Not resolutions, but goals

As the end of January approaches, it's getting abit late for New Year resolutions. Anyway I've decided that instead of  'resolutions' which always seem a bit vague, I'm going to have 'goals'. Nice, comparatively easy goals, that are going to be attainable. Somehow it seems a more positive way of thinking about things. More 'I will do this'. Less 'I'd like to do this. Maybe. If I have the time'.

There won't be anything strenuous. The way forward is nice and easy - and fun. 

I want (need) to get not quite fitter but sort of more bendable. Not that long ago I was still able to touch my toes. I can't now. I can't crouch comfortably or get up from kneeling on the floor. I can't run up the stairs. My balance isn't what it once was (I nearly fell off this log last year, playing with my grandson) While there's still time to fix these things, I intend to. I've started improving my balance through yoga. Obviously nothing too hard, but my ability to maintain the tree pose has gone up from a very wobbly couple of seconds to about 30.  By summer I hope to be able to walk along that log confidently; assuming no one's watching.

I intend to keep a closer watch on my daily step count. It varies tremendously up and down, but ill with a cold after Christmas it dropped to 1500. Keep that up for too long and in summer I won't be able to go out walking. So, watch the steps!

It's not quite the end of the month but giving Veganuary a go for a second year has persuaded me that I should cut down on meat and (more importantly) cheese permanently. A quick cheese sandwich is always my easy fall-back for lunch so it takes a bit of planning, but too much cheese isn't good and I've proved I can manage without it. 

I've been house hunting for over a year and in the hope that I will eventually move I need to clear out clutter. It's not going to be simple as I don't believe in throwing anything vaguely useful away - from a saucepan with a loose handle to scraps of paper that might come in handy for crafting - but sometimes less is more. 

First - get knitting up the yarn stash. I found some odd balls of yarn that match a gloves and hat set I already have, and got busy. A nice and easy project to start the year, and it's nearly finished. Then I bought some more yarn to make a cardigan. I know, that's not really how decluttering works, but I'm hoping to use up lots of bits in a long cardigan, and needed a plain colour to bring them all together.

The material stash is in the same desperate, cupboard-filling state. Apart from using up large pieces of fabric for making clothes, I want to make that quilt I've talked about for years.

On Twitter #beatthebacklog is encouraging people to actually get round to reading all the books they've accumulated but not read. I still have a huge pile of sci fi/fantasy picked up from Freecycle years ago and not looked at., plus some competition wins which there never seems any urgency to read. So far, I've picked up one book, decided I didn't like it, and put it on the charity pile. One down, so many to go, but it's a start.

Resolutions can sound a bit like dull, hard work, but I believe they should also include the fun things in life, so I'm resolving to live more colourfully - from new gorgeous clothes (a risk but greatly reduced in the sales) and colourful tights to bringing garden flowers into the house I want to add a little fun to life. 

September - and another restart to the year

Summer seems to have flown by, and here we are in September. Meteorologically at least, it's autumn, and it's been a suitably dull, dismal couple of days to start the month. I'm hoping, as always, that there's still some sun to be had among the mists and mellow fruitfulness, but whatever the weather this for me is always a month to knuckle down and get things done. 

Maybe it's a hang over from long forgotten schooldays but July and August feel to me like months for lazing in the sun (if there is any); September is back to work time. A time for rolling one's sleeves up and getting down to doing things - finishing off uncompleted projects, planning new ones, and maybe making a resolution or two (maybe if I start now I could lose a couple of pounds before Christmas). First though it's time to finish those summer crafting projects that are lingering around - a pair of flowery trousers (not really suitable for winter months) and a knitted cotton jumper (might still have use if autumn's nice weather-wise). And then there's the allotment's bounty to organise and store. August has been a month of plenty - courgettes, and runner and french beans have cropped well, and the freezer is starting to groan. Now it's the turn of tomatoes, blackberries and pumpkins. Soon apples will be ready to harvest. Autumn will be a busy time of pickling, freezing and making jams and chutneys.

In previous years I've thought about heading to autumn festivals but I've been slow to commit and found events sold out. So these plans are on hold till next year ... I have just booked a holiday for mid-month, and I'm hoping for another couple of short breaks if the weather stays good.

New Year's Resolutions - at last

 I always say I like the New Year to get settled before I commit to making resolutions. Well, this year I might have left things later than usual, but there are still ten months and some days left, so plenty of time :)

Instead of the usual 'de-clutter' and 'do something arty' resolutions with which I start so many years, I'm going to be re-hashing my 60 Things idea from a few years back. Doing something (anything) new in the middle of a pandemic seems tricky but it IS possible. Anyway, restrictions are starting to ease, and trying or learning something new is always good for us - it stretches the brain, expands our horizons, and gives us something to do while we're holed up at home.

