Work has been busy! For the last few weeks it feels like I've spent far too much time at my desk. A fellow freelancer and I were working on several projects together and as he was off on holiday on the 12th we had a lot of work to get done in a short space of time. But we did it, and with a little time to spare.

It does feel good to be really busy, but I was already busy doing other things outside of work and something had to give. So I was unable to make a number of things I'd planned to make for a Cake & Craft stall I was helping with this week.



We had our first Christmas Cake & Craft stall a few weeks ago, which went really well, and I'd hoped to create some extra handmade Christmas cards, and knitted tree penguins before our second sale this week, but as work was busy I had to make do with what I could squeeze into the evenings. Which wasn't a great deal.



Nonetheless we still had lots to sell, and had another successful day. Over the two sales we raised £1,850 for the radiotherapy department at our local hospital. These have been our most successful sales to date, and I think this is partly to do with having invested in a nifty little machine so we could take card payments. People seem to spend more when they don't have to hand over cold hard cash, which is all the better when fundraising.

I did find time in the week to pop into the village, I needed to go to the Post Office to send off several ebay parcels, which was a nice little boost to my Christmas fund, and I stopped in at my local Sue Ryder shop whilst there.

I'm not meant to be buying anymore books but got more than a little bit tempted!



I justified my purchases by telling myself that a) I'd have enough time to read One Day in December before the month was up (time will tell), b) Domenica De Rosa also writes under the name of Elly Griffiths and I've read a few of her books recently, so I needed to read this too, c) Summer at Skylark Farm was one in a series I'm reading (albeit in completely the wrong order), d) the cover of Old Baggage was too beautiful not to buy, and e) I've seen Normal People all over my Instagram feed with rave reviews, so clearly this is a book I need to read. I really am beyond help when it comes to my book addiction.



I'm now looking forward to the pace of life slowing a little, and hope to have a relaxing weekend, before the Christmas chaos sets in. With lives getting busy at this time of year I was unable to book a table to go out to dinner with friends this month to celebrate a birthday. So, we've opted to wait until the new year, it'll be something to look forward too. I always find January to be a long and uneventful month.

With a little luck we'll get our Christmas tree on Saturday, and I can spend several hours getting the decorations to look just right. I might even watch The Holiday whilst I do so.

I hope you've had a good week, and have a lovely weekend.

I didn't blog much in October, not for any particular reason, I was simply feeling uninspired, not just with blogging but in life in general. I'm pleased to say I'm feeling more upbeat, which might have something to do with the upcoming festivities (note how I didn't use the C word there?).

It's been a really nice week, here are some highlights.

On Saturday I met Sophie and Kezzie for a charity shop rummage in Ipswich. We generally have a successful day shopping, although we found fewer items than usual this time, we each returned home with a number of purchases.



I asked them both to stop me buying any wool, and twice Kezzie had to tell me 'step away'. And although I didn't need any books, I did have a mental list of five authors I was allowed to buy. I stuck to this except for a pristine copy of The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. I'd read a short review by Betty the day before, and loved the sound of it. It seemed too serendipitous for me to leave it behind.

Of the five authors I found books by four of them, coming home with six books, which is pretty restrained for me!

I'll share what else I bought in my Buyer's Archive post at the end of the month.

To bookend our shopping we visited a cafe called Hullabaloo. It's a plant based cafe, and one we only visited because our usual cafe was standing room only. Sophie spied it from across the street, proving to me once again that I've stopped really looking at my surroundings I've become so accustomed to them.



I had a delicious chocolate and beetroot cake (so nice I had it on both visits), and earl grey poured from a cute little teapot. I'll be going back there for sure, I much prefer independent cafes such as this to the likes of Costa or Cafe Nero, which seem to be on every street corner.

Kezzie asked if we were wearing fully charity shopped outfits, which would've been apt for our shopping expedition, but I realised I wasn't. Whilst my coat and top were charity shopped, my jeans, shoes, and bag were bought new. My thinking is that I'll only buy new items when I know for certain they'll stand the test of time. That said, it's rare for me to go into high street clothes shops these days, now that I know what treasures can be found second hand, the charity shops are my first port of call.

I have to admit to feeling some serious hair envy, both Sophie and Kezzie have gorgeously long hair, and the week before last I had a terrible haircut. I asked for 2 inches to be cut off and for layers around the face (I took pictures with me), but what I got was 5 inches hacked off and not a layer in sight. I cut layers myself when I got home but will have to wait for it to grow in length. I felt conscious of the 3 inches I'd been robbed of. I don't think I've ever had a haircut that I've been truly pleased with, even when I've been really clear (and realistic) about what I want. Is it just me?



Anyway, hair woes aside, I've been making loads of pom poms with my ridiculously huge stash of wool to make wreaths for a craft fayre. The first one is finished and looking jolly festive, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy making them, it's very relaxing. The fayre is two weeks away and I still have so much I want to make, so I'm planning a weekend of crafting (sod the housework).

