Doing things

[white_hart]

In the last week, I have:

- been to the cinema (Paddington in Peru, clearly Not As Good As Paddington 2 but very enjoyable nonetheless)

- been for a walk (4.8 miles on a bright chilly day)

- been swimming, twice (first time since September, but we are trying hard to get back into it, and succeeded in not talking ourselves out of it yesterday because the air temperature was barely above freezing, which was absolutely the right decision because it was brilliant. And we have agreed a standing swimming date at 11am on Saturdays.)

- finished knitting a cardigan

- moved two of the belt loops on a pair of trousers I finished last month because I hadn't got the placement quite right, and also added belt loops to the softshell trousers I made a couple of years ago which are the perfect trousers for winter swimming tips except that the fabric was too heavy for the elastic so they tended to fall down. And now they won't, and that was worth the slightly fiddly sewing in deeply awkward fabric, and if I can only manage two hours of sewing in a day rather than a really long sewing session, so what? Very few of my me-made clothes are anywhere near wearing out, so sewing slowly is probably a good thing.

If I can keep swimming every Saturday (or even most Saturdays), and get in a couple of hours of sewing every weekend, that will already be a big improvement on most of last year. And I want to use my Fridays off for some tiny adventures, starting small but just trying to get my confidence about going places and doing things up again, because otherwise I'm just going to spend the rest of my life sitting at home feeling like something is missing and resenting T for having his own life and not wanting to do the same things I want to do. The thing I really want to do is to get on a train and go to the seaside and walk along a beach and eat fish and chips looking out over the water, and maybe even swim, but I think I probably need to start smaller; go somewhere different for a walk, maybe, or go to another town and potter round shops and cafes, or find an interesting exhibition to visit. Suggestions welcome, though I don't necessarily promise to take them.

Comments

[lnr]

A swim at the seaside with fish and chips sounds brilliant mind! Definitely one to work up to.

The seaside is annoyingly far away from here. Though I can do Brighton direct from Cambridge now, which I've not yet tried.

[white_hart]

Oxford is also annoyingly far from the seaside, but there are trains to Bournemouth. From Cambridge you could also do Norwich and then on to Lowestoft or Great Yarmouth which both have nice sandy beaches. (I am much more familiar with the east coast than the south!)

[lnr]

We usually go for Cromer via Norwich, or get the train to Kings Lynn for a bit of epic cycling.

To be honest my other favourite is Whitby, and that takes about 6 hours by train from here :)

[angelofthenorth]

The thing I really want to do is to get on a train and go to the seaside and walk along a beach and eat fish and chips looking out over the water, and maybe even swim, but I think I probably need to start smaller; go somewhere different for a walk, maybe, or go to another town and potter round shops and cafes, or find an interesting exhibition to visit.


That sounds like heaven.

[white_hart]

It's much too long since I've been to the seaside.

[muninnhuginn]

I second that.

[joyeuce]

I enjoyed Paddington in Peru a lot more than Paddington 2, but my daughter agrees with you.

Would walks along the river be a good starting point, or do you already do that? It's something M and I enjoyed when he was living in Oxford.

Your seaside trip sounds wonderful once you work up to it. I could do the sea in an hour's drive from here (nowhere direct by train), but my favourite seasides are about six hours away in different directions.

[white_hart]

I don't actually walk by the river that much, because we don't live that close to it - I do need to get back into the habit of actually travelling somewhere to walk, rather than sticking to the walks I can do from my front door!

[sfred]

Very few of my me-made clothes are anywhere near wearing out, so sewing slowly is probably a good thing.
This is my current approach, apart from noticing that most of my trousers are too big, so I'm making some and planning to adjust others. I have fabric coming for some Jones trousers - I've only made Jones shorts so far.

Hurray for swimming too.

[white_hart]

Jones trousers are brilliant (even if slightly fiddly).

[sfred]

You are the person with whom I most strongly associate them :-)

[white_hart]

:-D I think my friend L has actually made more pairs!

[sfred]

Maybe, but I knew you first.

[el_staplador]

Seaside sounds brilliant. I haven't been properly for a long time, despite having spent a lot of time on the Isle of Wight lately. Maybe we'll try Hunstanton instead.

[jinty]

Sewing slowly is good, especially if it means you do actually get to doing some sewing rather than never being able to face it! I don't think I typically finish more than about 1 thing a month max, and sometimes much less.