In part I've gone about this the wrong way round - doing a few new things and then deciding to turn them into a resolution, but doing something different throughout January and February was good for me, so extending for a year seems like an excellent idea.

First up, I took part in Veganuary, trying to cut meat and cheese from my diet for a month (I gave myself a 'pass' on milk as I didn't want to cancel my doorstep delivery). Then I decided that, months after everyone else, it was time to set up a sourdough culture and bake bread. And lastly I stumbled upon the concept of online escape rooms, played with family members from the lockdown safety of our own living rooms. 

Going forward I have lots of hopes for new places to visit, new festivals to attend, but until the end of March we'll all stick be stuck at home, so I'm looking for ideas to tide me through, and re-visiting something I talked about doing last year.

Back in Autumn I joined in with The Good Life Experience At Home - a festival that should have taken place at Hawarden Castle but ended up online - and with my activity pack for the weekend I received a preview of The Good Life Handbook. It contains fourteen activities for fourteen weekends, ideas ranging from fungi foraging to darning, from making a slingshot to making herbal teas (the full-sized Handbook contains more). I'm not intending to do all of them, nor confine myself to these suggestions, but it seems like a useful starting point and a spring-board for other ideas. 

More on this as the year progresses with a complete list here

Projects to see me through winter lockdown

 Today is Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. And this year surely has to be one of the most depressing on the record. Coronavirus is frightening. Lockdown is boring. The weather is generally dull and dismal - apart from a few rare days, we haven't had beautiful sunny frosty mornings, or even snow which would be exciting, and no problem as we're stuck at home - and spring seems a long way off. But even stuck at home I can decide to live a little differently.

I usually start the year with a list of resolutions, what I would like to achieve in the coming months but they often tend to be vague concepts rather than concrete plans. This year I feel I need something a little more specific than 'do art' or 'get fit', and I need something to do now, not when summer comes round. 

So I've replaced 'eat healthier' with 'join in Veganuary'. The rules are simple - avoid meat and dairy - and there's a finite length to it. Meals take more planning, to avoid pumpkin chili everyday, and longer to cook, which is good as it fills the day. 

It's probably not much healthier though, despite the soups for lunch, because there's no limit on sugar, and experimenting with vegan cake recipes is a good way to spend a damp afternoon.

As a sort of follow on to this I've decided, later than everyone else of course, to set up a sour dough culture. Two days in it isn't looking great, but there's time yet, and importantly it adds another thing which must be done each day*.

'Get fitter' has been replaced by 'up the step count'. There was a dreadful point towards the end of the first lockdown when I realised I was hardly taking more than a thousand steps a day! I don't want to fall into this laziness again. The weather isn't appealing for getting out and about right now, though I have some nice new 'sale' boots to wear, and my average step count has been dropping, but I can always add in a few minutes of zumba-style antics during the day, or just walk up and down the hallway for 250 steps every hour when prompted. 

Christmas marked a point where a lot of my knitting and sewing projects were finished, so after a week or so of laziness I've settled on what next. First a pair of gloves from Christmas present yarn, then a hat or scarf to match. 

Alongside, as knitting is an evening occupation, a skirt renovation, turning long and full, into shorter and somewhat tighter to wear with leggings. Another of my Christmas presents was a scarf-dying kit, but that's going to wait for milder weather as I think I'll do the messiest bits outside. And for later on in Spring, I've a grow-your-own-snowman-pumpkin' kit to start growing. 

I knit mostly while watching TV so, looking for a lengthy challenge, I've started rewatching Better Call Saul. That's a lot of episodes so should last for a few weeks. And then I'll follow it with Breaking Bad. The two don't quite join up yet, but they almost do. And for something more cheerful, I'm going to watch Frasier re-runs, if I can find it streaming somewhere.

For dark afternoons, I've taken up an old winter pastime - playing on the Wii, specifically Lego Lord of the Rings. Again, it takes a while, especially if the known bug (collecting things in the wrong order in the Weathertop section) kicks in and I have to start back at the beginning. When the days start to get longer, I'll probably abandon the little hobbits on their way to Mount Doom and sit out in the garden but fro now it fills a dead space in the day.

Hopefully by the end of lockdown I'll be able to put a 'completed' tick against most of the items on my list, but till then they'll keep me occupied.

Above all I want to be positive in my outlook on life.

*the sourdough DID get going and has turned out brilliantly. 

Veganuary - half way through

 In the run-up to Christmas, when I'd already started to realise how depressing the after-festivities period was going to be, I saw people on social media talking about trying veganism for January. It's not a new thing. I've seen people talking about it for years, and you probably have too, but this time I thought 'I cook enough meals that are vegan without trying to be. I'll give it a go. If nothing else, it will be a change, and give me some focus for January. And maybe I'll use up some of last year's allotment produce from the freezer'.

