Optimism on another 100 days

I thought a good way to continue on my Autumnal optimistic outlook was to have another go at 100 days project. (We've had a bit of a shaky week as the ABO walked in on a burglar early on Sunday when getting up for work. Anyway we're all fine and we're doing our best to put it behind us). I did this last year in the run up to the Tour de France start in Yorkshire which ended on my birthday weekend.

Serendipitously, 100 days from today is Christmas day. Which is a good end point.  So, the plan is to try and find at least one happy thing in my day every day for 100 days. I'm hoping focussing on positive things will give me some perspective and make me appreciate the big and the small. I'll pop in here and update every now and again.

The year in books :: September

Once again I’m a bit late this month. It’s been steady progress for me reading wise …

Firstly I read Tana French’s ‘The Secret Place’. I’m now waiting for her to write a new book. I enjoyed this but perhaps not as much as some of her other work. The story is set in a boarding school so with the overtones of Mallory Towers in my head I set off on the journey. This time we revisit Frank Mackey through his daughter Holly - who attends the school where the unsolved murder has occurred. I found the story and excellent read but I was a little bit disappointed with the ending. Just a little. Just me?

Secondly I read the second book from Tony Parsons in his new guise as a crime writer. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t too taxing with too many plot twists and turns to remember, the story trundled onwards interspersed with the development of his main character Max Wolfe. I think this series was set to be a trilogy but I imagine that if they sell well there could be more.

For September I plan to read The Magpies – Mark Edwards and a huge number of craft books as I’ve just ordered 5 from Amazon’s second hand bookshop!!

Joining in again with Laura. 

La Rentree

Did you know that the French (and the Italians) have a word for this time of year? La Rentree (il rientro) is the autumnal time for going back to school. In these countries it's more than just the return to school. Often it's the return to work after the extended summer holiday (that they still seem to have for 2 weeks in August in Italy where every man woman and child seems to go on holiday and everything closes!).

I think it's a good word to describe this time of year. BigR returned to school on Monday (with labelled uniform!) and we start to settle into that autumn routine. It's a time for birthdays and for plans. And for stationery of course. It's a time when I feel relentlessly positive, a fresh start, a new moment. even the darkening evenings don't squash my perky mood

I'm more than ready for Autumn. We had a really good summer but this Autumn feels like a new year. LittleR is much better and things can continue in more of an even keel. 

I've been making plans:

• things to do (places to go - I want to see the poppy exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park)
• things I'd like to do in the house (including sorting through the epic number of toys and actually getting some out of the house, probably under the cloak of darkness), 
• things I'd like to make (food and crafty stuff)
• things which need to be done (replace a window - ugh!)

So my newest plan is to make a shawl for myself and knitted dolls for the girls from a most excellent book by Jane Bull. 

I've bought the wool for all the projects....and am itching to get going. 

However...

I've already gotten in a knot with the biggest Titus skein. I'm also totally confused by the pattern. Turn the work 90 degrees clockwise and knit into itself? Might as well be in gibberish! Ah well I'll get there eventually. It's a good job Autumn and Winter last a long time!

Eleven Random things

• This is an exercise in procrastination. I’m very good at these things. The more pressing something is, the better my ability to avoid it becomes. I should be writing a teaching session about Quality Improvement for undergraduate healthcare professionals but I’m not. I have 2 days at work before I need to do it. Not feeling the fear yet.

• Whilst I was queuing (for a substandard university) coffee. A woman rushed in and apologised for being rude to one of the coffee shop servers the day before. She couldn’t stop herself from explaining how terrible her day had been and how awful she’d felt afterward and how she’d not slept properly because she’d been so awful. I wonder what she said. Then she had to apologise for holding up the queue. I think she was apologised out after that.

• I’m feeling the start of Autumn. It’s definitely dark when the ABO gets up on earlies (4.20am today – ugh). There’s a nip to the air and the back to school stuff is in the shops. I love this time of year. It seems like the New Year to me, time to make lists and get stuff done. I feel energised and ready to buy new stationery. There’s nothing like a new pen and a notebook to get the creative juices flowing. At least that’s my excuse (see point 1!).

• The start of Autumn also means I’ve got birthday preparation anxiety. BigR is 6 in a couple of weeks. I’ve ordered bits and bobs for the cake. It’s a ‘Frozen’ theme. Again. For ease the party will be done for us in a nightmarish soft play place a couple of weeks later. She’ll love it. In fact her social life is better than mine with no less than 3 parties that weekend. Will my nerves take it? She’s written a (long) list of things she’d like for her birthday including sparkly shoes (check), hello kitty stuff (check), a unicorn beanie boo (The eyes on beanie boos. is it just me? Hmm I’m not sure about them) and a real mermaid that swims (unlikely!).

• We (using the royal we here, the ABO did the graft) redecorated BigRs room. I bought the paint and chose the curtains (and helped clear out the junk!). She’s overjoyed to now have an ‘Elsa room’. We’re lamenting over ever painting the room pink as it was blue before she was born.

• There’s nothing like DIY and specifically flat pack furniture to bring out the worst in me. It’s one of the few things we argue have discussions about! Usually because we've hjad some 'Chuckle brothers' type moving shenanigans (to me, to you) before we get to the assembly! We’re quite good at flat pack stuff but the new bed frame almost defeated us. If Ikea made normal bed sizes we’d have bought it there. Still the instructions said it would take 50 minutes. There were 4 main pieces and the slats. Three hours later we were still trying to stick it together. The old bed base had been rained on so there wasn’t even the option to give up. Finally, it was done and with a little time before bedtime.

