October ...ing

October, you beauty! Overall October was a find old month. A bit wet, a bit dark and a bit cold but mostly just fine. The colourful leaves are now brown mush but they were nice while they lasted. I am now going to be cold until April, with warm interludes. I managed to tick some old items off of my work to-do list and added a few new ones. I wanted to hang up fairy lights but they are still blocking space on my desk. In October, I have been…

:: Walking less since my last post.... now that I completed a fully self-imposed walking challenge I have reduced my daily goal to 11,000 steps. I think I have bursitis in my left hip joint and I have no other option that to take it easier. 

:: Getting a clean bill of health after a routine health check (I didn’t mention my sore hip)

:: Listening to Heart the Lover by Lily King. I enjoyed the rich prose but didn't care much for the characters. I also listened to Broken Ground by Val McDermid. This is the 5th book in the Inspector Karen Pirie series. I enjoy this series but think the stories would be equally strong with a supportive superior, not a terrible twat. I finished Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei, a novel set in the not too distant future in a world almost recognisable. I quite enjoyed that but would prefer not living in that world. Finally, I wanted to mention Esperance by Adam Oyebanji. I am not quite sure how to describe this. Crime fiction with a smidgen of Sci Fi and history? I rather enjoyed it. 

:: Cooking and eating the usual, for example I made a delicious lasagne. I am going to the deli once a week to treat myself to a tuna mayonnaise and salad roll (red onions, no tomatoes).

:: Spending time with both Sam and Annie and her partner, enjoying their company. 

:: Watching Star Trek - Strange New Worlds. I must remember to cancel the Paramount subscription once I have seen the final episode.

:: Enjoying the extra hour when the clocks went back. I had a lie in and still a full day... which I spent sewing and walking the dog. Of course I’ll be the first to complain when the clocks go forward again…

:: Cursing my savage pets. Josie brings in mice daily, sometimes several. Jack dispatches them efficiently and takes them back outside. I can handle that but I was less happy to see them both trying to capture a hedgehog. I couldn't get Jack away from the poor creature and had to nudge him away with the kitchen broom. He was fully intent on killing me, too. I placed the rolled up traumatised hedgehog in a box to recover, called the hedgehog emergency hotline and followed their advice. It recovered quickly, resumed normal hedgehog shape, ate some dog food and drank some water. It had no visible injuries. We released it after the pets went to bed so it had time to escape our garden. I had never seen a hedgehog in our neighbourhood before and it is good to know that there are some. Jack had some puncture wounds, which I cleaned. I hope he learned a lesson. 

:: Cleaning and refilling the bird feeders now that it is colder. There is still plenty of wild food on offer but it felt like the right time to get ready. Josie has a bell on her collar and alerts the birds to her presence (garden mice must have a slow reaction time).

:: Changing over to our cosy warm 13 tog winter duvet and loving it. 

:: Sewing a lot, in 20 minute increments. I am just about to finish my second pair of jeans using a different pattern. I might never buy jeans again. Josie likes to sew, too. I have blue fingers because I was working with raw denim. 

:: Creating wildflower meadow areas with my eco-volunteering group. This was physically demanding because we had to lift turf from and shift it to a place in the woods (to create habitat with). I feel quite strong, although after finishing on a Saturday at 3 pm, my arms feel like they don’t belong to me. 

:: Getting excited about travelling to Toronto in a week's time. I am going to a conference and will be recording a podcast with my co-hosts. Also hoping to learn a lot, and explore the city, too. I have two days after the conference to do just that. 

That's it all. The usual mix really. Lots of books, lots of sewing, plenty of teenage troubles, lots of work. Thanks for visiting 😊