From the outset I decided I'd allow myself two exemptions to meat/diary free. Firstly, the chorizo and eggs in the fridge with 'best-before' dates in January; it's counterproductive to throw away food I've already bought. Secondly, milk. Now I know this would be a huge step away from being truly vegan but I don't buy my milk from the supermarket (if I did I'd have easily swapped to oat milk, which I've tried before). Instead it's supplied by a Derbyshire dairy, and delivered by an independent milkman who has kept going throughout the pandemic. I don't want him to suddenly be losing my order for January, so I'll continue as is. 

Roughly a fortnight in, things are going well. We've eaten a lot of old favourites - chilli or curry made with pumpkin instead of meat - some new dishes discovered by via the web or my Jack Monroe Vegan(ish) cookbook, and a lot of home made soups. For giving a focus every day it's been great. I pretty soon spotted that most of the vegan meals I already cook were either highly spiced - and I didn't really want to eat chilli at lunch, then chilli for dinner - or involved baked beans and/or chickpeas in one disguise or another - again fine for one meal, not for all meals, every day. So there's more planning necessary than for 'normal' food, and more time actually spent cooking (because I haven't gone down the ready-prepared meals route). Sometimes though, it's easier to just settle for a childhood favourite, banana sandwiches, for lunch.

Jottings 30th December - Christmas and after

 This last week/ten days has been another roller-coaster - busy in preparations, hectic over Christmas, followed by dull, empty days. 

The run-up to Christmas is always full of last minute things to be done - and this year, despite having had nothing else to do for months, seemed worse than ever; knitted presents to finish, potatoes to peel, house to clean (oops, yes, that is something that's been neglected while no one's been visiting).

Christmas itself wasn't how I would have liked it to be, but at the moment it's necessary to make the best of what we're 'allowed', and I think we did. All three sections of our family were in tier three, so it's theoretically possible to continue to meet outdoors, though not in gardens - unfortunately winter isn't the best time for that, so being able to get together inside for one day was brilliant. 

Unfortunately such fun left a big hole to be filled in the days after. The Twixtmas period is always odd, consisting mainly of eating all the chocolates and leftover cake, not ready to pick up everyday life, but it seemed duller, drearier, and much more boring than usual this year. Having moped around the house for a couple of days, the boredom was broken by snow. There wasn't much but I went out and made a tiny snowman!

The next day my elder daughter and grandson came over for a muddy walk to the wood. In part this was because nursery re-opens on Monday, but it was well timed as while we were out the news broke that we're all moving up a tier, so there'll not even be any outdoor meet-ups for a while.

Being at a lose end I'm taking part in the Wildlife Trusts' Twelve Days of Wild. Mainly this involves paying attention to the birds in the garden; breaking the ice on their bath, filling the feeders, listening to the magpies squabble and the pigeons cooing at each other, spotting goldfinches high in the trees, watching the visitors to birdbath and table - robins, blackbirds, great tits (I think), and of course the pigeons. 

One bright morning I cleared away some garden weeds to find snowdrops pushing through, and on our walk to the wood I found hazel catkins, so maybe spring will be here soon. 

Although I'm not throwing myself into plans for New Year quite yet, I'm lining up ideas of things to keep me occupied through the rest of winter, one of which is an attempt at Veganuary, eating no meat or dairy for the whole month - mainly to give me something to focus on, but also to make all the allotment vegetables the main feature of the menu, hopefully for longer than just  one month. It's time as well to give serious consideration to other New Year resolutions, something more definable that my usual vague wishful thinking, but more of those in January!

Looking forward to winter?

Today is a bright sunny day. Blue sky is appearing from behind the clouds, and it looks like an excellent day for getting outside walking or gardening.

But winter is on the way. With its short days and bad weather, it's never the best time of year, and with the renewed threat of coronavirus, and possible disruptions to whatever we might have planned for Christmas holiday season it's looking more depressing than usual. 

By now I would normally have a number of evenings out planned at gigs or the theatre (summer is off-season as bands do the rounds of festivals, and theatres take a break) but even the limited socially-distanced events I've seen advertised don't seem all that appealing, and I don't want to risk booking anything for spring as who knows what the situation may be then. 

It's time to face it - this winter is going to be one spent at home.

Time I think for a cunning plan, or at least to find ways to make the time pass in a not-too-dismal fashion. The thought of curling up under a blanket with a box-set running on TV is tempting, but having something to focus on and achieve - from creativity indoors to exercise outside - is essential for me; it stops me worrying constantly about the pandemic and its effect on all our lives.

