What are you up to?

It exercises my father greatly that I have retired from teaching and that I therefore no longer have a ‘job’. Visits will always sooner or later (but mainly sooner), contain questions about my plans…for work. I don’t know whether I should feel embarrassed by the answers I give, such as ‘I’m spending more time cooking’ which, I know, do not cut the mustard (see what I did there?). I had the same sense of embarrassment when meeting up with former colleagues recently; I heard myself saying ‘I’ve been really busy’ when they are all still working full time, in stressful jobs. So, does something have to change?

The writer her indoors is not in the same position. She is busying herself with a play and is enthused by a new idea of adapting it for the Edinburgh Fringe 2020. In addition to this, and as per the recent article on the BBC website about creativity, she is also ‘up cycling’ furniture in the house. So I need to be busy for the next time I meet my father…

Busy learning the guitar – I know, not hugely impressive but something I have always wanted to do. Child #3 is a self-taught player, thanks to the internet, so surely I can learn too? Guitar bought – same colour as the Aga, tuner ordered, an old Taylor Swift guitar pick found on child #’s floor and away I go – can’t do F yet, but working on C and Am!

Busy planting in the garden – seed potatoes (slightly late, but should be ok still), lettuces (so need some slug pellets that won’t harm pampered pooch) and kale hitherto… much more to plant still, once I have cleared the weeds….

Busy organising all the recipes I have pulled out of magazines, printed off the internet, acquired from friends. I need a system to deal with the pages stashed in drawers and sagging in the magazine rack…

When I was teaching, September, the start of the new academic year, was the time for new resolutions and for change…. My resolutions start here!

Charred courgette and pesto tart – recipe from Katy Beskow. Lovely warm spring evening supper! I made the pesto with sunflower seeds, rather than the almonds suggested, as child #1 is nut allergic.

Drinking: 2018 Spanish Verdejo from Virgin wines – still on the hunt for my preferred Sav blanc alternative.

Listening to: The soundtrack to the writer her indoors’ childhood. A chance playing of Theme from a Summer Place by Percy Faith and his orchestra, started us both on a voyage of ‘rediscovery’, including Sergio Mendes’ Mais Que Nada, Afrikaan Beat by Bert Kaempfert and Bésame Mucho by Ray Conniff. Personal favourites from our new playlist are: Playas Somnolientas by Johnny Pearson and his orchestra and A certain smile by Johnny Mathis.