November ...ing

On this last day of November, I am surfacing briefly to post this, then go under again for a week or two.... I am a ghost of my former self just now but I will just have to crack on until the Christmas break. My strategy is not to think too much about it, just put my head down and plough on. I haven’t got any new photos other than the one here of Josie. She does have a tiny injury just above her right eye but it is healing well. 

:: Talking of eye injuries, I woke up with an extremely painful eye just after my return from Toronto and had to see an optician for assessment and treatment. The optician explained to me that my eyelid probably got stuck to the cornea because of dryness and when I opened my eyes, a small layer of corneal cells was ripped off, like a sticky plaster. It seems a ridiculous way to injure a cornea! The treatment involved moisturising eye gel every hour during the day for three days and a special more viscous gel over night. This helped with the pain. All healed now. 

:: Travelling too much. I spent 10 nights this month away from home, shared between Toronto and London. The London hotel was oppressively hot, the thermostat was stuck at 28 degrees. I kid you not. I slept with the window wide open.... I arrived late and went straight out again, so had to deal with it the next day. It being one of those unmanned places, I had to text a number to let them know and a maintenance guy soon appeared, bashed the thermostat controller a bit and went his way again. It did the trick. I could have done that but better let an employee break it than me...

:: Celebrating Sammy's 25th Birthday. I sometimes need to pinch myself to make sure this is real. I am so proud of him, and of who he has become. 

:: Eating not terribly well…. Not unusual when routine is lacking, for sure. I am thinking of a tuna mayonnaise & salad roll from Cleveden deli just now... but cooking a risotto with roast butternut squash instead. I also made mince meat, which is now preserved in jars, ready for some baking. 

:: Blowing my budget... I spent all of my October and November pocket money and some savings in November. I blame my fabric buying hobby, my love for ballet and love for audiobooks. I also needed to pay a new block of ballet classes, which I had forgotten to budget. Oh, and I bought a black sequin minidress even though I have exactly no Christmas party to go to. It just looks so beautifully sparkly, I am delighted. Maybe I’ll wear it to ballet class, just because. 

:: Volunteering on two Saturdays. We cut snowberry bushes, then dug up the roots and created a dead hedge from the wood. We also created more wildflower meadows. 

:: Treating myself to not one but two ballet performances, on two consecutive days. I went to London for work and to renew my Swiss passport and took the opportunity to go to the theatre. I loved "Perspectives" at the Royal Opera House, then "Shadows" by Ballet Black at Sadler's Well the next evening. Both shows were absolutely fabulous, and different. I've given you the links to explore for yourself.

:: Recording ~500 minutes of lecture material, still to be edited into an accessible format. I hope this happens magically because this is about half of what I promised to deliver by September. Yes, September past. If you have a big bucket of sand to bury my head in, please send it my way. 

:: Failing to keep up with my blog friends. Reading blogs and sometimes commenting gives me great joy but unfortunately, this fell by the wayside. Know that in my mind, I am still cheering you on!

:: Convincing Richard we needed an outdoor socket at the front of the house so I can use fairy lights that don't rely on solar power. There is not much sun or even light at this time of year. I got a string of 40 metres, which is more than I expected. I thought about a third would be leading up to the first light. It took considerable time to wrap the string around our outside stair bannisters but it looks amazing. Just need a red carpet now to welcome to postman and any other delivery people. They need to be celebrated at this time of year. 

:: Knitting socks. One advantage of long distance air travel is that there is plenty of time to knit, and listen to books (I worked on the train to London and back). 

:: Watching Pale Mountains, an Italian crime series. Well paced and not too gruesome. 

:: Listening to the final instalment of Val McDermid’s Karen Pirie crime series, Silent Bones. Also listening to The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks, The Good Liar by Denise Mina and The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson. All enjoyable in their own way

:: Helping Iris to manage what turns out to be a turbulent and troubling time for her. I am glad she has friends that look out for her, and we are here to support her, too. She got an urgent referral for mental health support by Glasgow Youth Service, which I hope will help, too. We even got a call to check-in with us to see how things are. Last week was a good week and I am holding on to that. 

Right, the laundry is calling to be folded away. Iris already sorted into the piles for each of us, so not too bad. Lunches are ready for tomorrow and hopefully and I feel rested for the start of a busy week, and the start of December. Thanks for visiting 😊