I'm reading

Our holiday was a joyous book fest. Within the first week we'd had a rather special trip to Waterstones in London with my dear friend who happens to have a staff discount card - how many books did we buy - oh boy. Rather delicious. As was the bar on the top floor. 
One of these purchases was the A303, which I read on the A303 heading to Cornwall a perfect storm moment reading about the traffic at Stonehenge while in the traffic at Stonehenge.

On the road with the book of the road

I read nearly a book a day in Cornwall, part of the plan. Switch off and read. Cornwall also meant finding fabulous independent book stores. Like The End of World Bookshop in Penzance and the small but perfectly formed St Ives bookshop. We brought all sorts of books, so our shelves are a smorgasbord just waiting for us. 

Coffee and reading in St Ives

Only a few books were purchased

Gorgeous little shop 

But right now, it's back to the book before the holiday, a second hand bookshop find of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I brought the really tatty copy because I felt sorry for it and worried that no-one would buy it. The other book on the go is an abridged version of The Beauty Myth, one of those I've heard about but need to read for myself, if I'm being honest though the beautiful purple cover was a large part of the purchase decision. 

Currently I'm reading 

Homegrown

The veggie patch is looking forlorn and neglected (well, there is a lesson for me right there), I did though still manage to rescue a spring onion (OK, now moving into that cross between a leek and an onion stage) in a home made soup (yummy). I had great plans for this space, involving a fair amount of hard digging, slab laying, ground flattening, weed mat laying and likely back breaking work that I would live to regret.  So in a moment of honesty about my life right now I realised this is all too much and it's just adding to that 'to do' list I use to beat myself up with. 

This lightbulb moment early in the morning was sudden and definite and really, why didn't I realise this before. My plans are now changing and I'll get back to gardening as a source of joy and self care rather than of failure and guilt. 

Being honest and being OK with it. 

A Winter View

I'm taking on the Be Well In Winter Challenge from Sangha Sisters to reframe and reset myself after our trip away. I'm still falling sound asleep before 8 and awake around 5. So it's me, the cats and the fire. After thinking I would just re-adjust to my old routine of late nights and forcing myself out of bed I'm wondering if this could be a positive change. I've enjoyed the time in the mornings rather than just getting up, getting dressed and going to work. Some days I've even had breakfast for goodness sake. Maybe this is time that I have now have to establish that morning routine than can nourish and prepare me for the day. Maybe now is the time.


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