November ...ing

Some late autumn photographs (taken in between the rain) 








Hurtling through time (though luckily not space) at breakneck speed... Having recently declared to have reached the end of my work list of things to do, things have of course gotten out of hand again but I am getting better at asking for help so maybe there is hope for. The rest of my life is almost completely list free (exception below) and I plan to keep it like this. I would hate to have a list that tells me to wipe the kitchen surfaces on Tuesdays and put the dinner in the oven at 5 pm (or whatever). 

Listening to Arthur C. Clarke science fiction. I am on a total roll, now listening to 3001 A Space Odyssey. It is the only one in the series that I was not familiar with. Who would have thought Frank Poole comes back after being shot into space by a psychotic artificial intelligence 1000 years previously? Did you know that Stanley Kubrick's film 2001 A Space Odyssey was released before the book? I didn't either.  

Knitting my second second pair of autumn socks. Autumn is sock knitting time of year. 

Rediscovering my sewing machine. She is a beauty! For weeks I didn't have the energy to decide what to make next. I find this kind of inertia paralysing. So to break the spell, I made a staple garment, a simple long sleeve raglan t-shirt to wear under my linen tunic dresses now that the temperatures are cooler and heating is becoming a luxury. 

Thus enthused... cutting into waxed cotton fabric for a bag that I want to sew. I am making the Factotum bag by Merchant & Mills. I made a lot of tailor tacks to transfer pattern markings onto the fabric, a bit soul destroying. 

Sneezing and coughing - first good old fashioned cold in two years. I had forgotten just how miserable a cold can be and just how unpleasant Lemsip is to drink.



Loving my orchids in bloom. My chocolate scented orchid has produced a single stem with 9 dainty maroon-pink flowers for the first time in many, many years. The orchid with no name keeps producing single stems of bright orange flowers, one every two or three weeks. And best of all, the little orchid from Colombia finally got over the shock of moving to Glasgow and is producing a flower stem, ever so slowly (trying my patience!) 

Birdwatching, always a pleasure. My binoculars are next to my computer so I can distract myself from unpleasant emails (there is always one, without fail).

Looking forward to the Christmas break. I know, a bit premature but it keeps me going. 

Eating out. Richard and I went for a meal last weekend. It is nice to sit down for a meal and enjoy the creative cooking of a talented chef. I liked my deconstructed cheese cake for pudding most of all. 

Cooking continues to be a chore but I made delicious lentil bolognese the other day and we have tofu in the fridge for tofu fried rice with vegetables for another day. 

Starting a new running programme (having completed the previous one). I like structure for my running and I am more likely to exercise if someone tells me when to run and how long for (even if that someone lives inside my phone and is not a person at all). I am increasing my runs to 4 from 3 per week and add a bit of speed work. I know, I sound like a pro but trust me, I am still running at walking pace by anyone else's standards. I did my first tempo run today, it nearly finished me off (all 10 minutes of it).

Considering a career change. Is it too late? What transferable skills could I bring to a different type of work? Is it worth giving up a somewhat secure job with diminishing pension to chase a dream that I can't quite articulate? 

Feeling excited... tomorrow Pippin is coming home from the small animal hospital. I bought her a new name tag with updated phone number to welcome her home. I also got one for the little fat cat you can see in this post. She didn't care at all. Cats, eh?

So that's that's November. Let's hope for a more exciting December! Thanks for visiting.

Comments

  1. Cheering you on if you decide to make that leap into the unknown - you have loads of transferable skills I’m sure!! Lovely photos as always and I’m glad Pippin is coming home, definitely a cause for celebration xx

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  2. Look at those orchids, just wonderful, you must be pleased wth those. I hope your bag tunrs out well and that it doesn't make you turn into the miserable model in the reel! Wear your bag with orange or something won't you! HaHa. I am on socks too but the pattern didn't work out so I frogged and am on thesecond go. (it is because I am using a different pattern to yours I reckon) Nearly Friday...Jo x

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  3. I hope you are feeling much better now. I usually find Lempsip tastes far nicer with the addition of some brandy - perhaps not in the middle of the day, however :)
    Your photographs are stunning. It is a glorious time of year, even more so when the sun is shining.
    I am so happy Pippin is finally coming home, you must be relieved. X

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  4. Good to hear Pippin is being discharged home and, yes, Lemsip is disgusting. You have a ton of transferable skills so go follow that dream.

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  5. Oh hurray, I am so glad Pippin is coming home tomorrow, she will no doubt be happy to be back. A new career sounds like an excellent adventure. I am going to be a fiction writer one day. Have started on it already :) A friend has started a no-plastic packaging organic food shop, it's brilliant. Nice job on the orchids, they are amazing. My jewel orchid has a flower bud, although it is mostly grown for the foliage. I have a calendar in my kitchen with handy built-in to-do lists for each month. Plan your family service projects for the holidays! Check your Christmas lights are ready to go! Unblock your guttering! I ignore it completely. Hope you have a lovely weekend. CJ xx

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  6. It looks like you still had a bit of autumn colors, Christina, and these were lovely images. The orchids are beautiful the scent of chocolate could be maddening and require a bit of tasting the real thing. Do you manage to refrain yourself? I know that Pippin will be as happy to be home as you will be, most likely more so. I am not familiar with Lemsip but the name itself sounds rather unpleasant. Cooking is always a chore, but then when the meal turns out well it suddenly wasn't so bad. Thank goodness for soup season now because there are so many varieties and my slow cooker will get a workout, minestrone for the weekend with some crusty homemade bread. You lentil soup sounds like a good one, and it's also on my to-do list. Are you serious about a career change?

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  7. "Cake for pudding" wouldn't make a lot of sense to many of my North America comrades. :)

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  8. Hope Pippins arrival has gone well. Good that you are running four days a week. Reading your post might make me put on my running shoes, although maybe not. Looking forward to seeing all your new sewing. Enjoy the weekend. B x

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  9. Why is your pension diminishing? You have excellent writing skills and are so talented. I hope you find the perfect position.

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  10. It's never too late to change direction, and to be honest, I think that life is too short not to even consider it even if you later decide that you're happier where you are. If you're worried about your pension conditions being altered then it might be worth looking into what the options are as sometimes you can take money early to make sure it's in your pocket and not someone else's depending on the pension provider. You'll be glad to have Pippin home and I bet she'll be glad to be back too. Lovely, lovely leaves, they've been a long time coming but they look glorious now, don't they? xx

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  11. Hi Christina. I just recovered from the worst cold ever which lasted almost two weeks. I haven't had a cold in many years and it was just miserable. So happy to feel fell again. I hope your cold is short lived. The picture of your cat is so sweet. It's exciting to hear that Pippin is coming home soon!

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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