Yuck. Still coughing. Still taking nasty doses of steroids to shift uncharacteristic wheeziness. However, in a bid to avoid pathetic self-pity and whingeing beyond the call of duty (or something), I am trying rather to focus on the nice things in life at the moment, which include the following lovelinesses:

-  Stripy tights for my birthday. Today: blue, purple, black, two shades of red and some pale yellow.

- Clipper’s Assam tea with vanilla.

- The knowledge that the tiny daughter’s first pair of wellies will arrive shortly. They are red, and they look like ladybirds. Yes, I have no shame. And no, I don’t care.

- Somehow the house is tidier than it has been for weeks; we reached a down point where, all being in various stages of ill-health, the place was a tip, we were eating far too much pasta, and the washing was getting a bit epic. Then, realising that sometimes one needs to do something other than sleep or feel ill if one is to remain sane, we managed to sort of claw back some organisation, and things have felt much better ever since, despite the persisting coughs and whatnot. The longer I live in a renovation project, the more I value empty spaces and not having to tidy/clean/wipe up around Stuff.

- Along with managing to get organisation back, we’ve also gone back to weekly menu-planning; yes, I am now officially middle-aged, and no, once more, I do not care. We’re eating a more varied diet again, which can only be a good thing, as pasta itself cannot be an entire food-group, now can it?

- I’m also starting to do a few crafty bits and bobs with the tiny daughter, who turned eighteen months on December 1. She likes sticking things on, and colouring things in; anyone got any suggestions for good crafty resources for small people? We’d appreciate suggestions; current projects I’d like to try include the Martinmas lanterns I’ve seen on various Waldorf-influenced blogs, and probably something involving hands and painting. Is that lunacy?