princess had a bit of a wobbly start to her term. I think it threw her with me not going in to work when she was in school. Still, we work on the anxieties… and things are calming down, again. I didn’t get to the cinema, or the Society of Authors meeting due to some personal issues, but I still had positive moments to the week.

If we were having chai, I’d not be able to continue if I didn’t mention that book release and updates! So there are a few more reviews, and, fingers crossed, things have been positive so far. We even reached #1 Hot New Release in a category! Did you get a chance to pick your copy up? https://mybook.to/StraightAsAJalebi

If we were having chai, I’d take a moment to let you know it has also been released as a paperback too, now, so if holding a book is more your thing, the above link will take you to the Amazon page where you can order it! 🙂

If we were having chai, I’d say that the official book tour is also starting today via the fantastic ZooLoo’s Book Tours. I will share the daily posts so you can see them, too, as they come about!

If we were having chai, I’d tell you that other than book release stuff, I managed to go and get a pedicure. I think it was my first in a couple of years! See, I do tty and get that self-care in!

If we were having chai, I’d say that the weather has turned to scorching temperatures now, and we had a weekend of high heat. Lil Princess and I chilled in the garden on Saturday, while the lads were at cricket!

If we were having chai, I’d say that the rest of the week was hectic, for various reasons, but I tried my hardest to relax, as well, even though it doesn’t seem like it. I cooked more, which I always enjoy. Then one evening, the lock in the main bathroom broke! It got stuck, locked. Thankfully no one was inside! It’s the one Lil Princess uses, and changes to routine can really affect her negatively, so we needed to get that opened as soon as possible! I managed to find a reasonable locksmith who came the next day and opened the door, and disabled the lock. Again, he’s another tradesperson to look at the way things were done by the previous owner and shake his head in disbelief! He was back on the weekend to install a new handle and lock, so we are all good again!
If we were having chai, I would mention that. I have been reading, as usual, and I got lovely book mail from Amanda Prowse, with an arc of her soon-to-be-released All Good Things. It is fab! And Mandy will be joining me for a Book and a Brew nearer the release date, too!

If we were having chai, I would update you on Sonu Singh. He’s getting a double mention this week! He’s sat with me at report writing time, in the conservatory as I eat breakfast and dinner, and even when I read. I guess I am rubbing off on him!

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This week, I am back to school too. It is busy, with several meetings during the day, a member of staff with a complex health issue, meaning we will be short-staffed half of the week, every week for a while, and we have two late evening training/meetings. Lil Man has two exams this week. It is also Father’s Day on Sunday, so I need to get prepared for that, too! Oh, and as I mentioned before, the book tour starts today, too!

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!

Spidey’s Serene Sunday #431 Over/Underwhelm

11 Jun 2023 25 Comments

by Ritu in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Overwhelm, Spiderman, Spidey's Serene Sunday, Underwhelm

Thanks, Spidey, for something that really hit hard.

Yesterday I said something to myself.

“I don’t know why, but right now, I feel overwhelmingly underwhelmed.”

Is it a sign of stress and burnout?

Quite possibly.

I know I have had a two-week break from school. However, my school-work hasn’t stopped. I was writing reports and doing admin for next year. So, no, I didn’t totally switch off. And there is the data that needs to be submitted in three weeks…

I had the book launch last week, involving a lot of being online and available for long periods of time, which can be tiring. And that is ongoing, as the book tour starts tomorrow, and I still need to be promoting, too.

And there is home stuff which means I feel like I am on tenterhooks all the time. I feel like I am on call 24/7, just in case. As a result, I sleep very lightly and wake at the slightest noise, but then I go through this cycle when I am so tired that I sleep the sleep of the dead for a few days.

This is coupled with that old cherry – Perimenopause.

Oh, and you know all the joint aches and pains I have mentioned since 2019? Well, the GP reckons it is something musculoskeletal. Quite possibly fibromyalgia. Also could explain the sudden bouts of tiredness.

I do try to nourish my underwhelmed soul. I managed to get a pedicure this week, and though moments have been snatched, I have chilled in the garden and read a book or two. However, maybe I need to do more?

Today is the last day of my break before an extremely manic term 6 starts. I will try to stay as chilled as I can so I am able to function. It won’t be easy, but I know, more than anyone, that you can’t pour from an empty cup, and my cup seems to be pouring quite a lot. I must refill as much as possible, too.

So, Peeps, have you ever felt this? 😊

#SoCS June.10, 2023 – Filled

10 Jun 2023 11 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Socs

Linda’s SoCS prompt…

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “the last thing you filled.” Think about the last thing you filled, or the contents you filled it with, and use one or both of those things as your prompt. Enjoy!

I think I’m rather glad I didn’t rewrite and schedule this week, as I have done a lot of filling today!

It is extremely warm in the UK today. The temperatures hitting 28℃ where I am right now.

As soon as the news started reporting the heat for the weekend, Lil Princess was ready for a pool…

Well, we don’t have a proper one. The neighbours do; lucky them!

So I pulled out the extra large paddling pool we have. It isn’t a kiddie one per se, but one where four adults can sit in, and you have to inflate it with air.

So, I filled the air, then set the hosepipe to begin the lengthy task of filling it up with water while I dropped Lil Man at today’s match.

Once I arrived back, I filled the kettle to add some warm water to it, too.

Then I noticed there was a puncture! Lil Princess and I managed to gaffer tape it up for now, but I have found a second section with a hole, too, so this might be the last outing for this one…

This afternoon, we chilled in the sun, and she enjoyed lying in the water, too. I am boiling. I’ve come inside for a cool-down break!

Right. Off to go and enjoy some more good weather! See you on the other side!