January

Let's face it, January is a month that's a bit of a struggle. Christmas is over and done with, it's still dark and cold, and there are a whole thirty-one days of it. I know I shouldn't be wishing my life away, but I can't help feeling glad that January is coming to an end for another year, and the fact that it's getting dark at 5 rather than 4pm is definitely a cause for celebration.

So I'm trying to focus on the things that make January more enjoyable. For me these are:

Socialising with friends - especially if this involves playing games. And I'm not talking about nudge nudge games, I'm firmly in the good clean fun camp of card games and Scrabble.

Craft night - last Thursday I had a streaming cold and the last thing that I wanted to do was to go out in the cold after wrangling children all day. But I booted and scarfed myself and stomped off down the road (a bit of exercise too, bargain). Two hours in a warm room knitting and chatting and I was renewed and inspired. There's a bit of a quilt plan bubbling too, hence the photo.

Volunteering - I know this sounds a bit worthy, but I don't just volunteer because I'm a nice person, I really feel like I get something out of it too. I've been reading at the school three mornings a week and both the girls  I read with have moved up several levels (this is a big deal when you're six) and the pride they have in their achievements gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Hurrah, I'm useful!

Plans - it's always good to have something to look forward to, so I've booked a short drawing course at Bristol Folkhouse, which starts after half term. And my mum is coming to stay when the children are off school, which always seems to make things run more smoothly.

Whilst mulling over this post I googled 'happiness' and discovered the Action for Happiness site. Now, I've had depression, and I'm not naive enough to think that it can be overcome by thinking happy thoughts, but a lot of it makes good sense. In particular the 10 keys to happier living, and I was pleased to see that my list matches up with theirs pretty well.

How's your January going?

Big Knits

I was babysitting for a friend last night, so took my sock of doom with me and made some steady progress. I will conquer my fear of turning a heel!

But in contrast to knitting a sock in the round on needles that remind one a little of cocktail sticks, I am also doing some BIG knitting. The mug there is for scale purposes, these needles are 20mm, pretty much the biggest you can get, and knitting with them makes me feel like they are an outsize theatre prop.

This was one of those occasions where I was seduced by some lovely yarn (it's by Sirdar from their Bohemia range) then realised I'd have to buy the needles to go with them. But they make me smile every time I see them due to their ridiculous size, and smiling is in short supply around here at the moment. And just look at those lovely blue hues... This is going to be a lovely fluffy scarf to keep out the winter chills.

And of course the best thing about knitting with super duper chunky yarn is that it knits up really fast, meaning you can finish off a scarf in an hour or two...

Hibernation...

Knitting - a good thing about winter...

I was having coffee with a friend this morning and she happened to mention that she'd been reading my blog (blush) and we were laughing about the wording that I'd used to describe myself in the 'about me' section. However, I have to admit that the 'old hag' part of my personality is definitely uppermost at the moment, as the shortening days of winter make me really grumpy and I'm feeling a strong urge to pull the covers over my head and not come out until spring.

But of course I can't, so today I've been trying to think of enjoyable things to get me through this miserable part of the year. On the internet somewhere there's probably a list of '10 Steps to Happiness', I think it includes things like growing stuff and seeing friends. If I was more organised I would look it up but I'm typing against the clock trying to get this post finished before the snoozing child in the buggy wakes up... So, my list:

1. Sleep - I am even more grumpy when short on sleep, so I'm having plenty of early nights, often not long after the children. My youngest wakes for the day at around 5.30am so early nights are also a matter of survival.

2. Reading - I have been devouring novels recently as TV is by and large rubbish. I have a Kindle and also been frequent visitor at the local library. Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie novels are great for curling up on the sofa with.

3. Knitting - I can never get into knitting in the summer, feels wrong to have wool in my lap when it's warm and sunny. But in the winter I find it really soothing, and I have some great yarn from the Sock Yarn Shop calling to me - but at the moment all making time is dedicated to Christmas Fayre products, so the socks will have to wait.

4. Growing things - I impulse bought some hyacinth bulbs from the greengrocers last week and have them on the kitchen window sill. They smell amazing and it's lovely to have something growing in the house.

5. Craft Night - Whilst it's great talking to people on the internet about craft and other stuff, it's even better to do it face-to-face. A couple of friends and I have a regular craft night every 3-4 weeks and although I often can't face dragging myself out of the door I'm always really glad that I did. We all take a current project to work on and sit and chat over tea and biscuits (we may daringly have a little mulled wine at the pre-Christmas meet...)

So those are my winter treats - what are yours?