I was gone for a month of autumn, enjoying a month of spring in Spain, and it can really mess with your rhythm. Between that and unseasonably warm autumn weather, I am all out of whack.

Everything seems to take longer than it should and I am constantly alarmed to be midway through the year but already looking ahead to weekends for camping in spring and summer.

We’re less than a month away from the winter solstice and heading into those cold, dark days of winter. I’m happy to hang on to the cooler climes for just a moment. I have a pumpkin sitting on my bench ready to be made into a hearty spiced pumpkin and lentil soup and there’s a whole chicken in my freezer to roast this weekend, with a stock and more soup to follow.

IN MAY:

I WENT… to Coonamble. My stepdaughter has set out on a year-long teaching contract, taking her two little ones and hopes that she’ll finally secure a coveted permanent teaching role. She’s been embraced by the teaching community, and the wider community will no doubt come to know of her and her little family through a rather chatty four-year-old who is making new friends everywhere he goes.

I ATE… A lovely dinner at the home of a friend, and biscuits baked by another friend who is always there at just the right time.

I OP SHOPPED… A cute ‘80s wool-blend fluffy jumper with serious beading on the shoulders and shoulder pads to boot. With this turn in the weather I’ll be rocking it soon.

I MADE… a start on the felted Christmas decorations I make each year. This year I’d like to have enough of a stash to sell. I’ve got one packed for a little stitching on the home commute.

I READ… The second book in Nora Robert’s Chronicles of the One series, Of Blood and Bone, for a little light distraction from more serious work-related reading: mostly papers on disaster mitigation, emergency communications and global responses to climate change (you can see why light distraction is needed). I also read Seth Godin’s This Is Marketing. Some marketing pundits love Godin, but I can’t read one of his books without thinking it’s just good marketing, for Seth. Seth, blah, blah, blah, Seth, Seth, more blah. There are always a few small gems, but you really have to watch for them and I always find myself drifting when I read his work.

MOVING UPDATE: The clearing out of our four-bedroom house in preparation for a tiny two-bedroom unit continues. Turns out the unit is in much worse repair than we'd thought and we're getting quotes to determine whether we can afford the changes we want to make. In the meantime, I'm still culling, including whittling down a collection of West German pottery. The photo above is what's about to be posted to Facebook Marketplace.