Andy and I have been plotting for Christmas. We know what we're doing on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and have turned our attention to buying gifts, we've even been out shopping. I think we've had some pretty inspired gift ideas. For my side of the family we keep things simple with a Secret Santa and have a £30 spending limit. We did it for the first time last year and it worked really well. Andy's sister would like to do it for their side of the family but is meeting some resistance... I doubt she'll give up trying though, and I secretly hope she succeeds.

I've had a night out with friends in a local steak house. I don't see these guys very often and it's great to catch up. Getting together is very much like stepping back in time to my 20s, it's reassuringly familiar, and always good fun.

Looking into the new year I booked tickets to see The Russian State Ballet of Siberia perform The Nutcracker in March. Earlier this year Mum and I went to the ballet for the first time, and vowed it wouldn't be the last. It's nice to have something in the diary for 2020.

What have you been up to this week?

Oh my goodness, what a week!

I always leave things to the last minute and end up rushing around like a crazy person with to-do lists coming out of my ears. I enjoy the chaos but have found it somewhat tiring this year. Still, it nearly all done.
This week has been quite sociable. It started with lunch at the Lavenham Swan with Andy, a belated anniversary meal, back the the scene of the crime. It was absolutely lovely. The smell of the place as we walk in the door takes us right back to our wedding day. I feel like this is our hotel, it's such a special place.

I had a G&T before eating, forgetting that I hadn't had time for breakfast. I was rather giggly by the time my food arrived - which didn't help productivity that afternoon. But it was a welcome distraction and so lovely to spend time with Andy, and the food was delicious, as always. Although, being a traditional sort of fellow, Andy really didn't know what to make of the beetroot ice cream that was served with his chocolate mousse :)


I nipped to Felixstowe with Mum to collect the pottery I'd painted from Crafty Coffee. Again I hadn't had time for breakfast and was hoping for a cheese scone (they are so good) but they didn't have any, so we walked to the other end of the high street to our favourite wool shop / cafe, The Wool Baa, and had one there. It's worth a visit if you're ever in Felixstowe, The Wool Baa is lovely, especially if you're a fan of wool. If you're there on Monday evening or Thursday morning they have 'Knit and Natter' so you can take your knitting and get sociable.

I enjoyed lunch with some of my best friends at The Cookhouse Restaurant at The Suffolk Food Hall. I ate too much (fish and chips and a chocolate and salted caramel sundae), and was then served fish and chips by my Dad for supper. I was so full I had trouble driving home!

I had a haircut - just a trim, coffee with my sister in law, wrapped some presents, gave up on the idea of writing Christmas cards, braved some last minute shopping (but I've realised I need to do a little more), put marizpan on the cake (and some in my stomach), started to clean the house ready for guests on Christmas Eve, attacked the laundry so I don't have to do any next week, and I managed some work in between all of this.

Yesterday Andy came home with a second Christmas tree so that needs decorating, I need to ice the cake, make a Malteser Cheesecake, finish a website design, finish the housework, find the big table cloth, stop Andy from eating all the snacks purchased for our guests, and remember where I put the gin.

And tomorrow we're celebrating our youngest nephew's birthday with go karting and pizza.

I do enjoy Christmas, but I'm looking forward to Boxing Day when I can put my feet up. In the days that follow we'll do as we please, we'll make it up as we go along, which sounds pretty perfect to me.

I hope you all have a lovely, lovely Christmas, however you choose to celebrate.

xx

This week has been good. It started with a visit from the bereavement midwife. I was ridiculously nervous about meeting her but I needn't have been. She was really lovely, and told me about the support I could receive from the hospital, we talked about my experience, and she answered a few questions I had. It's not until you go through something like this that you realise how common it is, that you're not alone, and that there is a lot of help available should you want it.

We talked of how quality time spent with your partner is essential, so I went to work with Andy again one morning. We did a lot of driving around and it was the perfect time to just chat and be together. Once we'd done all of his chores I persuaded him to take me to my favourite florist to buy wreath making supplies. Now we just need to pick some holly, which we'll do together.

Early in the week I spent a day with my Mum. We'd planned a morning at Crafty Coffee in Felixstowe, eating scones and painting pottery. I had my heart set on painting a large bauble in lots of bright colours for our tree. But our plans were thwarted when we arrived and found that it was closed.

Not to be discouraged, we wandered the shops instead. We both did some Christmas shopping (thankfully Felixstowe is blissfully free of crowds), and we ended up in a lovely cafe - £3.00 for a pot of tea and an Earl Grey tea, how good is that? And you can park all day for £2.00. It has some pretty good charity shops too, it's fast becoming one of my favourite places. Oh, and of course there is the beach and the sea to enjoy. And fish 'n' chips, ice cream and candyfloss.


We decided to return to Crafty Coffee a few days later. It's a lovely way to bookend the week, I painted a bauble and a Santa Claus and I'm so looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

The rest of the week was spent doing a little work, making plans for my hanging baskets and container pots (I know I'm a bit late in doing this but I haven't felt up to it until now). I've been taking apart in two Instagram prompts #adventtoshare, organised by Rosalyn Oxer, and #fmspad, organised by Fat Mum Slim. Both have made me feel rather festive and have given me a small, positive daily focus. And I've been strutting around the house in my new-to-me boots, I do love a good ebay win!

