Week 17 Woo is a quarenteenager!!!
Monday
We were up bright and early...6am! It's been so long since we were up at 6 but it used to be standard. Everything was laid out and organised, so we just got dressed and had a quick birthday breakfast. Mark had made some chocolate sweet bread rolls which were yummy.
It's a really mindful and immersive space. The smell of the sea and the sound of it was just so wonderful. The view so simple and clean. Woo prefers blue skies, but I love the muted grays of an overcast beach sky.
I was really grateful for this cardigan - the temperature was mild, but the wind was brisk so I had layered up 2 jumpers - this cardigan is so chunky and warm. I found it in a charity shop with Stella and I wear it loads. It made me think of her as she encouraged me - which I am glad of.
Woo wanted to explore the rocks.
I am always a bit slower and more cautious over this terrain. I do lots of careful looking at where my feet are going, so I managed to spot a good fossil rock. It was filled with sponge like creatures.
Then a final climb to head back to the car
We got changed into our wetsuits. Fortunately Woo was feeling OK in hers - not too squeezy - though we could have got one from the surf school if it was a problem as that was included in the lesson.
The surf school took pictures for us. There were two lovely instructors Mike and Tim. Tim took all the pictures.
Before heading down to the beach itself.
We then got some instruction about how to start to stand up on the board. The first move is a bit like cobra into up-dog. We were straight back into the water to practice.
Woo was loving it
Then onto the grass to practice the next move: bringing a knee forward (like pigeon pose in yoga), then stepping the other leg forward (little bit like warrior 2)
Then back out for more. The water was choppy, the waves were quite big but very jumbled with not much space between them. Walking out into the water each time was a workout in itself. You stand and wait for a good wave, but often one will take you by surprise pushing you off your feet or just further back to shore. Finally you see a wave, and have to jump onto the board on your stomach - just that jumping out of the water is hard work. Then the wave is coming and you paddle strong with your arms until you feel it is carrying you. Then push up into up-dog, knee forward into pigeon...and by then I am almost hitting the shore 😂 if I am lucky - if not lucky - I am falling off into the water. It sounds dreadful - but it is so much fun - it's really mindful - just battling the sea - being completely in that moment.
You have to be in the moment, you have to pay attention to what is around you, but there was no competition for my attention beyond the sea and the beach, the waves and the location of other surfers. Looking to the near horizon to see what was coming, staying aware of who was around, being aware of your body - am I holding the board correctly, is my stance strong enough to withstand this next wave. Even during the falling off and being tumbled into the waves, I am still visualising myself in the water, aware of each turn and where I am versus where my board might be - is it about to hit me in the head, am I the right way up. I know that taking each of those elements alone - someone would say "that sounds awful!" and I get that 😄...but I really love it. And I'm not even any good! I can't imagine how addictive it is if you get to be quite skillful!
This is probably me under the waves!!
We played a few hands of poker before deciding to call it a day.
Got home and found that the succulents had been delivered. I potted them up into the cups that had come from ebay (not all of them had arrived).
Then just before bed we had a visit from Claire to drop off a present for Woo. Claire and I chatted for ages - true to form - I didn't want her to go - we really need to set up a date to get together.
Before I went to bed I posted a thing on Facebook and saw the memories of previous Woo birthdays. I thought she looks just like bunnykins here:
Adorable 😍
Tuesday
Did my walking workout. Woo opened the present from Clare which was some lovely smellies.
She wanted a load of photos printing out. We sat at the computer to sort that, and were there a good long while. Mark ended up making the lunch as I was so tied up with it. When I got up to walk downstairs my foot felt really weird. For a week or so now I have had an occasional discomfort in the ball of my left foot - like there was something foreign in there or there was even at times a problem with the bone. But I couldn't see anything on the surface. The ball of the foot was now swollen in the middle and it was very odd to walk on - like it was a huge flat blister. It wasn't that it was massively painful as such - just really odd and uncomfortable - painful if I put my weight on it.
I've said this loads of times in the past, but I'll put it here just because. One of my observations on the girls is that Bunnykins is a confident introvert, while Woo is a shy extrovert. I think that some people think that each of those is an oxymoron. But there is a definition of introvert (that I agree with) that says that being introverted isn't about being shy - it is about where you get your energy from. Introverts get their energy from being alone. They can be around people fine - they can cope with it with aplomb. But it takes energy and eventually they just want some alone time with a book or a nice view. Similarly extroverts get their energy from people, they find being alone more tiring. Woo loves being around people, adults in particular, but she is shy. Bunnykins is as confident as you like. On the first day of nursery when she was just 3, she was introduced to the other children (ages ranging 3 to nearly school age), the helper explained that they were going to sit in a circle and then children could lead a song if they liked. Normally it would be the older children, who might start. Bunnykins shrugged, got to her feet and started into twinkle twinkle without fuss or introduction. She once spent a whole day (about 6 years old) walking round Bristol in a massive mushroom hat - she still has killer style. She is confident, but it is like the outside world doesn't really intrude on her that much - your opinion of her - meh - whatever. Because it is her internal world that is of most interest and fascination and she can be lost in that for hours.
