Doing Useful Things

"What have you done to benefit the household today?"

This is my new favorite question to ask these teenagers. Then I pull out my go-to list of chores that benefit the household: unload the dishwasher, clean the bathrooms, hoover the stairs, sweep the entrance hall, take out the rubbish, tidy up cluttered areas, or use your creativity to think of a new thing. All of those are inside chores, but sometimes we just need to be outside using our bodies to do useful things in the fresh air. You can see the true joy in their facial expressions, right?

Growth spurt

 Our little Tryfs is not so little anymore! He has just surpassed Rhiannon (and me) in height this week, and his voice has dropped AND he seems to have read the "How to act like a teenager" book. It is truly amazing how quickly he is changing right now. 

Pink hats three

Cat bought E and I these ridiculous retro pink swimming hats. I wore mine last week on that wild day and it left a deep indentation on my forehead so I tried wearing a hat underneath as an experiment.  So we are the pink hats three.

On these weekend opportunities that I get to go to the beach for a swim, I have come to love and savor the 35 min drive through the countryside. I feel the butterflies in my stomach and find myself studying the clouds on the horizon, looking for wind indicators in the bending trees. What's it going to be like down at the sea? Will it rain? Will the waves be too big to face? Will I find a place to park? Will I see anyone I know? 

And on my own little road trip I happily flip between radio stations.. from Scala and Classic FM when I'm just getting underway to some Heart UK or Capital for some good spirit rousing pop. I just love it!

A wild day at the shore

I met my sea swimming buddies at the normal place but on a Sunday rather than a Saturday this week. It was really windy! One of the my favorite things about this place is that you really cannot see the actual conditions until you are right down at the top of the rise before the pebbly slope down to the water. Here is Cat reacting to the scene, with the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry in the background.

The waves were huge and scary and there was NO WAY that we were going to go in. This was a sad realization but we accepted it and decided to at least go for a walk down to the Skeleton Pier. So we did that and enjoyed the fierce briny sprinkles darting our faces as we walked down the beach. We went right out to the end of the pier, chatted with the fishermen who were out there, and then started walking back. In the end I decided to go in the water, because I realized that as long as I didn't go too far in and I could keep my feet on the ground, I should be fine. So I did this and it was really fun even though I was alone out there. Cat and E stayed on the beach but ended up being a bit sad they didnt join me. 

The garden in transition

 It felt good to dig up the old stuff from last year's garden and start to get ready for this year's garden. I laid down some manure and mulch in 3 of the 6 beds. The kale and chard are still going strong, but the sprouting broccoli is mainly food for pigeons who are taking advantage of the patch's distance from the house. Nobody there to chase them away and the plants aren't really thriving enough to save. I don't think I'll try broccoli again :-(  Between the caterpillars and birds, i think I'll use that space for something else.

The same view

I spend so much time looking at this view, and there are some moments that the light and the clouds inspire me to take yet another photo to capture the beautiful moment.  I love the sky contrast and the bright green fields in the far distance, which I realize you can't really see very well in this photo.. oh well.

Yesterday would have been Grandma Bucky's birthday and today is Uncle Phil's birthday. I like thinking about my family far away. 

Another busy week

It's been a slow but full week here in the household. Remote learning for the kids, Rhodri keeping up Nordic Life, me on conf calls most of the day, typing loudly on my keyboard and pacing around the bedroom/ work area. We do try to fit in some little events, like "date night at the grocery store", going for neighborhood walks with a neighbor, Zoom yoga class, etc.  But of course we look so forward to the weekend, even though there isn't generally a whole lot going on, but at least its a break from the new grind. 

I was able to go for a swim and it was wonderful. I love coming to this beach because you have to walk for about 10 minutes before getting to the actual beach, and there is a slight rise before the pebbles drop away to the water. You can't see any people until you get to the top of the rise. Today was a particularly beautiful morning and there were several groups of 2s-and-3s scattered along the stretch of beach.

I met 2 ladies there that I didn't know very well at all, and it was lovely to paddle around in the nice cold water chatting and learning about their lives.

When I got home, I was delighted to find Rhiannon out chopping wood and Tryfan cleaning bathrooms!

Multi-purpose gym

This week we have all been back to work full steam ahead - kids back at school, me working from home, Rhodri working as normal for Nordic Life, etc. It's been really quite busy this week even though we are house bound. We do manage to carve in occasional walks with a single other person at night during the week, but otherwise each day seems to be quite similar to the next.

However, the gym is getting some good use these days (and nights) - as both a proper place to get exercise..

... and also a spillover place to watch telly and chill out when the kids want to watch something that Rhodri and I don't.

Everyone wins!

A frosty morning view

 

Breakfast buddies

Rhiannon has gotten really great at making delicious breakfast and brunch items. Today she put Tryfs to work too and they both enjoyed the results together. Love it

A New Year

I do love the feeling on New Year, and today wasn't hugely different from previous New Year days in recent past except that it was a overcast, uninspiring weather day. A good day for more mooching around the house. So we did that.

But then today we sprang into action. I went for a morning swim followed by some grocery shopping, and came home to find the Christmas tree gone and Tryfan hoovering the lounge. Onwards!