Outdoors, I'll be spending time in the garden whenever possible; at the moment there are apples to pick and trees to trim, so I'm occupied out there while it's fine. There won't be so much to do as we head into winter, but shortly into New Year seed-sowing for flowers and veg starts again, and as soon as we reach February I'll be searching the flowerbeds each day for the first signs of snowdrops.

Having got back a reasonable level of fitness (after the laziness of early lockdown), I want to maintain, and even improve, it. I'm trying to get my step count higher each week, so I'll be trying to keep up one day out walking each week, weather permitting. For the past couple of years Zoe at Splodzblogz has been challenging herself and her followers to get outside for an hour each day throughout November. I joined in last year, even though I didn't manage to do it every day, and again it's one of those things to give focus to the days. I'm not sure if she's intending to do the same this year, but I'm going to try anyway. 

Obviously at this time of year indoors can frequently seem more appealing than out, and I'm planning to take time out for 'me time'. Not the soaking in a candle-lit bath vibe, but things which absorb my attention and make a little semi-creative bubble in which I can lose myself.

I've rediscovered my clothes making mojo during lockdown. I was trying anyway to do a combination of buy no new clothes and use up the stash, so it fitted well. I've finished a couple of skirts, am in the middle of another, and, as I still wear trousers more than skirts, I'm thinking of taking some old, relegated to the back of the wardrobe, long floaty skirts in brushed cottons and turning them into tops. For evenings in front of the TV, I'm starting to plan ahead what I might use from from wool stash to make cardigans/jumpers for winter. I'm still making a summer one in cotton (!) but need to move onto warmer things soon.

Over the past few months, I've also revived my interest in cooking - prompted by the intermittent gluts of produce that come from the allotment. Earlier in the year we had an unprecedented surplus of cauliflower (a lot ended up in the freezer). More recently there's been an abundance of kale, and I've enjoyed finding new ways to use it - from stir fries to soups to chilli. Looking through recipe books and sorting out the numerous recipes cut from magazines keeps me occupied in itself, even without the end result of dinner. I've found myself starting to plan meals several days ahead (something I hardly ever do) and trying something new at home seems like a better idea at the moment than eating out. Over winter there'll be less allotment produce, but the stored apples, pumpkins, and beetroot will be looking for innovative ways to be eaten. And, way behind the trend as always, I could even start a sourdough culture.

One of my resolutions this year had been to find time for something creative, and at last I've organised myself enough to do it. I'd hoped to be able to join a 'real' art group or take a short course or two but neither is possible with coronavirus. Instead I've joined an on-line art group which is giving me the necessary 'push' I needed to take up pencils and scrawl, and also to allow myself time to do it.

In many ways this feels like setting out New Years resolutions. I'm hoping all these plans will give me something to focus on over the coming months, instead of feeling cooped up, waiting impatiently for spring.

Resolutions so far ... four months in

Usually at strategic points throughout the year I have a look at how my resolutions are going, and either reassess them or give up hope entirely. So, after four months, how are things going?

With corona virus forcing me to stay indoors, I thought this year's resolutions would have been completely written off, but looking at my post from January I see things aren't totally adrift.

Get Outside More - well, I'm definitely doing this. I started with expanding slightly on my normal walking activities, but oddly since lockdown I've spent more time outside than ever. For one thing the weather's been good, in fact glorious for April, and also pottering around, sowing seeds, planting out small plants makes me feel I'm doing something productive, especially if there are really problems with fresh vegetables in a few months time. having veggies to pick from garden and allotment will take away an enormous worry. And when there aren't things that need doing in the
garden, I spend a lot of time sitting and relaxing there.

De-clutter - this is something that appears every year in my resolutions list but this time I'm actually moving on it. Early in the year, I made a start on sorting through the huge pile of photographs accumulated by my parents, removing many from their cardboard mounts which reduced the amount of space they took up. Since lockdown though I seem too busy for this (but, no, I couldn't really say what I've been doing)

Pursuing my intention of getting creative is helping with de-cluttering. Actual 'art' seems to require some mindset that I don't have at the moment but it's possible to be both useful and creative (and clear some of the clutter). I made a cardigan from some wool bought in January '19 (!), and knitted a scarf and hat with some gorgeous yarn given to me by my youngest daughter at Christmas. In the last couple of weeks I've picked up a couple of unfinished sewing projects that have been lying around for a long while. This helps with de-cluttering, my added intention to buy no new clothes, and being creative, so it's a win, win, win situation - and when actually finished I'll have some brighter clothes to wear, which was another intention of mine.


I'm not making a total success of things though ...

