Wednesday 17 August 2016

Life Lately

I've been pretty quiet on the blog front lately. Partly because I have the dreaded blogger's block: I keep sitting down to write and end up either staring blankly out of the window/at the cat or browsing Etsy for the nth time. But also because I've been busy (looking at this fluffy little face for upwards of five hours a day totally counts as busy, right?).

It's been strange to not have the summer off after eleven years of teaching. People keep asking me if I'm missing them and the honest answer is, "sort of." I mean, I'd love to have six weeks off, who wouldn't? But the truth is I don't need the holidays like I used to. When you work in a school you limp through the last couple of months of the academic year, desperate for a break, a chance to recuperate from the year just gone and prepare for the one about to begin. But my job now isn't so all-encompassing, exhausting and draining so there's no need for a long holiday to recover.

Not to be defeated by my lack of time off, I've nevertheless tried to make the most of my summer. I had a visit from my cousin, Mark, which was our first chance to spend quality time together since the 1990s (WHAT?!). My brother & his wife spent a weekend with us, which gave me a new appreciation for Leicester (or for the authentic Italian gelato from Gelato Village, anyway). Thomas and I took an awesome day trip to Nottingham for book shopping, cider supping, pizza eating and Ghostbusters watching, and I've had a mini bloggers meet-up with Laura, Elle & Becca. Sourdough bread was munched, Laura almost got taken out by a flying umbrella, and we poked around the new Delilah's Deli. Oh, and Thomas officially became a Dr, graduating with his PhD in a comically floppy hat.
I also spent an evening at Secret Cinema does Dirty Dancing. The set up was incredible, a mini Kellermans tucked away in East London. It was enormous fun to sit in the twilight, drinking cocktails and singing along with the film, and while the extras that justify the ticket price - dance lessons, mini golf and the rest - weren't particularly suited to a chronic non-joiner like me, that's my bad for buying a ticket in the first place, not theirs.

But honestly, a lot of my time has genuinely been taken up by hanging out with the cat. Missy has continued to settle well and although she still hasn't quite graduated to curling up on a lap or on our bed, she shows her affection in other ways - like bringing us her favourite toy (a small pink stuffed mouse), or following us from room to room to sit near us. However, I fear we are both becoming insufferable cat people. Talking endlessly about her, even to non-cat owners? Earnestly discussing her bowel movements when one of us gets home (often before even a "hello" has been exchanged)? Singing silly songs to her, swapping out the normal lyrics for ones about furry cats? I'm afraid Thomas and I are guilty of all of the above on an almost-daily basis. It was when I found myself telling a close friend who's just become a mum that, thanks to cat ownership, I now understand where parents are coming from that I realised I had a problem. So yep, crazy cat lady over here.

And now I'm looking forward to all sorts of awesome things in the next month or so: an overnight trip to Bristol this weekend, followed by a dash up the M1 to see another cousin who's staying with my mum in Bradford. A few days away for Thomas's 30th birthday (but shh, it's top secret). Then I have jury duty in September, promptly followed by a week in Crete and a chance - finally - to relax after an exhausting twelve months. And, hopefully, the return of my blogging mojo.

22 comments:

  1. I often find posts like these some of the more interesting ones. I like to knowse about people's lives.

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    1. Yeah me too, I think I mostly like blogs for the purposes of being nosy!

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  2. I'm with you on the blog block... Although that's always been an issue for me. I'm also with you on the crazy cat lady front. Found myself singing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" to Higgs the other day. Except with cat, instead of girl, obvs...

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    1. I am SO glad I'm not the only one who does it (totally going to steal that song for Missy. At the moment my repertoire is limited)

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  3. Yep, you are now a fully certified mad cat lady! Welcome to the club! They add so much to our homes and lives though, don't they.

    Have a good time in Bristol, cousin visits, B.days and Crete make sure you get plenty of well deserved R&R. x

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    1. Oh they really do, I can't believe we lived so long without a cat now. What were we thinking?!

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  4. Every pet I've ever owned has had their own song; I find it really reassuring it's not just me that sings to cats!
    To the tune of Black Betty - Whoa That Bunny, Dorabelle. Whoa that Bunny, Dorabelle (rabbit, Nymphadora)
    To the tune of O Christmas Tree - Oh Hestia, Oh Hestia, how lovely are your whiskers (cat, Hestia)
    To the tune of The Okie Kokie - Whoa Loki Poki (cat, Loki)
    To the tune of Hello My Baby - Hello Matilda, Hello My Bunny, Hello my ragtime gal (rabbit, Matilda)

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    1. This makes me very happy, I love that they all have their own songs.

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  5. Pets are just as important as children. I have a hamster, and could probably be classed as a crazy hamster lady. Oh well, he brings me a lot of happiness so why wouldn't I talk about him!

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    1. It's ridiculous how much happiness a pet brings; I didn't have pets growing up and although I've lived with housemates who had cats, it's not quite the same thing as having your own.

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  6. I love little catch ups like this. Watching someone you love graduate (in the hilarious get up that goes hand in hand with it) is such a heart-bursting proud day isn't it? I also like the little Missy update - she is adorable!

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    1. I was surprised at how emotional I felt! I was also thinking v mean thoughts about all the Batchelors grads, like "humph, you think that's an achievement? Well my boy has a PhD so boo sucks to you." Because I am super mature like that.

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  7. That sounds a delightful month. Missy is a beauty!!!! She is worth all the chat!!!

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    1. Ah she really is - she's becoming such a little sweetheart now she's not terrified of every noise.

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  8. Totally counts as busy. Cat staring make up a large part of my working day (and evening).
    I sing 'Tinklebells, Tinklebells' to the tune of Jinglebells to Tink, she loves it (probably). It's lovely that you've turned into proper cat parents, I do the same. I miss them so much when I'm not at home, even when I've only been out for the afternoon! So glad Missy is settling in :)

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    1. I remember thinking that a cat would be a great pet for us as we go away overnight quite a bit - but now I can't bear the thought of leaving her on her own! She, meanwhile, is probably desperate for some peace and quiet.

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  9. Missy is a beaut! Keep the pix coming :) I don't sing to my (2) cats but Rom and I make up dialogue that we believe they are thinking, but can't communicate to us. We can get pretty insufferable with it. Congrats to Thomas!

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    1. Hehe, Thomas and I are convinced that Missy CAN communicate but chooses to ignore us! It honestly wouldn't surprise me if all cats understood humans and just perversely decided to let us suffer.

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  10. (I made a comment that went away - please delete if this is a duplicate)
    Missy is a beaut! Keep the photos coming :) I don't sing to my 2 cats but Rom and I have this thing where we invent dialogue for them - things we believe they would say to us if they could speak. We can be insufferable. Congrats to Thomas!

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  11. That umbrella was terrifying! Looking forward to our next blogger meet up, there's a few new places here you guys should try!

    What did you make of the new Ghostbusters?

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    1. I really enjoyed it and would watch it again, but I thought the script let it down. It was clear that at times they were improvising and riffing, which is all well and good but I wanted it to be AMAZING and hilarious and it wasn't quite that.

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  12. I love a good catch up post, nothing crazy about cat ownership. I often text Lee about the cat and what she's up to when she's away.

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