All About My Day

[ailbhe]

I've had a pleasing and productive day, huge guilty swamps not withstanding. At least, it was pleasant until Tony Blair said "incentivising" on the radio. "Incentivise" is one of those words that I would cheerfully - possibly even gleefully - bannificate.

I managed to crawl out of bed before nine, which was a considerable accomplishment in and of itself, because I had had a rough night; the baby wanted me to sleep either in zero-g or face down in a swimming pool, and we didn't have either facility available (sorry, baby). So when I woke, I felt slightly nauseous and my back ached. Plus, Rob was cuddling my support pillow, presumably because when he tried to cuddle me I hit him. I would like a long body-pillow, if I could work out where to get one. One that would go under what's left of my waist, support the bump, and end up between my knees.

After I woke, I got my morning routine done - eating, laundry, cleaning the kitchen, reading the electricity meter, checking mail. Then I cleaned the library, and I discovered that the new ostrich-feather duster is a great improvement over the yellow cloths I was using before. For a start, a lot of our home-painted and home-varnished woodwork has a rough surface which collects both dust and little scraps of yellow dusting cloths, but it seems to leave the ostrich feathers intact. I found a box in which to put almost half the unshelved books, and thereby tidied up the area around the bay window. And I finished the can of furniture polish, polishing the old tv corner unit and the new side-table from my uncle.

Yesterday evening I figured out a way to keep myself more on top of my routines; I printed the damn things out and pinned them up on the noticeboard, so that I can tick thigns off as I finish them, and I put a bit on the sheet for shopping lists, so that Rob can write things down in the same place all the time, rather than telling me while I'm in the middle of something else. Rob seems to think that it'll work. He's beginning to get used to living in a non-chaotic state.

I also toddled into town today, partially to get out of the house and partially because I genuinely had some errands to run. I missed my stop on the bus, so I continued to the library, where I returned half a dozen books and took out 14 Joan Aikens; I've never read any of her adult books, for some reason, and I'm going to be in Sweden all next week, possibly trapped indoors by weather. Then I waddled, bent almost double under the weight, as far as Woolworths, where I had a cup of tea and a flapjack and bought some Useful Stuff.

Woolworths are a great source of Useful Stuff. They didn't have a cheap plastic filofax-type folder, so I suppose I'll have to start looking in real live stationery shops for that, but they did have screw-in cuphooks (very useful under the stairs), little sticky Velcro pads (we now have pencils next to the calendar and the notice board), a shoehorn (oh joy, oh rapture, a shoehorn! You have no idea how ridiculous getting my boots on of a morning has become; I keep meaning to find out whether this is a pregnancy issue or whether round-tummied people generally have this problem), and a cross-stitch kit. I presume that the cross-stitch kit is a symptom of advanced pregnancy-hormone dementia, since I have never done any cross-stitch and didn't particularly enjoy the tapestry and embroidery I did do.

Sainsbury's was as exciting as ever. I spent ages looking for ketchup, because it's not something that happens in my universe very often. I also spent a while looking for furniture polish that wasn't in an aerosol can and didn't have Spring Fresh or Jasmine or Lavender or Orangle Balsam scent. I failed in that one; I bought an aerosol can. Bad Ailbhe, no ozone layer.

Well, I'm eating dinner as lovingly prepared by Rob from yesterday's leftovers (it's pasta with meat sauce, and it's quite delicious). I'm reading Dido and Pa again. And later we shall go dancing, and after dancing, we shall go for hot chocolate, probably in Starbucks again. When I grow up, I shall open a successful and popular coffee house in central Reading, which stays open late, and I shall make a relatively ethical killing. I actually enjoyed being a waitress in various cafe-type restaurants, so it's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Not quite, anyway.

I wonder when I'll start the cross-stitch?

Comments

[buzzy-bee.livejournal.com]

I wonder when I'll start the cross-stitch?

What's your latest project? I am currently hooked on Michael Powell's Mini Cottages and have just started doing III. I completed II before Christmas and plan on doing IV and framing them as a trypict.

[ailbhe]

Um, it's a Woolworths teddy bear with a waistcoat. And it's not so much my latest project as my only project. But I've heard a lot about cross-stitch and it looks a lot easier than the embroidery I've tried before, so here goes nothing...

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I would like a long body-pillow, if I could work out where to get one. One that would go under what's left of my waist, support the bump, and end up between my knees.

Can you find king-sized bed pillows there? When my last body-pillow got peed on by the cat and had to be thrown out, I couldn't find another, but I found that a regular king-sized pillow is even better. Mine is long enough that I can clamp it between my knees (main purpose, keeping my hips from torquing when I sleep) and also throw my arm across it to support my shoulder.

[ailbhe]

Hmm. I'll investigate king-sized bed pillows. I can't quite imagine what they must be like - sort of two pillows long?

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Not quite - more pillow-and-a-half.

Wait a sec... (*googlegoogle*)

OK: King-sized pillows appear to run a foot longer than standard ones, at least if you go by the pillowcase measurements on various bedding sales sites; a standard-sized pillowcase is 21" wide by 31" long; a king-sized case is 21"x41". I'm guessing that makes the pillow itself about 36 inches long, which is plenty long for my 5'5" frame.

[livi-short.livejournal.com]

>I wonder when I'll start the cross-stitch?

The very first cross stitch i did was door sign of a bear in the bath with 'Please do not disturb, i'm enjoying the bubbles' I did it when in hospital after having Suzanne.

I do an awful lot of cross stitch but that is the only one I have ever made for myself, all the others i have done have been for friends and family. It's a nice hobby to get into as you can make keepsakes and mementos as presents.

I'm working on a Humphrey's Corner Beach Babies picture for my mum's birthday. There are a lot of gorgeous pictures to make at http://www.freewebs.com/cavy/bearmail/humphrey.html and http://www.stitchability.co.uk/site_map.htm are a very helpful site.

Body pillow

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

Mine was called Bob & I got him from Freemans :) I passed him to Karen or I could have posted him to you. I slept with Bob & 1 normal ones under my feet, knees, bottom of back & 2 under my head. Andy just abour fitted into the bed too *g*