Taking Stock

Taking stock ... an overview of life at the end of January 2018.

Making ... good progress on sorting out the rest of the work to be done on the house. I'm pushing for it all to be finished this year, hopefully before the summer break. The windows will be replaced in March and the boiler will be installed next month. Once that work is done I will scheduled the work on the bathrooms, bedroom and living room but I now have a clear idea of how I want it to look so I'm on to the 'choosing' stage!.

Cooking ... not much lately. I've been using up the odds and ends in the freezer (resulting in some 'interesting' meals!) and have been eating out quite a lot. 

Drinking ... lots of water but also too much black coffee.

Reading ... check the list on 'My Bookshelf' page. I've read 14 books so far this year (although the Surviving the Evacuation books were more like short stories). We're in the process of choosing a new reading list for the book group so any recommendations will be very much appreciated.

Wanting ... to find a local choir. The one I was going to is changing to a different weekday when I have other commitments so I'm looking for a different one.

Looking ... forward to my first holiday of the year at Easter. I'm off to Lulworth Cove for a photography holiday.

Playing ... very little really. At band, as well as teaching the beginners, I've been assessing the other children individually so that we can identify skills gaps/problems, which means that I've been doing very little playing myself.

Deciding ... or trying to decide, on changes to my social life. Every time we meet it seems to involve a meal and I want to turn that round if I can. Not only to do with the expense, but I'm trying to lose weight so all this eating out isn't helping.

Wishing ... for good weather this summer. I have lots planned and I'm a 'fair weather' person!

Enjoying ... a couple of trips to the cinema to see 'The Post' and 'The Greatest Showman'. Also a trip to London to see the Harry Potter Exhibition at the British Library which was amazing.

Wondering ... whether the pain in my knee is due to an injury or just an age thing. Some days I can hardly walk and can't support any weight on that leg and other days it's just a background ache. I have a doctor's appointment booked.

Loving ... that my sister had good results at her one year check - no signs of the cancer returning.

Pondering ... changes to teaching next academic year. I'll be keeping my private pupils but at the moment am considering stopping the whole class teaching in schools.

Considering ... taking a course ... don't know what yet.

Watching ... quite a lot of TV. I splashed out on a smart TV and have been making good use of the catch up TV. I'm not too good at watching every episode of a serial when you have to wait a week to see the next part of the story so have been enjoying a few evening of back to back episodes on some of the boxed sets that are available.

Knowing ... that I can't continue with the current arrangements for Nordic walking and feeling rather down about it. I have to get to Malmesbury by 8:30 am which is about a 45 minutes drive when the roads are quiet but at that time in the morning takes well over an hour and it's too a big commitment in terms of time. It's a long way to go for a one hour walk so I'm looking for something closer to home. 

Thinking ... well to be honest, I'm trying to avoid 'thinking' about things too much. I have a tendency to overthink and I'm trying to experience the moment more and to follow my emotions/response to a situation rather than analysing what I 'should' do.