The first weekend in September was lovely and warm. I started reading a new book called September by Rosamunde Pilcher (and birthday present from Andy), which would end up taking me the entire month to read. I did some garden pottering, pruning things here and there, tidying the container pots, and organising the greenhouse. I potted an oak tree sapling I found growing in the lawn, along with two walnut saplings. The walnuts have already wilted, but I think one might survive, I've tried several times to pot them up but they don't take kindly to it. The oak is doing well though. I stayed inside making pom poms during the hottest part of the day, and nipped to the supermarket for supplies.

On the Sunday I was forced to return to the supermarket when I realised I'd forgotten a vital ingredient, but the rest of the day was mine and I knitted a puppy and made a pom pom or two. Late afternoon I spent a lovely hour reading in the sunshine and drinking tea. In the early evening I joined Andy in his cab for a while, he was going to be home really late so it was nice to get some time with him, albeit brief.

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The second weekend of September I had a haircut - just a trim, but she didn't cut my fringe how I asked her to. It was not shaped correctly and was about a centimetre too short, and she didn't put any layers in the lengths. This is why I dislike getting my hair cut!

I started to make final preparations for decorating our bedroom. The day before I'd picked up some more colour swatches, and I returned to get tester pots of the three colours I'd narrowed it down to. And I purchased a Christmas magazine in a weak moment in the supermarket. It's not that far off...


I spent some time (probably more than necessary) deciding whether or not to keep a mustard coloured jumper I'd ordered from ASOS. I tried it with different scarves and accessories, and decided that despite believing that I couldn't wear yellow, it actually looked OK. It seems I'm being drawn to yellow at the moment, and it's revealed itself to be a pretty good neutral colour.

On the Sunday I went out for a meal with my Dad, and my brother and his family to celebrate my birthday (which was at the end of August). I wasn't feeling particularly hungry so I ordered a starter (bubble and squeak) as a main, which left plenty of room for a creme brulee - a dessert I didn't think I liked until a few months ago!

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The following weekend was all about decorating! Before starting on the bedroom I wanted to tick off a few little DIY jobs that had been on the to-do list for a while. It was gloss work mainly (which I really dislike, hence it being on the list for so long) but I also sanded and repainted the front door. And I made some pom poms, it wouldn't be a weekend unless pom poms were made!

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The following Saturday was #PhotoAnHour.

On the Sunday Andy had some time off, he did go to work for a few hours in the morning and again in the afternoon but spent the rest of the day with me. We visited his parents - he hadn't seen his Mum properly in months. We had lunch, and he snoozed on the sofa whilst I did some knitting. Later we watched TV, just chilling out. I always have the urge to go out when Andy is about, to make the most of the time together, but I have to remember that Andy hasn't had a chance to sit down and do nothing for a long time. It doesn't sound very exciting but just being together and having the chance to have a proper conversation is really, really lovely.

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On the final weekend of September I visited Marlsford Mill, an antique store. I was hoping to find a mirror and/or a chest of drawers for our lounge. They had lots of lovely items but nothing at quite the right size, I wasn't disappointed as it's a nice place to visit. I always enjoy seeing what's on offer, and I came home with a cutlery try and a walnut cracker from Hatfield House - one of my favourite sellers at Marlsford Mill.


Then I went to Hobby Craft to buy a birthday present for my oldest niece - I bought her an initial of her name and some iridescent paint, paintbrushes, and stick on gems so that she could decorate it. I quite fancied having a go myself. Then it was off to B&Q to finally buy the paint I'd finally chosen. In the evening Andy was home in time for us to watch Strictly Come Dancing and eat an obscene amount of Maltesers.

On the Sunday I started to empty the bedroom so I could start redecorating. Once it was empty I was able to vacuum and rid the corners of cobwebs, and then sand and prime the window frames. I always forget how long the preparation takes. A whole day's graft and I didn't get even a smidgen of paint on the walls.

And just like that September was over, and it feels as if October is disappearing even faster!