Pondering #bettertogether

June 16th -  we had a picnic -  school/church in the church gardens, part of the Great Get Together for the Jo Cox Foundation. It was a lovely evening. We've had the picnic before, it was a good fit with the Great Get Together - bringing community together ... because it's true: we are always better together.
And that's where the pondering came in - I've wondered over the last two or three months, watching people not seeing that. Which in turn makes me look at how I think ... the pondering has made me decide to do more, and sometimes maybe say more. People are all out there fighting their own battles, getting done what needs to be done. Sometimes that's easier than other times. I try not to be judgemental - who knows why anyone is who they are, and there but for the grace ... if you look for the good in the people around you, you usually find it. Difference seems to be a problem for so many people - whether in a large-scale, political sense; or in an every day, at home, at work situation. I am no better or worse than anyone else, I'm just different - and if everyone was like me, it'd be a pretty boring life, with nothing new to learn. If we want the communities in our lives to function at their best, we need to encourage everyone - or they'll just stop - and everyone loses.
So, money where mouth is - stand up for people, get out there and do things, don't judge ... I shall find gaps in my gapless life ... because we really are better together.
There is more that unites us ...

The Slippery Slip

I had to concede defeat ... on the hair, rebellion was beaten by reports! And cakes (guiltily) bit the dust too. But managed the rest, plus nine jars of blackcurrant jam...

And now am contemplating the Slippery Slip - have I mentioned The Faraway Tree before - the slow starting, but gathering speed, descent into holidayness! In two weeks time I shall be sitting next to a barbecue outside a caravan in Cornwall with a glass of wine and a book ...

But before that ... work, well, it's a school, so the normal excess of things to do. Brownies, climbing, swimming, choir - still rolling ... Performing Arts has finished: Grease last night and the Miracle Girl was fab - v. proud.

Need to get organised:

1) invitations for Christening to sort
2) send back booking forms for Village Hall
3) holiday shopping list
4) holiday packing list
5) make blackcurrant compote/ ice cream
6) pick more blackcurrants
7) make blackcurrant cordial??
8) make cakes for climbing
9) BOOK HAIR APPOINTMENT 
10) buy new collapsible BBQ from Go Outdoors
11) book surf school for Daisyfay
12) make gooseberry compote
13) order Tesco vouchers for days out in Cornwall 
14) find National Trust 2014 car sticker which I have somehow mislaid...

Life - a series of events with no gaps - good job it's fun ...

The stretchiness of time

I have added up the hours I need this week. I have added up the hours I have this week. They do not match. I have significantly less hours than I need. It's that gap thing again...

This week is bonkersly busy, so was last week, and the one before ... it should calm down a bit after this weekend ... a bit...

Daisyfay has Grease this weekend ( my mum is coming - no hours allocated for cleaning - eek!) - dress rehearsal Friday (clashing with Summer Fair at my school) - two performances Saturday (clashing with Summer Fair at her school ... I promised cakes in lieu of presence ... not holding out great hopes at present, but am determined to try...). Tomorrow is Parents' Night for her, she should be at swimming for her assessment and it is Brownie Entertainments Evening, for which she is supposed to be half an hour early ...swimming is biting the dust ... hopefully we will get away from Parents Night in time to drop her at Brownies, so we can then arrive half an hour later to be entertained! I also have to finish my reports - getting there, but the hour count, compared with my typing speed, slightly worrying. Then let's add in the normal time slots for : school choir, community choir, climbing, athletics, tutoring ... oh bugger!!

But, you know what, in the middle of my chaos, I am revolting!! On Thursday instead I could gain hours, but I am not, I am having my bi-annual hair-do, hopefully - and I do not care...
...ish!

Next week - many things, but less, especially on the clashing front - but still ... things can only get better... can't they ...?

Finding gaps

I found a gap ... and I've had a lovely day.

There probably shouldn't have been a gap - there are a million and one things I should have been doing - I'm supposed to be sorting out stuff for selling, putting stuff on ebay, finding a path through the attic to the water tank to sort the overflowing overflow, planting food in the garden so that we can become self-sufficient ...

But instead I went with the gap ...

Me and Daisyfay got up quite early - washing on line - made chocolate brownies - realised part-way through no eggs - thank god for caravan park shop which opens at the crack of dawn! Paul did home cooked ham with fancy flavours - gorgeous smell through house.

This afternoon 007 Minor came to play. They played - perused the (many!) James Bond books we possess - I made picnic (aforementioned ham rolls and brownies, apples, crisps and drinks) - basket, book and ball and we were set. Walk down canal path - adventures in the woods involving water and trees - me collecting wild garlic - ice cream - caravan park playground - lambs - pirate dens in the reeds - nettles!!!

                                              

                                                                                         

Got home just in time for 007 Minor's mum - hope his socks washed...! :-)

BBQ - visit to horses - bed.

Lovely day - gaps are good.

Feeling dreamy ...

                               
           

Life with gaps...

Life with gaps - that's what I want! I've said it before, and will probably come back to the idea again - it would really help!!

No gaps at the moment - working all week, entrepeneuring and tutoring, plus Daisyfay - swimming on Monday ( we didn't go this week - I had to glitz Barbie and the Miracle Girl leapt at the opportunity!), Brownies on Tuesday, choir on Wednesday, climbing on Thursday - the weekend has more - how did this happen ...?

My mum is coming for the weekend ... my house is a tip ... I need to wash the floors, and wash clothes, and clean the bathroom... oh me, oh my - when?

And then there is Easter Bingo on Friday - don't ask!!

If I had a campervan we could just abandon ship and find a gap ...

We could, couldn't we...?