Ah September. Some years I love the back-to-school feeling, but this year I just feel like the sunshine has been stolen and I'm spending all my time indoors, and I don't like it. A few things have been ticked off the list though. 20 things mended (9/20) I don't think I mended anything in September, although I have identified a few things that need mending so hopefully the total will increase in October. 19 letters written (14/19) Two short letters this month, to accompany parcels sent to friends. I've got a few to reply to now though so I might allocate an evening for letter-writing. I'm struggling to find writing paper locally, and have been using old fairly random bits I'm finding in the house, but that's all nearly gone now. I'm not averse to just sending letters on normal A4 paper but it's nice to have something a bit more special sometimes. 18 days without internet (6/18) One more added in September, and I can see I'm going to have to add a few more in October, else I'm going to end up having to forego the internet for the whole of the last week of the year at this rate. 17 books read (achieved in March) Still reading, rediscovering old favourites, using the Kindle app to find new things. 16 household items or pieces of clothing made (14/16) Just one more this month, a small make up bag, after mine disappeared. As I started making this, it occurred to me that I've never made anything with a zip before! All the sewing I've done, and I've always managed to avoid zips. Considering that, I don't think I did too badly, although it's certainly not going to win any awards. My sewing machine needs a good clean, it's skipping slightly, and I couldn't find a zipper foot and made a bit of a hash of going round the zip. Still, it works, and used up some old bits of fabric I've had knocking about for years. 15 meals with friends (achieved in August) Total already achieved, but more in September, although they're starting to slow down now the nicer weather is going, which is a shame. We did have a glorious day for some lunch a couple of weeks ago though, and I hope our garden shelter can keep us going a bit longer into the autumn. 14 meals from home grown produce (stopped counting in September) I confess I've stopped counting with this one. I've not had any entire meals with only home produce, and I can't see myself wanting any, given what we've grown (turnip omelette, anyone?) I'm declaring this one achieved in spirit though as we're eating plenty of kale, eggs, turnip etc just mixed in with our normal meals. 13 evening lectures (2/13) I've finally made a start on this one! A local organisation has been running some online seminars - I've not made it to any live ones, but I've now watched a couple of recordings - one about biodiversity in the local area, and another about a community garden. Both were interesting and enjoyable, and I have a few others lined up in October. 12 donations to the foodbank (7/12) Another online donation, although I did see that a local supermarket had a trolley full of brown paper bags designed as food bank donations with prices written on the side. I didn't have time to rummage through, but I did think it was a good idea. 11 solo days out for me (1/11) No more this month. 10 loaves of bread made (0/10) Still not a single one - I wonder if I'll even make one before the end of the year? 9 bike rides (achieved in July) I don't think I went for a bike ride at all in September! My big bike got another puncture, just sitting in the coal shed, which I've still not fixed. I did take my folding bike to cycle round the city when I took the car to the garage though. 8 organised runs (2/8) No more running at all in September. Funny how things change - at the start of the year I was running a lot, then I switched to cycling, and I've not done any of either for several weeks now. Me and my sister were meant to be walking the virtual London Marathon today, as it happens, but between a local lockdown and lack of training we made an uncharacteristically sensible decision not to. 7 new places visited (4/7) One new place added in September - Chrome Hill, which is pretty close but which we've never been up before. It's been on my list of things to do since we moved here though so it feels good to have it ticked off finally! 6 attempts at cheese making (0/6) 5 'No Quibble' weekends away (0/5) Still no progress on either of these. 4 pairs of socks made (0.75/4) Some sock progress though! One sock is finished and the other is almost half way there - I got quite a bit done this morning while watching the elite marathons on the tv. Sadly I seem to have done one section wrong on the first sock, and right on the second, so they do look quite different. Sigh. I've made this pattern several times now - it's very straightforward, but I do seem to do something different each time! Next time I'm going to learn from Lucy at Attic 24, who has bought a second set of needles and knits both socks at the same time - one row on the first sock, one row on the second. This is a genius idea, as the only thing I hate about sock knitting is finishing one and having to do the same again before you wear them. I won't be going as far as Lucy in matching the patterned wool though. 3 days volunteering (0/3)
2 LAND centres visited (1/2) 1 holiday (0/1) No, no and no (again). Hey ho. Some things seem to be going nowhere. There certainly won't be a holiday this year, and I suspect not even a weekend away. Probably no volunteering or organised runs - certainly no races. Bread and cheese are more likely, although not at the rate I'm going. I can certainly make more progress on some things though - mending, making things for the house, letter-writing. I'm going to aim for at least a couple of evening lectures in October, and a couple of days without the internet too. And maybe I'll even get to the end of my second sock!
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Hello!Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I'm Jenni, and I write here about our new foray into country living, which includes growing food, knitting, baking, wandering around the fields, and seeing which local cafe serves the best cake. Categories
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