September …in

It is chilly here in Glasgow, so much so that I am tempted to put the heating on. It is a slippers slope though, once the heating is on, it will be on until spring. Heating a big house doesn’t come cheap. I am looking at a couple more merino base layers,  definitely more economical than the heating. 

So what’s been happening in September you may wonder? 

:: Visiting the green houses in the Glasgow Botanical Gardens (see above photos)

:: Celebrating Richard’s 60th birthday with a big party here at home. Richard is a popular guy, for sure! There were at least 60 people here, maybe more altogether but not all at the same time. It was easy to organise, a trip to the wine merchant, a call to Richard’s brewer friend and a call to Mother India for food. Richard wanted beer and pakora and that’s what he got. I ordered hundreds of pakora, maybe 400? I lost the receipt so can’t check. There were vegetable, chicken and fish pakora. I also ordered vegetable samosas, maybe 50? There were two pieces of pakora left. A few more samosas but that was because I forgot to unpack 10 portions. They made for good lunches. Richard had a fabulous time, he loves a good party. I went to bed about 2 am but woke up at 4 am, when the last stragglers were collected by a taxi. The clean-up was not too bad, all done by 4:30. 

:: Continuing the celebrations with a lazy brunch the next morning, for family and friends that travel from afar. Well, lazy for most... I did the cooking.

:: Also celebrating Annie's birthday. She invited a group of her friends to the above party but everybody really just mingled and had fun. 

:: Recovering. It is tiring to host big parties. 

:: Pulling my hair out. Iris is hard work and we are all exhausted by the unpredictability of her daily comings and goings. Although her college attendance is good, so maybe not all bad. We made some progress with CAHMS neurodevelopment team, she might be seen before the end of the year, after a three year wait. Our MP is taking action on Iris behalf although I am not sure what that means. She’ll need a separate referral for her brittle mental health though. The joys of an underfunded national health service.

:: Removing the Latest News feed from my Guardian phone app. Too much ink is wasted writing about that that raving lunatic having yet another tantrum while “speaking” at the 80th United Nations General Meeting. Or other megalomaniacs as a matter of fact. My news feed is much more manageable now. 

:: Booking a nail appointment because when everything is a bit much, it is nice to just sit and be pampered. I also feel much more put together with nicely manicured nails. 

:: Waiting for my quince to ripen, and watching them grow. Not long now!

:: Listening to "Shy Creatures" by Clare Chambers. I really enjoyed this, a departure from my current streak of listening to mostly police procedurals. It is well written and engaging. I also listened to “Tilt” by Emma Patee. This got a lot of hype in the book world but I found it rather disappointing. A quick read though because it is not very demanding on your mind. Finally, I listened to the latest instalment of the Thursday Murder Club, "The Impossible Fortune" by Richard Osman. Of course utterly ludicrous but oh so enjoyable, and well written with carefully crafted prose and good puns. 

:: Watching “Freezing Embrace”, series 2, a Finnish crime drama featuring detective inspector Annti Hautalehto. It is most enjoyable. The drama is based on a book series by Christian Rönnbacka. Sadly this series is not translated into English and my Finnish is limited to saying thank you (kiitos). Maybe something to learn?

:: Cooking nothing memorable. And the same goes for eating, just the usual standard menu. Although Richard and I went for a nice meal out to One Devonshire Gardens.

:: Casting- on for a hat. I haven’t knitted a hat in years. 

:: Preparing a new sewing project, a pair of wide leg denims. This will keep me busy for a few weeks, one seam at the time. At the time of typing this, the fabric is pre-washed, ironed and cut, the overlocker and sewing machine are threaded and ready to go. 

:: Shopping for a dress with my friend Karen. We went to exactly one shop, it was enjoyable and not painful at all. I bought a nice top for work, Karen a gorgeous jumpsuit for an upcoming wedding. I also bought a new steam iron. I still need a new ironing board but that’s a job for another time. 

:: Volunteering most Saturdays. This continues to be a highlight and is good exercise as well as self-care because being out with like-minded people working in the woods is restorative. September was all about rhododendrum removal. October will be all about meadow creation. 

:: and finally, wondering if I should start writing alt text descriptions for the photographs I share. Actually, I know I should! I write these for all other social media and certainly for all my learning materials. It is good practice, for sure. 

Thank you for visiting 😊