Bunnykins style:
The swatch of curtain fabric came that we had been waiting on. Woo had felt this would be her favourite. I was underwhelmed but it was fine and I said yes - great - let's go with it. But first I asked her to go back to her mood book of cuttings and find things that would go with them (curtains, bedding, accessories). She came back to say that actually she realised that the one I liked the best went with more of the things she liked and so she had changed her mind about which curtain fabric she should have. I was really clear she shouldn't choose it to please me - firstly because Mush would be furious with me 😂 but that it was her room and she should have what she wanted. She insisted that she had made up her mind, so we spent the afternoon looking for bedding and cushions. And of course finally got the curtain fabric ordered!
Other fun things from the day, which basically consisted of me on my backside.... Ben sent me this....
And we got Woo's report. She was miffed about PE, entirely sanguine about computer science and glum that science and STEAM weren't better. We were really chuffed. She has been working really hard and has continued to be motivated during lockdown - it's all we could ask for.
Wednesday
I had woken up with a mind to call the doctors at 8am (when they open) for an appointment. I then wondered if I would be sent for an x-ray and then that take ages to get results. That made me remember the local minor injuries department. I looked up who they saw and felt like my foot most likely came in their remit. They opened at 8am so I thought it best just to get there and hopefully get seen quickly. I was glad for having an automatic car and the issue being on my left foot. I was there with enough time to hobble across and be second in the line (picture of the wrong door below).
The nurse practitioner said that I possibly had something embedded in there but it would likely not show up on an x-ray and even if it did - they would not go digging for it. She said to take painkillers as required - continue to walk on it as normally as possible and be as active as possible. Then when resting - elevate it.
Back home Bunnykins was working on her box.
Mark had gone to the office so I took the opportunity to jump on the sewing machine and make another crop top.
Woo helped me hang out the washing and then we potted out two more succulents in two more cups that had arrived.
Bunnykins was still busy making a disco dancefloor for her box.
Her stuff was all over the kitchen table so we ate outside.
Then at 2pm we went over to the park for a HAM reunion. HAM is Bunnykins' acronym for her group of friends. The M is Hannah's daughter. H is bunnykins and A is their other best bud. Hannah and M knocked for us and we went over to wait for Ursula and A.
Ursula arrived with one of A's older sisters (R). So Woo, I, Hannah, Ursula and R sat talking with hot drinks while HAM ran around the park enjoying each other's company.
After tea Woo and I nipped to B&Q to choose a green paint for the leaves on her tree mural now we have chosen the curtain fabric.
We got it sorted and lined up to get our tester pot made.
I got a message from Hannah who was giving blood...what a hero!!! She was wearing the mask I made her...marvelous selfie skills too. 😍
On the mummies WhatsApp chat it became clear that we weren't going to be able to go on our Centre Parcs trip. The place is open, there is a system for using the pool. But we are 5 households and we would be sharing rooms, possibly even beds (there is always at least one double). We can't go. That is the right and sensible thing. But if you will excuse my language... it is a shit thing.
Thursday
Started the day with a walking workout. I went for a 20 minute one without all the extra "boosted" bells and whistles (boosted walks have a bit of a light jog in them). It felt a bit weird - I was very conscious of my foot, but it wasn't really painful. I think I was walking on different parts of my foot sometimes - which probably isn't that great. I did try consciously to walk normally and it wasn't too bad. I was glad to have got some exercise done.Mark was out at the bank, mask selfies are the thing these last couple of days it seems:
I then joined Karen's Latin Fever. I was taking it fairly easy, I was glad I was there to catch Ben doing one of his little guest performances 😄...
With all that exercise stuff done I made a start with painting the mural in Woo's room.
Woo was outside making another nail art. This one is for her friend C.
I went back to add a few more colours.
I had a shower, then Bunnykins wanted some help with her English. She has been struggling with her English tasks this week as she can be very literal and tbh I didn't think her teacher's written instructions were the best. But one example is that she had been asked to write about what she will be doing in the autumn term - imagine she was in the future at the October half term and write a letter to herself now about it. If he had written "may" or "could" we might have been OK. But how can she know what she will be doing? It is impossible! She has no idea what she will be doing....and so on....