As for how I'm feeling, my surgery was a month ago and physically I feel good, a little tired at times but other than that I've made a good recovery. Emotionally though I know there is a lot to come. I'm usually a crier, so many things start me off - simple things, silly things, and every thing in between. But I've hardly cried at all, I still feel like it happened to someone else. I have moments of sadness, I think about it several times a day, and I can talk about what happened but I can't put into words how I feel about it, because I still feel numb. I know it will take time, that grief will come in many forms, and won't ever go away completely, but I wish it would hurry up. It feels wrong to feel so normal.

On a happier note, we're getting our Christmas tree this weekend, and we're going to my Mum's for a roast lamb lunch - my Mum's husband used to be a chef and his meals are always divine and plentiful. And I'm hoping to catch up with my two best friends soon too. There's plenty to look forward to.

What exciting plans do you have for the coming week?

It's been a quiet week, I've been slowly returning to work, doing a few hours a day. I've spent some time at work with Andy (nothing strenuous, just keeping him company whilst he drives around checking on things). We've worked our way though a huge portion of the Game of Thrones boxset, and I've finally started preparing for the festive season.

One of the pieces of advice I've received over the past few weeks has been to remind myself of the things I'm grateful for. It's something I should do all year round, but now seems like a good time to start.

I'm grateful for being treated to a mini manicure. A bit of pampering can never be a bad thing. Me time, self care - whatever you want to call it - it's so important to take the time to do something for yourself, particularly when you need some cheering up. Neat shiny nails make me smile.

I'm grateful for online shopping so I don't have to face the hoards of shoppers in town. I love Not On The High Street for independent retailers, and I will pop out to my favourite independent stores soon, but the bulk of my shopping has already been done, and it feels great.

I'm very grateful to have the luxury of time. After what's happened most people would be expected to return to work after two weeks. It seems too soon to me, grief doesn't have a time frame. As I've regained strength after surgery I've been able to spend a few hours a day at my desk without feeling pressured, it's been immensely helpful to feel some normality returning.

I'm grateful for my clients, who have been patient and very understanding (and two of them sent me huge amounts of chocolate).

I'm grateful for the messages and support I've received from my friends. It's hard to know what to say in situations such as these, but I'm so grateful people haven't shied away from getting in touch. Their messages have really helped, as have all the comments from you.

How has your week been? Tell me about your favourite part of your week.

xx

This week I've been enjoying the little things. Snuggling up on the sofa with my husband and cats, spending time with friends, watching birds in the garden, and slowly working my way through the Game of Thrones boxset.

This week has been much better than last week, and significantly better than the week before.

The week before, at 11 weeks and 5 days pregnant, I was taken into hospital with severe abdominal pains.

At first I thought I was just constipated - a common 'gift' of pregnancy - I had a dull ache in my lower belly, but after a few hours the pain changed, it got worse, it became a cramping sensation that squeezed my entire abdomen. If I moved the pain intensified, my stomach cramped so violently I felt like I couldn't breathe. It was at this point Andy dialled 111.

They sent an ambulance. It took over two hours to arrive. The paramedics gave me gas and air, and once in the ambulance IV paracetamol, which eased the pain a little. In A&E, they took away the gas and air as it belonged on the ambulance and they couldn't leave without it.

I was left in a corridor for a while, then I was moved and left in a cubicle. It wasn't until a nurse walked by and saw me during a cramping episode that I got some attention. I had no idea how long I'd been there, but Andy tells me it was a few hours. I was given some pain relief that took the edge off the pain, but still it was pretty bad.

I had an IV line in each hand and had my heart rate and blood pressure monitored, but no one could offer any explanation. The medical staff were lovely, and very kind, but no one seemed to know what to do with me.

I willed myself to stay as still as I possibly could, but even then sometimes the cramping would take hold and I'd be doubled up in pain. Sometime in the early hours I was taken to the emergency gynae unit, and left in a corridor. The Doctor was in surgery and had other patients to see. The pain relief I was given in A&E wore off.

When I was seen by the Doctor, she stood watching me as the pain took hold once, twice, and then a third time. She kept asking me questions. I remember thinking 'why aren't you helping me?' I realise now that she was assessing me.

It was at this point, at nearly 5am, over 12 hours after dialling 111, that I was given some pain relief that finally eased the pain. I could relax enough to be examined and was told that my cervix was closed and as I'd had no bleeding, it was a good sign. I allowed myself to hope that our baby would be OK.

I was moved to a room on the gynae ward and told I would have an ultrasound scan at 8:20am that morning. There is no out-of-hours emergency sonographer at my local hospital, which is why they couldn't ascertain what was wrong, and why they could do little to help me.

At 9:45am I was taken for my ultrasound scan. The sonographer took her time to assess the situation, and then she told me that my pregnancy was ectopic, our baby had a heartbeat but was outside of the womb.

She didn't have to tell me what this meant.

