Started Early, Took My Dog*

*Shamelessly stolen from the title of a Kate Atkinson novel.  And not for the  first time.  Highly recommended though.  The book and title stealing. 

As re-entries into the real world go today has been a bit of a false start....and not just for the predictable reasons...

I foolishly ate the leftover chilli for dinner last night and discovered the culprit for my New Year's Day downfall. Not the chilli itself I should hasten to add (especially for those who ate it!) but it's triggered the gastritis I have been masking/ignoring for the last week.  For the foreseeable future my food intake will be beige and without interesting flavour.  It may well be that the soreness of my stomach has coloured the rest of the things that haven't gone so well....

I played so badly in a game of Barragoon I am not sure ever want to play again. 

I spent far too much of the day completing a tiny piece of work that should probably have taken about a quarter of the time.  

I have not done a good parenting job and am yet again wondering if I really can carry on working whilst J is still full time at home.  Though as with every previous occasion I will probably be so paralysed by the enormity of the decision I will do nothing and we will settle ourselves back into some sort of routine that sort of works for everyone. 

And I have an enormous spot on my chin. Though it did prompt an interesting discussion about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And then The Oscars. 

And there has been good stuff...

In addition to the awful Barragoon game I have played Boggle and Table Tennis with the boy and Scattegories with the girl. 

The fridge is now filled with real food so I will no longer need to resort to giving the kids garlic bread, Doritos and sausage rolls for breakfast as we did on New Year's Day. 

There is a higher ratio of clean to dirty laundry washing in the house. 

I have read my book; thus succeeding in taking my read every day resolution to day 3. 

Anna has spent a lovely afternoon being taken ice-skating by a friend and her family so I can stop feeling bad that we haven't taken her.

And it all started with a lovely walk with the dog at Chiswick House at sunrise. 

And there is more good on my list which I think bodes well for my sanity. And statistically I'm sure this means tomorrow will be easier and more productive as I'm fairly certain that's how statistics and probability works. 

Lesley x