Day 253

Did I tell you that Darren (reluctantly) trimmed and dyed my hair?  Three inches off the bottom and three less grey inches at the top:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mind you, he thinks he’s an expert now.   We saw Holly Willowbooby on TV the other day and he commented on her root-job.

Alright love, you’re not Vidal Sassoon.

 

In all seriousness, I couldn’t cope with the tangled ends anymore and although I am not seeing anyone at the moment, I felt like I needed to perk myself with a bit of pampering.

My outer appearance is the tip of the iceberg really.

Any perkiness has been hiding away recently.  I’ve felt a sense of loneliness and my mood has been flat.  I am stressing over the small stuff and things I cannot control.  There has been a neediness and low confidence, which has not been shrouding me for a long time.

I’m not sure if it is the lockdown blues or the darker, shorter days…or a combination of both…but I have been trying to do things that distract me and force me to refocus my thoughts: walks, lots of cooking and baking (my poor waistline) and some crafty things, like making cards and colouring.  These mindful activities seem to have done the trick.

In fact, they must be making a difference, because although I was royally pissed off yesterday, I didn’t cry or shout or worry (too much) when my laptop broke….

There I was, happily typing away, when the battery flashed at me, thirsty for electricity.  I quickly plugged it in to the mains and the next thing I knew, my screen was broken.  I sat in shock, staring at the screen awash with black and white pixels.

Oh f@ck.

I sheepishly contacted my manager, sending her a photo of the damage and surmising that I must have been too heavy-handed when I plugged in the cable.  I felt terrible about it.

I.T. to the rescue!  I hastily dressed, brushed my hair and added a slick of mascara – it’s been a while since that hat-trick – and made my way to the office.  It was actually nice to be out, driving in the sunshine with my heated seats blasting.  A crisp Autumnal day.

The office car park was fairly busy, but nothing like it would usually be.  I saw a couple of familiar faces walking through the reception are, but the atmosphere was very sober and there was none of the merry hustle and bustle that usually takes place here.

It took a while to set up my temporary replacement device and I felt sad placing my old laptop bag in the secret cupboard, where broken things reappear fixed.  I left the office laden with guilt and decided to treat myself to a KFC on the way home and my GOD it was delicious:  Zinger burger, salty chips with mayo, a cherry Pepsi Max and a little extra treat…sweet chilli chicken bites.  Needless to say I overdid it  and burped the entire twenty miles home.

I’m not complaining, it tasted just as nice the second time round.

On the topic of food, today’s lunch was delicious, although probably not to the Colonel’s standard: bacon, avocado, tomato, egg, cheese slice and blue cheese mayo (I KNOW!) in a toasted sandwich.  Get in.

And now it is 5:30pm and I have meditated (go me) and read a few pages of my Health & Wellbeing magazine and now I’m wondering what to do next.  It is dark and cold and I can’t be arsed to do anything, because the only place we are allowed to be is outside.

So here I am, sat twiddling my newly shiny locks (although this is a habit I am trying to cease, because it contributes to split ends) and enjoying the relaxing scent of rose geranium, puffing out in delicate little clouds from my diffuser.  Turns out I am sat too close to it though, as I can taste the essential aroma (and it doesn’t taste quite like the Turkish Delight fragrance).

I put a few lines (strings?) of tinsel over some pictures in the lounge and pop a Crimbo film on the box – a really cheesy made-for-TV type – and hum along to the jingly, twinkly music.  It is exactly a month until the “big day” although we do not yet know what that will look, due to the current restrictions.  But there is something about festive music which really lifts my spirits.  We are hoping to pick up a tree this weekend, then I can officially be on Christmas countdown!  I will be dressing our Nordic Spruce in baubles galore, sipping a glass of (fake) Baileys and watching Elf whilst simultaneously warbling along to All I want for Christmas.

And hoping everyone has a safe, peaceful Christmas.  I think we all deserve it this year.