Things happened very quickly from here. An ectopic pregnancy can be life threatening and within less half an hour I was being wheeled into surgery. We were told I'd be back on the ward within a few hours, but I didn't return to the ward until gone 6pm that evening.

I can not imagine what Andy must have gone through, sitting alone in that little room, waiting all that time for me to be wheeled back in.

I had laparoscopic surgery and, among other complications, they discovered that I had internal bleeding, which was the cause of the pain. They estimated that I'd been bleeding for a week, and where very surprised that I'd felt no pain before.

These things meant surgery took much longer than expected, I was given six units of blood and stayed in recovery for hours, although I remember little of this.

Despite unexpected complications, the surgery went well. I'd been very lucky.

I stayed in hospital for four nights, being discharged on the day I was meant to have my 12 week scan. As we'd approached our scan date we'd allowed ourselves to relax a little and get excited about telling our family and friends our good news.

I've been home a fortnight. I've been taking it easy, with Andy and my Mum looking after me.

Physically I feel OK, I get tired easily but I can feel myself getting stronger everyday. Small things feel like huge steps forward - being able to yawn without pain, being able to get in and out of the bath unaided, eating a proper sized meal - these things all seem like little victories.

But emotionally I still feel numb. It feels surreal, like it didn't happen, or it happened to someone else. I can feel the aftermath lurking, knowing will hit me one day soon. I've been told that it's common, that my body is focussed on healing physically, and that the emotions will come later.

For now I'm taking it easy, appreciating the little things, enjoying every little victory, comforted by the fact that I'm surrounded by love and support.

Time will heal, I know that, but I can't help but wish I was already on the other side of what's still to come.

Hello! Have you had a good week? It's been a tad disappointing weather wise, but it's been a productive and sociable week nonetheless. With three birthdays - Andy, his Mum, and my Dad - we've had a lot of family time that included a no-bake Malteser cheesecake, a Chinese take away, and several sirloin steaks.

I planted my hanging baskets. I waited weeks for my winter flowering pansies to stop looking so lovely and alive, so that I could declare them 'done'. I was finally able to do so this week, and turfed them out for some lovely trailing plants. I did love the pansies though and have decided to grow them from seed to plant in my hanging baskets in the autumn.

I made Elderflower gin. I can not wait to taste it in a few months time. I wanted to make some cordial and perhaps some elderflower delight too, but the recent wind and rain scuppered any chance of picking any decent flowers. I'll just have to wait and harvest the berries for more gin instead #everycloud

I voted

and I found a source of free books on my way home. The telephone box in our local village had been turned into an Info Box, and in it are a few shelves and a sign saying 'Please feel free to take a book', so I did. I'll return it, along with a few others, when I've finished reading it. I love that this sort of 'honesty box' mentality still exists, it really made me smile.

I ate an awful lot of lettuce. I planted too many seeds and now we have a more plants than we really know what to do with. I've given away one tray, and we're eating a huge amount of lettuce every lunchtime, and for supper too. Andy has had some for breakfast on a few occasions, I can't quite bring myself to do that. I love it, eating something I've grown myself feels like a little victory. I can't wait for the spring onions to be ready. And at least I'll know not to make the same mistake next year.

And now I'm looking forward to another Sunday cinema date with Andy, a craft and vintage market in my local town hall, trying a granola recipe, and indulging in some serious reading time.

What has been the highlight of your week?

Hello! I hope you've had a good week? I've been hampered by a bit of a cold, and I managed to get whacked in the eye by a bramble (yes, ouch) but those things aside it's been good.

Filling the house with flowers
I popped to Aldi and picked up two bunches of their bargain roses. I've had these before and they lasted three weeks! But instead of putting them in a large vase in the dining room, I popped them into three smaller vases and distributed them around the house. My favourite sits on my bedside table. This is something that needs to happen more often.


Mending
I've had three pairs of ripped jeans sitting in my wardrobe for ages waiting for me to mend them, an idle scroll through my Pinterest feed gave me an idea, and I went about cutting up one of Andy's old work shirts to patch them with.  I've still got one pair to repair but it feels good to have finally started on my mend pile.


Baking
I really enjoyed, not only baking but eating, my Lemon Thumbprint Cookies last week, and I wanted to make something else. A few very ripe bananas were perfect for this Banana Oatmeal Cookie recipe. They are so simple to make, and the kitchen smelled divine for hours after cooking. The cookies only lasted a fraction longer.

Breaking sunglasses
Some how I managed to break two pairs of sunglasses this week, one during the bramble incident, the other I have no idea. The frame snapped at the top meaning the lens fell out, both in the same place, on the same eye - spooky. Good job I did buy a new pair last month.

Hoping for rain
We've had no significant rainfall here for three months, and being married to an arable farmer it makes for frustrating times. We need rain. They all work so hard on the farm, all year round, and it's so frustrating that the success of the crops depend on the weather. So if you know of an effective rain dance, you know what you need to do...

Looking forward to...
A morning cinema date with my husband on Sunday, eating the first of my mixed lettuce leaves crop, planting out some more seeds in the greenhouse, and getting properly stuck into my latest read - Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey.

Have you had a good week?

