I’m not entirely sure how it got to be Friday so quickly, but here we are!

Work has been work has been work. Slightly on the tedious side and while I’m adoring remote working, I’m feeling pretty unstructured and chaotic. I’d like to knuckle down and try to become a little more organised.

We were advised this week that we’re likely to be remote until at least the end of Project Sulfur, which at this stage is the end of September. So I’d better get on that!

I failed to list action items for last weekend and felt like I accomplished nothing. This probably wasn’t true, but this weekend I intend to make a muslin/toile for a pair of pants for Don and watch some improving videos, amongst other general pottering and blog-catcheruppering.

Sitting at your desk all day with your face in a computer can really make you disinclined to sit at the same desk all evening with your face in a different one!

Spotted on this morning’s walk and very much summed up my approach to work today.

As you’re not doubt aware, I am totally here for the tracksuit pants! The ability to wear trakkies all day is surely one of the top 5 things about remote working**.

So I was delighted and interested to read No sweat: how tracksuit bottoms became the height of lockdown fashion on The Guardian a couple of weekends ago.

This, however was the stand out for me:

But not everyone is convinced. Last week, Adam Tschorn, deputy fashion editor of the LA Times , wrote an impassioned plea against the rise of the tracksuit bottom in our work-from-home environment. “Please, can we put away those sweatpants, ratty, grey, decades-old collegiate sweatshirts and obscure minor league baseball caps, and start our workdays looking like we deserve the pay we’re lucky enough to be earning while the world around us burns?”

No, Adam, no we can’t.

There is so much to unpack here. The idea that what we wear is any sort of indication of our capability, productivity or value. The idea of an old white privileged man dictating what is appropriate to wear in our homes.

But most mind boggling and hilarious of all is the idea that someone who dresses like this:

is in any way qualified to comment on fashion or style.^^

xxx

** other top things: fresh air! no commute! cats all day! (I know that’s only four things)

^^ there is a suitably amusing twitter thread here

Hoping to save precious weekend time, I ducked out to do the grocery shopping at lunch time today.

In good news, it was relatively quiet and people were appropriately socially distancing. Hand sanitiser and trolley wipes were plentiful.

In less than good news, it takes 2-3 times longer than in the Before Times because you need to allow time and space for everyone to select their items. Some people can linger for over 5 minutes choosing sausages.

Hot tip: cue up a decent audiobook or podcast for these occasions.

Despite the relative ease of the process, I felt as if I needed to sit in a quiet room and decompress for a bit – perhaps even (badly) meditate. Unfortunately I only had time to smash down a sandwich before jumping on yet another call.

Must allow time for that after the next trip.

The fabric for my second pair of loungey pants also came from that stash of flannelette originally intended to become cosy quilts for the babies.

I used the same pattern as the red pants, but shortened the crotch length quite a bit – still nowhere as short as the pattern, which assumes the top of your pants should hover somewhere around your pubic bone. I also added the same fat waistband, and huge pockets because neither waistband or pockets (giant or otherwise) were in the original pattern.

I only had 2m of striped fabric which didn’t give me enough for my beloved pockets. Fortunately hoarding came to my rescue once again! I found a pair of Joan’s old pyjama pants in the rag bag which were absolutely perfect. I’m so pleased that can’t stop looking at them and forcing Don to admire them.

seriously – how good are these pockets?

i need more cutsey labels

Bad wearing-garment photos ahoy!

I don’t know how the sewing bloggers do it. It took ages to get even these mediocre ones.

Notes: I’m not huge on the look of the waistband. I love the height of it, but not so jazzed by the gathers the thick flannel makes. Otherwise they are incredibly warm and comfortable and I love them. I don’t usually wear striped pastel garments, but these are cheerful and not likely to ever leave ThePalace(OfLove).

Next pair: I want to take the legs wider so I can incorporate more pleats.

Morning walk. Neighbourhood.

How about those roses?

Delicious crumpets and maple butter we’re not the only offerings from Joan, they were accompanied by a bunch of large chrysanthemums from mr cook.

I’d never really understood the appeal of chrysanthemums. I now realise that this was likely because I’d never seen any other than straggly insipid supermarket versions.

These giant ones are so elegant and perfect. I now get the preponderance of chrysanthemums in Asian art over the centuries.

And I’m all turned around on the chrysanthemum subject – well, the giant, perfect, puffy ones only.

It’s been a while since I went for a tiny run, but I forced myself out this morning.

The weather was cold, there were few people about and I had only minor twinges in the right hamstring!

Success!

xxx

Afterward I feasted on delicious crumpets with maple butter – both sent by Joan.

Every year I tell her not to send gifts for Mother’s Day. Every year she invariably ignores me.

xxx

I pottered. I finished a pair of stripy lounge pants. I taught Joe/Frank to make chill con carne. I ironed. I did not force myself to do anything for 10 minutes.

It was restful. I could do with another day of this.

I’m at the stage of iso when my delight in big change and new things and finding ways to adapt has moved onto rolling with a fairly dull and somewhat underwhelming routine. I’m a little flat.

From tomorrow I’m going to attempt to rediscover some of those really simple delights – making an effort with my lunch, hanging artwork in blank spaces, tiny bits of exercise, meditation, organising a drawer or a shelf, commenting on blog posts, tiny crafts, making lists.

And I’m going to delve a bit deeper into that idea of doing something I’ve been resisting for 10 minutes just to kick me into a different headspace. A couple of things a couple of times a day.

Experimenting with doing something other than freezing or keeping-in-fridge-until-icky with excess chillies.

Premium frugaling which will likely not end well, but will report back.