7 down [cryptic]. Swift progress to Cajun lifestyle goals?

If variety is the spice of life, I must be Cajun. Life has been all that lately. We're not convinced that this is all a good thing, but at least it's far from boring. Bronwyn's seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. There is only a few days left in this half term, then another seven weeks till the end of the school year. My work continues, currently (he says ominously). After spending most of Saturday, and two hours on Sunday evening, doing "work" work, I am wondering about where my lifestyle balance is. (There is no question I could find a less demanding job.) Lack of blogging is another clear barometer of pressure around here too. However, it's not all doom and gloom. This coming weekend is a bank holiday weekend, and we'll be spending a couple of the days visiting Brent & Megan, ex-Palmy people, who now live a little north of London. Then Wednesday next week will find us in Rome for four nights... Tough. Life. Is. [Grin.]

I've written previously about my recent habit, started last November, of writing Stalin-style "3 month plans" of goals I wish to achieve. Like trying to look at my lifestyle balance, this is another example of me deciding to apply the things we tell our clients to my own life. (Housemate Nick would say, “eating your own dogfood”...) The second three month period expired a week ago, and I took the opportunity to again review my goals (many not achieved!) and set new ones for the three months ahead. I'm finding this a quietly useful process. I'm also finding that particularly over the last week this goal-focussed thinking is permeating my daily consciousness more and more. Realising how pushed I've been for time and overloaded with projects, I'm more carefully evaluating whether things I'm doing are achieving my goals or not. It's not to become mercenary—some of my goals would say the opposite! But it is helping me be more thoughtful about how I spend my time. I'm liking that.

The Swifts arrived back at our house today, after a winter's absence. I really like these birds, which spend their entire lives on the wing, landing only for breeding (not sleeping, not eating, not anything else!) in nests they made from grasses, leaves, and feathers, all collected while flying. They nested in the roof of our building last year—hopefully they will again this year—and it's quite a sight to see them fly into the otherwise invisible gaps just under the roof, at full speed... Their return is a practical reminder that the seasons have turned full circle for us now, if the warm weather, sunglasses, and sunburn wasn't enough of a hint. This is a great time of year. With apologies to Wellington, you can't beat London on a good day.