When I last wrote, I was doing Covid. On the weekend when I was better I planted seedlings and bulbs, and fenced off the garden because Sweep goes in there to eat compost. A lot of the bulbs started to show only a week later! I gave the leftover bulbs from the show bag (at least half of them!) to Kirsty.
I felt pretty good to go to work, although I had a cough and I had a nap at lunch time in the library each day. I also noticed I made a lot of mistakes such as going to music practice on the wrong night, discussing doing something twice and doing it once, turning taps the wrong way. This is apparently covid fog, it isn't like a fog it's like being stupid.
I played cello for a praise night at church on Thursday before good Friday. I did pretty good! I think I'm probably getting good enough to keep up with church music, so I am thinking about stopping lessons soon. Maybe finish this year or end of term 1 next year. There are other things I would like to do. I'd probably have to take lessons again in future if I let it go for too long though. But ideally it would be nice to stop lessons and transition to playing in church bands and similar.
AM came up on Thursday night for the easter long weekend. We went to church on Friday and I invited parents over for lunch and G was popping by too. I was worried I didn't have a big enough chicken etc but we mixed up a nice salad to supplement baked chicken and veggies.
JK and sweep left which was just as well as AM finds animals stressful when they jump on her and leave poo to step in.
On Saturday AM and I headed out to the Mt Tomaree walk, there was also a good ice cream cart there and we got fish n chips for lunch by the bay. We checked out a "Green shed" junk recycling place but it was shut for the public holiday.
At some point I made sourdough. I made another attempt at artistic cutting. Better.
Tragically our easter bunny chocolate was destroyed by a mouse. The mouse/mice continues to plague us weeks later. It keeps finding chocolate in places we have forgotten. It has eaten poison, but bounced back. It nibbled into a bag with a scarf in it, in my jumper drawer, and dug into the soil of an indoor plant in my bedroom leaving dirt on the carpet. Sick of it.
Anyway, we were both quite weary and had a lot of rests on the weekend. Other than the walk, our activities were also restful, such as a picnic, and a cafe lunch, and watching Austenland.
Not much open on easter Monday but we had a fancy lunch by the river. I always forget how good a posh drink is and I should get into making them. I think this had gin, lime and mint? It was great.
Small win, after a week on FB market place, some people claimed my free single bed! The joy of getting something out of the house/garage and knowing it has a new purpose.
Back at work, I was trying to catch up and get things printed and organised for Tocal Field Days. It was a mixed blessing but everyone was on leave, so work was calm, but not easiest to get things approved.
Social life. Went to a games night at this house at Clarence Town with other 6pm church gals.
Did pub Trivia with Aleisha and her sister and grandma. We did pretty well, came in the top 50%, and it was aimed at current events rather than like history and geography so my short term memory of what I had heard on the ABC recently was a boon. I could name a politician for example.
And I went to the movies with Cass and JK to see Lost Kingdom, fun!!
Here is the tent at the start of the set up. I got D to help me hang those banners and others the week before, while it was sunny. Note the grass. It did not survive.
And then the week of was 3 days of hard work. Getting these signs picked up, trecking around college collecting all the display boards and power cords and so on. On Thursday I walked 14k steps or 10km. So I was tired before the event started on Friday.
Tocal Field Days had lower numbers this year because of the rainy days and mud, and probably because of the economy and the election, who knows. But our tent talks (which I organised) did just as well overall, the educational game was a success, just the right amount of challenge and all ages could have a go.
This was a moment of chaos that made me laugh.
It was exhausting though, and I have decided that's it for me, no more organising and setting up. Next year I will design the signage and work in the book shop.
Some fun highlights were I got a free haircut from the DPI H2Cuts stall! And I met some DPI colleagues from other programs who shared out tent, they were cool and great at pitching in with the packing up. I also bought myself a pair of farm boots, Blundstone 660s. So far very firm, hard to get on. Comfortable to walk in but need to loosen up in general. I was originally worried I got the wrong size, but I think they will be fine. I just can't get them on and off easily and so on. And, I was saying hi to a friend in the tent and her friend recognised me as the person with the green chairs on marketplace! Small world. My chairs went to a friend of a friend.
We got nearly everything packed away on Sunday night, in a nice orderly clean way with lots of instruction from me, because I was clear that last year was a nightmare for me to deal with after their "help". Note the grass. RIP.
The next morning the tent was gone! The last few things we left were just stranded there and muddy.
I actually hurt my toe wearing new boots cleaning these banners.
Here is a little print job that just made it in time for the field days, a kraft paper honey label with gold foil for the bee.
These are the boots. Dark brown.
Oh and one night when I was lying in bed tired I bid on 2 ceramic vases in an online fundraiser auction! So I am expecting a Shelby Sherritt small vase to arrive soon. I wasn't expecting to win but I'm not sorry, it's fun to do something random and buy a tiny vase for $200. Lucky I didn't win both though.
Still got things to do. I am dogsitting Banjo this week, and sometimes I go before and after work, but last night I stayed over the night. Someone just texted me to house and dogsit over a weekend in May but I said no, housesitting just adds logistical complexity to life. I have a duty to Banjo though. The other thing is our first and maybe only band rehearsal for Women of Truth now called Renew, which is this Saturday, I've booked the church for it. I need to think and plan the songs, as I am not playing piano but cello. But I am also having Friday off so there is time to get my brain into gear AND rest. The Renew band is another thing I think I will drop. This is the 5th year and 4th time I've done it. Time to pass it on and take a break. So I am looking forward to next year being a year with some space and energy that I may or may not fill with new things. It could be nice to have a down year. I think April and May could potentially be a nice time of year, if I'm not busy and stressed. I could do the thing where you take a few days off to join the public holidays together and have 10 days off in the middle! I've definitely managed the stress better this year though. Anyway, tally ho!
