on this last day of 2021

That's Christmas 2021 ticked off. I could happily live without Christmas. I usually find some enthusiasm and and make Christmas cake and whatnot but this year I had to dig deep to find a tiny scrap of enthusiasm. I don't think it was quite enough but in the end, measured against 50 other Christmases, it was ok. Richard cooked a lovely dinner. He always does. We even had a guest. My mother decided to come despite the minefield of international travel regulations and testing requirements. What a faff that was! I missed seeing my brother and his lovely wife, they cancelled their trip but they hope to visit in spring, a beautiful time of year. I'll be sure to book some time off. 

I had forgotten just how much space four children take up in our house. It is good to have all four here of course. If nothing else, their presence demonstrates the veracity of the theory of chaos. I am itching for a good tidy but it is too soon. I don't know how Sam manages to survive on his own, he is like a walking bomb, debris in his wake and a circadian rhythm unlike that of anyone else in the house. Maybe he is following the segmented sleep patterns of the Middle Ages, first sleep and second sleep with a quiet wakeful period in between. 

On a positive note, during his waking hours, Sam likes to spend time with James and Alistair. He is really quite sweet with them and I am certain they get plenty of tips on how to handle their volatile mother. They went to see the new Spiderman movie and shared a bucket of chicken at KFC. Another day they were back in town, going wild at the Lego shop. Alistair got a Lego Technics truck for Christmas, which we built together. Well, I was really just sitting with him to boost his confidence. Alistair also built a remote control robot and is now into all things construction. Hence the trip to the Lego Shop. I suggested to take both apart and rebuild because this is what he enjoys most but once built it is forever I am told. 

Meanwhile I am staying at home doing very little. I only just feel like I am relaxing a little (It is New Year's Eve). I finally finished sewing my Lyra Dress, which I will show you soon, once there is a little more light for photographs. It is very comfortable to wear and has big pockets, a success. 

I am listening to podcasts because I lose track when listening to a book, mind wandering. I found a podcast series about trees. Every single episode is dedicated to a tree. I listened to the pomegranate episode (maybe technically a shrub?). Did you know the pomegranate fruit is a berry? I am also listening to a podcast dedicated to random "ologies". I loved the episode about the hagfish and also the one about pain. They are all a bit long winded and could be abridged but maybe this would make each episode less attractive for the listener. I don't know. My usual podcasts are all doing end of year summaries, which I don't enjoy much because I already listened to all episodes during the year and I really don't care about the presenters favourite stories. I don't want to look back, just forward. 

In other news, my tiny Colombian orchid is flowering. I received it many years ago from someone Richard worked with and who knew I liked orchids. It travelled all the way from Cali with bare roots wrapped in a moist tissue and placed inside a zip bloc bag. The flower is small and delicate, no more than 3 cm from tip to bottom. It fills me with great contentment to see it flower after all those years of being virtually dormant. Best of all? I noticed a second flower stem emerging from the base. It was a good year for my orchids, every single plant produced flowers, two after years of dormancy. 

On this last day of 2021, I went on two long walks. Both with friends, both really enjoyable. Richard cooked another nice dinner. We had Beef Wellington with roast potatoes, purple stem broccoli and green salad. We have no Hogmanay plans, which is unusual because we love a good Hogmanay party. Next year I hope. 

How are you spending the last day of the year? Whatever you choose to do, enjoy it 😊. See you all next year!