Over egging the pudding

The above photo is a recent local view by www.jacquelinerackhamphotography.com 

Bad days come along every now and then and all you can do is get on with sorting out whatever mess has crept uninvited into your busy live.

My day started well enough considering that there were a couple of things from yesterday that had not been completed. I had gone on a work trip with my husband and by the time we got home again life had already put a little strain on my plans for today. I do pride myself in being a good multi tasker but sometimes things are a step behind before the start.

As well as all the normal day to day household management I always have several hobby projects on the go but like to get to the bottom of my list for the day before I give myself the luxury of a 30 minutes to an hour on a simple personal thing like sewing or embroidery. Today I was set to change the bed linen early enough get the first load into the washing machine just before I made up the clean bedding, I like that to be neat before moving on. It looked like an ok day for drying and I like to dry everything out on the washing line in the fresh air when possible. It is part of my thinking that I also like to have everything washed, dried, ironed and out away all in the same day.

I have made an awful mess of trying to make the tiny front lawn look respectable after attacking the weeds, that are bound to come when you have neighbours both side who couldn’t care less about dandelions and buttercups. This has been a miserable failure and I am trying to battle through but right now the very small lawn looks like camouflage! It has been treated for the weeds, new seed is own and a dusting of peat over the top. What a sight it is, my heart sinks. I did find time for the sprinkling of water that I hope with help settle it today.

Mid-morning, between wash loads, I though I could take a few minutes to start on current stage of dressmaking; well actually it is dressing gown that I have made harder, by mixing fabrics. I admit to throwing myself headlong into getting a bit of it done quickly; always a mistake. It was one of the worst mistakes in living memory as it turned out, to my absolute horror I realise that I had sewn what I thought was the belt piece together, thinking that it was such a simple part that I could had that done before you could say ‘knife’ and then attach the band that goes around both sides and the neck.

 My old Mum, who taught me to sew, will be wide eyed in heaven today despairing at her pale imitation of the fine needle woman she was. I do believe that confession is good for the soul.

In my rush to get on of my personal pleasure projects moving along I saw, way too late the total hash I had made in the garment and instantaneously horrified, that I had  sewn the collar part up as the belt and attached …so far… the belt to the neck and fronts sections! My mum would have gone gaga back in the day at my stupidity. Of course, carefully unpicking the TWO mistakes took three times longer than it took to stitch them together. I saw my mums disapproving expression and heard my mum’s voice saying “Act in haste-repent at leisure my girl”.

So, the end result is that although after my early morning turbo training session, I did do all the house work jobs neatly, completely and proficiently; I am back to square one with the needle work.

I feel as though I have had my knuckles well rapped as happened in my school days so often but in fact, I have just pointed out to myself that taking your time to make sure you do every task well should be the order of the day, every day. Never be afraid to begin again when you have made a mistake; better to take the extra time rather than make matter worse with short cuts.

I did also make a positively evil chocolate trifle for dessert tonight.