He is back to work today, and I guess I am too. (You know, the sort of work that the average working mum does on top of the paid work - so really, I don't know what the hell I am on about!) Even though there was all that laundry to do, yesterday wasn't too hard to take - a massage for me (and it did make a difference).. then we wandered up to the local pub/bistro for lunch.. and made the most of the short time left before the kids were home from school :) BBQ for dinner - always the easier dinner option when the Daddy (aka Chief BBQer) is home because there is less preparation or cooking for me to do in the kitchen, thank you very much.

One tent dry, and packed away. Lots of clothes clean and dry. Back to some semblance of normality - or as normal as the debacle that is our house can be.

I'm facing up to the reality that is a big supermarket shop today... though why I think I will remember everything we need just by having made mental notes, I don't know. A shopping list might have been a good idea, but why make things easy? Pffft. I don't tend to mind the supermarket shop when I can wander around by myself. I have never understood the people that insist on doing the supermarket shop as a family... or even as a couple .. but then maybe that just reflects on some sort of selfishness, impatience, or uber-independence on my part. (Like.. let me spend money!) I like to wander.. and stand and check out ingredient labels to find stuff with the least amount of additives, and the least fat content. And look for ideas for meals without someone pressuring me. I like to take the time to do the mental arithmetic in my head to compare prices. I like to buy what I want without the Husband Handbrake questioning whether we really need that. And I like to NOT buy what I don't want without the nagging children going 'Puhleeeeaaase'.

The weather has returned to 'nice' today - it even feels a bit warm out! It was a bit wild and woolly on Sunday, and the past few days I've pulled out the trackie dacks in the evening. I guess this time of year can be a bit like that, but it has been magnified for me because of the Ride. I felt like we had started riding in high summer (I nearly got heatstroke on the first day - it was 34 degrees - we started out at 1pm - and 10 km from the start I was feeling dizzy and nauseous, my arms were feeling clammy, and I thought I might faint! - Luckily tipping several bottles of water over my head, and then a bit of cloud cover fortuitiously coming in just at the right time set me right again.) Several of the days mid-week were around the 30 degree mark (although I handled them much better) - we're talking 90-100 F here) . And then, *wham*... we finished up on Sunday jumping suddenly into severe autumn-type weather - 20 degrees and riding in driving rain! A bit of a shock to the system.

This morning I put a t-shirt on that I'd half-discarded because it had (for ages)felt too tight and uncomfortable. And pants that I used to have to use a safety pin to do up because using the button was too tight. There is a bit of room in them now! Go me! I keep the safety pin there to remind myself that I need to continue the 'good work'. I guess I need to make an effort to get back on the bike again soonish. And maybe get back to my trainer sessions - because I think they have helped a heck of a lot. Just maybe not today. I've got shopping to do!


(Here's a couple of photos of us riding! - taken by another tandem Dad as first the triplet, then Cait and I whizzed past as he had stopped to take a photo of his son. That's a wave from me - rather than ideal bike riding posture!)

Labels: bike riding, daily