Greenhouse pottering
I've spent a lot of time in my greenhouse this week, it's old and and in need of some serious TLC but I love it. I'm growing numerous things but sometimes I just sit in there with a cup of tea, sometimes with a book. It's warm, my cats love to join me in there and at this time of year, when the weather can be a little chilly, it allows me to be outside without having to brave the elements.

Knitting
Every once in a while I get the urge to knit. I love knitting Monkey Moo, he knits up super quick and is always loved by his recipient.

Baking
A slightly out of date jar of lemon curd inspired me to pop on my pinny and make some Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies (I wasn't about to let a use by date cheat me out of the lemony goodness). They're utterly delicious! It's left me with a hankering to bake more often, perhaps some banana oat cookies...?

Reading
My current read is charming, and one I found via Yarn Along - Sylvia's Farm: The Journal of an Improbable Shepherd by Sylvia Jorrin. I'm really enjoying the short chapters, each a stand alone story of the farm. It leaves me a desire to make the most of each and every single day, to do just one more thing to work towards a goal, and to be happy and grateful with my lot.

Changing my routine
I decided to change my working hours in an attempt to have a little more routine to my days. Now I work in the mornings, I'm at my desk by 8am and finish some where between noon and 1pm.

The afternoons are mine. This is when I get my housework done, or I potter in the greenhouse, maybe read for an hour, write my meal plan, bake, go for a walk. It feels nice to know that after lunch I can ignore the emails and focus on everything else that life entails.

Before doing this, I had a 'just quickly' mindset, where I'd just quickly pop some washing on, just quickly run the vacuum around, just quickly nip outside and water the plants. I found that I'd 'work' a full day but rarely get more than half a days work done.

If I need to work into the afternoon then I do but I find this way I can concentrate on the task in hand. I feel like I'm achieving more each day. Multitasking has it's place but day-to-day I'm finding it's better to focus on one thing at a time.

Also
Having a bit of a bee moment. Thanks to Instagram I was alerted to a rather delicious sounding coconut and pear lip balm, it's limited edition and for each one sold 5,000 wild flower seeds are planted. Isn't that lovely? I purchased three (they're as nice as they sound), and gave one to my Mum.

I also uploaded a #SelflessSelfie via the Burt's Bees website, they add flowers to your selfie and with each one uploaded a further 5,000 seeds are planted.

Meanwhile in my own garden I've been planting bee friendly plants and made a bee bath, but that's for another post...

What have you been up to this week?

Celebrating our Wedding Anniversary

Two years. It's gone by in a flash! Cotton is the traditional gift for a second anniversary, so predictably I bought Andy a shirt. But I also made him a cross stitch. I'd been planning to do this for months, but of course I left it to the last possible minute. I ended up bunking off work on our anniversary to finish and mount it before Andy got home.

Heavily influenced my Pinterest I plotted a chart and pinched my Mum's collection of silks to stitch with. It's not perfect but I'm happy with it. Andy seemed to like it too.


Of course I saw this as a perfect opportunity to wear my wedding dress again. The chill in the air had me reaching for my tweed jacket, but it didn't feel any less fabulous!

We opened cards, looked though our wedding album, and read our guest book. He gave me the biggest bunch of flowers, and then cooked supper.

The bunch of flowers was so big it had to be split between three vases, and with all the cards up, our lounge felt very much like it did just after the wedding. Lovely.

Making daisy chains with my niece
 
This should be done every spring. A daisy crown was made for me and I wore it all afternoon, answering only to 'Your Majesty'.


Pottering in the garden

It's that time of year when I start to  pay attention to my much neglected garden. After a visit to a local garden centre to pick up a box shrub and a rather lovely metal yellow watering can (an absolute essential for any garden) I've planted some seeds, pruned a few shrubs, re-potted a few things, had a general tidy up and made a few plans for some new plants and shrubs. I can lose hours just doing bits and pieces, lost in my own little world, it's the best therapy there is.

Have you had a good week?

Coveting Ego trainers

I don't wear trainers very often so I was surprised at how much I wanted to buy myself these gorgeous embroidered trainers after seeing them on Laura's blog. I immediately saw them teamed with summer dresses and my khaki dungarees. I'm so tempted, but if I do give in to temptation I'll have to wait until Frugal February is over, which might just be long enough to cool my desire...

Cooking

When I read Jennifer's post on cooking with leeks I knew I would be making the Creamy Squash Leek and Pancetta Pots sometime very soon.

Oh-my-goodness they are delicious. The recipe was for four people - enough for two nights for Andy and me. Having finished my first helping I could've easily tucked into a second, not because it wasn't satisfying, but because I was being a glutton. I resisted so that we could enjoy it re-heated the next day. I spent the entire day looking forward to it and we ended up much eating earlier than usual.

Filming

I downloaded the 1 Second Everyday app after seeing it on Oh Gosh. I decided to wait until something exciting happened before starting to film snippets of my day but with little on the horizon I decided to just start. Naturally the first clip is of the cats. On the second day the most exciting thing to happen was me curling my hair for the first time in ages, so that's clip no.2 (did I mention I had nothing exciting coming up?)