Encouraging her is a delicate balance. But we made some progress.
Friday
I went out for my run. It was OK on my foot especially as my trainers are so padded, but I took it easy with a few breaks for walking.Did Karen's Shimmy & Strengthen then tried to get Woo to help me with the washing. I got into a bit of a frenzy of messaging at this point. I love WhatsApp - but sometimes I remember I have to message this person and another person and then someone else spots I am online and they are messaging me and I feel rude not to respond and I am spinning between conversations 😄 ...there are worse problems to have I know 😂! Karen had messaged asking to have a chat with me when I was free. I had a horrible feeling that I knew what it was about.
She was looking splendid - absolutely gorgeous, like an instagram influencer😍 so I had to take a picture.
They don't want to move. The circumstances forcing them to move are awful, but I entirely understand the decision they are making. The house is unlikely to be on the market for long. I just couldn't quite believe it - even though I knew it. We both welled up several times as we spoke.
Karen is the most kind and generous human you could hope to meet. Karen teaches dance and fitness classes. She teaches dance to a whole range of ages of kids, and she does zumba gold fitness - which is aimed at older people as it is lower impact. When lockdown began - all her income was gone. She decided that she wanted to do something positive to keep herself going and to keep connected with people she had taught in her classes. She started off with classes live streamed on facebook. There was a daily kids one at 9am which was fun dance stuff - Bunnykins loved that one. Then at 10:30 she would do a "shimmy and strengthen" which was more in the vein of the zumba gold classes. She moved the classes to zoom so that she could see the people joining her. She knew some of them were people over 70 having to isolate and maybe she would be the only person they saw in the day. Every class was free. I was online with her when more than 90 people would be joining her class - she never thought to ask for a donation or charge a fee. Every day she has had such energy and joy - the classes have such a great atmosphere. She is now starting to be able to do outdoor classes (she had held a few in her garden for groups of 5 people). But she is keeping the online classes (and for free) because she knows how many people they have been helping. There are people still isolating, people from further away, people who wouldn't feel comfortable in a group class.
Karen and her family have been the best neighbors. There have been a few funny times when I have helped them out, like the time she got locked in her porch. She kept waving at people passing and most ignored her or just waved back! Eventually an older chap wandered up and she explained. He came and knocked on my door and I went to stand out there and was able to phone her mum and the pre-school where her daughter was. There was also the time with the big spider (she has a big phobia but didn't want her girls to see the extent of her fear), she messaged me asking me to come over casually for something - so I duly went to borrow a cup of sugar and then said "oh look at that huge spider, let me get that for you, hey girls lets have a look at this before I release it across in the park...". We have always felt entirely at ease asking each other if for something if we've run out or they have run out when cooking. But really for me there are two times that having Karen as my neigbour has made me feel such a lucky and grateful person. The first would be when Bunnykins was born. I went into labour and realised fairly quickly that Bunnykins was on a tight schedule - she was on her way with alacrity. Mark had called his parents, but it soon became apparent that they weren't going to be here soon enough. I remember just looking at him and saying "get Karen". She came across in her PJs, helped me into the car and then waited in our front room until Mark's parents arrived from Dorset and could take over looking after a tiny toddler Woo.
The second time is more difficult to talk about. It was the Monday after the last Friends of Page Park event. The girls were at school. Mark was at work. I had seen some e-mails about small complaints of a few silly things - no e-mails of thanks for having given up weeks of my time to organise a massive community event with very little support. My mum and John were leaving, having been here for the weekend. My mum's altzheimers was becoming more advanced, she could just get around, but it was more and more difficult. She'd fallen in the shower and we'd spent alot of time at A and E getting it checked out because she wasn't really able to communicate what was going on - so we weren't sure if it was broken or just bruised. I waved them off, but I was so low, really really low. I didn't realise but Karen had seen my mum shuffling to the car and she'd seen my expression after they had gone. Instead of just thinking - oh dear that's sad, and getting on with her busy day - she came to knock on my door. It was a knock that saved me from doing something really stupid. I went with her to her house and we sat in her kitchen while I cried and talked. She gave me the mental strength to be able to walk away from the Friends group - which was becoming really difficult due to one kindhearted but entirely overbearing member. She saved my life. There aren't many people in the "Saved Charlotte's life club" but she is a gold card holding founder.
So we talked a while on the front, moving from the sad news to talking about classes outdoors and such. I came in to have lunch. Woo was making the present for C which was coming on well.
I had a shower and then got ready to go out to give blood. They ask you to wear a mask throughout the donation process (apart from when you have to drink the big glass of water). And everything is spaced much further apart.
