Thursday 8th January - small changes...

 I'm doing my annual flip through of Dr Rangan Chatterjee's 'Feel better in Five'. At sometime during the year I'll go back to it for a reminder. His premise is that if you sped Five minutes a day on each of three short activities Five days a week, you will feel a lot better. He sets out a mix to choose from, under the heading of mind, body, spirit, an you choose one from each category. 

For spirit, I spend five minutes a day outside, or looking out of the window if it is too cold for me to go out.

For body, I'm doing the five minute daily ballet based exercises - thoracic (upper body) stretches today,  

For mind, I'm reading, writing, and keeping my daily page-day diary going.

I find that a few weeks of this gently sorts out any looming lethargy. Of course the best cure for lethargy is to DO SOMETHING instead of just thinking about it! So yesterday I dusted off the piano and played through a chunk of 'Dozen a Day' exercises. Just about anyone who ever learned the piano used these books!

The exercises are illustrated with delightful little stick-man drawings, even at the advanced levels, and everyone I've ever taught, and me too come to think of it, colours them in as they go...

....

Ang's 2By2 collaboration stitching arrived today. I've just about finished mine. As usual I thought I'd chosen a quick project for mine. As usual it isn't! 

I'll post mine tomorrow. I just need to get on with it.

Which reminds me

I have two memories of the very first nursery school I attended; Mrs Stallman, I think she was called, used to lead us into a elegant drawing room, and we walked round in a circle all holding hands and singing nursery rhymes while she played the grand piano. Very staid. Very dull. Then we would go into a smaller darker room. We all sat at little desks working in our exercise books. I had a desk over in the corner, surrounded by a fire guard because I worked so slowly. I can remember Mrs Stallman continually nagging me; 'Get on dear, get on!'. My mother rescued me quite soon, or maybe Mrs Stallman asked her to take me away... The next nursery school was a much brighter and happier place.

the phrase 'Get on dear, get on!' in an exasperated tone of voice lives on in by subconscious even now, 65 years later. Oh dear.

At the moment my scales are sounding too much like this

Instead of like this!

Wednesday 7th January - Ice. Amaryllis

 We thought we might go out this morning; if we go early the garden centre and cafe we like are usually almost empty, so I can wander around easily without worrying about the 'social distancing' which has to be a permanent fixture of my life.

But

In spite of the sunny morning, at 9 am the pavements and roads and the car were all so icy that it wasn't sensible to go out unless you had too! So we had coffee and toast at home instead. 

I went through the Christmas cards, saving a dozen that need replies for one reason or another, and updating the address list. I've tucked the address list in the box with the leftover cards ready to be put away until next year. I eyed up the cards... would I recycle them into crafts or tags, or recycle them into the recycling bin... bin it is. I'm trying to reduce the amount of stuff in the house, not add to it!

Job done. Another weight off my mind.

The last few Christmas bits have been put away; out of sight, out of mind. Excellent. 

We planted BB's Christmas amaryllis about a week ago, and it's showing a tiny sign of life.

 I'm looking forward to watching it grow.

It was so difficult to find things to interest my father during 2024, the year before he died. Everything he used to like doing, listening to music, tracing family history, reading books on history, reading 'the Economist', following the news and politics, all became too hard, took too much concentration. 

On spec I took him a couple of amaryllis bulbs. He was very sceptical and not particularly enthusiastic at first, but as they grew and grew admitted that they brought an interest into his day. After that we always included fresh flowers with his weekly grocery shopping which he also enjoyed. 

Well, I wonder which jobs I shall tackle tomorrow...

....

At my first secondary school (a brand new state grammar school) we had a superlative music department with an astonishing and ambitious music department. We actually put on the operetta 'Hansel and Gretel' by Englebert Humperdink, (the German composer, not the pop singer!) Here's one of the most famous songs

Tuesday 6th January - Zzzz

 The Zzzz is me now, at half past seven. 

I was joking when I said to my brother that whenever I made a big decision, signed an important document, or paid an ENORMOUS bill I need to lie down in a darkened room for a couple of hours. 

