Finally, March

This must have been the longest February yet, so glad to wave it goodbye. The first day of March proves to be as miserable as most of February but there is always hope. There were a few hours of sunshine, or at least bright skies throughout the month but not enough to brighten my spirits.

I bought Jack a new toy, a long red and black snake with squeaky segments. Jack has been trying to kill and eviscerate it for days. So far, the snake is surviving but he is one persistent snake killer. Long toys are his favourite kind because we can play tug of war. We used to get "roadkill fox" at Poundland but unfortunately the shop has closed down. We called it roadkill fox because it was a flat long fox that Jack really really loved. Many times over.

I started knitting a new jumper, the Mailin by Isabelle Kramer. This has been in my Ravelry queue for a long time, years actually. After knitting too many jumpers and cardigans with sock weight yarn, I really needed something that knitted up a bit quicker. I treated myself to Cascade 220 yarn, the shade is Colonial Blue. It is an odd name for yarn, don't you think? Funny detail, it is almost exactly the shade of our little sofa, the one with the blue Tweed cover.

Do you use Bloglovin? I have picked up at least 30 followers lately, all offering dates and more with young s**y girls. I don't know what those people think, is anyone in their right mind actually going to follow them back and find love that way? If only it was possible to block those people.

after a run selfie

My running beginner's group is continuing to be fun. I am still in the slow group but I am good with that, I have no particular goal in mind other than being fit and healthy. I really like my coach. She is very good at motivating me to run up those hills, pumping my arms and all. She is also very keen on us keeping a steady pace. She is really keen for me to join the "big" club, thinks I am ready but I can't quite imagine how I would keep up, or even manage an entire training run. I've seen their training schedules, it is punishing and contains words like "tempo run" and "pace charts" and stuff like that....

Work continues to be challenging. I am developing a new course and I am stuck with the first teaching week, just can't get my head around it and it stresses me out big time. The clock is ticking. We have to deliver teaching material including recordings to our e-learning technologist a minimum of two weeks ahead of time, for editing and transcription. My lectures are turned into something that looks like a fancy website with interactive elements once the e-learning technologist is done with it. It is so much easier to just show up in a lecture theatre and hope for the best with a lecture that was finished minutes earlier....oh those good old days when I was still standing in front of a class.

I have lost my barely adequate parent status this weekend. Several reasons but the main one is that I made the mistake of sorting through the washed and dried laundry pile and making piles for each of us. I thought it would make Annie's chore easier. Alas, not. I made the unforgivable mistake of putting Richard's t-shirt on her pile. I know, how could I. I am not allowed to do the sorting as I had made that same mistake previously. Gosh, she doesn't give second chances.

Alistair needed new school shoes and Astros for football. We went to the closest shopping centre, which I hate but I really hate all shopping unless it is for fabric or yarn, or maybe gardening things. The place was heaving with people, whole multigenerational families enjoying a spot of shopping. Alistair didn't believe me that people go there for fun and not because they need something. I think we are a weird bunch but I really can't imagine every going shopping without actually needing something.

On the whole, the weekend was pleasing. I listened to 8 hours of Stephen King's The Institute while pottering around, cleaning and knitting (and sorting the laundry). My children are rarely interested in talking to me, or play a game. I guess they are growing up fast and this is the way it has to be. I am happy with that and they know where I am if they need me.

How was your weekend?