Life, some flat updates, and a lot of Lemsip

I’m writing this from the sofa. I’m under a blanket, have a hot water bottle, and am wearing the new slippers my mum got me. Whenever I realise I’m not wearing them in the house I’m honestly like, ‘Woah, what was I thinking?’ and slide my feet into their softness. I have a bit of a foggy head, and one ear is still ringing.

The laptop’s glowing semi-expectantly in the half-light of the living room, where I’ve lit a candle and have a lamp shining softly. Wet tyres turn the corner down from the bottom of Crookes towards Broomhill in the dark beyond the window. The lampshade on the ‘big light’ fell down the other day and I couldn’t get it back on (didn’t try very hard) so a bare bulb is taunting me from the ceiling. I’ll try again tomorrow when I’m feeling a bit better.

I’m still recovering from a cold similar to the ‘super cold’ everyone had after Covid. Which hasn’t been fun as I’m (touch wood) rarely ill. ‘I won’t write,’ I thought. ‘I need to not move, empty my head of responsibilities and sleep. But you didn’t write last week either, because you were doing the mattress review.’

For some reason, my Google Drive thinks it’s my birthday. I have no idea why. Little misdirected digital balloons and streamers keep floating over the purple M in the top right of the screen, and an email sending birthday wishes sits in my inbox.

I feel a bit lonely, I think. Hormones are also making me feel low – I’m in the dip, like the downhill slope before the mud ramp on a monster truck computer game you played as a kid, rapidly pressing the left and right arrow buttons on the keyboard to stop the truck from flipping over. It will pass, and I’ll wake up fresh tomorrow, shower, make a coffee, and be able to look back at how weird I felt yesterday. It’s a strange transitional time before I leave my job in about a month’s time, and I’ve had lots going on. I need a good night’s sleep. In summary: it’s Sunday evening.

I’ve been feeling bunged up and woozy, had to cancel plans in order to do nothing. Basic tasks like posting a birthday card or getting on the bus genuinely felt impossible. Last week I’d been feeling bolstered and happy having spent more time with friends, going out and playing beer pong (probably where I caught the cold), movie nights, and coffees in Waterstone’s cafe after running club, chatting through piles of books and banana bread.

I’d been going to a local cafe to work for a couple of hours during the week

– a few more visits and they’ll know my order. I was generally feeling much more settled, like I was building a life here, feeling more rooted and connected than when I first arrived, when I was slowly getting the basic furniture I needed and watching a lot of Celebs Go Dating.

This past week went by quickly. I’d wanted to go and work in cafes again to vary the routine, but the standing desk in my office stayed firmly in ‘sitting down’ mode and I barely felt up to working at all. Monday was so windy I looked out the window at the trees feeling like a baby Yoda meme with my cup of tea, and didn’t leave the house all day. I made it to my mini cousin’s 3rd birthday Thursday evening and helped him make his Duplo spaceship, which he carried up to bed after a lot of successful space missions from the living room to the kitchen.

On Friday I took the day off sick, having woken up feeling even worse. I felt bad and conflicted, maybe I’d feel better at lunch and could log on, given that Black Friday’s coming up and there’s so much to do on Fridays anyway. But I just couldn’t. I watched back-to-back Friends, double parked with fresh lemon and ginger and a coffee. I slept. The minutes crawled by then sped up. I watched Made In Chelsea (although the arguments and general SW3 drama made me feel anxious) and then Everything Now on Netflix. I tried to read. A friend called me and when I heard her voice I crumpled. ‘Are you yawning or crying? Oh babe, you’re just exhausted.’

I rested and spent the weekend showing a friend around the city, catching up, eating lots of great food (Tamper Sellers Wheel for brunch is a 10/10, The York’s Sunday roasts also 10/10), and doing some early Christmas shopping. Blink and it will be Christmas Eve, etc.

A few things have changed in the flat – I’ve reorganized and decluttered to the point where almost everything has a home. It took so long (I wrote about it on Homes & Gardens here). My Aperol spritz print finally went up in the kitchen and the insides of some of the old kitchen cabinets were freshened up. I bought new curtains, and tomorrow more things are going up on the walls. Can’t wait to get the Christmas tree and oversized light-up wreath out as they’ve been very resistant to storage since I moved in.

I’m wondering if I can get away on a short trip before launching into freelance life, which is approaching fast. Maybe go to Budapest for a few days to chill, see some beautiful buildings, and reset. Cue spending a lot of time looking at different date combinations on Skyscanner.

Anyway, I need to muster up some energy to cook a Hello Fresh and hunker down before an early night. Not sure what this was – not Shakespeare, but at least it was honest. Maybe it’s a reminder to me as much as you that it’s important to rest and take it easy, and to stock up on the vitamin C.