As I've not been on here much of late, I thought I'd fill you in on my life lately, just as a motivation for logging on.
Since the last meeting, work has kept me busy - funny how the year started VERY quiet and has suddenly picked up the pace dramatically. It hasn't affected the hours I do but I do need a sit down and a cup of tea when I get home.
The decent weather has seen the garden start to produce greenery - mainly weeds - all of which needs attention - and as I am the only member of the household who has the "basic spade user" certificate (it seems), I've been out trying to keep it all under control.
DCOS has also been busy; after being out of work for a year, she picked up 2 part time jobs - one as a nanny in Beverley and one as a carer in Skirlaugh. The first is 3 half days a week, with the addition of an overnight shift when the next baby comes along and the second is 3 night shifts a week, so 2 separate blocks of 44 hours (most of it sleeping duties but on call. This has resulted in a change in the household routine which meals having to be planned well in advance and all hands to the deck.
Daughter, Poppy, is getting very involved in helping run the house too, walking the dogs and cooking for us both on Monday (simple stuff such as fish finger butties) as I get back at 1730 and DCOS leaves at 1830 giving us an hour to sit together and eat. Thursday is also Poppy on cooking duty with me helping as we have from 1730 when I get back until 1930 when DCOS gets back to get food ready. She's looking forward to learning how to do more complex stuff (such as fish finger butties with the crusts cut off and ketchup applied).
Poppy also has her exams coming up in a couple of weeks so I'm heavily involved in her revision - particularly history. We have huge sheets of paper stuck to our hallway wall with time lines on and crammed with information so she looks at it when she walks and then answers random questions from me.
Last week, we had Amy, an Australian student staying with us; 12 visited Withernsea high school and we had applied to host. I must say, the school did an excellent job of matching as the girls got on very well together. I took the week off work so I could ensure they were fed and so on as well as giving myself a much needed break from headstones! We had an action packed week; East Park, Hull shopping, Brid and Hornsea sea fronts, ice skating, cinema, arcades at Withersea, beach walks with the dogs as well as whatever the school put on. We were all sorry to see Amy go at the end of it all.
I also managed to get some modelling done; more figures assembled and started to paint for the Thirtle Bridge Camp - update to follow on the relevant forum - and something for the next meeting which saw me having a go at a couple of new techniques. What exactly I am doing is being kept under my belt for now and I didn't take many pictures for the forum as there wasn't really much to it all, but I may put a short thread on after the meeting. Don't get too excited!
Well, that's me for now folks, hope I haven't bored you too much!
