Joy in the Everyday Ordinary - July, 8-14

Hi there everyone 😀

Well, what a week it's been. It's been roasting hot again and Martin was at work for the best part of the week, so I've tried to get straight and up to date with everyday stuff, but it has all felt like a bit of an effort.

It has actually been a bit of an emotional week. After the excitement of football highs last week, we came back down to earth with a bit of a bump. There has also been the sense of bittersweet, which comes from remembering someone who is no longer around.

There have still been plenty of moments to be more than thankful for .. so here we go with the joy I found in the everyday ordinary last week ...

Day 8 - Another bright sunshiney day and a long overdue catch up with these lovely ladies in Stow-on-the-Wold, where a wander in the sunshine and an afternoon tea went down an absolute treat 🍰

Day 9 - After another busy, but lovely, weekend and with Martin back at work for the best part of the week it was nice to slow the pace down a bit and catch up with household chores, blogging and paperwork. There was still time for just a tiny bit of crafting and I managed to get three peg bags cut out ready for sewing up later in the week.

Day 10 - Have I said that it's been really hot lately? I'd not done any ironing for about three weeks so that was what was on the cards for today ... not much joy to be had there, though it is always nice to see the washing move from one pile to another. There was a quick trip to mum and dad's to water their garden whilst they are away, where I managed to pinch a handful of green beans. For as long as I can remember mum has always loved gardening, though the green beans are definitely more dad's domain. Whilst I am nowhere near as committed to the effort it takes, I'm sure that's where I get my love of a pretty garden from 💜

Day 11 - I don't even really like football, but this week I seem to have had 'it's coming home' on a loop in my head. I just haven't been able to shake it. I think the last time I watched England play was back in 1996 and that fateful game where yet another penalty shoot out was our downfall ... and the nation wept for poor old Gareth Southgate. This evening, along with the rest of the country, I sat and watched with bated breath, daring to dream that this time it would be different and, whilst we didn't make it through, it did feel different and, hats off to Gareth and his waistcoat, ever the gentleman, for giving us back a sense of pride in our national team and hope for future possibilities.

Day 12 - Today was a day for staying in the cool, at the dining room table with the sewing machine, for a day of crafting. I managed to get a good start made on a batch of six memory cushions that I am making for a friend, but was chuffed to bits to finally finish my flamingo phone case. It's not perfect, but it's finished and I love it 🐦
(We definitely need a flamingo Emoji, maybe I will start a petition!)

Day 13 - It was another hot, hot day and we were out grocery shopping and doing errands, which was not the most pleasant of experiences. However, we did manage to start off with lunch and cake outside in the sunshine at a new spot that we've found, which is always a treat 🍰

Day 14 - Saturday night and I was 'out' out. Out with a group of old school friends, recently back in touch, for a memorial night for one of our classmates who had been taken far too soon. I wasn't expecting this to have been the thing to have made me smile today, but I surprised myself. After all, my normal preference for a Saturday night doesn't involve leaving the house. We met up in a dark and steamily hot bar, we even danced ... vigorously. I've finally managed to shake 'it's coming home' from the loop in my head, only for it to be replaced with a raucous chorus of 'this is the sound of the suburbs'. It was a great night. One of those when you get home and your voice is all croaky from having to shout to be heard about the sound of the live band and screaming out the words to songs remembered from long ago. I think we did our friend proud and he would have had a good smile at seeing us all together, celebrating his life with such enthusiasm.

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