Dispatches from a happy Hullian

I'm in a kilt today… my purple one, in honour of Purple Shirt Day, the grassroots work holiday where we make the holiday gathering in the conference room more purple. Fortunately it's +3°C out (but Elizabeth still insisted I bring leggings just in case).

Noisette passed away a few weeks ago… she'd had kidney issues for a while and we'd been keeping her going with special food and medication but eventually she got really thin and pretty rapidly passed. She's in the backyard under the patio stones with Pixel now.

I'm looking forward to my four months on loan to another agency starting in the new year… I'll be able to walk to work, do things I've built up a lot of expertise in over the years, and generally change gears while keeping my current job in the long term.

Last weekend, Oscar and I went out to the countryside to help Heather's dad put firewood under shelter for the winter. I think everyone enjoyed the time — there was a moderately big fire of wood bits that weren't worth moving, lunch, and time together across our larger network of blood relations, in-laws and out-laws. And Heather's dad will have an easier time staying warm this winter.

Domestic life these days involves lots of appointments and holiday prep as well as signing kids up for all their winter 2020 stuff. December always flies by!

Note to self and allergist: I'm getting eye allergy symptoms for the first time this year; oral meds seem to take the edge off for now but I have drops if I need them.

We had a midwife appointment today; got the home birth kit and a clean bill of health for fetus and mama.

Roofing materials are appearing in our driveway. Our midwife doesn't think roof work will cramp her style.

Stewarding is busy lately. It is performance agreement season. Correlation noted.

I am feeling pretty happy with and connected to people at work. I will miss them over parental leave; I hope we will find time to hang out.

In other news, I gave bow tie advice to a barista yesterday; that was fun.