Busy (Gently) Doing

We are now two weeks into this year and I hope that it shapes up to a more settled one than the last two.  One where the plans you make can get beyond the planing stage and become a reality. 

I loved the two weeks over the festive period when my husband and Cameron were at home, when we can put all the rhythms of our life on the shelf for a short while.  We were eating meals when we were hungry, deciding when we woke each day how that day would be filled.  It was slow, unhurried and a lovely pause.  It was good to get back into our rhythms once more, I thought that would happen in the first week of January but it didn't take me long to find out that most of the things we do would not be starting until this week so we have had a really gentle start to the year.  It is Winter, so that is how things should be.

I spent some time that first quiet week thinking about the shape our lives would take over the coming weeks, to the time of Imbolc at the beginning of February.  I read a lovely idea on one blog which in my usual way I have run off with in my own direction.  I write everything into my diary, I cannot manage with more than one place to write things.  I love the idea of words for a month, I decided I wanted words for six weeks rather than a month, to fit in with the wheel of the year,  so to take me to the time of Imbolc I have Reflect, Declutter, stillness, calm, rest and peace to hold a space for me.

I am back at work after a two week break over the festive period.  I love that I can do this from home, it is so flexible for me.  I recently took another role with a similar number of hours.  I heard that several key members of that new team left in December whilst I was ill, it was a bit of shock to open my emails and read that.  I am not sure if I am on a sinking ship at the moment, I have no contract yet, nor a work email so I am not doing any work until that is sorted.  There is so much to do so it is all rather frustrating.  I cannot believe that I have been in my initial role for nearly two years, I started a week before COVID put us into lockdown in March 2020, I have yet to do a face to face meeting.  I have only met a handful of my colleagues and volunteers face to face.  It is going to be very strange when we can go back to that, they are all folks on screens who only have heads and shoulders!

Many blogs I have read as we started the new year have talked about intentions.  I rather like this as a holding word rather than feeling that you have to do something.  Life often gets in they way of things that we want to do so if we make it an intention I feel like it changes things and reduces that pressure.  I have intentions to get outside and walk somewhere every day (which I have managed on all but one day when I was unwell) it doesn't matter where, or how far it is just about getting out.  I am loving occasionally wondering up the village after tea.  It is dark and so quiet, it makes it feel like a very different place to explore.  My walks have taken me mostly around the village so far, I have had snow, ice, sunshine, pouring rain and blustery winds.  I have travelled a little further afield but mostly when I have company.  After spending all day inside on a training course it was good to get out for a short while to blow the cobwebs away before cooking tea.

I also have an intention to declutter somewhere in the house each week, I was going to make this a daily thing but decided that was not going to achievable, there are two days in my week when I knew that would just not happen, especially if I was going to walk as well.  I don't see the point in setting myself up to fail on those two days.  I went through Cameron's clothes last week and found three t-shirts that he had out grown but were all in perfect condition.  Whilst I mulled over what to do them I had an email from the company I bought them from which included information about a new scheme they have started where they buy back items in good condition.  I love this kind of synchronicity, although I realise I would have read and scrolled on if I had not found those t-shirts that week.   I ended up sending back five items which is five less things in the house. 

At the end of each day I am enjoying time on the sofa with the fire gently warming the house and my knitting needles clacking.  I sometimes listen to music, a podcast or watch something online at the same time, depending on who is in the room with me.  I have a spot that I like to use, next to one of the tables that cleverly attaches itself to our futon sofa.  It held our 'christmas tree" until a few days ago.  Nothing got taken down on twelfth night does that mean I am in for a year of bad luck?  Our tree was a few small branches cut from our willow with handmade decorations on the branches.  It rather overhung the sofa restricting my space so I have now removed it.  The cards are down but the bunting and my 'tinsel,' not really traditional tinsel mine as made of coloured woven dried grass/plant of some sort, are still up.  The tinsel is rather old and delicate now, and is fiddly to put away, that sounds like excuses doesn't it!

My crafting is all about blanket squares at the moment, both knitting and sewing, both made with yarn or fabric from my stash.  I am confident that I have enough fabric to complete the sewn blanket, the yarn project I am less sure about.  I have measured that I need about 60 squares, I am twenty down and am running out of small balls to knit with.  I might just have to have a trawl of the charity shops and find odd balls of yarn.  These are both slow projects not because I cannot be bothered but that is the intention.  I am not trying to finish them quickly they are there to be picked up and worked on when the time is right, perhaps in between other larger projects.  I am debating on yarn to knit myself a jumper and haven't found the right one just yet.  It is hard when you can't see it for real isn't, not just to touch it and feel it but to get the colour just right.

A gentle start to my year that I really hope is a little more, dare I say it, predictable?  I hope your year has started off as you wanted it to.