Flowers in December



Had a wonderful Christmas. Charlotte's mum and dad came over, and I cooked a Capon chicken. The boys were on great form, enjoying themselves without any overexcitement or drama. And Char's folks were chill. Just a lovely family day. Same vibe on Boxing Day with just the four of us. I took the boys out for a car nap/supermarket trip, where I spotted blossom flowering out of season in the supermarket car park of all places. All in all, we managed a chill family holiday with some mental downtime (aka audiobook listening). Felt full of happiness and gratitude (and food) from having such a nice time.

Back in my own bed after 18 months sleeping in Ansel's room. Feels good, like going back in time. A strange mix of the forgotten and the familiar. Like the last 18 months have just been a chapter where regular life was on pause while we adjusted to having a second kid. The boys are doing well sharing a room so far, and I've definitely been sleeping better without Ansel climbing on me.

Sat down and got a day's work in while everyone was out of the house today. Feeling focused and have more mental clarity than I had a couple of weeks ago. The holidays have been a great reset. That lovely slowing of pace and reflection time that I always enjoy this time of year. 

The weather has been terrible, though. Rainy for several weeks now, and many high winds lately. Hail and thunder out of nowhere last night. Climate change is real.

Off up north to see family for the new year in a couple of days. Should be a nice change of scene before getting back to a regular routine next week. This year, my focus word was opportunity. That will still be a big part of next year, but I want to concentrate on being more focused and structured in my work. And networking. Lots of networking. That is where the opportunities come from.

Been on a fiction kick lately. Re-reading Fight Club. It's so good, stylistically. And Tom Wolfe. Need to read more authors purely for their style.

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