But much to my surprise - they wouldn't let me donate because of my foot. Because I had been to minor injuries and the issue wasn't entirely clear as to what it was - they couldn't risk me donating infected blood - i.e. if the swelling is from an infection. I was dissapointed, but I understand entirely - I just hadn't imagined that it would have an impact. I am booked in again for September.
I came back and finished off the mural.
We got the furniture moved and the bed constructed.
Saturday
Mark made us pancakes and I was given a small surgical job on Creme Fresh the rabbit.
Woo was trying to sort out the stuff in her room - going through and getting rid of alot of stuff. I helped her get started and helped her create a process for the sorting - bags of things to the charity shop, bag for rubbish, stuff to go elsewhere in the house, things for Bunnykins etc.
Because the lining fabric hasn't arrived, I could only get as far as pinning and then sewing the two curtain panels for each side and then pressing open the seams.
We both had a moment of pause over a bag. It was pretty ordinary rattan shopper, she said she didn't want it, then as I went to put it out she said "but it was Grandma's...". I hesitated. My mum isn't dead, but most of her is gone. Getting rid of anything she used when she was herself feels so weird. But it was just an old bag - so it's going...honestly it is...
I'd just managed to get my t-shirt ironed and get dressed in time for Hannah to arrive. It's her birthday on Monday. She had heard from a friend that the Duck and Willow pub, which had opened with others a few weeks ago, was well organised with it's distancing. She suggested we go for her birthday. I certainly wouldn't have gone under my own steam, but the Duck and Willow is Hannah and my "happy place". We would go into Bristol on the bus and spend the day charity shopping on the Gloucester Road. Have a lovely lunch together, chatting and looking over what we'd found so far. Then make it up to our furthest shop before either walking back to town for the 48 bus or taking a bus back to the center. We would take the 48 home and get off just outside the Duck and Willow and go in for a bottle of prosecco and a burger each. We had some lovely times. The atmosphere of just quietly looking through things, chatting over what comes up, not being in any rush, not having to look after anyone then flopping down in the pub to drink and laugh and have someone else make the tea...happy place. 😊
Anyway, Hannah came up here first, which was good because my foot was still not great. We shared a bottle of prosecco and Mark brought us some nuts. I gave her her presents - even though I will probably see her on Monday.
Hannah was looking very sophisticated also - she had wanted to wear a dress - which I was very excited to have the privilege of seeing her in a dress (she is a real jeans lady 😍). But the weather was too cold and windy so she went for some slinky green trousers and a sparkly jumper.
Woo was carrying on with the present for C.
We got down there for 6pm and ordered our usual.
There was lots of space between tables, though I don't think Hannah and I were 2m apart. It was hard not to lean in when we were talking about stuff. They cleared away our plates and then said hilariously "er you have 20 minutes left before we need the table, would you like to order desert?" We didn't want desert, but hadn't finished our drinks. This hadn't been made clear to Hannah when she booked the table, so we were rather surprised. I went to speak to the manager, very politely, to explain we weren't expecting this and felt that 1hr 20mins was quite a short time slot. He said that the table wasn't needed until 8pm so not to worry. But soon the waitress was back asking us to move again and that she'd dried a table outside for us where we could stay as long as we liked...well not so long really, as it was still wet. We stayed long enough to finish our drinks and take a few more pictures and selfies, but Hannah was getting cold. Just as we decided to go it started raining anyway and given we had no umbrella at our table - it could be taken as a sign! 😂
We said goodbye and walked our own ways home. I was back just as the girls were going to bed. Woo had made her bed with some of her new bedding and cushions - it looked lovely!
Sunday
Mark had got up early and gone for a long run around central Bristol. I had my breakfast by the back window. Woo joined me and got the present for C finished.
Mark was home by the time I finished yoga. He had run 33km around the centre of Bristol. He helped move a few things from the study back into Woo's room. He also showed this correction at the bottom of his new scientist magazine. Apparently he had shown Woo the puzzle mentioned and she had solved it in 5. They assumed that their understanding of the puzzle was off, but no... it could be solved in 5.
After lunch we started making some blackberry jam while Woo went out to pick more blackberries for the freezer. Mark was feeling very tired after his run so I sent him off to rest. Fortunately I had Bunnykins to help me with cleaning the jars and such. She had a bit of a stir, but this jam was pretty vicious so she then stayed out of the way but was super helpful with pointing out when it was about to boil over (if I was busy doing something else in the kitchen).
It was a good recipe, the jam was pretty quick by jam making standards and it is a good firm set.
Mark went out for fish and chips for tea as tbh we were both pretty tired.
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