The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ Four

Today is Friday and I thought that, as I hadn’t done it for quite a while, I’d do ‘The Simple Woman’s Daybook’ entry.  It’s very good for focussing the mind on aspects of your life that sometimes go unnoticed or at the very least get taken for granted. 

I have been to early Mass today and it’s St Bede’s feast day which is the patron saint of my local catholic church named after the Venerable Bede.  Mass on a Friday is always lovely, very quiet and intimate with just a few of us there but always enough to make me feel that it was worthwhile the Priest showing up .  Sometimes there can be just two of us at the bigger church and although Mass is worthwhile no matter how small the congregation I do feel for Fr J when his presence doubles the numbers .  So, on with the Daybook entry. . .

Outside my window…  the sun is shining gloriously, the horses in the paddock opposite are enjoying the warmth on their backs and the green, lush grass.  My washing is billowing on the line whilst being scented with God’s own fabric softener.  I am grateful for the soft breeze that is moving gently through the open windows keeping the room lovely and cool.

I am thinking…  alot about my faith this week.  As I said yesterday it has taken a bit of a back seat during our transition period from two incomes to one.  It has been very necessary as I’ve had to work hard to make sure that we could survive without having to make anyone miserable or inviting huge debt.  So now that phase is dealt with I can feel myself embracing the windows of ‘free’ time that I now have.

I am thankful...  for so many things at the moment.  For the opportunity to be able take this time-out to reassess and take stock, which is due in no small part to my wonderfully supportive husband.  For the myriad choices that we have for state schools in this big city which we certainly didn’t have where we lived before.  There you went to the school in your catchment area and, for the most part, you had Hobson’s choice about that unless you could afford to send your child privately.  As we’ve searched for a new school for Ethan we’ve realised how lucky we are to actually have a choice as to where we send him.  I am also beyond grateful that my 19 year old daughter Millie has been seen by a different hosptital and has been scheduled for surgery very soon after nearly six months of suffering with large ovarian cysts which our local hospital failed to do anything about.  Her symptoms have been debilitating to say the least so my prayers for a second opinion have been heard and the seriousness of her condition has been acknowledged and acted on.  Thank God for that…

In the kitchen…  I can hear the washing machine coming to the end of it’s cycle.  The sunny weather is conducive to doing lots of washing as it dries so fast.  Unfortunately this gives rise to lots of ironing which I’m not quite so enthusiastic about .

I am wearing…  khaki cotton trousers and a little khaki with gray flowers short-sleeved smock top.  My usual flowery Birkenstock clogs which are standard issue when I’m indoors.  A little clip in my hair to keep it off my face in the heat and a lilac pearl bead bracelet.

I am creating…  how long have you got??    I still have about three quilts on the go and I’m crocheting three different throws at once and also a beautiful Queen Anne’s lace scarf.  One of the throws I spoke about in yesterday’s posting.

I am going…  to take Ethan to the shop after school so he can spend his pocket money on some football cards that he’s collecting at the moment.  He only gets to go once a week so I know he’ll be looking forward to it.

I am wondering…  whether making a Toad-in-the-Hole for supper tonight is such a good idea ~ oven = heat.   We’ve had salad nearly every night this week in one form or another and although I try different salads to keep it interesting I think I’m at my salad limit.  The sausages are in the fridge calling to me and I really fancy a sausage Toad so will just have to run the gauntlet of putting the oven on and adding to the heat a bit more.

I am reading… Nella Last’s Peace which is the second in a trilogy of books written by a lady from Barrow-in-Furness called, unsurprisingly, Nella Last who wrote a regular diary for the Mass Observation project during WWII .  Her diaries have been published and made famous by the film ‘Housewife 49′ .  I love the simplicity of her life, her frugality that she put to good use during the war [and after] and her generous but indomitable spirit.  Like me she has a deep love of the Lake District and every now and then while I’m reading her words I find our spirits meeting over the decades.  This book covers the years immediately after the war when rationing became even tougher and Nella actually finds herself missing her life as a WVS volunteer.

I am hoping…  that Ethan has managed not to lose the 30p he took for tuck this morning.  He has never asked to buy tuck at school before and that little face was a picture when I found him the money but I’m never sure if, at six, he’s able to keep track of those little coins.

I am looking forward to…  spending the day with Simon tomorrow ~ we always appreciate our quality time together on Saturdays. 

Around the house…  there are lots of hot cats sprawled out trying to keep cool.  We have ceiling fans in nearly every room so they have lots of places to lie and chill.  Even my guinea pigs are out on the grass in their run in a shady spot.

One of my favorite things…  to eat is pork pie and english mustard especially at this time of the year.  A bit of a treat and not so good for the waistline but yummy all the same and it’s what I’m going to have a piece of for my lunch along with a very ripe nectarine for desert.

Finally, a peek into my day…  as is often the case it’s focussed on my desk space.  You can see my bottle of water, my plate minus the pork pie , the newsletter that I picked up from Mass this morning, my stripey ‘money’ book that I keep track of my finances in, my PC with this blog post open on it [my view not the public version], Nella’s book so I could copy from it and a receipt for my prescription that I picked up before Mass this morning by the Newsletter.  All the usual stuff too such as pots of hand cream, bibles, and a Pirate face mask that Ethan is in the process of making.

A glimpse of my day.

Courtesy of The Simple Woman’s Daybook

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