Maybe I'll share a full month when it rolls around? Or perhaps a week of clips would be enough. My goal is to film everyday, even the most mundane of snippets, to end up with a year of little memories. I'm so excited by the prospect of this!

Going sugar free

I have an allergy to sugar beet and in an effort to cure it I'm taking a homeopathic remedy for a week. This means I have to cut out sugar altogether. I'd been putting it off, knowing that it would be a pain as soooooo many things have sugar in. I'd decided that I needed to do some research, plan my meals in advance but I was procrastinating and in the end I decided to start and wing it.

So far, it's been OK. The Spag Bol I made last night wasn't as tasty as it could've been as I couldn't use stock or Worcestershire Sauce. My lunchtime cheese on toast has been left wanting after discovering I couldn't use my usual ketchup on it (thinking about it I might've been able to use tomato puree). So many surprising things have sugar added, it's been a real eye opener - I even have to be careful when it comes to bread. Bread!!

If I'd thought about it I would've weighed myself before I started to see what difference it made, but I don't own scales, so...

Living in chaos

We discovered that our central heating pipes where leaking under the floor in the lounge, so we've had the plumbers in digging up the concrete and scaring the living daylights out of the girl cat in order to sort out the issue.

The house has been in chaos for the best part of three days. We decided to replace all of the under floor pipes downstairs so carpets have been pulled up, furniture bundle out of the way, they've needed to take up floorboards upstairs in most rooms. Only our bedroom has remained intact although it has been filled with bits of furniture and odds and ends from other rooms.

I've been hiding in my bedroom reading, and scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest.

I'm glad to say it's now sorted, order has been restored. Now I just need to get rid of the thin film of dust that now covers everything we own. It's so true that you don't appreciate what you've got til it's gone. Boy! I missed my usual peace and quiet.

What have you been up to this week?

Normally in my This Week posts I list five things that have stood out for me over the past week. But, sad as it might seem, I can't really think of one thing never mind five.

It sounds dull, but it isn't, not to me. Since the beginning of the year I've been enjoying some quiet time. My days follow a similar pattern, weekends don't really exist. Andy works, so I do too, and the weekend is much like any other day of the week. If Andy is home on a Sunday afternoon we'll pop and see family, or go for a walk.

Life currently has a gentle rhythm. I get up, potter about tidying, and doing what ever jumps out at me - laundry, vacuuming. I'll bathe, dress, and work for a few hours. Andy isn't crazy busy at work at the moment so he's able to come home for lunch most days.

In the afternoon I'll work for a few more hours, I'll blog or spend time organising life - paying bills, ordering groceries. If I'm going to work out I'll do it in the afternoon, before settling down with a book and cuppa to read for a while before Andy comes home and I cook our evening meal.

Reading has been my stress relief recently. I'm one of life's worriers, I overthink everything and reading helps to stop me getting inside my own head. Sometimes I find I have to read a paragraph several times before I stop thinking and start reading. But when I do, it's a great way to relax.

Once we've eaten and caught up with the news of each others day, we tidy up and I make sure I'm all set for the next day's evening meal (you wouldn't believe how frequently I plan a meal but fail to get a vital ingredient out of the freezer), then we settle down for an evening in front of the TV with a film or a boxset, usually accompanied by two sleeping cats.

I will get bored of this routine at some point, I'll crave change, but for now the routine is comforting. It feels like we're in hibernation, preparing for spring when we'll venture outside our bubble and engage with the world once again.

I'm looking forward to it, I'm just not ready for it just yet.

I'd hoped to post more than once this week, but life got in the way. Workwise I've got more work to do than is acceptable at this time of year (don't people know I just want to sit about reading and eating mince pies?!), I'm trying to decorate (yeah I know, really bad timing), we're preparing for some new french doors to be fitted, and a new pergola to be built, and then there is Christmas to organise. Although on that front I'm almost done, just a few last minute bits and pieces to finish.

I'm feeling brighter this week, the dull haze of melancholy has lifted and I'm feeling quietly festive.

Here's what I've been up to -

Having a follow up appointment for my allergy tests. I'm very pleased to say that I'm no longer allergic to dairy (with the exception of butter but I'm going to treat that after Christmas), and alcohol (hurrah!). I'm also going to tackle my allergies to diesel fumes, cat and dog hair, house dust mites, and sugar.

I'm now able to start introducing dairy and alcohol back into my diet but I'm doing so very slowly, I'm a little bit worried that too much, too soon will trigger a reaction and I'll have to start all over again, but I'm pretty sure that feeling will disappear the moment I'm in the same room as a piece of brie.

Loving wrapping paper with grids on the back - isn't this a revelation! I love it, it makes wrapping so much easier, why did it take so long for someone to have this brainwave? All wrapping is done, but I'm pretty sure I'll be roped in to help do Andy's for him.

Decorating our Christmas tree. I love the day we get our tree. Andy and I go out together to choose it and then I spend a few hours getting the lights and decorations just right. It takes a few cups of tea, a film on the TV which I largely ignore, and when I'm done I sit back and admire my efforts, moving things slightly until I'm satisfied that 'it's better than last year'.

