Alighting

It’s purely coincidental that it’s exactly a (calendar) month since I was last here…

I’ve yet to post pictures of the (as yet) un-renovated house but that’s not to say things aren’t slowly rumbling along. We’ve been dealing with architects - the first company we were using strung us along for a while then went AWOL for several weeks, so we ended up going with someone else. We’ve had visits from electricians, plasterers and the council (to have the kerb lowered). We’re waiting for quotes for the new extension. We need a bathroom fitter. Jay’s been stripping walls and we’ve dismantled some frankly gargantuan fitted wardrobes.

A faux-Victorian fireplace was removed from the bedroom (and was badly damaged in the process, but we’re OK with that). Jay cleverly repurposed the MDF from said wardrobes to replace the rotting conservatory floor. The conservatory’s actually being pulled down at some point but will serve as storage space temporarily.

So between trying to juggle all that, and deal with school (plays, trips, summer fair etc), and writing furious letters to the hospital for cancelling my procedure at short notice yet again, and work, and to-do lists that seem, Hydra-like, to spawn extra tasks the second I tick them off…

It’s been a lot.

The roadworks on the way to school were scheduled to take two weeks; we’re now on week six. The school run is a real source of stress. It’s a bad start to the day.

I’m also working extremely hard on bringing a magazine into existence (more on that later).

So a few Thursdays ago, I decided to just drop Joe at school and head out for the day. Well, part of the day. I’d been feeling incredibly overwhelmed and the telltale signs of an impending meltdown were all too apparent. Confusing my appointments, forgetting simple things, being snappy, sleeping badly, even feeling shaky. I woke in the early hours agonising over whether to have a change of scene for a morning, or stay home and keep trying to do everything all at once.

If I went out, would I spend the entire time feeling anxious because I should be home chasing emails and making endless phone calls to people who constantly fail to reply?

I went out.

It takes hardly any time to get from school to Haworth. The moors were glorious, the roads quiet and when I arrived there was hardly anyone around. All the shops were closed (it still being early) so that gave me the perfect opportunity to wander through the graveyard, out the other side and along the path towards Top Withens. It was just me, the sunshine, birdsong and bees buzzing.

I literally felt the weight dropping from my shoulders as I went.

And after a good dose of nature therapy, I turned back and had a mooch around my favourite shops along with an amble through the Parsonage garden.

The whole experience was topped off with an ice cream in the park (raspberry sauce, flake, no thieving seagulls). I also bought Joe a bag of sweets because I felt a bit guilty for having such a nice time without him.

So, since then we’ve had a heatwave. Last weekend we went down to the river with friends and the boys took inflatables and built a dam.

I’ve been watering my plants every evening - a bit of a drag, as there’s no outside tap and the water butt’s empty. So it involves lots of return trips with the watering can up the garden steps, across the terrace, through the living room, the dining room and to the kitchen.

But then it rained. I was so happy. The temperature dropped and it felt like you could breathe again.

Joe finished school on Friday.

They’d had a relaxed week, lots of fun and watching films. And on the last afternoon the headteacher sent a pretend stern message saying all pupils had to go outside because he wanted to speak to them. He’d actually arranged for the ice cream van to visit, and everyone got an ice cream (so Joe ended up getting his raspberry sauce and flake too).

I’m already feeling sad that it’s his final year at primary school coming up. So I’m trying not to think about that.

Our first day of the holidays, Jay drove up to the new house to do some work. We two went for a local walk with our cameras, and somehow found a park we didn’t even know existed. Completely empty. Views across the valley.

I showed Joe some pineapple weed and he picked a bunch to take home and ‘make perfume’. He went to stay with his grandparents this afternoon (so I can work on Monday and Tuesday), and the ‘perfume’ is sitting in a lidded container, no doubt turning slowly stagnant…

So I said I’d likely be posting here on a monthly basis and working on the magazine the rest of the time.

The plan now is to launch at the end of August - this allows me time to create the last few bits of content (difficult, as I keep having more ideas), to do any mini photo shoots, edit pictures, select the images I want to use from my archives etc. I also have to format everything. Originally the plan was to use MS Publisher but it wasn’t working out - it’s probably better suited to company newsletters etc. Cue lots of panicking on my part, usually in the small hours.

I did a bit of research on the best software to use for magazine publishing and opted for Adobe InDesign. I already use their creative packages for photography, but this was a whole new undertaking. ‘Daunting’ is an understatement. But I gave myself a pep talk, found an online tutorial and am now working away on putting the magazine together.

Yes, it’s taking lots of time. But I can honestly say I’m enjoying every second - even when there’s an error somewhere or things aren’t quite making sense (like my pictures not being high resolution enough). I just work through the problems, feel more confident for having solved them all by myself, and carry on.

It’s such a creative experience, I’m feeling motivated and inspired and am having to tear myself away from it. Which is a very good sign.

So (all being well), I’ll get everything formatted and laid out so it looks beautiful. I’ll proof read many times before converting it to a PDF. Then I’ll procure yet more software to turn it into a flip book. I’m also looking at print companies so there will be paper versions too (there’s still some research required to make sure I get the finish and quality I’m after).

Also: promotion. Letting people know it’s actually there. I’ve already been approached by a potential stockist and there are one or two others in the pipeline.

Busy times.

A house renovation and extension (and hopeful move in September), Joe home for the summer, work, launching a magazine, a kitten running riot - it’s like babyproofing all over again - plus making arrangements to catch up with my friends over the holidays. Also: I’ve got another appointment date for the hospital coming up (which may or may not be cancelled again).

Just reading through all that has given me an overwhelming urge to make a cup of tea and watch the rain for a bit…