That was the week that was

This has been one of those weeks that simultaneously feels as though it's flown past, while at the same time each day has lasted about 72 hours! Work has been both busy and productive, which always feels nice and positive - but this blog is generally a work-free zone, and I intend to keep it that way. Such spare time as I have had seems to have disappeared without my really noticing it, somehow.

That said, I have managed to complete a badge this week - on Tuesday evening I sat down and looked up the requirements and recommendations for all the countries on my wish list. As well as a few European countries, this includes such far-flung places as Madagascar, the Falkland Islands, and Bora Bora, so there's a bit of variety there!

I've also made the most of working from home and the extra flexibility this provides, so we've had fresh bread at lunchtime twice. No, I've not spent all morning kneading and proving while claiming to be at work, but have made my trusty overnight bread. Five ingredients (flour, salt, sugar, yeast. water), mix to a rough dough, leave for 8-12 hours, shape and leave to stand while heating the casserole dish and oven, bake for 30 mins with lid on and 15 mins without. Done! I've also made another loaf of 'normal' white bread, since one evening I had the choice of make bread so the rest of the family could have something easy for lunch the next day while I was in the office, or go and do the supermarket shopping. That's an absolute no-brainer for me!

And somehow, somewhere along the line, I've managed to knit a few more rows of Teen's shawl. Each row now takes around 20-25 minutes - not because the pattern is so complicated, as I can now generally see how it goes from looking at the previous rows, but because of the sheer number of stitches. I'm not quite at the point where I can say the end is in sight, but it's gradually getting there... and with it, my Advanced Crafter progress continues.

One thing which has seemed transformational recently is the Finch self-care app. I've seen it mentioned a few times in the Rebel Badge Club, then Teen suggested it too. For anyone who hasn't come across it, it's a very sweet app which turns self-care into a game. You have a little bird pet, you set goals of things you want to do either as a one-off, or as regular tasks, and when you complete enough tasks your bird pet goes off on adventures, learns things, and grows up a bit. There are lots of suggested tasks, ranging from 'get out of bed' to 'do 15 minutes of yoga' and pretty much everything in between, and you can also make your own customised tasks - I have one to send cat photos to Teen daily!

As well as encouraging me to get dressed properly rather than working in my pyjamas when I'm at home, and to step outside every day, I've used it to help reinforce my night-time routine which had gone out of the window. Since I know from bitter experience that exhaustion makes everything else so much more difficult to manage, this has felt absolutely key in looking after my mental health and trying to get back onto an even keel after my November/December dip. While I'm not managing to do things and settle down quite as early in the evening as I'd really like, I'm at least in bed the right side of 11pm most nights now - and often by 10.30, so we're moving in the right direction.

I'm also indulging myself in my love of little lights. The Christmas tree is still up (although that's due to lack of time and energy to take it down rather than a proper deliberate decision), so evenings in the living room are illuminated by the side lamp and the tree, with my book nooks shining appealingly from their shelves. I've found out the tea lights and matches, so I've also had candles lit in my two beautiful glass tealight holders (Moomin designs, of course!). Once the tree is put away, I'll make sure I find some of the other little strings of fairy lights which we have in the cupboard, so I can still have a pretty room. :)