wanting to be a dog

the moon a few days ago

lime and ginger soap

slow cooked onions, just before the went in the oven

oh to be a dog (he likes to burrow under blankets)

It feels like the holidays are a long time gone. It is my third day back at work and I can't wrap my head around it at all. Today's post is a bit random I am afraid.

I am currently fighting an all out battle with our laundry basket. It refuses to be empty. I am convinced I washed the teenagers school shirts twice this past holiday. He was probably too lazy to tidy them away after the first round of washing but he denies all responsibility. The laundry basket has also assumed the role of waste bin. I found batteries, shopping receipts, broken pencils and other assorted crap at the bottom. Not that I see the bottom very often.... it is driving me mad. I am also having a pointless fight with blue Ikea bags that serve as distribution containers of clean clothes for various people around the house. It is hard to miss those bags, they are very blue and very big. I place one on the husband's side of the bed, assuming he would tidy his stuff up but quite often, he just puts it down on the floor. Sam is bolder still: he leaves the bag downstairs and gets fresh clothes each morning straight from the bag. Our laundry basket also breeds socks. Honestly, how many pairs of socks can a person possibly use in any single day? Sam wears three pairs at once when he is working. Apparently it cushions well. At least I won't have to peg them out for much longer, my mum gave us money to replace our dead tumble drier. I did wonder why Richard and my mum were discussing tumble drier properties one evening during the holidays, I somehow missed the essential part of the conversation. I am eternally grateful to my mother. Richard ordered the most energy efficient model we could get for the money, it is A++ rated, which pleases me no end because I feel guilty every time I use the drier.

It is all a bit chaotic in our house and I am not just talking about the general mess that arises from six people sharing a house. Richard is not well, has not been well for months. I miss his optimistic and energetic self. We thought he imported some exotic tropical disease from his latest travels but it appears not to be the case. He has preliminary diagnosis now, and has started medication that should help with the symptoms (but not the cause). In the run-up to Christmas, Sam has been a complete pain in the backside. He was lazy, unpleasant and he takes up a lot of space, too. I think we may have turned a corner but there may be other corners in the distance. This boy-man has mock exams this week and has not studied at all, safe in the knowledge that he already has more university offers than he can accept. No doubt he'll fail the mocks. James is always worrying me. His memory is poor, really poor. He lives in the moment, which may sound like fun but isn't really, especially in situations where he needs to keep himself safe. He has regular outbursts of anger, which is very tiring. James and needs a lot of extra help at school. Getting help is not a problem but it is not tailored to his needs and appears to be based on a trial and error basis rather than an assessment of his needs. We are exploring different avenues at the moment, so we can support him better. I love him to bits.

Work has not been satisfying lately I have been working on developing a new online programme and unfortunately, the start has been deferred until January 2018, then September 2018. This is good in the sense that I have more time to develop a good product but it makes me cross because I was put under so much pressure to launch in September 2017! Who knows, it may never run. It is all down to internal politics. On the positive side, I have had nearly a year now to educate myself whilst being paid a good salary. I shouldn't complain really.

I made a batch of soap - the first in more than a year. I was a bit worried that my fats and oil would be rancid but they were just fine. I keep them cool and dark. I am out of my favourite fragrances and unfortunately have already spent my January craft allowance so will have to wait to order more fragrance oil. I order these in a shop in the Netherlands because it stocks Brambleberry fragrances, which smell true to their name and don't evaporate from the soap in six weeks. I've had some truly awful fragrance oils from British suppliers, Lily of the Valley fragrance for example that smelled like cheap toilet cleaner. The postage from the Netherlands is quite prohibitive, more than the actual fragrances but still cheaper than essential oils. Anyway, I used the last drops of a lime and ginger fragrance, divine. I am a bit rusty, I wanted to make some nice concentric circles but the soap got to thick to squirt with my condiment squirt bottles. I made some swirls with a cocktail stick instead. The soap looks a bit like my Christmas lemon curd pavlova.

I have nearly finished my quilt. Just two more sides of binding to stitch on. I imagine being a seamstress in the distant past must have been very hard on the hand and wrist.

The dog on the other hand is having a fantastic time. Lots of attention, food and love. Oh to be a dog and not to worry.

Have a really nice week. Keep warm and cosy. xx