Feeling a Little Overwhelmed W/E 30th March 2024

The week began with my working again on Sunday afternoon. I had a couple of extra shifts this week in the lead up to Easter. I don't mind this, as the opportunity to earn a little extra is welcome, but there is quite a lot going on at home right now, what with LB coming home for a couple of weeks for her Easter holidays and with the garden renovation, etc.

If I'm honest, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed for a while, by the amount of stuff that we need to do in the next few weeks. I also feel the need to do a bit of a spring clean in the house too, but maybe it's better to wait until the majority of the garden work has been done, as we'll be traipsing in mud and carrying debris through the house for the next couple of weeks at least.

I guess I just need to be realistic with regard to what I can achieve on a daily basis and not stress over it. Baby steps will have to do for the moment. It will all get done eventually.

Work was okay today. Very busy on the job I was doing, so it passed quickly. In the evening, OH and I continued to watch a new series on Netflix called The Three Body Problem. It's a bit weird, but good and very well made.

I woke on Monday after a good night's sleep, which I was grateful for. I had a leisurely morning getting up and pottering, catching up on jobs and my finances, etc. I needed to wait for LB to come home, as I was heading out of town shopping and she wanted to come with me. I made good use of the time, and also got to try out my new hand weights, that I'd bought at the Tip shop. They are quite heavy, but I need to progress to heavier weights, even if I can't do as many reps.

LB came home around midday and soon after we headed out. We had a nice afternoon out shopping, just spending time together and catching up really.

On Tuesday, after not sleeping well, I needed to be up to walk the dog, as OH was cycling. I needed to get out early, as my class at the gym started at 11.15am and it can take up to two hours to walk the dog, now she is older and slower. We made it back by 10.30am, so I had half an hour to catch up on a few chores and then headed out to my class. I went up in weight with my weights today in an attempt to progress. It wasn't too bad.

I was working on Tuesday night. It was reasonably quiet at work, thankfully, although it did seem to pass a little slower as a consequence, but was largely stress free.

On Wednesday morning, I got the chance to have a lie in, as it was OH's turn to walk the dog. After not sleeping well on Monday night, a good night's sleep and a lie in were very welcome. Once up, LB and I started looking for a dress for her for the upcoming family wedding. It will be good to get that done in the window of opportunity that constitutes the Easter holidays, as it is more difficult to collaborate, when she goes back to University.

I then booked myself into the gym for a session, which I enjoyed. With no extra free classes and gym sessions for the next 4 weeks, I'll be going to the gym more often. Now the weather is picking up, I may even attempt to start running. OH has booked me into a free local 5k run in May, so I need to at least give it a go with that in mind. If I don't end up participating in the race, it's no big deal. I'm not sure I'll be ready to participate so soon.

I was working again on Wednesday night. I found out that my pay rate at work is going up by over £1 per hour very soon, which is good news.

On Thursday, I had a day off. I got up slowly and enjoyed pottering around at home. I decided to sort through some stored summer clothing and tried most of the items on to see which things fitted well and which things were now too big and needed to be donated. I'm still finding it hard to part with a few favourite items from when I was bigger and I did keep some of them. I did put aside quite a few to be donated though and there were a few old pairs of jersey leggings and a t-shirt that I ended up cutting up for dish cloths, as they were not suitable to donate.

A few items that straddle seasons were put in the wardrobe. This included some very nice old favourites that I haven't been able to wear for years. I am really looking forward to wearing these again. Some of the very summery items I returned to storage for the time being, until I can safely put away my winter woolies and have more room in the wardrobe. 

Later, in the afternoon, OH and I ventured to Wickes, (DIY store) to check out some fence panels for the garden renovation. OH is going to order them to be delivered, along with some wood, as he is going to build the fence along one side of the garden himself. We still need to dispose of the debris from the old fences, but we couldn't get booked into the Tip until Easter Sunday. I'm looking forward to finally clearing it all out of the garden then.

In the evening, I picked up a book that I'd part read, that had been sat beside my bed for months and finally managed to finish it. This felt very satisfying. I will be donating it, as it wasn't a keeper. I still have another 3 part-read books to finish. Hopefully, I'll get around to finishing them sooner rather than later, as I have a large stash of unread books to work my way through.

On Good Friday, OH was attending a cycling event all day, so I dropped him off in the morning, so that I could keep the car to go to work later. On the way back, I stopped off and walked the dog. It was lovely and quiet early on, as lots of people up and leave London for the weekend, or have a lie in on a Bank Holiday. London at it's best. By the time we got home, people were starting to come out and it was getting much busier.

Later, after lunch, I decided it was a good day to start the Couch to 5K app on my phone. Mainly because I didn't have time to go to the gym as I was working at 4pm and also because of it being a Bank Holiday weekend. I figured I could do a run on Friday, another on Monday and then maybe one on Wednesday if the weather is okay. 

The first run was hard. My legs felt like lead weights. I must look a real sight, but I did it. I'm hoping it gets easier. I figured out a good route to use for these runs though, so that was a good start. I have to say that the app is really good and really coaxes you through it, giving encouragement along the way. The first week is running for 60 seconds, walking for 90 seconds repeatedly, so a nice gentle start. I struggle when the running time increases. I'll just have to see what happens this time around.

When I got back from the run, I had half an hour to recover and then it was time to get a shower and get ready for work. I used the time to do a bit of financial month end stuff, which was another item off the to do list. 

Work on Good Friday was very busy. I was back working on my favourite section, recovering the section at the end of a very busy day. It was tiring, but the time passed very quickly and I enjoyed it. I didn't realise that the shop shut an hour earlier, so that was a nice surprise and I was home a bit earlier.

On Saturday, OH was cycling again, so I took the dog out in the morning. It really felt like a Sunday today. Once OH got back, we all spent the day at home. LB spent the afternoon making a bag from an old favourite pair of jeans that no longer fitted her, using my sewing machine, whilst OH and I took turns to nap on the sofa. I made some homemade dog food, as the dog has been a bit picky lately and always enjoys eating it.

Later, we ended the week with a takeaway for supper, which is a rare treat in our household and I did a bit of work on my hexi star quilt project. I have just 15 more diamonds to make and then I've completed all the blocks. I've also now got to the point where I need more plain navy fabric, so I will need to head out to my favourite fabric shops to find some that matches what I've been using as well as possible. It will make a nice little outing once LB goes back to Uni next week.

I hope you are all enjoying your Easter weekend and send you my best wishes for a very Happy Easter.