Not a Great Week

Hi, not had a great week. How about you? I have that sliding, not quite on top of everything, overly busy feeling – the one that always seems to descend about this time of year. It will be replaced with a complete flat panic – did anyone buy a Christmas gift for Grandma? – feeling, which will last until well into the new year. So I might as well get used to it. I never manage to fit in everything I want to do, and I will always feel like I’ve managed to achieve less than everyone else. That’s just life.

I have, however, learned lots of things this week.

For example, I learned that if you have a grumpy old cat who dislikes going outside when it’s cold or damp, and who repeatedly poops in the utility room sink, then when you throw said poop out of the door in disgust, it is extremely important to first check that no one is walking past in the lane.

I also learned that when cooking a roast gammon dinner for 39 elderly people, when a sweet lady with white hair asks you to also serve a take-out dinner for her son, if shortly afterwards another sweet old lady asks you to also serve one for her son, you have not necessarily lost your ability to distinguish between old ladies with white hair. It might be the same one, who has forgotten that she asked you ten minutes ago, but does not now want two take-out dinners!

I learned that reversing quickly into the garage and bending the wing-mirror backwards makes a horrible crunching noise. And the automatic folding back thing doesn’t work anymore.

I learned that buying wellington boots that are slightly too big doesn’t matter until you go for a walk in November, when the fields are boggy, and the mud sucks said wellies off feet.

I learned that if you set aside a day to edit your next book, and then decide to just watch one episode of Stranger Things on Netflix, before you know it, you have watched the whole of series two. And nine hours of Stranger Things does slightly ‘stranger things’ to your eyes. And if you have accidentally also eaten a whole tub of ice-cream, you also feel both a bit sick and not very proud of how you spent the day. And when your husband phones from abroad, where he’s working, and asks about your day, it’s really hard to make it sound like you’ve been productive when you haven’t actually moved off the sofa.

So, there you go, not the greatest week. But this week will be better. Have a good one.

Take care,
Love, Anne x

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Thank you for reading.

Anne E. Thompson is the author of several novels and one non-fiction book. Books make great Christmas gifts – who do you know that would like one?