I've broken my resolve to buy no new clothes, but I feel a little bit of cheering up is necessary through lockdown, and, importantly, these new trousers fitted my intention to wear brighter clothes instead of old reliable navy and black.

Lose Weight - ha! this is always the difficult resolution, and so far it seems to be going in reverse; lockdown definitely takes away self-control over food.

Taking holidays anywhere is off the timetable at the moment, so I'm glad I went away at the end of February to North Norfolk's coast and ticked 'stay somewhere odd' off the list by spending the weekend in a converted chapel. We'd got tickets for a folk festival in Somerset but that's been postponed till autumn, and I'm not even sure if we'll go then.

Moving house is another 'on hold' project, with no idea when that can even be thought about.

For most of us plans are going to abandoned this year, but I'm hoping I can at least carry on with some of my resolutions. Who knows? Maybe I'll even eventually lose some weight!

No New Clothes

I'm not getting on very well (or at all) with this year's resolutions, so it probably doesn't seem like sense to go adding an extra one, BUT this one sort of targets several good intentions in one go - getting thin, de-cluttering, getting creative, wearing brighter clothes. Put briefly - no new clothes.


I've seen a lot on the web recently about people who decided for sound ecological, environmental reasons to go for a year without buying any new clothes. My first thought was it was a bit of a gimmicky 'jump on a bandwagon' idea, with no relevance to me. After all, I don't buy throw away fashion, my clothes are of mostly a quality that will last for ages (apart from last winter's coat which wore out in four months! So, not shopping there again), and to be honest if none of us EVER bought new clothes the whole industry would fold.
Then I began to think I could apply it what I'd like to achieve this year.
Getting thinner - at first I thought that as an incentive I'd buy no new clothes till I'd lost some weight, then I realised I won't actually have to buy anything, that I have a whole wardrobe full of items that used to fit way back when, like these two fabulous skirts from Boden. They're in good condition (if they weren't I wouldn't have hung on to them), and still more or less my style of dressing.

For the last few years my criteria for clothes shopping has been simple, practical and no effort in deciding what to wear with what - black/navy trousers, plain or striped dark go-with-anything tops; a lazy, no thought required wardrobe, which suddenly seems so dull. One of my resolutions was to kick this habit, and go back to the more colourful clothes I used to wear (again see the skirts above in contrast to a recent washing line of dullness). You're probaly starting to see now how all these intentions fit together - get thin, instantly have  bright cheerful clothes to wear, and clear the wardrobe.
If it works, it's win, win.
If the whole weight-loss idea doesn't happen miraculously overnight, I'll raid the stash of yarn, lengths of material, and old clothes saved for re-modelling, that fill up drawers and cupboards, and get creative. So more de-cluttering.

As for every rule, there'll be exceptions - underwear, shoes and possibly band merch tshirts (because they're as much about helping musicians as buying new clothes) - but otherwise nothing new! As a New Year resolution it has one head start - so far, two months into the year, I've bought nothing.

Resolutions and plans - 2020

I don't start thinking about New Year's resolutions till Christmas is well and truly packed away, but the tree is now back outside in the garden, the decorations in boxes which have actually been put away, not left sitting around, and it's time to think about the year ahead, and, taking inspiration from my diary, do some planning.


Looking back at old posts about New Year resolutions, I noticed some recurring themes. Every year I seem to start off with good intentions to get fitter, lose weight, de-clutter the house, and do something creative. I think it's fair to assume that none of these went particularly well last year, so I'll start this year's list with them.



Get outside more - fresh air and exercise are good for you, and I really enjoyed November's One Hour Outside challenge, so I intend to get out and about more, and work on upping my average Fitbit count.



Lose weight - it doesn't matter how much or how little but I'd just like to be lighter next Christmas than I am now - hopefully getting outside more will contribute but I'll be aiming to eat more veg and less stodge on a regular basis. Losing weight will also have an added bonus of being able to wear lots of things hiding in my wardrobe, and help with my next resolution.

De-clutter - the amount of  'stuff' we seem to have around the house grows and grows, especially with having emptied my parents' house and kept so many of their belongings, from china tea-cups to old suitcases. I don't want to throw anything away just to tidy up, but I need to take a long hard look at what I do decide to keep.

Get creative - I need to spend less time on Pinterest looking for inspiration and instead spend an organised amount of time on something arty; maybe an afternoon or two a week, make a mess, make mistakes but make something instead of just planning. This also links to de-cluttering, as I'm guilty of hoarding postcards, tourist leaflets, pretty paper bags etc with the intent of using them in collages; this year I'll put them all to use. I have abandoned sewing projects which I need to finish - again that will help with the de-cluttering. For now, I've picked up some knitting started in autumn with the hope of getting it finished before Spring.

