I admit my recent blogging history has been a little strange. After 4 years of never taking more than a week off – even when on holiday, and even when sick – the last three and a half years have been riddled with random weeks or longer of absence. I’ve tried tighter schedules and more relaxed schedules. Days specifically dedicated to specific topics. I’ve tried explaining my every move and not explaining anything. More recently, I’ve tried just rolling with it, hence the unplanned break from writing.

This last silence comes to you because of three things.

• The Kid’s First Summer Holiday.

It was a good one. We made loads of crafts. In fact, all the crafts. At least one craft project per week, many of which Mama now has to finish. We also baked so much, I’m surprised the scale isn’t cracking under my brand new padding. We made many wonderful memories, grew closer, got in each other’s space and faces, and finally found comfort in our old routine. She’s back at school and I miss her fiercely, but I’m also not ashamed to say that I’m glad to have time to myself again.

I did try to work with her here, a little every day. For this reason, I managed to make progress in a few projects that have been nagging at the back of my mind. I’ve also been working on Book Two. Just a little though, nothing to get too excited about.

But. This is the week where that changes. I have too many items to check off my to-do list.

• Personal Stuff

As always, some shifty shit has been going on in the background. Anxiety, friends, anxiety. I’ve had my fair share and then some. We’ve been faced with many uncertainties lately, which is probably the main attribute to my lack of focus. We’re at that stage after our Big Move where we’re supposed to be settling, but I don’t feel that we’ve reached that place. So much has been suspended mid-air, annoyingly our of our reach due to circumstances we can’t control.

Being out of control and uncertain is no fun, but I guess it’s just one of those things we’ll have to deal with.

• Connectivity

This last part is the lamest of all, but you’d be surprised how often we were offline in the last month or so. First world problems. Apparently, the issue was with our connection to the line outside our house, and has now been fixed. We’ve been online without any downtime for almost a full week now, and touch wood, I sincerely hope it stays that way. It shocks me how dependent we’ve become of the internet, to the point where our lives almost come to a standstill when we can’t connect. It’s scary – the premise for a good cyber thriller.

This is me saying thanks for sticking around, even when I’ve been absent from the blog. I’m back now, aiming for two posts per week, and will do my best to keep you in the loop if that changes. I still love writing these posts and don’t want to stop blogging.

Until next time.

Yolandie.