• Apart from one room our entire house is now blue or green.

• I’ve gone all retro and am reliving my youth making friendship bracelets. Bizarrely, when my friend saw the one I made for BigR she wanted one! I’m much better at doing them now than I was 25 years ago!

• I’ve been enjoying digestive biscuits smothered in cream cheese topped with strawberries. Yum!

• I’ve come across a Japanese word which I really relate to ‘tsundoku’. The act of buying books and letting them pile up unread. I really need to read the books I have on my kindle before buying any more!

• I managed to grow a carrot. And some apples. Obviously we’re now self-sufficient with 5 apples, 2 carrots and a couple of radishes. Still there’s some tomatoes to come. If they ever ripen!

The year in books :: August

So the summer continues apace. July was a good reading month for me in both volume and quality.

I loved Tana French's 'Broken Harbour' - I really like her characterisations. So much so I've ordered The Secret Place for this August's reading (....I know, I know I'm a bit late...I may have started it). I'm also planning to read The Magpies by Mark Edwards, I'm just not feeling Kate Atkinson yet!

I read the fabulous 'I let you go' by Clare Mackintosh. A first book from a new author and a brilliant thriller (and part of the Richard and Judy book club- that might put some people off - not the reason I read it but it wouldn't put me off).
For me, this was as good as 'The girl on the train'. I loved it. It kept me guessing and the end wasn't a let down! What more can you ask for?

My third book this month was 'Bad Mother' (Esther Walker). I really love her blog Recipe Rifle and her other writing so it was opportune I saw this when browsing kindle books, it's just so easy to click 'download now'. She writes honestly about her experience(s) with her young children and with humour (and a bit of swearing). It was worth the 99p!

As a change to normal bedtime shenanigans, we're trying out chapter books for BigR. The first being 'Charlotte's Web'. Now, it's as good as I remember but....I've read ahead and I don't remember the denouement being as heartbreaking. Maybe not the best thing for bedtime!! The next one I think we'll go for is 'Stig of the Dump'.

I've been reading some of my birthday presents too. Of course these are food related. I was lucky enough to receive Diane Henry's 'Cook Simple', Rachel Allen's 'All Things Sweet' and the River Cottage Preserving book. Plenty for me to try out soon.

Joining in with Laura

Normality, preserves and a miracle

And so. One long exhale. I like to start writing as if we were mid conversation or that comfortable ease of good friends meeting up after a long absence. It’s been a strange few months but we’re getting there. BigR finished her first year in school – how did that happen? We managed to get away on holiday and it was the break (or as much of a break as it can be with small children) we needed.  LittleR has been back to nursery and I’m back to work. Normality strikes. I’ve been craving it but now it’s here it’s a little odd. We’re living with the shadow of the illness; it lurks there and we carry on as usual waiting for crisis. I’m sure the waiting will become normal too.

July was busy month. Birthdays (mine and the ABO…who reached that milestone), holidays, school ending, hospital visits and what seemed like endless rain!

I’ve been using my new (birthday) dish – I’m not used to cast iron cooking and as such I’m managing to stick stuff to it every time…I’m sure I’ll learn eventually! Its current home is on the worktop as it’s too big to go in the cupboard. Maybe I should rationalise some of my other cookware? Even then I would need to chuck out every other pan we have – it’s a big casserole!

In other news I made jam. Nothing exotic. Plain old strawberry. It set! It tastes nice! I call it – “a success”!

I’ve been reading a lot. But I should save that for my 'The year in books' post.

Never one to be left out, BigR is in competition with her sister for hospital appointments. We’re now a ground and tree nut free family. It took 5 years and 8 months for her to have a (big) reaction but now I’m panicking what’s in her food! I’m sure I’ll relax about it soon!

The garden survived our holidays but the torrential rain since we came back made mowing the lawn difficult. In the end I had to cut it when it was wet. Took ages and made me cross but now looks more passable.

The clematis (who shares its name with LittleR) has been resurrected! I have no idea why after growing well and producing one flower it went brown and crispy or why it suddenly decided to regrow. In any event, I’m a happy girl.

(I hope to catch up with all your posts in the coming days.)

The year in books :: July

Yes, I finally finished The Apologist. I actually really enjoyed it. The premise being that Mark, the lead character feel he needs to atone for all the bad things he's done in his life (from giving a restaurant a bad review to how badly he treated his first girlfriend) and his apologies are so heartfelt he's recruited by the United Nations as their chief apologist....

This month I also starting reading the next in the Tana French series of books "Broken Harbour". Although that'll be extended into July it's looking good so far. I really enjoy her characterisations and I'm intrigued to know whodunit!!

I decided I'd save the new Kate Atkinson until we (hopefully) go on holiday and also have another Rachel Abbott "Stranger Child" and a set of three short stories by Simon Kernick to keep me quiet this month....obviously this is subject to change on my whim!!! I migth also get the last Tan French book too. Need to have plenty of reading matter to choose form on holidays.

Last month, I also said I'd be talking about other things I have been reading. Well, for work I've been working my way through "Transformative dimensions of adult learning" and "Learning as Transformation" both by Jack Mezirow. It's as accessible as it sounds, although the concepts are interesting I'm finding the book itself tough going!
More to my taste is my bedtime leafing through Tender vol I (Nigel Slater) and Hugh FW's Everyday Veg. The cauliflower and chickpea curry looks very good (and doesn't involve the oven on these hot days!).

An aside - (whilst browsing for new books on my kindle the other day I was delighted to see the new Robert Galbraith book is out in October. It'll be here in no time!! That's October sorted then!)