It's 2025!

 Amazingly, in the last week no disasters have happened. Which is very exciting.

Image today is some instructions that my son received when a new pair of gloves were opened!!! Just think, it was the job of somebody to sit down and come up with those instructions. I'm hoping for the sake of humanity that AI was used rather than actual brain!

Last week at work was quiet because there was barely anybody around. I love that week of work because it's possible to get so much done. And there's nobody around to give me a terrible day.

Everybody will be back at work this week and I will have a headstart because I'm not in the office after a full fortnight's break. Plus I have some holiday to book still and my new holiday year starts at the end of the month. So that's something to look forward to. I'll wait until son is back at school though so it's a proper self indulgent break.

We're over the 'dark' hump now and the days will start to get longer. It always feels like no change is happening and then suddenly in a rush it all happens at once. So I'm looking forward to that.

For New Year we went to Balsham in Cambridge. It's a lovely village and somebody very dear to us lives there (son's godmother). So I finished work for the day and then we got in the car and made amazing time. It was lovely to see friend, though she is strugging a bit at the moment and is going to have a new hip in March. It's so strange all of us getting older like this. We've known each other for years and it only seems yesterday we were clubbing and skiing down mountains (well not me skiing, but friend was husband's ski partner).

We stayed in the pub next door because friend is in the middle of moving everything downstairs ready for when she is recovering from her operation. Pub has some great rooms actually, the family room we had not only had a separate bed for son, but it was in a separate room just off the main one. This is an absolutely genius idea.

The evening was nice, though a bit drier than normal. Husband assumed that I had packed all the drink for both of us, but I'd only packed mine. This was because as I was working I knew I'd need to close down my laptop and run at the end of the day. Husband had day off so he had the whole day to sort himself out. I ended up having to go to the pub to buy a bottle of wine - £24!!!! Half way through the evening some other friends of 'friend' turned up. This was a bit of a shock as we are a very unsociable family so we had to put our talking heads on. 

The morning after NY Eve we had some breakfast and then headed home. The journey was a nightmare. It was as if somebody was standing above the car throwing buckets of water at it. Husband did a great job, but it was a real white knuckle ride. Fortunately, just before we got to the Dartford Bridge the rain stopped. I was in a genuine panic that we'd go over the edge because visibility was so poor and not everybody was being careful with their driving. 

2025 hails some new things that should start to make my life a bit better. I've told my friends that I'm not catering every Saturday. I'll do it once a month. So that means once a month with friends and a separate once a month with my parents. Also son has decided that he cannot fit in the Deans magazine any more, so not having that to deliver monthly will also make a huge difference. We are going to keep RVN, but that's a much easier prospect and I can usually clear it in a day.

So Saturday was the first Saturday where I didn't need to get up early to get to butcher and then spend the day catering for friends. I curled up on sofa and when I could be bothered to move I took dog for a walk and then had a middle aged morning. I went to the garden centre to see if there were any post-Christmas bargains and to find something for the friend we were visiting in the evening. Then once done I actually went and had the free cup of coffee that comes with my middle-aged garden centre membership.

I felt very grown up. Once home I finished taking down the Christmas lights (all Christmas is packed away now) and then was actually able to sit down and relax - I KNOW!

In the evening we went to see a flat that some friends have bought in Lewes. As they spend so much of their lives in Crete their old house (built in Regency times) had been causing them lots of problems with things like damp. So they decided to sell it and use the money to buy a new build flat, easier to manage and also easier to just lock the door on and go away. I can see why the bought it - it's an amazing flat with a huge roof terrace. Though I could tell why it was so nice, when they said how much it cost. It's in a great spot though - I think a very good buy.

Sunday was a really lazy day, all the big chores had been done, there were a few bits and bobs, but nothing worth reporting.

And that was it - the most relaxing weekend I've had for as long as I can remember.

Back to work this week - whether I make it through without resigning remains to be seen. I will keep you posted.............................

One of my jobs in the evening this week will be to put some real thought into what I want to do next. If I could just work that out I could make a serious decision about what my future is. It's possible that my decision will be to stay where I am, but knowing I made that decision based on a valued judgement is important.