But I have been doing admin, and chatting to my brother about the sale of my father's flat as well as catching up on family news, and getting the grocery order in, and then, this evening, zooming with some cousins - more chatting, more news to share, and I've suddenly run out of steam...

Here's a very rough picture of the amaryllis to be going on with.

It's from one of the notebook swaps, now hurriedly added to and packed up for posting tomorrow. 

I used to fall asleep to Cantabile singing from this album or 'Lullabies and Goodbyes' for years. 

Monday 5th January - undecked

 I hadn't heard this word before this year, but many bloggers have talked about 'undecking' their house after Christmas.  That was the main task for today.

It's so much quicker than decorating  - partly because of Advent, when the calendars come out. And we took several days over putting everything on the trees, and stringing the lights and cards around the room.

Now, it's all, nearly all, gone

The wise men have arrived at the Nativity scene, and have found places in the Advent ring. It is the day of Epiphany today. They will make their way home tomorrow,  and I'll disentangle the Advent ring. The Nativity stays there all year.

I started on the blue post-it to-do lists today. Several admin tasks, and a housework task were completed. 

I've also restarted the 5-minutes a day ballet-based movement exercises for improving balance, leg streng and mobility. I'm not sure how much can be achieved in 5 minutes a day, but it's a start. I certainly noticed the difference when I did them regularly for quite a long period. Today was easy; ankles and feet. I remember Tuesdays were a whole load tougher.

Then I read books. It's a joyful thing to discover books you haven't read on your kindle. 'The Art of Inheriting Secrets' by Barbara O'Neal which I finished the other day was one, and today I started 'The Angel Tree' by Lucinda Riley. I enjoyed the Barbara O'Neal more than this Lucinda Riley so far. 

Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar by Cornelius. Voces8

Sunday 4th January - the year ahead

The thing about joining a zoom church service using a laptop is one can easily and comfortably take notes draw/doodle through the reflection...

It's a rough copy of a 4th century carving on the side of a sarcophagus at Adelphia. The three magi are presenting their gifts to the baby Jesus. I was struck by how they are holding out these gifts, and Jesus is reaching for them, and Mary is holding him very steady on her lap. 

No prizes for guessing the the reflection was around the Journey of the Magi.

I was paying attention, honest, and I did also scribble some notes. I have to be quick; the peril of PowerPoint is that the next slide often arrives before I'm ready.

This is the opening prayer, based on the Old Testament reading, Isaiah 60, v1-6

Whether we are awake or asleep, let us arise and sine, for the glory of the Lord is upon us.

Whether we are upbeat or gloomy, let us arise and sine, for the glory of the Lord is upon us.

Whether we are warm or cold, let us arise and sine, for the glory of the Lord is upon us.

So, that's what I'm going to try and do; whatever my circumstances or mood I will do my best to arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord is upon me (even if it doesn't feel like it).

This was the opening hymn.

Saturday 3rd January - the last lazy days

 I've got my three to-do lists for next week written out ; finance  (paying bills etc), stuff to do with my father’s flat,cand housework. And I'm resolutely ignoring them all until Monday. Then I shall set about them, whittle them down to size, cross things off, and feel virtuous. 

Until then I shall carry on eating Christmas goodies, reading,  and slowly getting on with 2By2 stitching. 

Birdwatching again.  We were visited by the wren this morning, foraging busily in the moss and weed-filled gaps between the pavers on patio under the table and chairs. It is well camouflaged being almost the same colour as the papers. 

And the magpies roared up again, like a group bikers suddenly and noisily descending on a roadside café, disturbing the peace, and sending more timid customers scurrying for cover. Then all zoomed away after a bit of strutting around and showing off.

I finished Elly Griffiths 'The Frozen People' on New Year's Day, and Barbara O'Neal 'The Art of Inheriting Secrets' today. Very different, but both perfect for lazy day reading.

'the Frozen People' is a time-travelling murder mystery with a twisty ending, 'The Art of Inheriting Secrets' a family mystery, where an American woman discovers she's inherited a large English country estate and title, without having any clue that this was part of her mother's past...

 I've downloaded another Barbara O'Neal for a future read. 

Have you seen the moon tonight? So impressive. 

Drawings? Photographs? None today!