Quick update tonight. Lily was back at school and feeling much better and I was able to finally have a clear run at getting some work done – for what felt like the first time in four weeks. It hasn’t been quite that long, but on most days there’s been something to distract.

It was close to 3pm when I realised that I hadn’t had a run and that there wouldn’t be enough time for it. I usually go to pick up the children at three. That would be a half hour walk there and a little longer to get back home. Once home, I’d be preparing dinner, then time to eat and then dancing for two hours in the evening.

In the end, dinner preparation included almost an hour driving around Ormskirk to try and get some sesame seed oil after a misunderstanding with Jude (and then finding a bottle in the pantry later). Then Jude got home later than usual leaving me with about five minutes to eat and three minutes to get to the dance lesson. At one point I thought that I would have to leave without dinner having spent hours getting it ready. The lessons actually felt like a break after the craziness that preceded them.

Jude didn’t come to the second lesson as she’s still nursing her sore leg. She has booked her physio appointment for next Wednesday – so this will hopefully mean that it eases up for her soon. Although next week is the last one for this half term and so we may not see her at the lessons again until March.

We did charleston in the beginners class and some weird rock-step kick and cross movement in the improvers class. As is usual in both classes, we all mostly looked bemused by the whole thing, but had managed to make it work by the end of the lesson.

I find it odd with the charleston because we learn it without a back kick on the seventh beat, but then I’m told that that’s wrong and that the rest of the world does it with that back kick. Both ways seem to make sense.

I found myself doing that back kick and then trying to stop myself. Looking around the YouTube there are clearly the two ways of doing it, and apparently it’s something to do with a 20s vs 40s version of the swing dance, but I’m no expert… I’m happy to do it the one way in the lesson and then the other way when actually out and about. That is if I ever get a chance to go social dancing – it seems almost impossible to find the time at the moment.

I got back home at nine and we finally had a quiet moment where we caught up with the Daily Show and had a very brief conversation about getting a dog. That’s something that I’ll come back to, I’m sure.

So today I did two hours dancing lessons and 5.4km walking. I’m going to have to get out running and back in the gym if I’m to hit the targets for the year.