None of this, though, is embarking on anything new, so here are a few things to add.

Change my dressing habits. Looking at a row of t-shirts on the washing line recently I realised my clothes have become dark and dull; greys and blacks and navy, plain or striped. I don't intend to splurge, or buy anything unnecessary (also of course I'm going to lose weight. Ha ha)  but when I do it will be bright and/or patterned.

I'm now back in a position to take holidays, so I should get something organised - a variety of short breaks, and at least a whole week away which I haven't taken in years. I want to back to favourite places, to swim in the sea, walk in forests, climb mountains, see dolphins, red kites, golden eagles. I want to try new experiences - take the tent away for a holiday rather than just a festival, stay somewhere 'weird' - maybe a treehouse, canalboat or yurt - and visit somewhere new. Now is the time to do such things, before I end up too old and infirm.


And there's a huge plan already around as a hypothetical idea - move house. Despite there only being two of us living here now, we feel like we need more space - particularly to have a designated bedroom for our grandson's visits. We've lived in our current house for 35 years, so moving will be a huge upheaval - again though, I think the time to do it is now, while we have the energy to decorate and alter somewhere to suit us.

If I manage to put even some of these plans into action it should be an interesting year. Watch this space!

One Hour Outside - how did it go?

Ever one for taking up a challenge, at the beginning of November I decided to join in with Zoe/Splodzblogz and try to get outside for an hour every day


Let's be honest and admit that November isn't the nicest month to be outside in, but I discovered some unexpected pleasure in it.

Below there's a long list of what, when, and roughly how long I was outside each day, which probably isn't really of interest to anyone but myself, so here's a summary.

The month started on holiday - at Appleby-in-Westmorland (above) - and ended with a day in Manchester (left) - both good opportunities to be out and about.









In between, there've been Christmas markets to check out, and quite a bit of walking to gigs or down town shopping, but most of my hours outdoors have been spent in the garden (easy on a sunny day with laundry to hang out and gardening to do), or walking round local suburban streets - nosing at what might still be flowering in other people's gardens or seeing the trees change from yellow-leaved to bare branches as the month progressed.





Nowadays there's nothing I need to go out for - no work to go to, no school run at set times - and days can easily merge into each other. Waking each morning with an intention of going outside has made me more aware of the weather - even if all I've done is look at it from the dry side of a window. The shortening of days has also seemed more apparent. November starts with the shock of having changed the clocks and the sudden early nights which follow, but by the end of the month days have shortened drastically as we head for mid-winter. It makes me think this would be a good exercise to repeat in January or February to notice the lengthening days.





Nov 1 - easy to spend an hour outside today. On holiday so lots of outdoorsy-ness, walking round towns, gardens and along a closed road at Pooley Bridge. Incidentally my fitbit logged 9 miles today!
 2nd - still fairly easy. Went to Dunham Massey, walked round gardens, saw deer
 3rd - back home, so laundry to hang out and garden to check. Also walking across Nottingham in the evening to Skerryvore gig

4th - laundry part 2 - one of those long never-ending sequels. I timed myself and spent 30 minutes just hanging it all on the line (and reorganising it to fit on) A good dry day so add in pottering round the garden, tidying here and there, admiring autumn leaves and the few remaining flowers, plus more messing about with laundry, and I easily reached an hour outside.
5th - damp  - short time in the garden, picking flowers before a forecast frost, hanging out/ bringing in laundry, 30 minute walk looking at front gardens - late dahlias and crab apples
6th - pottering, or at least messing about with pots, in the garden. Moving those containing tender plants to the greenhouse, sorting clean pots and putting away in the shed, removing the saucers from under the larger pots that stay outside over winter. A lot of fairly heavy work but sadly not many steps for the Fitbit