Opening my secret Santa parcel. I caved and opened it early, it just smelled so tantalising! I discovered the aroma was created by a handmade goats milk and lavendar soap, and two scented candles - one White Lily and Peony, the other a Yankee Candle Christmas Pine.

My Secret Santa was Gemma from Lipsticks and Lashes, and she created a pamper night in a parcel for me. Along with the scented goodies I received a homemade hot chocolate that I just need to stir into hot milk, a fluffy pen, and a book for making lists (I do so enjoy a list!). Thank you Gemma - it's all lovely x

Watching The Jane Austen Book Club over and over, and adding the books mentioned in the film to my Amazon wish list, namely The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe Of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin, and The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Also: wondering where the time is going / straining and adding sugar to my homemade elderflower gin / soaking the fruit for my hot toddy fruitcake aka my Christmas cake.

What have you been doing this week?

Hello, I'm not sure I'm going to make this a weekly feature but it's nice to do a quick round up when life is busy, and the time available for blogging is limited.

I've been getting that familiar feeling of melancholy again, I'm wondering if it's seasonal as it made it's presence felt this time last year too. I know it will pass but it makes a busy time feel like hard work.

Still, lots of nice things to focus on this week.

Going to work with my husband. Last Sunday I accompanied him as he drove around checking on things - pheasant feeders, grain heaps, beet loading - and we finished by taking a walk in a local wood. From the edge of the wood you can see the roof of our house in the distance, and he says it's one of his favourite places on earth.

Celebrating birthdays. My best friend, and Andy's best friend have birthdays 5 days apart, every year we get together to celebrate. Andy's friend prefers a curry followed by beer, and mine a lunch in a nice restaurant with stunning views. Time spent with friend's is never wasted, and it's something I should do more often.

Finishing my Christmas shopping. I don't like to leave things to the very last minute when it comes to presents, it stresses me out so it feels good to have everything sorted. Wrapping will begin next week. The tree goes up this weekend so it'll start to feel really festive (and hopefully so will I).

Receiving some lovely parcels in the post. Sophie sent me a beautifully wrapped gift this week, and I also received a parcel as a result of taking part in Jo's 12 Days of Christmas Swap. I took part last year too, the idea is that you open a present everyday starting on the 25th. It was really nice to have gifts to open after Christmas Day. And it's fun finding 12 little gifts to send off. I was partnered with April who makes some fabulous handmade cards. Also, I took part in Char's Blogger's Secret Santa and received a most delicious smelling parcel this morning - I can't wait to see what's inside!

Talking about resolutions. When asked I told of my desire to build a fruit cage in the garden and grow soft fruit, and to swap my chemical cleaners for the baking soda / vinegar / lemon variety. It surprised me as these thoughts hadn't manifested themselves before, they'd been whispers of thoughts, only fully forming when I was asked the question.

Also: Losing hours on Pinterest, reading Nella Last's War, designing a new logo for my freelance business, and watching The Holiday on repeat.

What have you been up to this week?

Catching up with friends that I don't see nearly enough of, in a bar we recognise from our more sociable days, that has seen many transformations but always manages to feel like the same old place by the end of the night.

Commenting on a Burt's Bees Instagram post and winning a prize. I didn't even realise it was a competition (didn't read the description properly), but was pleased to receive a back-up for my current favourite mango butter lip balm. It's delicious, and super nourishing, especially in these cold days with central heating and it's dehydrating ways!

Donating to a good cause thanks to Laura, who has been taking part in #hatwithaheart
The idea is that you buy a novelty Christmas hat from Tesco for £7 and £1 goes to FareShare and The Trussell Trust.

I have mixed feelings about these sorts of merchandise incentives, I can see the positive side, I understand why charities do it, but I can't help feeling sad that people need to receive in order to give. I had a mini rant over in Laura's comments, and then felt I should put my money where my mouth is, and donated the cost of a hat via Just Giving.

Donating reminded me that I hadn't visited Lend With Care for a while, I knew I had some repayments adding up, and decided to lend to another entrepreneur. I had enough to lend to two people. I searched for the oldest loans and selected two farmers (I'm fond of a farmer me).

Both are from Ecuador, one needed a loan to buy fertiliser and pay a labourer to help on his farm, the other to repair machinery used extract juice from sugar cane, pay three labourers part time, and also buy fertiliser.

I've mentioned Lend With Care before and this week I was able to help two more families without spending a single penny. By lending I'm able to help more people over time by simply lending the repayments to someone else as they come back to me. I can't even begin to tell you what a genius idea I think this is. 

Going KonMarie. Again. I should've listened to the advice in her book and done the whole house in one go but I didn't and things got cluttered again. I don't have time to do the whole lot so I am just focussing on my office, which will no doubt return to chaos over time but at least for now I can see the rug again.

Also: Looking forward to opening my advent calendar, adding to my vast collection of Christmas decorations, planning my festive wardrobe, and pondering goals for 2017

So, that's been me this week, what have you been up to?

