Saturday, May 07, 2005

Lazy Day

It's strange, sometimes I wake up full of energy, and - if I don't sit down at the computer too early and become distracted - manage to get a huge amount done. I'm already amazed at how much food I managed to preserve and/or freeze on Thursday. Yesterday I didn't switch the computer on at all until 7pm - before that I did three loads of laundry, changed all the sheets and pillowcases on the beds, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed half the house, and did a load of dusting and sweeping too. Which doesn't sound much, but it seemed to take most of the day - or at least, most of the day from about 11am onwards since we did our weekly supermarket shop before that, and then I put everything away.

It seems incredible that it's only a week since our new fridge arrived, and so nice to have plenty of room to put stuff in it without having to rearrange what's already there. On the other hand, the week appears to have flown past. I'm not at all sure where Tuesday and Wednesday vanished to. Sometimes I think Terry Pratchett's entirely right with his stories of history monks who play around with time, sometimes stretching it and sometimes making it contract.

Today I was going to do lots of gardening. Cutting the lawn, for instance, and some much-needed weeding. And probably begin the season's thorough watering of trees (which takes at least an hour, often more). Oh, and I was going to pick another few kilograms of loquats for the freezer.

Unfortunately I didn't get to sleep till past midnight. I was reading a book that kept me wide awake, and also half waiting for the boys to get back. Tim was at youth group as usual, and Dan was in Nicosia, playing clarinet for a performance by the Antidote Nicosia group at the High Commissioner's house. He thought he would be home in time to get to youth group before they went downtown, but I had no idea if in fact he would be back for that. When both boys are together, I have almost no worries about them. It's a safe town, and there are plenty of people wandering around on a Friday night. But Tim on his own concerns me slightly more, and I had no idea whether Dan had even taken his key...

We did turn the lights off about 11.15 but by then I'd started listening out for the boys. Tim got back about 11.30, I suppose, or a little later, but he was alone. So then I started wondering if the Antidote truck had broken down... and what Dan would do if he arrived back without a key to find the house in darkness. Eventually Richard got up to open the window in the front door, which enables any of the family to open the door by slipping a hand around inside. Of course it would allow anyone else to do the same, but it's a knack which most visitors haven't grasped. Besides, it's never obvious that it's open until someone actually gets up close. And it's Larnaka where burglaries are very rare.

I was almost drifting off to sleep when Dan did get back and at that point I fell soundly asleep. But he said this morning it was about ten past midnight.

I slept for eight hours, which is what I seem to need; I was shocked to find it was past eight when I woke this morning. But somehow I don't feel refreshed or rested. by the time I'd done the various morning stuff including washing up breakfast, hanging out the damp towels, watering the recently-planted flowers and strawberries, and bringing in the last of yesterday's dry laundry, it was past eleven o'clock. I still had to photocopy the church bulletin, and by the time I'd done that it was distinctly warmer with the sun all over the garden, no good for weeding or mowing.

Then I remembered that I'm helping at a church event for local families this afternoon - a sort of Easter fair, with music later on by the youth band. Richard's doing the PA, Tim's in the band and helping on a stall, Dan's helping move equipment and probably also helping on a stall, I shall be behind a stall too and need to be there by around 4.30. So I won't get the main watering done today either. And tomorrow I shall almost certainly need a day to recharge and reflect, and read and write.

3 comments:

Lora said...

I would hardly call these lazy days. I should take a note from your book and simply not even turn on the computer until I've gotten a certain amount done. As much sense as that makes, I have just haven't managed to disipline myself to do this.

I was thrilled to see you mention Terry Pratchett. I'm a huge fan of his, he's barely known in the States. I first read "Monstrous Regiment," but then I started back with "The Color of Magic" and have slowy been working my way through the Discworld books in the order written. I'm reading "Eric" now.

Sue said...

How wonderful still to have so many Discworld books ahead of you! I find they get better, the first two were probably my least favourite. I love the books about the witches, and the books about Death best, but they're all good!

Lora said...

I totally agree. My two faves to date are "Equal Rights" and "Mort." "Wyrd Sisters" gets an honorable mention, but I saw the video before I read the book and I think that really enriched my reading enjoyment. They did an amazingly good job with the video.