Day of Rest

Sundays are described in various parts as a day of rest. I wish. I usually have just as much to do on a Sunday as any other day of the week. And just because it was Mothering Sunday, that didn’t make any difference.

C and I are currently ringing 2 bells on a Sunday morning at the Cathedral, just to keep the bells sounding and the world outside knowing that the church is still there and what day of the week it is for all those for whom it seems a bit samey. When we come home its time for a vat of coffee and we’ve taken to having a lump of garlic and herb focaccia from the bread stall in town, usually warmed up in the microwave.

Sundays in this house is also the day of ironing. Ironing only gets done on a Sunday and if we’re not home for any reason it doesn’t get done and has to wait until the next Sunday. C has caught up with all the washing so there were about 3 loads that needed ironing. I don’t like doing the ironing (or any housework really come to that) but cannot abide wearing things that haven’t been ironed. It was an agreement we came to when we first got together. I’d do the ironing or cook Sunday lunch, not both. I think I lost out on that one.

Ironing is so mind numbingly boring though, so I have to watch something on TV to keep me at it. However, that can’t be anything that requires too much attention otherwise I’ll burn the shirts! I usually watch some mindless nonsense on Netflix. This week’s trash of choice was the final view episodes of Fate, the Winx Saga. A teen who finds out that she’s a fire fairy attends a magical school only to find out that she’s probably the most powerful fairy ever. Lots of teenage angst, love, hate, rebellion etc. Far too many Harry Potter derivatives. Its not great, but it passes the time.

By the time ironing mountain has been cleared, lunch is ready. Todays was roast beef, followed by chocolate pudding.

Only then do I get to sit down. However, not to rest. To sit down means to go through emails. To produce posters for things that need advertising this week. To set up Doodlepolls for various meetings of various workgroups that I organise. Oh, and I needed to make my breakfasts and lunches for the working week ahead. Biscoff pancakes for brekkie and chickpea pilaf rice for lunches. Oh, and whack out a cake because it’s our wedding anniversary tomorrow and I’ve got some buttercream to use up.

Then it’s time for the 10 bell Ringing Room #bellringing practice.

Only when all of that is done, can I then sit down and do nothing. A nibble of some cheese and crackers with a sniff of something to drink it our usual Sunday evening wind down. Now I can stop, and rest a while.

And it all starts again tomorrow.

The importance of nothing

Life can be so full on sometimes. Even having a week off work doesn’t really give you the rest you sometimes need. I’ve written loads, researched loads, rung loads and had several meetings during my week off so I really haven’t felt any restorative benefit.

Today though, we had nowhere to be and nothing to do. C turned the alarm clock off so we woke up naturally and didn’t actually get out of bed until nearly 10am, which is unheard of. Some might say that that’s wasting so much of the day, but waking up naturally actually made me feel more awake and alert than being ripped from slumber by a screeching radio alarm.

Saturdays have seem to have got a new ritual of bacon butties for breakfast. C cooks them whilst I’m in the shower so its ready, with my coffee, when I’m dressed and ready to face the world. So grateful for that.

Both of us then just sat for a while, reading or catching up with social media. No need to rush.

We had no reason to go into town for anything and as we’d had a late breakfast didn’t feel the need for lunch.

I did do some food prep for breakfasts and lunches for the working week ahead as Sunday is full of ringing, family Skype and virtual meetings as well as the weekly ironing fun. But once that was all finished, I could get comfy on the sofa and read.

Haven’t spent so much time dedicated to just reading for ages. A cup of mint tea with the last slice of winter spice cake made it all a bit hygge. Both of us just sat on the sofa reading. For hours. No other distractions of TV or radio. Blissful.

Some might suggest that a day was wasted and we should have done some exercise or something more constructive with our day, but I actually feel more awake and positive having taken some time to just be.

It probably helped that the book I was reading, not one of the e-shorts I had intended to, was talking about quietening inner critics and self sabotage. It was helping me understand the ways to silence the inner brain chatter and believe that I’m good enough, when so much that has been going on lately has left me feeling totally inadequate.

Benefits of doing nothing include being mentally stronger and more compassionate by having opportunities to delve deeper into innermost feelings and convictions. It helps relieve stress and help you become more rested, happier, productive, creative and allows your brain to reboot by letting thoughts settle.

My step count for the day is hardly going to break the 1000 mark but it doesn’t matter for one day. Self healing and restoration was what was needed today and I’m glad to have given it space in my life.

Start as you mean to go on

New Years Day morning. A new year ahead that hasn’t been written yet. C made a cooked brunch. I could get used to that 😋.

This year will mark a significant birthday for me. The day this blog is uploaded will mark 50 days until I turn 50. I don’t have any issues with turning 50, it is but a number after all.

The 12 months before I turned 40 I kept a daily diary. I did think of doing something similar for the year that I turned 50 but somehow never got round to it. I guess you could say that I’ve used this blog as a sort of diary, although there’s lots that I haven’t written in a blog that I would have written in a diary.

Starting a new year and a new decade of life gives me the opportunity to start afresh and start as I mean to go on. I could get used to C cooking me breakfast every day but thats not practical or too good for my health. I could take this opportunity to establish some new habits. Start or do more of the things that I ought to do better and drop things that I should not, do less of or that self sabotage.

I read somewhere on line recently that it can take from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Now, I’m not one for New Years resolutions, but I have 50 days to do 50 things that will have a positive habit forming effect on my life to take me into my 50s.

Where to start? Drop me some suggestions 👇

Breakfast Roulette

I fancied something different for my breakfasts this week. I usually have a yoghurt with grape nuts for breakfast when I’m at work. But as the weather is turning colder I wanted something that I coukd eat hot but was still within the SW rules.

Yesterday I baked some versions of Baked Oats. This consists of 40g of oats, 100g yoghurt, 1 egg, a teaspoon of baking powder and then whatever filling you fancy. Could be anything from apple sauce, Nutella, jam, mincemeat, whatever you fancy really. The interesting thing is you could eat these bakes for breakfast or even as a hot dessert, maybe with some cream, ice cream or custard if you’re feeling extravagant.

I made 3 lots as I’ll be in the office 3 days this week. I put Biscoff spread in one, but didn’t have enough for more, so raspberry jam went in the other 2.

After they’d baked for 40 minutes and cooled down, I covered them with cling film and put them in the fridge. The trouble was by then I couldn’t remember which one was which.

I grabbed one on my way out this morning. At a time I decided it was breakfast time I warmed it through in the microwave for 4 minutes. I still couldn’t tell which one I’d grabbed.

It was only as I plunged my spoon in that I discovered it was one of the jam ones. That means tomorrow there’s a fifty-fifty chance of Biscoff.

Rather sad that it’s quite a fun game to play.