Hiya! How have you been? I didn't realise it'd been so long since my last post until Kezzie left a comment ending "New blog post please!!!??!?!x" How can I ignore that many exclamation marks and question marks?

I wondered what I could write about for a new post and decided to write about something I'd found myself pondering a few days ago. Which is that I often 'like' posts on Bloglovin, pins on Pinterest, and 'favourite' tweets on Twitter, with every intention of going back to them to find out a little more. And then I never do.

So, I decided to do just that, and here is what I found from my most recent online activity.

From Pinterest

Personalised laser cut bauble from Not On The High Street, which has given me an excellent idea for a Christmas present. I'll keep you posted...


A new way to tie a scarf, you know me and scarves.


Classic cornflake wreaths - sound delicious and will be made before the new week begins. Expect a post soon with all the sticky gooey details.



From Twitter

Excuse my language but I can be heard saying this repeatedly over the winter months and I know more than a few people who will appreciate it, most of whom also love penguins. 


Selfies through a toilet roll (hey, I never said this was going to be a high brow post). This especially made me laugh as it reminded me of seeing Noel Fielding at our local theatre recently. I had to give it a go.


...it's not as easy as it looks but I had fun. As much fun as you can have at home, alone, with a toilet roll, at 3.50 in the afternoon...

I caught up with a few words from Jenny, I started to read the post but didn't get to finish it, so favourited the tweet and thanks to this post got to finish it. I had to chuckle that she calls their spare room her office, as I do exactly that. 

However the post put me to shame by reminding me of how many plans I had for my office that are still yet to be fullfilled. But it did remind me of this awesome print that I NEED for my walls - utterly perfect for any graphic designer.



And this from @finanddandy for making me nostalgic and want to return to Hogwarts...

Hogwarts at Christmas, can you imagine! *sigh*


Love

I've decided that I'd like to keep a record of the lovely things that happen over the course of a week, that make me smile. I've always considered the little things to be every bit as important as the big things.

Soft, kitty, warm kitty...

Eating the first roast dinner of the season with Andy. My roasties were the best yet and I cooked extra so that Andy could have some cold for breakfast #excellentgirlfriend :)

Talking to my Dad about Christmas and chuckling about Andy stealing all my tools, even my pink and purple tape measure that I selected hoping that the colour would dissuade him and his light fingers. Clearly it didn't.

Finding the perfect nest of coffee tables for our lounge. I've been looking for ages.

Lots of sleepy cat time in front of the fire.

Completing a job for a notoriously tricky customer with minimal stress. In other words I nailed it!

Losing a few hours looking at photos, I haven't done this in a while and it left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling which was, strangely, rather festive.

Thanks to Jenny, I found out that there is such a thing as Violet syrup for flavouring gin! OK, so not just gin but cocktails, sodas, juices, teas and flavoured milks too. But I'd use it for gin.

Discovering the possibility of a trip to the Harry Potter Studios! Eeeep!
What has made you smile this week?

Love

LOVING these Feud Cinadine boots...

Hoping and wishing...
That this Seville Chair from BHS will be back in stock soon and not sold out for good. It will look superb with my dressing table which belonged to OH's Great Grandmother.



Stamping...
When I saw this address stamp on Not On The High Street I knew I'd have to get one for our new home. We plan to be here for many years and now it's set in rubber (it doesn't have the same ring to it as stone, does it?).


Pinning...
I knew it was inevitable. I've been pinched. I can (and often do) spend hours looking at beautiful imagery and now I can to collect all my favourite images in one place - pinterest. It's a genius idea. I ❤ it.

Thrifting...
I am always admire the great items other people find. I don't seem to have much luck, never-the-less I spent a couple of hours thrifting on Monday. I found a lovely dress for £4.00. Sadly, it doesn't fit (see my luck?) I am considering getting it altered, it really is lovely. 

Lusting after...
Tote bag, Sophie Gray at BHS and metal and glass necklace from Wallis (via a mention in Easy Living and Red magazine respectively) both a joy to behold.


Sadly, I can't find either online or instore. Yet.


Arranging flowers...
From my garden, I felt so twee but I was reminded, rather painfully, that real roses have thorns!


Saddened...
By the recent rioting. It's so mindless, so utterly without reason that I struggle to comprehend it. I hope that just a few of those involved go home and wonder what the hell happened and I hope there are those that feel deeply, deeply ashamed.

The rallying around, the support and kindness shown to others by strangers in the aftermath is a comfort. For every looter there are people willing to extend a hand of friendship and to help repair the damage. That is the real Britain and it makes me proud.

doing the Math...
Bunnipunch pointed me the direction of MATH, I've done the numbers and I love it. My fav pieces? This jacket and these draped shorts. A joy to behold.



Spending far to much time perusing the new Next Directory...
I should be painting, unpacking boxes and plumbing in my washing machine, but...

Bidding on eBay... 
I placed my bid with 40 seconds to go. I had butterflies. I won.

Chuckling at this... on A Cup of Jo.

Which reminded me of this...
I have no idea where it came from originally, a colleague emailed it to me and it produced such a hearty belly laugh that I had to share.

How has your week been?