With the winter weather and feeling unwell some weeks ago, I hadn’t noticed how stuck in a rut I’d become. It’s only looking back now after a lovely weekend that I can see where I was and how tired and entrenched I’d become.
I think the fact that we’ve had a few days of sunshine has helped. The warmth has meant that the few signs of spring that were around have started to push on and make a bit of a show for us. There’s a long way to go yet but it’s great to see a single daffodil open and frogspawn increasing in number in the pond, along with violets presenting their faces to the sun and birdlife making their preparations for the new season.
With these hints of renewal beginning to show it feels like these little signs have been absorbed into me, and consciously or not, I’ve felt the need to change things, put a little effort in, and in the process make myself feel better and more alive.
Some of the things I’ve done? Well on Saturday I finally got around to dying my hair again – with the help of a willing and useful 'friend' – and though that’s one of the little things in life, I don’t now feel awkward and embarrassed about my hair and its showing roots. (It was getting ridiculous but will probably happen again – the process is such a chore.)
On Saturday night we visited family for the evening – nothing specific was planned, but as a birthday celebration had had to be cancelled the weekend before it was nice to catch up and share a few celebratory moments. We chatted, shared news and activities, but it was a lovely evening just chilling out amongst loved ones.
Sunday became an ‘avoid the computer’ sort of day. For no particular reason I was treated to breakfast in bed, when the other half decided to get up before me. Though this has taken place before I have to be honest and say I can’t remember the last time, so it was a lovely surprise to find my little family coming to say ‘good morning’ with breakfast on hand.
Later in the day instead of sitting at the computer or doing housework tasks, we all ventured outside into the courtyard at the back of the house into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and the temperature must have been in the teens somewhere. The dogs played with toys and we eventually got around to planting some of the summer bulbs we’d purchased earlier in the week.
After the afternoon dog walk I decided that I would spend an hour with some gentle music on the stereo and a glass of juice in hand poring through some of my books. I wanted to find books either about or written by inspirational women that I hadn’t got around to reading – I’ve always got something new to turn to. It was lovely to completely lose myself in the shelves of one little bookcase and I’ve got a lovely pile of reading balanced on my desk now of biographies, diaries and stories that will keep me going quite a while and hopefully some inspirational actions and quotes will seep into my brain. I realised later it was International Women’s Day so somewhere subconsciously I was doing my bit to support the celebrations.
To top off my day, sweet and sour pork was for tea and historical dramas and a car programme were my evening’s viewing. Looking back now on Monday morning I don’t think I could have had a better weekend…
How was yours?