Snow!

Today is the first day of proper snow, reminding me (as if I need reminding) that Christmas is quickly approaching. This year has gone really quickly, a lot has happened.

I celebrated my first year's anniversary with Pete in Feb, we had a lovely trillion course meal at Colley's Supper Rooms (which we might repeat next year). I also moved in with Pete in August, although a little chaotic at the beginning (still finding places for things), I've really settled in and it's feeling like home. I thought it would be a little more strange living with a boy for the first time, but it feels very normal and I love spending loads of time with Pete.

I also joined Reading Valley Ladies Circle in Feb, in one fell swoop I've made 15 new friends who are really nice. We meet every two weeks and activities have included canoeing on Black Swan lake (very relaxing), wine tasting, bingo and quizzes and a weekend in Milton Keynes.

I started cycling to the train station in September, it's 3.5 miles each way and I've surprised myself with how long I've stuck with it and how much I've enjoyed it. It was very hard to begin with, the hills felt very steep and long but gradually it's gotten easier. I've also lost about 10lbs which is always a bonus!

The big negative this year was being made redundant. I was getting rather fed up with working from home, sounded like an excellent idea at the time but spending day after day within the same four walls was quite isolating. After spending 6 weeks on the dole I found a great job in a proper office with proper colleagues! I'm really enjoying it, the work is challenging and the people are lovely.

So quite an eventful year and it's not over yet. Next Thursday I'm driving up to Leeds to spend Christmas with my family, then I'm coming back down to Reading on Monday for a few days of work before Mary's New Years Eve party. The fancy dress theme is Star Wars, no idea what I'm going to go as but I'll figure something out.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Christmas is almost here!

It's the last weekend in November and I've been feeling Christmassy for nearly a month now! I've planned all my shopping and bought most presents, even wrote my Christmas cards last night! Next weekend is my last shopping trip (I detest shopping in December as it's so busy) so I have a few more bits to get and then it's time to decorate the house! This year I have a 3-bed house instead of a 1-bed flat, so more decorations are definately needed. At the moment I only have a 6-foot tree and some tinsel and lights to put up the stairs, I'm thinking fairy lights in the windows and a wreath on the door ...? I'm also continuing on my home-baking theme and making biscuits to hang on the tree instead of chocolates (which Pete doesn't like).

Talking about home-baking I did try out some recipes which I could make as presents but the Christmas cookies weren't very nice (too chocolate-powdery), instead I've found a lush recipe for Chocolate cake which I made into buns for Pete's last games day and they disappeared sharpish. I'm also falling back on my traditional brownie recipe.

Cute kitten on YouTube!

Autumn is upon us ...

Last night was Halloween, but we went to see fireworks instead. Most local fireworks displays were this weekend which by rights should be devoted to Halloween but instead we're celebrating blowing things up. The display was fantastic as usual and was a good 20 minutes of 'ohhhhs' and 'ahhhhs'. It also gave Pete an excuse to show off his torch prowess, in fact there were quite a few people with powerful torches having a competition on who could light up the trees most (no surprises that these were mostly men).

This week I have been mostly annoying my sister with requests for Christmas lists as I'm starting my shopping early. I'm trying to do it mostly online again but the Royal Mail strikes might make that tricky which is why I'm starting early. This is where cycling to work is not useful, on Friday I received a parcel which didn't fit in my rucksack so will have to stay at work until I drive in.

I'm planning on having a homemade Christmas as much as possible, well that was the plan in summer when I was made redundant but as my knitting pace is one row per quarter I doubt I'll get much finished by December. So, instead I'm baking. This means lots of testing which Pete doesn't moan about. Today's concoction was Nigella's chocolate biscuits which were not good. I have an aversion to anything that tastes of chocolate but actually isn't chocolate, these biscuits made with cocoa were a prime example. But never fear, I have several recipes yet to try.