Lights up

The usual mile today… but I don’t have a vlog to post because I’m only doing them weekly on Sundays now!

I also finished my NaNoWriMo project. It’s been a bit unfocused and piecemeal this year, but at least I managed my 50,000 words and developed some good ideas about what I’m going to write in 2021.

Most of today, though, was spent getting a start on the Christmas decorations. I never usually get them out until the 1st of December, but this year I fancied having them ready to go for when the clock ticked over.

Tomorrow I’m going to have another blitz on the house upstairs. I’d like to get a few more things cleared away this week before I put any decorations up upstairs – it always feels a bit depressing putting decorations up in a cluttered room.

Christmas tree 2020
All ready for December.

Today’s earworm playlist:

The Weeknd – ‘Blinding Lights’
Band Aid – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’

Saturday ’80s Photo: Courtesy Notepad Case

Also file under ‘things I found while sorting out the house’. I’ve had this plastic notepad case (complete with half a notepad still inside) since early childhood, and every time I go back to Shetland (which isn’t often these days) I try and fail to find where the shop was based on my hazy childhood memories.

'80s notepad case

The design looks early ’80s to me (it has that trailing ’70s colour scheme of brown and cream) so it’s possible that either (a) my mum picked it up a couple of years before I was born and gave it to me when I was little, or (b) the shop was still using an old design when I was visiting a lot in the late ’80s.

Apologies for the ‘soft focus’. My phone lens had some gunk on it that I’ve cleaned off now.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Julian Nott – ‘Wallace And Gromit Theme’

Gradually sorting the house out

The usual mile today…

…which is getting a bit samey on the vlog, so I’ve decided to move forward with something I was going to do at the start of January 2021: move my running vlog to weekly rather than daily. This will enable me to do a more interesting roundup rather than saying the same things every day! First ‘weekly’ vlog will appear on Sunday.

I’m still getting on with my house decluttering project. I’m not managing to get rid of an awful lot of stuff because due to dumps and charity shops not currently being open, I’ve got nowhere to take it. However, I am managing to organise the hoard into a more workable mass, will have a more usable house once I’m done, and will be able to work on the de-hoarding again in my own time after Christmas.

Looking forward to getting more of this done over the weekend! I’ll update again on Monday.

Star Wars Holiday Special
This evening’s pre-Christmas viewing: the original Star Wars Holiday Special. We watched the new Lego one too!

Today’s earworm playlist:

Traditional – ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’
Duran Duran – ‘Friends Of Mine’

Playing house Tetris again

My usual mile this morning…

…and then I quickly got my NaNo chapter done before getting on with my current bit of the long house project, which mostly involves moving stuff around so that I can move other stuff around. There is a strategy to it, but it’s a bit slow and frustrating. However, I can now see a bit more floor space than I could earlier in the week, so there is progress.

Hoping to get a bit more done tomorrow!

Fireplace on TV
Geth has been watching ‘Fireplace In Your Home’ YouTube videos with Christmas tunes, which are nice and relaxing.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Traditional – ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’

Phone Box Thursday: Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne

Here’s a phone box I actually witnessed myself here in Newcastle!

Red phone box
Red phone box, Forest Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, 21st September 2020.

(I won’t post the exact street or GPS coordinates as it looks like private property.)

This phone box is in a yard visible from the street; the owner of the yard is obviously a collector as they have a great collection of phone boxes and postboxes from various eras! It’s very rare to see a K2 box like this outside London.

More from Newcastle next week.

And again

I ran the same route as usual today…

…which I’m fine with at the moment. It’s nice to bumble along the same streets every day.

I’m also fine with the fact that the rest of my life is pretty much the same every day as well at the moment. I’ve got a nice routine and I’m enjoying the quiet. I am looking forward to the brief Christmas respite we’re now going to be allowed next month though!

I’m just getting on with writing and work every day at the moment, so there’s not much to report. Same again tomorrow, I hope!

Christmas cookery TV
Christmas cookery TV! I love having this on in the background at this time of year.

Today’s earworm playlist:

Antonio Vivaldi – ‘Four Seasons: Concerto No. 1 In E Major, Op. 8, RV 269, Spring’
Mika – ‘Grace Kelly’
Duran Duran – ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’
Traditional – ‘Carol Of The Bells’

Less moving, more eating… or is it the other way round?

My usual mile and a bit this morning…

…which was a good opportunity for a bit of a daydream.

I definitely needed this break from longer running, but the drop in my exercise levels (combined with my increased appetite due to the cold weather) is not helpful in terms of maintaining my weight! I need to be fairly strict with myself over the next month and not eat too many sweet Christmas treats. Or at least limit them to a replacement breakfast or lunch once in a while.

Today has been a nice relaxed day of getting on with my work, writing and admin with some Christmas cookery shows in the background. I’m hoping that this will be the case most days for the rest of the year.

Scented candle
I picked up this seasonal scented candle at the supermarket on Sunday – I expect I’ll need a few more in the run-up to Christmas!

Today’s earworm playlist:

Lana Del Rey – ‘Video Games’
Traditional – ‘Deck The Halls’

The run-up

The usual mile this morning…

…and it was really cold. Going to have to start layering up a bit more!

I am in unashamedly Christmas mode now. I made the cake yesterday (I’m hoping to be able to share it with Mum and Dad presuming restrictions are relaxed over Christmas, and Geth is very much looking forward to eating it as well!). Usually the cake turns out horribly wrong, but this time (fingers crossed) it looks okay. This is the first time I’ve tried it in my current oven, so maybe the ovens in all my previous homes weren’t up to scratch.

Other than cake-making and general Christmas prep, I’ve largely been focused on my NaNoWriMo project. I’m also trying to get as much work as possible done on my Adventuron Christmas jam project so that it won’t be a last-minute rush in December! I’ll definitely have a lot more time for that after NaNo though, especially if I can get all my Christmas prep done before the end of the month as well.

It’s Geth’s and my wedding anniversary today so we’ve cracked open the first stollen of the year. It is most definitely the year for starting Christmas early.

Christmas cake
The colour of the cake actually looks right this time! I am hopeful…

Today’s earworm playlist:

Traditional – ‘O Holy Night’
The Strokes – ‘Last Night’