Day 1 Jon came over with Max and while J set up an office in our garden, Max and I went on an adventure feeding the ducks with his cousins Leo and Rosie
Day 2 Started a new project, reupholstering our dining room chairs - wish me luck!
Day 3 Coco's birthday - 9 today!
Day 4 Leo and Rosie came round because from today they are allowed indoors!
Day 5 Lazy Sunday, resting, relaxing and preparing for our new childminding routine!
Day 6 First return to childminding day - was so lovely to have Rosie and Leo here again although my baking pans which were used for an 'orchestra' may never be the same again.
Day 7 Another day with R and L - their childminder isn't resuming work until August so we are helping out with two days a week instead of one.
Day 8 Another day, a different grandchild! We had Max here for the first time on his own, he was so good, but boy do I feel exhausted after three full days of childminding!
Day 9 Zumba class, followed by catching up with a humungous pile of ironing then a quick trip into town returning via Marks and Spencer's food hall - haven't been there for a while!
Day 10 Need to get cracking on re upholstering chairs, now have three down and one to go
Day 11 Friends over for drinks in the evening - how lovely not to have to consider the weather anymore before we plan anything (which was a good thing as the temperatures have dropped this week!).
Day 12 Sunday morning, sun is back, took a different route for our dog walk, hardly anyone else around
Day 13 Went into town with Rosie before collecting Leo from nursery, even something as simple as that seems a treat after being confined to home for so long!
Day 14 Leo's last day at nursery, so came home with armfuls of artwork he's made since he started - took him and Rosie to the park after lunch where he convinced me that Mummy lets him go down the big slide with Rosie on his lap - but apparently that isn't quite the case!
Day 15 Had Max here for the day, such a cutie and he really makes himself at home here now which is lovely
Day 16 Went to the garden centre to buy some plants to fill in a few gaps in the garden - unbeknown to us, this would prompt a huge rethink of the area at the end of the patio.
Day 17 Did a LOT of work in the garden, so much so that we will need to hire a skip to remove all the things we have dismantled - fence panels, lattice panels, swing chairs ...
Day 18 Spent the day at the home of our friends who have moved to a tiny village in Suffolk, it was a beautifully picturesque journey through the countryside and lovely to spend time with them again.
Day 19 Giving a lot of thought to redesigning our back garden - seeing the renovations our friends have made to theirs have inspired us even more to improve our own, and goodness me, isn't garden designing thirsty business? 😉
Day 20 Leo and Rosie here
Day 21 Took Leo and Rosie to Pets at Home to see the small animals there, fortunately none stowed away in anyone's pockets!
Day 22 Had Max here, he's so close to walking
Day 23 My first hairdressing appointment since February - ah, that feels better!
(this is the 'during' photo, taken while my highlights were in the foils!)
Day 24 Friend here for coffee in the morning, catching up on chores in the afternoon, our first day of having to wear a mask in the shops
Day 25 Max's birthday! It was lovely to go over to see him on his big day and enjoy a slice of birthday cake and a glass of prosecco all before lunchtime.
Day 26 We had friends over in the evening yesterday and they didn't go home until just after midnight so it was nice to just have a long lazy Sunday at home.
Day 27 Exhausting day childminding, weather wasn't good and we couldn't get outside much.
Day 28 Leo and Rosie here again but it was dry and sunny so we spent the morning at the Adventure Playground in Harlow Town Park - they had so much fun and the day went faster too ;-)
Day 29 Not only did we get to go to the beach today, but we also went to the pub in the evening for a meal out with friends #isthiswhatnormalusedtobelike
Day 30 Looked after Max today, and Paul ventured to the gym to go swimming for the first time since March!
Day 31 Boy it was hot today! Went to visit my sister for coffee and cake in her garden - we haven't met up properly since March so it was extra special!
And here comes the video, courtesy of 1 Second Everyday
What a busy month - all that childminding!
ReplyDeleteStrange phenomenon isn't it when you buy a couple of plants and it leads to wanting to overhaul the garden. Same thing happened to me! You must have a lot of energy for all that childminding! Your hair salon looks a lot like the one in Jodie's house where I went...it's not the same place is it?!
ReplyDeleteI feel tired just reading about all that childminding. It must have been lovely though.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you got to spend so much time with your grandchildren, exhausting though it was. I'm sure their parents really appreciate it. Hasn't it been lovely to have small tastes of 'normalcy' again? Enjoy your garden dreaming -- it's the most fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds like July treated you well overall. Time with young ones is always fab, even if tiring. I am hoping to get to my hair stylist this month, just need to let my self-trimmed bangs grow out a bit more so they are long enough for her to fix. So many friends are telling me how restorative a simple cut (and color) can be.
ReplyDeleteSo many things to comment on, so I'll just pick a few. 1. By now you have finished your reupholstering. Surely it went fine. Would love to see the results. We have done that many times through the years---for us and then daughters and sisters too! We're just about experts now! 2. I would imagine any drive through England would be beautiful---at least any parts I've seen were! 3. "Childminding" or as we say here "babysitting" (I like your word better) is harder the older we get! Plus you still have a baby that needs a close eye. It does get a little easier as they get older. On the other hand, now that ours are all adults (except one 10th grader) they wear us out in a different way---eating everything in sight, loud music and endless energy!! Okay, the energy part is the same. We just don't have to keep up with them now!
ReplyDeleteSo good to read about your month Deb, and to hear you are returning to some form of normalcy. Your childminding sounds tiring but I know how you would relish it after the past few months. Your summer seems to be going quite well as our winter rages on down here. Your hair looks great and it always feels like a treat after not being able to have it down for so long doesn't it? Hopefully things stay well over there with your COVID numbers - it's still up and down here but i did get to visit my daughter and grandson in Queensland so I'm happy. They've just closed the border again so I'm glad we went when we did!
ReplyDeleteI was going to ask what you do with the children when you are minding them but your video clip gave me a good idea. I know you often go on walks and little adventures with them. Love that Leo told you he takes Rosie down the big slide. And he certainly does!! Maybe not under his mum's watchful eyes, though. Lucia sometimes tells me that her mom says it is okay for her to do this or that...not always exactly the truth.
ReplyDeleteWhen you watch the children, do you watch them the entire day? I am doing morning duty with Lucia and Camila and just half a day is exhausting. Can't imagine 8 hours or more.
Your hair looks so pretty! I need to get back in for a trim myself. And the chair cushions turned out so very well. Good job!!
Happy birthday to Max and Coco.