december 21

Well loads of people are saying good riddance to 2021 today. But I had a rather lovely year.

For the first time in over 20 years of being freelance I actually had massive gaps in my work schedule.

And I loved it!

It gave me chance to really think about the work I enjoy doing ...and I realised that for the last 20 years I've basically been saying yes to every project that came along. Even the ones I should definitely have said no to.

I also realised that I've been so busy saying yes to all the things that I've not had a single chance in all that time to actually look for the projects I do want to do. 

I feel really fortunate that I had enough money saved from all that previous yes-ing that I could just take the time to really b-r-e-a-t-h-e and think.

I'm still not sure what I really really want to do. But I do know that if you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results. For 20 years....

Soooo my plan for 2022 is to follow the stuff that brings me joy.

What could possibly go wrong....

Here's December squashed into an instagram friendly square...

Now I'm off out to party while we still can, rumour has it that more restrictions are incoming....

catchup

This week's latest:

France banned my friend Sammy from skiing there on Boxing Day.

(They banned all Britishers actually, but I only know Sammy and her family who were gonna go.)

So she's off to Italy instead. Unless they ban the dirty Brits too in the next 4 days...

Jodes came home from uni and I got her a job for 2 weeks in the local M&S Simply Foods. Starting at 6am. Every day.

Which was a great idea..... except I'm her driver. And I don't do early mornings. I'm bloody knackered!

And the iPhone weather app says it's gonna snow on Christmas Day.

The BBC weather app says rain.

So I'm ignoring that one.

dog walking chat

My preferred dog walking time is around 4.30pm. But it's bloody dark by 4 these days. So I did today's jaunt at 8.45am before starting work.

It threw me out for the rest of the day.

Can it be summer already please.

feeling festive...a bit...

Well, Christmas is in full swing. Which is fine. Because it's December.

I went Christmas shopping with my sis yesterday.

Then I bought a tree.

Then trimmed the tree.

It's living where it usually lives. Squished in the corner between two sofas.

It looks like a tree that's been squished between two sofas.

Neil's on a Christmas night out tonight so I'm wondering whether he'll notice if I remove his sofa for the festive period..... 

Of course it would have to go in the garage. Which would mean chucking all his bikes out. 

But I'm thinking I could be single this Christmas if I try that....😬

weather chat

The weather app said we'd get snow. We didn't. We just got rain.

What I'd really like is 25 degrees and sunny please. Preferably with a sea view and a pina colada.

Thanks.

christmas spirit...

I went away for a 4 night weekend with mi mates and we had a fabulous time. (Keswick in the Lakes if you're interested.)

But we've arrived back to find that everyone in the whole of sodding Yorkshire has trimmed up for Christmas.

Except us.

And I'm just not feeling it.

It's like December 1st is now the official day to put your tree up! I already felt like I was behind due to my lack of present buying and wrapping in bloody October. Now I feel like a total bah humbug for not having a zillion twinkly lights and a giant Santa in my garden.

Christmas is starting to feel like a chore.

So, feeling the pressure, I was gonna go get a tree this afternoon. 

But then this afternoon arrived. 

And I just didn't want to.

It's chucking it down. And I'm not putting the damned thing up yet anyway.

So I decided to be kind to myself and I just didn't bother.

I'll get one on Friday.

If there are any left anywhere 😬

november mashup

A few things I drew in November mashed up into a little square...