7th - walking, different route with late roses still blooming in a couple of gardens
8th - babysitting so not out at all
9th - cold and wet after over night frost. Didn't manage an hour, 40 mins at most, but felt better for getting out for a walk
10th - sunny - laundry, gardening, chopping lilac
11th - cold, breezy - spent too long hanging out a massive load of laundry, bringing it back in in rain, and putting out again
12th - 30 mins of laundry, filling bird feeders, and fetching laundry back in in drizzle, plus an hour's walk just as it dropped dark and the rain dried up
13th - cold but dry and sunny. A lot of messing about in the garden, followed by a 40 minute evening walk in the dark, seeing the moon which was full yesterday
14th - just far too wet, windy and generally horrible to go outside. I got soaked fetching the b low-over dustbin in
15th - Babysitting
16th, 17th - like any resolution once you break the habit of doing something you lose that impetus. Missing my hour outside on Friday, led to me not caring whether I went out or not over the weekend. Saturday was wet and cold again, and involved IKEA shopping (tiring but not outside). Sunday was a slow day but out in the evening to Rock City so at least half an hour of outsideness walking across Nottingham
18th - half an hour chopping lilac and pussy willow in front garden plus the general laundry hanging thing
19th - somehow forgot to make a note of this day!
20th - Chatsworth - browsing the Christmas market and a brief walk in the garden made up a lot more than an hour
21st  - accidentally lured into chopping pyracantha, so spend a lot more time in the garden than intended
22nd, 23rd - grandson sitting so not outside at all - it's nice to take him to the park when the sun shines but not at this time of year
24th - walking around Brinsley with ladders
25th - evening walk checking for Christmas decorations - not many yet (milder and managed to miss the rain)
26th - maybe not an hour (though felt like it) around car parks and shops
27th - down town shopping but with a walk from the openair car park near the river
28th - indoors all day doing household chores
29th - Chatsworth again - gardens and Christmas market
30th - Manchester - Christmas markets, and discovering quaint spots by the canal

One Hour Outside 2019

rough seas at Porthgain, Pembrokeshire

It's always nice to get out and about in spring and summer, but over at Splodzblogz I spotted an encouragement to embrace the autumnal weather and get out for an hour each day throughout November.

It's not the pleasantest month to try such a challenge, but I'm in!


I recently realised  that over the past few years (nearer to a decade) once I no longer had to do the school run, I've stopped going out if the weather's the least bit dodgy. There's no longer any necessity to go out on a set day, or at a set time. Whether it's walking, visiting somewhere or for practical reasons such as shopping, if there's rain forecast or fog hanging round I'll stay home. A hint of drizzle? Stay in, it'll improve tomorrow or the next day.

I've become 'nesh', too comfortable in the warmth, and unwilling to risk a spot of rain. At the end of September, we went away for a weekend to Pembrokeshire, and most days were wet to some extent. But we survived and even had fun - though the wind tried to blow us over, and the rain came down in torrents at times.

I tried to join in with a previous challenge back in March 2017 - and looking back I see it didn't quite pan out the way I expected. I'd expect this coming month to be different - hopefully with more walking and exercise, though some of that may just be wandering round outdoor markets in the run-up to Christmas.

River Eden at Appleby

The first two days have proved easy - we were away for a couple of days so went walking around Appleby-in-Westmorland one day, and Dunham Massey the other.

Dunham Massey

An hour a day will test my resolution to go outside no matter what the weather, but I'll try at least :)

Gaining an hour

It's that time of year for fiddling with the clocks, and turning them back making evenings darker. On Sunday morning everyone (well, those without babies, pets, or anything that doesn't live its life by the artificial time of a clock) was feeling pleased with gaining an hour's extra sleep. Oddly I wasn't; I was up an hour early.

Always one for a resolution, even though we're a long way from New Year, I've decided to follow my body clock, and stay on 'summer time'.

I'm dreadful about getting up in the morning (or going to bed at night). Always have been. Now, with no absolute need to be up and about, I could sleep till lunch time, or go to bed at 3 am. So as the clock change makes my normal waking time of 8 become 7, I want to roll with it. Get up that hour earlier, make the most of the daylight. Go to bed by midnight at the latest.



A couple of days in, it's worked fine. Let's see how it goes

Resolutions again - 2019

Here we go with another new year, full of good intentions and resolutions.



I recently saw one of those word search squares that are supposed to predict what the coming year holds in store for you based on the words you spot first - mine were nachos, love, and wealth - but while I'm waiting for these delights to show up I'm going to try more practical measures




Last year was one in which external factors took over my life. This year could easily turn out the same way, so I'm determined to take charge of the bits of my life which I can control - from losing weight to finishing that Swedish Duolingo course. Primarily, I want to de-clutter my life, so I have more time to give to the things I really enjoy.


First to go is the online rubbish. I love social media so, no, I don't mean cutting down back on on-line chattering, but some things have to go - which means culling my social media 'friends', and unsubscribing from a stash of e-mails.
 Most of the folk I know online I chat to, we comment on each other's blog posts, tweets, FB updates, etc BUT there are lots of followers and friends that I haven't had a conversation with EVER. These guys are going.
I have an e-mail inbox that's straining every morning from notifications of all sorts. Obviously I can't delete the lot but so many are unwanted, and these have to go. Some I've signed up for as part of a competition but some seem totally random - I'd NEVER have signed up for cruise holidays so that was easily the first one to go.

