This week

This week's been a busy one with D performing in two music concerts and a fun night out for an early Christmas meal with work. Looking back, I'm surprised to discover that I managed to squeeze in a fair bit of other stuff too in evenings and at the weekend. Last weekend we started our Christmas shopping in Bath and I was delighted to discover that one of the large trees had been yarn-bombed.  The cheerful knitting was really bright and fun in the middle of a rather tasteful Georgian square.

The rest of the week was mostly dark, in contrast. The light levels are becoming ever lower, and the hours of light ever shorter now (with about 8 hours of daylight a day), and I must admit I am fighting the urge to hibernate. Getting up in the dark isn't easy when bed is so cosy and warm, but I do enjoy opening the curtains to see what the weather's doing outside. Recently we've been having a lot of foggy, misty mornings and evenings, which feel very atmospheric. These were the views from our windows.

We also had our first frost this week which made everything sparkly in the sunshine. As I walked to work I enjoyed looking at the frost-dusted rooftops, and found the sharpness of the cold air quite invigorating. It was a shame that I didn't have time to get out my camera to take photos.

We're on the brink of winter, with just a couple of days of November left, and I feel ready to put away my seed heads, dried corn and autumn leaves in anticipation of more wintry things. I'm enjoying my pot of white hyacinths which have just started to bloom. I don't usually buy them until January, but this year feel the need for some white flowers before all that sparkle and richness arrives.

I'm still enjoying seasonal colour, though, in the form of these very bright and quite delicious clementines. Somehow the ones with leaves still on seem to taste even better - I'm not sure why! They won't last long because at this time of year they are at their sweetest.



I also managed to pop out to my local craft shop and buy these sparkly white and silver balls of yarn, as I fancy making a few crocheted snowflakes for Christmas. Last year I went a bit crazy and made some to decorate our home and lots to put into Christmas cards. I got a bit carried away and made about 25, so this year I'm sticking to my Resolution and will just make a few (honest!).



This morning the sun is shining and the sky is a wonderful azure blue. It feels good to be alive on a morning like this. Our hazel tree is losing its leaves fast now, but the ones remaining are a bright yellow, and look incredibly colourful against that sky.

In our front garden a gorgeous snapdragon has seeded itself on our garden wall and is flowering quite happily, despite the fact that it's nearly December! The frost this week didn't spoil it, and I'm hoping it'll keep going a bit longer.




Whatever you're doing this weekend, I hope it's a good one :)