Have had a busy week this week and charging around a lot doing things and I find whenever I do this, I start to sleep badly and wake up in the middle of the night with a panic attack. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to overdoing stuff and nobody to blame but myself for getting stressed. So why do I do it? Well, you tell me and then we will both know....
Anyway, have come to some decisions about what I will be doing from now on and how to pace myself and sort out my priorities. I am, of course, concentrating on being a grandmother and when I was in London last week sat down with my daughter and diary and sorted out dates for the coming months when I will be needed after she returns to work. It will be difficult and after the closeness and intensity of those first few months, which feeling can never be replicated, it is now back to the world of lecturing, setting papers, researching and timetabling etc and I found on my return to work after my children were born, I no longer viewed it as important any more, my focus had changed.
So I, and Helen's mother in law, are going to help out as much as we can on the days when there is no childcare arranged and I know that my lovely daughter feels secure and safe knowing that we will be there. This is now my main priority, to make sure that she and her husband and Florence are well looked after and supported. Other things have to fall by the wayside I am afraid, not blogging I hasten to add I love that too much, but something else I was involved in which I am sad to lose, but realise I am not Superwoman and cannot do everything I would like. Out of all the things that matter in the world, family is the most important.
I am having a quiet day today while I mull things over and last night, with decisions taken, I slept much better and feel refreshed today. I still have the living room to paint which I am going to start tomorrow and will take my time in so doing, there is no deadline so Elaine No Need to Rush. Went out for a walk this morning and took a plastic bag with me and went blackberrying in the woods behind my flat. It had been raining and water was dripping off the trees and bushes and the earth had that lovely fresh smell which you get after rainfall and I came back with a bagful of berries. Loads more coming through as well and nobody seems to pick them at all and I cannot bear to see them go to waste.
Home made leek and potato soup for lunch, bijou snoozette afterwards, writing this now and next up on my idle agenda today is a cup of tea and then on the sofa to listen to the afternoon Prom concert from the Albert Hall. It is a Rodgers and Hammerstein special conducted by the same guy who did the musicals prom last year and which was such a massive hit the BBC have shown it three times since - this is being recorded and will be broadcast next weekend so I must set my little black box and make sure it is there for all posterior....
Discovered that I liked the series Lewis - did not watch them at first as I was never a Morse fan but watched them by accident when they screened some during the World Cup just in case you didn't want to watch Uzbekistan v Kurdistan and I became hooked on them. I think they are brilliantly done and Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox have a great rapport on screen and have now watched Series 1 and 2 with others on the way. NCIS Series Six also out on DVD now and 24 Series Six also due, but am going to hold off buying these until the nights are darker and I know I have something to save up for those afternoons when the curtains are drawn and the lights are on.
OK I am off to the sofa so back soon
Au reservoir everyone
LATER - have just finished listening to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Prom. Simply WONDERFUL. Instant cure for the miseries or if you are feeling down. Glad my neighbours are away as I sang along with everything and managed to hit the top note at the end of Climb Every Mountain. It is being shown on TV next weekend and all I can say is DON'T MISS IT.
