I've just this instant realised none of us took a single photo while Mum was here. How completely remiss of me. She's just left, this morning. She and my partner have gone down to the airport by train, and he will go on to work from there. It's so much easier than driving. I'm going down this afternoon. There's some things I need to do, and then my partner and I are meeting up with friends, for dinner. It should be really nice. I guess I'd better sneak back to sleep for a little while if we are going to be out late this evening. I'm still fairly fatigue prone at the moment.
We had a nice final evening with Mum last night. We opted not to go out for dinner. It's easier, and more enjoyable with the kids, really, just to stay at home. I did end up doing lamb shanks with red wine. I did them in the slow cooker. They worked out really nicely, though probably could have done with another hour of cooking. They were done, and tasty, but not falling off the bone. I did a tray of baklava as well. My (Greek) partner (I am not) didn't even blink. I was a bit miffed. Oh well, so it goes. He did oblige me and make us some Greek coffee, to have with it, which was really lovely.
I want to try making baklava with some macadamia nuts, and some leatherwood honey. I think it would be really unique. I think maybe just using macadamias in place of the almonds, rather than the entire nut filling being macadamia. And I think I will use a bit more clove powder than yesterday, and more orange peel .... but just for now, there's plenty of baklava left from last night. I crushed the nuts just a bit too much too - but it's still really nice. I hadn't made baklava for years.
My sink is still shiny this morning, though I haven't read my flylady instructions since about the first day that Mum was here. Time to get back to them I think. I've got this huge list of things to do that I didn't address at all during Mum's visit. It was lovely to have her here - but it is time consuming having someone around all the time, and I do (for whatever reason) find her really quite demanding. A couple of times I just felt completely exhausted. At one stage one evening, when I came upstairs to use the toilet, I was just so relieved to be in a small, quiet place by myself, I just put my head on the sink and sat their for a while. Mum pretty much never shuts up. She loves to talk, to whoever will listen, about whatever crosses her mind, and her voice is really quite strident .... generally I'm OK with it, but while I'm so fatigued, I do start to find it really quite wearing. How selfish of me!
Oh well, it's over now. And now I will miss her. And I'm sure it will be quite some time before she visits again, or we visit them. The distances are really quite great. Not like having them overseas, but it is a long way. And with everyones other commitments, like work and school - it gets hard to coordinate things, though always worth the effort when we do, despite the little strains and tensions.
I've spotted another great link today, that I thought I would like to explore - it was a 100 day happiness challenge. I've just had a closer look and realised I missed the start date for that particular program. I'll have to keep a lookout for similar things. It does seem like every little action is a building block for happiness. I guess one of the realisations I need to come by is that to a degree, happiness is made. You can manufacture it. I'm not sure, at this stage, that I can just sit on my butt and wait for happiness to come to me - I have to get out there and MAKE it. To me, it looks like some people just are, or just get, happiness, quite naturally. Perhaps it is just an illusion. I'm not sure. But for me, right now, at this stage in my life, attaining happiness requires effort, and MAINTAINING happiness requires effort. Perhaps, with practice, I can make it seem, and maybe even feel effortless too - but not right now. Right now it calls for serious work.
Excuse me, I'm off to do my happiness work. LOL.
Today, what might be required?
We had a nice final evening with Mum last night. We opted not to go out for dinner. It's easier, and more enjoyable with the kids, really, just to stay at home. I did end up doing lamb shanks with red wine. I did them in the slow cooker. They worked out really nicely, though probably could have done with another hour of cooking. They were done, and tasty, but not falling off the bone. I did a tray of baklava as well. My (Greek) partner (I am not) didn't even blink. I was a bit miffed. Oh well, so it goes. He did oblige me and make us some Greek coffee, to have with it, which was really lovely.
I want to try making baklava with some macadamia nuts, and some leatherwood honey. I think it would be really unique. I think maybe just using macadamias in place of the almonds, rather than the entire nut filling being macadamia. And I think I will use a bit more clove powder than yesterday, and more orange peel .... but just for now, there's plenty of baklava left from last night. I crushed the nuts just a bit too much too - but it's still really nice. I hadn't made baklava for years.
My sink is still shiny this morning, though I haven't read my flylady instructions since about the first day that Mum was here. Time to get back to them I think. I've got this huge list of things to do that I didn't address at all during Mum's visit. It was lovely to have her here - but it is time consuming having someone around all the time, and I do (for whatever reason) find her really quite demanding. A couple of times I just felt completely exhausted. At one stage one evening, when I came upstairs to use the toilet, I was just so relieved to be in a small, quiet place by myself, I just put my head on the sink and sat their for a while. Mum pretty much never shuts up. She loves to talk, to whoever will listen, about whatever crosses her mind, and her voice is really quite strident .... generally I'm OK with it, but while I'm so fatigued, I do start to find it really quite wearing. How selfish of me!
Oh well, it's over now. And now I will miss her. And I'm sure it will be quite some time before she visits again, or we visit them. The distances are really quite great. Not like having them overseas, but it is a long way. And with everyones other commitments, like work and school - it gets hard to coordinate things, though always worth the effort when we do, despite the little strains and tensions.
Excuse me, I'm off to do my happiness work. LOL.
Today, what might be required?
- review the Fly Lady's instructions
- catch up on the washing
- take some serious time out for ME
- put away the clean clothes waiting in the baskets
- look at the program for the local festival that is on this weekend
and that might be enough - by the time I catch trains to the city, visit my boss, and meet up with my partner to go out to dinner tonight.
I have to keep reminding me to be kind to myself. But I have to also keep reminding me that being kind to myself doesn't necessarily mean sleeping, or slumping in front of the computer all day!
Have a wonderful day. I'm planning on it. (Gee - I think the supplements from the Naturopath might be working!)
No comments:
Post a Comment