Art and Crafts - inspired by making a jacket for my grandson in little over a week, I'm determined to pick up my knitting needles again. I've treated myself to some lovely maroon yarn in the sales with definite plans on what to knit with it, but also I need to clear the yarn stash that fills so many drawers and cupboards. Also, I'd like to add in the intention to take part in something more creative - embroidery, painting, dress-making, anything really though I'm not sure what yet. Again  this will have an added advantage of using up hoarded yarn, material, craft supplies, and making some space.

Taking charge of the garden. OK, winter isn't the best time to tackle it but it's got pretty neglected out there, and this IS a good time for planning - deciding what needs to be cut back, ordering seeds, and perhaps making a monthly planner of what I'd like to do and when.

Another thing to get on top of is the book blog. I've continued to read for the last few months but not find time to review, so there's a lot of catching up to do. Meanwhile, I've signed up to the Penguin Books classic books reading challenge - more details here - It's a bit of a cheat as I knew before I saw the list that I'd have read several already - turns out that if you include watching plays instead of reading them there are only two new books there - The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Communist Manifesto. Still, it's a good excuse to re-read some oldies.
Also after several months absence I've decided it's time to get back out to Book Club at my local Waterstones. It also ties in with my 'mini adventures' idea (see below) by getting out alone for an evening and seeing new people.


This is the other aspect to the year - inspired by the cover of my diary, I intend to make this year, as much as possible, one of mini adventures - small probably barely befitting the name 'adventure'. It's a sort of follow-on to last years's Sixty Things, continuing as #trysomethingnew. I expect that, as for the past few years, I'll have little chance of a holiday, so my adventures will be very much based around home - new places to walk, exhibitions to see, bands to watch. No matter what your age, no matter how restricted your life, there's always something new to be discovered. Let's see how many things I can find this year.

And, somewhere, somehow, I'll be so busy that all my extra weight will magically disappear :)

New start

As I wrote earlier this week, I've decided to abandon March to its snow and ill health, and begin April a little early - in fact I feel a bit like being an April Fool and starting the year now, with a whole new set of resolutions (or at least the old ones dusted down, and renewed)

These first three months have passed in a blur, with so much happening (baby grandson, daughter moving out, parents being ill) that 'real' life seems to have been on hold. Now at last I feel things are quietening down somewhat, and I can pause, take stock

 The troublesome events of last month left me exhausted in a way I don't ever remember being, and at times like these it's hard to deny that I'm not so young any more. Dashing round after others is a sure way to neglect your own health, and I feel this is what has happened to me - too many quick, easy, ready meals and takeaways, no time for fresh air and exercise, and no time either to really relax.
So from now on, things are going to be different...
First and foremost, a determination to eat more healthily. I'm not dieting (that seems a silly thing to do when I've no energy) but instead eating more! Don't panic, it's only in the form of adding salad to my lunchtime sandwiches, and extra vegetables to my evening meals - even upgrading fish and chips with corn on the cob, and BBQ beans.

The recent warmer weather has tempted me out and about to Chatsworth, Shipley, and Lea Rhododendron Gardens, so I've taken more exercise, but, equally as important, relaxed for a while.


Now I'm feeling ready to start the year anew, get back to my sixty new things to celebrate my birthday (with some exciting plans coming up), and generally take on the world again.  It's rather strange now with only two of us in the house, but gradually we're getting used to it, and starting to find positive aspects to having no grown-up children around. There doesn't seem to be much hope of taking a proper holiday while my parents are ill, so I'm planning short over-night breaks, and another summer of staycationing from home. All in all I think (hope) things are looking up, that the sunny weather will soon be here, and summer will be good!

Getting the year off to a good start

Everyone seems to be complaining about how long January has been - well, not me! I seem to have been busy all the time, and the month has flown past. What, though, have I actually achieved with all this busy-ness, how many new things have I done and how are the resolutions?




Partly I've been engrossed by my new grandson, who obviously is the best baby since my two girls were small, and the seemingly never-ending shawl which I was supposed to knit before he was born. The end is in sight, but that's the best that can be said about it.







I've made a good, if easy, start on my sixty things - cooking carbonara, eating tapas, ordering in Dominos pizza (I know! Who hasn't done that? well, me, obviously), seeing Nottingham from up high, and heading to DPP festival at Derby's Sitwell Tavern to hear new bands. My daughter claims I'm taking this too easy, but it's supposed to be a celebration, so there's no need for everything to be a hard challenge.




As for my New Year resolutions - or the continuation of the old year's -  well, I didn't feel they were going well, but then I thought ... I've certainly made time for crafting else I'd not have advanced at all with the shawl project, I've definitely been continuing my language courses (I'm going to test the Swedish progress on the new series of Modus on BBC4), and I had to undertake a small de-clutter before guests visited this week. So I've made more advancement than it originally seemed. The major thing though, organise and plan my time, hasn't been thought about at all. I need to make more effort in that department!