Me: Do you want some more avocado? Elise: (sad voice)I just really want unicorns to be real.

🥑 🦄

Some time to not rush.

“The idea of “boundaries” has become so porous when it comes to cultivating work/life balance that it’s lost all meaning. People don’t respect boundaries. You don’t respect them. Even when the pandemic is over, it’s going to be very, very difficult to try to rebuild them. What we actually need are guardrails, big and sturdy ones, to protect us from the runaway semi-truck of work.

In our current framework, boundaries are the individual’s responsibility, and when they’re broken, it’s because the individual failed to protect them. But guardrails? They’re there to protect everyone, and they’re maintained by the state, aka your company. There are a lot of ways to actually build guardrails around employee’s lives,”

https://annehelen.substack.com/p/imagine-your-flexible-office-work

It started with Lyra, we’d say “I love you more than (thing that I really love - coffee and bacon for me, spicy food for her.”

Only Elise it has somehow changed to.

Elise: “I love you more than coffee for you.” Me: “I love you more than unicorns for you.”

If this isn’t nice.

Lyra’s birthday so she’s organised a big party for her and the girls. She’s going all out and is very excited. Me and the kids are going to watch tv and eat snacks until she gets back tomorrow.

It’s not a workout if you don’t take a selfie or track if…

Heavy deadlifts yesterday and 4K down the hill and back up this morning.

Started to think running isn’t so bad…

This article makes me miss the UK something rotten. 12 of Britain’s best new campsites and glampsites - Camping holidays - The Guardian

Yumo tends to speak to me mostly in Chinese, even if he mostly understands what I say in English. Sometimes though he’ll use Chinese and English in a sentence.

E.g. when reading he said - me jia you, which means ‘me house has that’ so starts English and switches to Chinese

Cold shower challenge.

Day 1: Ridiculous. 10 seconds. Onwards!

It started with my sister saying she was doing a challenge of going in the ocean every day and she got mum involved but they live in places you can do that, whereas I don’t. Then I read Leo Babuta’s post on ‘What I Learned About Facing Fear from Cold Swimming;’ which he is doing as part of his ‘discomfort challenges’.

So, as I was meditating a couple of days ago I put 2 and 2 together and got 4 but maybe 5 and decided cold showers should be a thing this week.

My bedtime routine involves meditation, some water, the Apple Music bedtime beats playlist, some reading and losing my patience with the kids because they won’t sleep.

Big takeaway was Elise was braver than we thought she’d be. Yumo had to deal with not being big enough for some of the rides.

Went for my first run with Helen today. - We didn’t anticipate waiting so long at pedestrian crossings. - But that meant we took it easy. Which was probably for the best. - Also we finished at Starbucks. - Then went to McDonalds. - But the weather was nice and it was good to get out.

🎡

Wandavision, eh?! So good. Now, I just need to watch it all again.

Fun to read online discussions about it though.

Local green plum wine served in the classiest of vessels.

The Daily Dad linked to Maggie Smith’s Poem called Good Bones and I’ve got it stuck in my head.

Life is short, though I keep this from my children.

I liked yesterdays Daily Dad

It’s not fair to subject your kids to all the things that have broken your heart in this world. It’s not fair to let your experiences deprive them of the hope and belief they need not just to survive but to be happy.

We have to stay positive. We have to keep trying. We have to remain strong—against the pull of bitterness and anger and hopelessness.

It makes me think of a couple of things that often come to mind. The first is them knowing my fears, or the things that I find difficult. The second is how I’m feeling and how they are aware of that - particularly the negative emotions.

Hill sprints with added weight*.

*Weight was one child and two badminton rackets.

Today was going to be me sitting alone doing stuff but has turned out to be sitting with people. And all the better for it.

This mornings movement.

Hot pot at friends.

Today I am grateful for the lady who had an appointment but let our kids get their hair cuts before her kids, which I totally didn’t expect.

Also, the kids are getting hair cuts so maybe I should too…

Hey Micro.blog if you haven’t watched Detectorists I think you should, it’a a British show about some metal detecorists and it’s nice in the best possible way. I think it’s on Amazon Prime. Here is a dodgy trailer, all the others the suggested videos were spoilers.

Morning workout with Lyra, kids joined later because the only time they don’t want to watch tv is when you want them to. Obviously.