December 2023

Turns out I was right when I thought December would be a “big rush”. I kicked off the month by going to ParkRun with Jack in the buggy. It was my first time taking him out for a long run (there+the run+back > 10km). He coped well (by napping most of the way)!

The first half of the month was a real slog. Harriet went back to work, Jack had a series of colds and viruses which he then duely passed on to me. I spent one glorious morning trying to juggle childcare with lying wretching and exhausted on the floor, thankfully rescued by Harriet. That weekend we had an overnight trip to the hospital to have Jack checked out for more illness. It was relentless!

Still, on the positive side of things I managed to get a lot of client work done, Jack is picking up new words and sounds, and Harriet’s return to work has gone well. We held a combined EdinburghJS and .NET Edinburgh Christmas social. It was well attended, which makes me hopeful for the JavaScript meetups that I will be running next year.

It was a relief to get away for Christmas down in Hexham. We drove down via Barter Books in Alnwick. We made the same journey last year when Jack was very new, so it was fun to see him toddle around the shop, enjoy some fish fingers, meet a dog, and point to the books he liked the look of.

I went out for lots of runs, trying to increase my base fitness, and we took a lovely day trip to Craster.

I usually round off my month notes with a list of books that I have read - but I hardly made any progress this month. I’ve been making my way through David Cannadine’s Victorious Century: The United Kingdom, 1800–1906, and will hopfully finish it in Jan.

I hope everyone had a good break. Wishing you a peaceful flourishing in 2024!