Things Have Been A Bit Quiet Around Here

I've been a bit quiet on the old blogging front lately.  Not for any particular reason, but there's not been an awful lot happening around here.

On Monday LB and I did some more uniform shopping and I almost have everything that she needs, save for underwear and socks.  I'll probably buy these nearer the time for starting back.

I'm still working my two days at the CS.  The manager has been away this week, so there has been a slightly different atmosphere, but things seem to be ticking over pretty well and the intern who has been left in charge of the shop seems to be doing a really good job, which is nice to see.  He's really gained in confidence and ability over the time he's been there.  It's interesting to see the change in the interns, from when they start to when they leave, it must be quite a steep learning curve for them at times.

I am finding that during the school holidays, I do feel a little guilty that I'm not at home with LB and doing things with her on the two days per week.  I guess that's just because it's always been like that and if I was working (i.e. paid work) I'd probably feel the same.  I don't feel like I can easily just withdraw my voluntary labour for six or seven weeks though, so I have continued going in.

On the days I'm not there, I try to go out and about and spend time with LB, as she does get a little bored at home with her dad, whilst he is working from home,  He does take her out with him on appointments and to walk the dog, but even so, she finds that days can be a little long.

This week she has spent most of the time having a big purge of her bedroom.  There is now a huge pile of stuff outside her bedroom door, waiting for me to relocate it to the Give And Take pile.  I'm pleased she's made good use of her time and is finding it easier to let go of things. Sometimes, I think a bit of boredom is good for you, as it does help to make you more self motivated and resourceful.

Tomorrow, I'm not at the shop, so I can spend more time with her.  I do have a blood donation booked, however, so I'll probably take her with me and we can do a bit of window shopping, as neither of us have much money to spend.  I might even suggest we go on our bikes and get a bit of exercise into the bargain.

Talking of bikes, I've decided to ride my bike to the train station on the days when I travel to the shop, as I hate the walk to and from the station. It takes far too long and is tiring when my feet ache after a day at the shop and still need to take the dog for a walk when I get in.  Sitting on the bike and pedalling is much more enjoyable.  I tried it for the first time today and dug out my old clunky bike, which was still in the garden. I didn't want to leave my newer bike locked up all day, in case it got stolen in my absence.

It worked quite well, save that I went to a different train station and didn't enjoy the experience of catching the train from there, so I will be going from my usual station next week.  It should mean that I can set off a little later and get home a little earlier, all being well, and get a bit more exercise in the process.  I just have to be a bit careful in the traffic.

On Friday this week, I have a free day, save for having booked LB in for an eye test in the late afternoon.  She's lost one pair of glasses and broken another and needs a new pair to go back to school with.  We may spend the earlier part of the day doing something that she specifically wants to do.

In other news, I got an email from the allotment secretary yesterday and she noted that I'd made a real effort to clear my plot and encouraged me to carry on.  I have until the end of the month to get it up to scratch, which I'm hoping to do, in spite of not having a lot of opportunity at the moment.  She said that there is someone interested in a plot on our site, so I'm hoping that I might be able to secure a swap for a smaller plot after all.  I'll keep you posted.

The garden is still producing.  The corn are very near being ready to harvest, but I might leave them another week or so, to make sure the kernels are fully ripe.  I'm harvesting dwarf beans every week and a few tomatoes are now ripening.  The lettuce is still edible and should hopefully last me at least another week.  I've now also transplanted some kale seedlings into the salad bed, so it will be interesting to see how they fare.

I'm going to harvest the measly four apples that have grown on our tree in the garden very soon. We had to cut off some of the main branches this year, as they had been suffering from some sort of fungal growth, but I think we've managed to cut it out and hopefully save the tree. If not, these might be the last four apples we grow on it.

That's about all the news here really, as not much else is happening.  We've been glued to the Olympic cycling for the past few days and have really enjoyed watching it.  What have you been up to?