Celebrate – word of the week

Birthdays in the cold winter months, especially after Christmas, are a blessing. I know most people bemoan having to celebrate another year around the sun at this time of the year, but I think it brings a well needed time to gather loved ones and party. I’m here for it. Bunting out and colourful paper balloons everywhere make a wonderful contrast during mud season.

Celebrate

My husband took one for the team this week and had a birthday. It was a milestone one, so we celebrated. Nothing large. Everyone came home from Uni and we had a family meal out at our Local Pig Hotel. The food was amazing. Topped off with coming out and seeing a star lit sky. It felt magical. I can quite see why they chose this spot to build the original house.

As part of the celebrations, we went into Bath at the weekend. I find it difficult to buy something for the birthday boy as he is fairly minimalistic. So I bought him a couple of presents and the rest he could choose. Believe me, this really suits him.

We spent time in Toppings, the bookshop, and he came away with a book which I would not have thought to buy him. Also caught Jollys, the department store, on its last day open. Brilliant bargains to be had. Mr TTC found a pair of Timberland boots for a third of their normal price, so he was a happy bunny.

Books

While we were in Toppings, I spotted an intriguing book on one of the table displays. Who ever came up with displaying a handful of books in the middle of a bookshop knew exactly how to push books. Anyway, it seemed appropriate to celebrate with a time travel book, this week.

The Other Valley combines a form of time travel that I’ve not seen before, with the ethical debates and paradoxes that the concept throws up. The world, in the book, is made up of a series of valleys, twenty years apart from each other. Past, present and future sitting side by side, but beyond reach. Travelling between the valleys is forbidden except in certain cases and interference leads to death.

No spoilers. I really enjoyed reading it and I’m looking forward to passing the book on to Middle Daughter, whose shown interest in reading it, so I can discuss it with her.

Spring

There has definitely been an increase in bird song and the garden coming back to life this week. We’ve had heavy frosts, which make for cold mornings, but feel fresh too. I checked the hen house and found eggs for the first time this year.

I started sowing seeds this week. There are trays of greenhouse seeds sitting on the kitchen windowsills waiting to germinate in the next couple of weeks. This stage of the growing season is so exciting. All the potential and dreaming of the summer produce. The first seed up has to be a reason to celebrate.

Fitness

Another reason to celebrate is that I’ve reached the healthy weight zone according to the NHS graph. Not quite at my target, but that doesn’t seem so important now. It’s funny how I thought this would be more of a milestone for me, but I’m more pleased with my increase in stamina, flexibility and strength. It sounds obvious but I really didn’t realise how weak I had become until I started to lift more and more weights.

Good job that I love going to the gym, because it is working. I’m improving my healthy eating too and feel better all round.

Well that is my week. Joining in with Anne’s word of the week. How was your week?