I suspect I’ll look back from the future and wonder what I did in the last three weeks.

Not a lot, Future Self, not a lot.

xxx

We’re at the tricky part of ProjectSulfur where everyone is going bonkers and stress is high. Yes, it does indeed seem that we’re always in some tricky part of the project.

I’m the only female in the project leadership team, the others are old white dudes, mediocre bossy old white dudes – who think they know it all and aren’t afraid to let you know it.

It’s super-exhausting. Sometimes I dream of a new glorious career that is not IT adjacent, but I fear this dominance of bossy know-it-all mediocre old white dudes is not at all limited to IT.

There’s quite likely no escape.

xxx

I took Wednesday off and suitably masked, went into the city for a bit of light shopping and a solo lunch. It was lovely, almost normal. It was nice to exchange idle chit chat with shop assistants. I felt relatively refreshed afterward.

I do need to find a re-useable mask which suits my rather large Western nose for such outings – so much squishing.

After 257 days I abandoned my clothes shopping ban and bought two pairs of pants, a dress and a hoodie. I’ve said it before, but I don’t know why I try to challenge myself to go without things I enjoy. Almost like I want to punish myself or that I think I am undeserving of nice things. Okay, it’s exactly like that.

I’m working on it. The DFH course (sadly only 2 weeks remaining) has been spectacular for getting this work started. The big challenge will be to keep it up after the course is over.

xxx

In surprising news, one of my stone pine seeds sprouted!

Amazing prehistoric type shape! Crazy to watch it unfurl!

No sign of movement on the dragon tree.

I took the maples from the fridge and shoved in seed raising mix yesterday. I’m not entirely confident with these – maybe the seeds sort of disintegrated, because I couldn’t really find any in the soil. Still, if anything sprouts it will be a delightful surprise!

xxx

Making fair progress on the cross stitch sampler for the team baby. I may have been slightly over-ambitious (who me?) picking this particular design.

At the moment I’m enjoying it, but I suspect the enjoyment will not last to completion. I’ve made a pact with myself that I’ll abandon if I start hating it and buy a gift instead!

Because I hadn’t quite appreciated how much my eyes have deteriorated with age, I treated myself to a magnifying light which is utterly amazing. It will make all manner of future projects so much easier.

xxx

After two years (plus a couple of short covid extensions), Joan’s time in the UK is almost at an end. In a couple of days she’s off to Switzerland to stay with her boyfriend Ovi for a bit.

I’ll be a little more comforted when she has safely arrived. I keep expecting another lockdown of borders and I’d hate for her to be stuck again.

No idea when we will see her in person – getting back into Australia is astoundingly expensive, if it can be done at all.

xxx

What are the odds of finding a phone in the street on your morning walk and when trying to locate the owner, discovering that your ex-husband (who lives about an hour away) is one of the contacts?

Quite a trippy experience.

xxx

I’ve successfully managed to avoid the relentless news fire-hose for a week now. My sleep is much improved as a consequence.

Even after a week I feel staggeringly ill-informed, but I wonder if that’s actually a bad thing.

Likewise probably not a bad thing to be staying away from the internet generally. It used to be such a great place, but now I think on balance, not-so-great and to be largely avoided for leisure.

xxx

I hope things are well with you.