I bunked off circuit training this morning for no other reason than it was just too damn cold. I did this even after I had put my running kit on. That is (is it not?) the cardinal rule; if the kit is on, you do the work. I actually took off the kit (unused) and went about my day. Sacrilege.
Boo had a duvet day - fighting a cold and sore throat. I found myself relishing the prospect of a day at home with her in a way that I never would have when I was working. I made her Nutribullet smoothies and generally mothered her. We looked and laughed at the photo-roll on my phone. Teenagers don't always want mothering, but when they do it is a delicious treat. Her braces came off this week and she now has a perfect smile. As in: perfection. So lucky.
It's my nephew's birthday. He's in Dubai burying toy trucks in the sand, but I do miss him.
I ordered a new desk, as frankly, how am I ever going to write a book if I am perched at an old kitchen table? Shocking ergonomics. I read a book by Anne Tyler which appeared on the 'Top 100 books you must read' summary in The Telegraph. I get this academic guilt when there are books that I haven't read. It's become important to me that I am supremely well-read. Anecdotally, I tell my husband (who never reads anything) that being well-read is an important distinction. Now I notice that no one talks about books. Or if they do, it's all about how they relate to the character and not the beauty and skill of the writing. I guess we all like stories.
I have decided not to buy a single item of clothing for the month of February. It's day 6.
I think about when I used to have a job and I would hang my coiled telephone wire from the desk and allow it to unwind, as a weekly habit. I remember having a work phone number and answering it with an assertive 'this is Louise' greeting. I remember not having a mobile phone and leaving work right on time with my (real life) inbox empty. I remember what it was like to get a salary every month.
Now, it's different. I rotate between cooking and cleaning and ironing. I lament the life of a housewife. I see friends and make eclectic lunches out of health foods (and then gorge on teacakes in the afternoons).
I decide that even when I am 70, I will still wear Chelsea boots. Like my Mum does.
