The teenager seems happy enough at her sister’s departure, 12 weeks in close sibling confinement was probably stretching things a bit but they were still talking (just) when we forced the elder one protesting back onto the plane. Unfortunately daughter No 1 had to go, not only because she has to complete her university education back in the UK, but also because she had a better suntan than me. I can’t have that.
Of course I am sad. I’d got used to having a bit of company around during the day, but now I will just have to return to my rather mundane routine and continue to immerse myself in ex-pat wife life.
As I tend to do every now and then I have written myself a mental list of things to do in order to keep myself occupied – there’s the usual POSTIVE THINKING, which regularly tops all of my lists, followed by INSPIRED COOKING – which is a new one – YOGA which also regularly appears together with WRITE NOVEL, another frequent visitor.
It is highly unlikely that any of these activities will actually get completed – I’ll get the Wii Fit out and do a few yoga poses every day for the next couple of weeks, and I’ll scribble away at what I hope will be the next bestseller until I remember I’ve got ironing to do. Inspired Cooking sounds wonderful, I’ve a shelf full of cookery books and I need to start using them; I’ve pledged to try a new recipe from each at least once a week. Last Christmas my husband bought me Jamie’s America - Jamie Oliver’s “easy twists on great American classics, and more”. We have yet to try a single recipe – funnily enough I have been unable to tempt my family with the thought of Cowboy Scrapple, Cajun Alligator or Glazed Quail and Turnip Smash but now it’s officially on my list I’ll be off to Ralphs on a regular basis to hunt down the ingredients.
Of course another big item on my to do list is a not to do – DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH. This is another regular feature on any mental list that I prepare. On the other hand I recently read a magazine article that stated that medical research has now found that a glass or two, or even three, of wine a day has a very positive effect on the health of middle-aged women. I need to cut this article out and frame it.
So I’ve plenty to do to keep myself occupied; my days will be full. I’ve a list by my PC of all the things I need to research on the internet; I’ve a list on the fridge of things we’ve run out of that we need to buy and there’s a list by my bed of all the inspirational story lines or ideas for my blog that come to me in the middle of the night. I am a woman of lists.
But the trouble with having too many lists is I end up having too much going on in my head. I have too many things to think about and when I’m balancing one legged in The Tree pose, instead of cleansing my soul by concentrating on gentle calming breaths, I’ll really be thinking I hope everyone’s going to appreciate that nice piece of crocodile we've got for dinner tonight..…
No comments:
Post a Comment