a glorious long weekend

I enjoyed a long weekend… Glasgow Fair Monday, a very local holiday that my employer honours. I like to get up early even on weekends, to maximise the time I have to have a good time. Early is of course relative but it is 7 am for me, just a smidgen later than on work days, when I wake up at 6:45 am. Without the commute, I can be at my desk showered, dressed and caffeinated (and up to date with the news) by 7:40. I usually wake up before the alarm, so must reach my natural sleep duration. 

The weather has been pure glorious lately!

I like my Saturday routine. Dog walk with my friend and our four dogs, volunteering until my muscles ache, put my feet up for a bit after removing the heavy walking boots, then coffee, maybe a few chores, dinner and an episode of something or other. Iris is now joining me for volunteering most Saturdays but I have more stamina and stay for the full session (10:30 am to 2 pm). Just now, we are tackling the Himalayan Balsam in Dawsholm Park. There is so much of it… too much for neat hand pulling. We use scythes, very efficient, although the result is not pretty for a week or so. My scything skills are excellent, I get into the swing (no pun intended) of it and only take a break to sharpen the blade. It is very therapeutic and excellent exercise, too. I reckon we have another two or three weeks before it goes to seed, then that battle is over for another year. The goal is to reduce seed production by as much as possible and over three years or so, the native flora returns. 

I also like my Sunday morning routine, coffee in bed, run, dog walk and some light chores. Having said that, my hip is aching too much for running at the moment. I took Frankie for a long training walk, just him so I could focus on trainig. I can’t quite make sense of his progress, some days are good, others terrible. Jack went out with Richard. He (the dog) loves to swim and this is what he got to do. I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing a pattern for a dress, the Tilly and the Buttons Mabel dress, then cut the fabric and sew the dress. The dress is playful with shirring and I used a pink and orange Seersucker cotton fabric. I finished at about 9 pm but then noticed on the front skirt panel was inside out… with the shirring elastic showing. At this point I may have used some expletives. I decided to leave it for another day. 

On Monday I got up early to get ready for a walk with my friend Jo and Frankie. We decided to bring our swimming stuff, too. We drove to Drymen, parked and walked up Conic Hill. This is a favourite of mine, not too long and terribly strenuous but enough to get your heart rate up. Particularly if chatting all the way up. We enjoyed a snack and iced coffee at the top. Frankie was on his best behaviour, which was a relief. We descended before it got too busy. We then walked along Loch Lomond to a pebbly beach and to go for a swim, to cool our feet and rinse of the sweat. I talked Frankie into joining me but he was not keen and I ended up floating with a dog on my shoulder. It was so very refreshing and if it wasn’t for Frankie, I would have floated much longer. Alas, he wanted to get back to shore and roll on the pebbles. Again, we were in and out before the crowds. Don’t get me wrong, everybody should enjoy the great outdoors and I am not asking for a private beach or mountain but it is just more enjoyable if it is not too busy. This was actually the first time ever that I swam in Loch Lomond. Not the last time, if we get more good weather. After returning home, I unpicked the bodice from my dress (wishing I had checked everything before overlocking the seams). The I unpicked the side seams. It took a while but I finished the dress in the evening.

Not a minute wasted of my days off! I felt very relaxed by the time I went to bed on Monday.  

Now of course I am back at work, but wearing a nice new dress and feeling quite upbeat because my colleague is back from maternity leave and our new project manager has already made a huge difference to my workload. All good.

Thanks for visiting 😊