a perfectly ordinary week

It seems like a long time since I shared news here. There aren't any, just normal pandemic life. 

Annie went back to school this week. Only senior pupils with practical subject returned for now, and only for a half day per subject. I am not sure she really loved it. She did her Covid lateral flow test,  ironed her school shirt with little enthusiasm and trudged off at 8:45 am with even less enthusiasm. James and Alistair did well this week with their home learning. Both were nominated for hot chocolate Friday for outstanding French work. This nomination is probably a reflection of poor engagement with home learning in the school community rather than a hidden talent for French but we take it! 

The hot chocolate ingredients (including marshmallows) were delivered to the door by the head teacher herself. I opened the door expecting an Amazon delivery but found a well turned out woman in high heels on my front steps. Even her mask looked professional. I had just waxed my lady beard and moustache and my face was raw and red... I was wearing fluffy socks over pink tights, a dress caked with an unknown substance and my hair hadn't seen a brush all day. The poor woman probably had nightmares after meeting me. 

I have a guilty little secret. I started watching Lauren Guthrie's Instagram live session on a Friday evening. This is Lauren from Guthrie & Ghani, a fabric shop that I really (really) love. I may never set foot in the shop, it is in Birmingham, which at the moment might as well be on a different planet. I do order most of my garment fabric from G&G, the service is outstanding and the quality of the fabric is always superb. Anyway, the live session is fun, a bit like going shopping with a knowledgeable friend. No doubt this new habit is a good indicator of the level of boredom in my life. Funny thing that, I still find time to be bored. 

I just finished listening to a new book, it had me captivated and in tears more than once. I am not a tearful reader and I was a bit surprised by my strong emotional response. The books is "The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot" by Marianne Cronin. Oh how much I wanted Lenni to live! I didn't know the story was set in Glasgow, and this was a nice surprise. 

I started working on Annie's leaving quilt. It took a while to gather together the fabrics. She chose fabrics from my fat quarter stash but I didn't quite have enough of most. I must have ordered from five different shops to find some of those ancient fabric lines.  Had I read the pattern rather than just looking at the picture, I could have probably squeezed out all the blocks from what I had. Alas, I did not. I cut all the background fabric and some of the coloured fabrics. 

I also patiently taped together a pdf pattern for a linen dress. I rather like taping paper patterns together, indeed much prefer it over tracing from a traditional paper pattern. Delicate pattern paper makes me nervous. I measured myself and discovered that I put some weight on. Not good but entirely self inflicted by not showing any restraint when faced with Annie's excellent baked goods. Did I mention the jam doughnuts she mad a couple of weeks ago? I must address that lack of self control, and soon. 

I am really happy that spring is on its way. There is that special spring scent in the air, a scent promising warmer days and BBQs. It is astonishing how quickly the days lengthen all of a sudden. 

Do you have any exciting plans for next week? I have a vaccine trial appointment, a pinnacle of excitement. Apart from this, it is the usual work-eat-sleep routine that has become so familiar.  Thanks for visiting.