August ...ing

August came and went. Well, it is not quite over yet but I am done with it. It was predominantly wet and windy, with a handful of sunny days. It is also quite cold and it is tempting to put on the heating to take away the edge. 

:: Eating cherries. Every day if I can. The cherries from Kent are at their best now and I am going to eat as many as I can before the season is over. Which sadly, is going to be very soon. 

:: Also eating carrots from the garden. Our vegetable patch has not been a success this year, carrots and artichokes but nothing much else, sadly. Even the courgette plants have perished. We'll have lots of apples on our trees though. The pear tree carries two fruits and the quince tree maybe three...

:: Looking forward to my trip to Cape Town. I am going for a five day conference in September, adding one and two days respectively at the beginning and end. It would be rude not to. Deciding what to do with my free time is going to be difficult, there is so much to explore. I am quite excited but as usual, not keen on the actual travel. 

:: Listening to too much crime fiction. I need to go cold turkey and immerse myself in a new genre. Any suggestions? Maybe I'll go back to science fiction for a bit, or maybe I'll check out the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize long lists. I like a list to choose from. Send me your suggestions.

:: Watching "Those Who Kill" on the telly. This is a Danish crime series, terrifying to be honest but quite addictive. It is in Danish with subtitles. I am also watching Cause of Death, a documentary series on Channel 5. It really interesting to learn more about the Coroner system in England. For those of you not residing in England, Coroners are specialist judges that "conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death". In Scotland, the equivalent is the Procurator Fiscal. 

:: Sewing green leafy pyjama bottoms for myself and Richard's linen shirt. The pj bottoms are done, the shirt still needs button holes and I need to stitch down the collar stand. I'll have that ready for Richard's birthday. 

:: Buying leopard print denim fabric for a denim jacket. I made a denim jacket last year (this one)  and enjoyed the process very much. It will be a good project for the autumn. 

:: Still experimenting with stick-on gel nail varnish. I am sorry to bore you to death with this! An indication of how relatively boring and privileged my life is. I have now learned that these stickers are called nail wraps. I am wearing baby blue just now and loving it. As I get better at applying them, they last longer, although never as long as advertised. Who knows how these things are evaluated, but not likely under actual real life circumstances, where people wash hands, open ring pull cans, untangle shoe lace knots and do dishes. Underneath, my gel manicure damaged nails are growing out strong. 

:: Celebrating one year of ballet classes. I didn't think I would stick with it when I first started but here we are. We even have a WhatsApp group and chat to each other out of class. 

:: Cleaning armchairs and sofas with my brand new upholstery and carpet cleaning device. It is a basic small model but it is enough for us. In the past, I would rent a Rug Doctor but then I'd have to do all the cleaning in one day. Boring and tiring. It will take a few weeks to get all done but I'll get there. It is oddly satisfying to see the filthy waste water. To think that sitting on an armchair is such a dirt producing activity!

:: Out of my back office window I am observing a mischief of four magpies having arguments and fights. I wonder what it is all about, they argue frequently and sometimes quite viciously. It is a bit early to fight over resources, maybe they are just teenage magpies being wild. There is not much else to see because the shrub just outside the window needs a trim.

:: Struggling with a learning resource I need to create on a topic that I find extremely boring. It is in the context of multi-sectoral collaborations, and factors what makes these work (or not). I have been working on it on and off for three weeks and I still can't see the end. Honestly, any excuse to not engage with it. Even timetabling is more exciting. Sadly, this is now done and I can't think of many more excuses. 

:: Despairing over my hair. It is wild, and there is so much of it, I can't control it. Imagine a documentary about our cave dwelling palaeolithic ancestors... I'd fit right in I think.

I am looking forward to September (although not the new term that comes with it)! Thank you for visiting 😊