Financially Independent, Retired Early(ish) at 57.

Wednesday W’s #61.

What’s top of my mind: Writing a speech for the wedding.

The wedding is in 2 days and I’ve yet to write my speech. David29 hasn’t had any contact with his father for years, so I’m going to be speechifying for his side of the family. I’m looking forward to it, though I truly have no idea (yet) of what I’m going to say.

It’ll all come together though! It always does. Bleeding-edge speech writing… that’s how I work.

Where I’ve been: to Long Play to meet Katie!

Remember how Evan26 was accosted in the street by a guy asking if he was the guy from Long Play? His Mum reads my blogs and wanted to come and see his show. He (Evan26) was so blown away that he gave the guy free tickets. I asked him to let me know when they were coming, so I nipped in to see the show for the third time, so I could say hi to Katie.

She, her son and husband sat right behind me – I was wearing a mask but she recognised me by my eyebrows. First time anyone’s said that to me! We had a lovely chat after the show.

Tell you what – you know a comedy show is good when you see it three times in a week and you STILL laugh out loud. It’s playing for 2 more nights… I highly recommend.

Where I’m going: The wedding rehearsal.

Tonight I’ll be battling peak-hour traffic to get to the church on time. None of his brothers will be there – Evan26 has his show, Tom31 bought his ticket to it before we were told about the rehearsal and Ryan28 is working. Still, all they have to do is stand at the front and look supportive and interested.

I want to walk David29 down the aisle – I’ve put in a lot of time and effort into bringing up that boy on my own, so I think having a little stroll together on his Big Day isn’t too much to ask. We’ll have to work out how to do it so he doesn’t see Izzy before she walks down the aisle – the last thing we need is any bad luck!

What I’m reading: Lots of books.

I’ve finished my contract for the term, so to decompress I’m doing what I normally do in the first part of the holidays – I’m reading almost a book a day.

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. Gee, she’s a good writer, isn’t she? This one is another winner.

Holding by Graham Norton. Yes, THAT Graham Norton. I enjoyed this. It’s a gentle tale about a small village in the UK. It’s been filmed, but I thought I’d rather read the book.

The other 3 books I’ve read haven’t been much chop, so that’s enough about them!

What I’m watching: Nothing.

Though Ryan28 is keen to watch The Last of Us and season 3 of Ted Lasso with me, so no doubt we’ll be getting onto that pretty quickly.

What I’m listening to: Magpies singing in the rain.

I’m sitting on the couch with 3 sleeping dogs. I’ve had my coffee but we haven’t had breakfast yet. The house is almost silent, with just the clicking of my laptop keys and Jeffrey’s gentle snores able to be heard.

Rain is falling steadily outside. I’ve moved the pot plants outside so they can have a wash and get a dose of nitrogen. Every now and then I hear the warbling cry of a magpie.

I love my lazy mornings.

What I’m eating: Malteasers for breakfast.

Well, I’ve got to get rid of them somehow, don’t I?

What I’m planning: How, when and where I’m going o put my makeup on.

Haven’t worn makeup for years! But we all make sacrifices for our children, so I’ll be slapping on the warpaint for the wedding.

I’ve watched every episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, so I should be ok. Anyway, it’s like riding a bike, surely?

Who needs a good slap: The Easter Bunny.

The Easter bunny struck gold this year – the Aldi cheap Easter bunnies were in early this year and she snapped up 6 of them for my 4 boys and the 2 girlfriends.

Unfortunately, the bunny has very weak follow-through. We were on our way to Easter brunch with Izzy’s family when I realised I’d left the bunnies for David29 and Izzy behind. It was baaaad – they got us Easter eggs. Yikes!

You’d think the embarrassment would be enough to remind me to take Evan26 and Jenna’s bunnies when I saw his show on Sunday night.

Oh no, no, no. Turned up empty-handed again.

The only child who still lives with me got his bunny at 10 PM after we arrived home. The Easter Bunny deserves a sound smack for dereliction of duty.

What has made me smile: My new boots.

Ryan28 and I went to DFO on the weekend to get wedding things. I needed a bag and he needed some dress shows. We both came away with something extra. He bought a coat and I bought these incredibly funky and comfortable boots. Look! They have yarn on them – and they have lambswool inside.

Fortunate Frogdancer strikes again – I have very small feet and these were the last in my size.

They are perfect for my England and Ireland trip in September. I’m only taking carry-on so they will be my only shoes. PLUS…

… they look really great with my dress for the wedding. Talk about style, speed and comfort! I’ll be dancing all night in these babies!

Between the two of us, Izzy’s Mum and I will ensure that no one will feel under or overdressed. She’s got a dress and shoes with bling, whereas I’m going to be wearing linen and boots.

Dad joke of the day:

12 Comments

  1. Katie from Q

    So glad we went along to Long Play and got to meet you!! We loved it! I was pretty sure it was you and thought hmm do I ask ‘Are you frog dancer?’ That would be a bit weird if it wasn’t you. It’s funny though, when I heard you talking to other people I thought maybe it wasn’t you as your voice didn’t sound right. That made no sense at all since I’d never met you before so couldn’t have heard your voice. But I was pretty sure it was you and yes the eyebrows looked right. I’ve told myself I really must comment more since I read both your blogs fairly regularly. I also want to share a book recommendation. Years ago when we had Foxtel I discovered Ben Fogle’s ‘Where the Wildmen are’ and ‘New Lives in tne Wild’. I just loved those series. I’ve since found a few on You Tube and Binge (my son has Binge so have binged a series). I’ve no idea if you have seen any but one of my favourites was Peter and Miriam. Miriam has written two books and I’ve just finished the first one and will start the second on the plane home tomorrow. The first one is called Woman in the Wilderness and the most recent one is Wild at Heart. Miriam Lancewood is the author and she has written about their amazing adventures. I won’t say any more in case you’ve never heard of her.

    • FrogdancerJones

      I’ll have to hunt them up. Always looking for new things to read!
      I’ve had people ask, “Are you Frogdancer?” before. They always look worried, then understandably relieved when I say yes. 🙂

  2. Bethh

    Oh I liked The Last of Us sooooo much. Great character-building and relationship development. I hope it’s fun for you!

    Are you sure the Easter Bunny didn’t subconsciously want to leave all the goodies for you?? 😉

    Happy wedding!! Good luck with the makeup. I do it about once a year and always despair that I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

    • FrogdancerJones

      If I look awful, I’ll just console myself with the fact that no one will be looking at me anyway!

  3. Josie

    Love the boots! What a find!

    • FrogdancerJones

      An asian woman with the same tiny feet as mine had tried them in just before I got to the shop but didn’t like the colour. She said that she’d go away and think about it.
      The shop assistant said to her, “These are the last ones in your size… they’re not going to be here long!”
      He was right. She hadn’t even left the shop when I sat down to try them on.

  4. Rita

    I have the same boots in a different color. They are SOOOOO comfortable! I get compliments on them all the time. I just love them!!

    • FrogdancerJones

      I think these are the first boots that have been instantly comfy, right from the word go. I’m definitely wearing them to the wedding tomorrow.

  5. Onevikinggirl

    Great boots, indeed! Enjoy the wedding, I hope it (and the marriage) turns out as wanted. Make-up: it is not the slabbing on that is difficult after years of not wearing any. The problem is KEEPING it on (not wiping it off and smearing it all over the face). Bring the stuff with you to the venue to touch up (at intervals).

  6. FIRE for One

    Best wishes to David & Izzy for their wedding tomorrow! Have a wonderful time!

    (The series of Holding was really good, by the way.)

    Cheers

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