Half a December Day

 I woke up this morning, cold as usual. We still have our 4.5 tog summer duvet on as due to being in middle age, I don't seem to be able to regulate my body temperature very well anymore, especially at night. I have a zoom fitness class at 9.15 on Tuesdays so I don't eat beforehand. I've learnt the hard way that eating oatbran before Pilates back extensions when you have a hiatus hernia is extremely unpleasant. To try and ignore the hunger pangs for the two hours between waking and the class I thought I'd finish the gusset decrease of the second sock I'm knitting for my mum's Christmas present. 

I managed to fudge it 5 times in total. The first fudge was on Sunday when I had to call my mother in law, Shirley, for help. She has been the one I can turn to when embarking on various knitting adventures and I can guarantee she will be able to fix any problem - of which there have been many. So first fudge solved and I thought I'd be fine - after all I've completed 4 socks now. I blame hunger for making my brain weak and distracting me from the decreases - 4 more times. Honestly I am really rubbish at concentrating. So now mum has a wonky gusseted sock but I hope she won't really mind.  It has been knitted with a lot of love and a lot of swearing too...

After a gruelling fitness class where I clenched, stretched and worked all my core muscles I finally got my breakfast. Oatbran is my hiatus hernia's best friend as I often find it hard to swallow things - one of the symptoms of this type of hernia.  I really love Oatbran (sounds like I'm in an advert..;) ) and although in itself it is very healthy, having it with sugar and double cream sort of neutralises the health benefits a tad...

I've only recently discovered it and I much prefer it to porridge.  It has a slightly gritty texture that weirdly appeals to me.  I found this brand in Morrisons and it is now my breakfast crush.  I really wish I liked fruit as I know it's healthy but I'm just not that keen, unless it's in a crumble, cake, pie or trifle.

I lit the fire and enjoyed the rare sight of my mantelpiece; normally it is obscured by the mounds of washing I have hanging from my drying rack there.

This Christmas, although I am putting up decorations, I'm not overdoing it.  It's only the 4 of us here for the festive period and I'm keeping things as simple and as natural as possible. The mantel garland is just some old sheet music made into origami stars and some home dried orange slices strung onto some garden twine.

I thought I'd be able to get some Christmas cards made today. I've only made 6 so far and thought I could do 12 more today.  Completely over ambitious. This is as far as I got.

One of our silly cats Bonnie has been over grooming so much that I managed to get her into the vets this morning to see what could be done.  Steroids to begin with to see if it's an allergy before we go down the path of her just being an anxious loon. 

I knew that by the time I came home, cooked lunch and then went back out to do a food shop that the light would be gone and creativity would be very much hindered. The loss of light actually makes me anxious in the sense that I am working against the light going, which is about 3pm now. I really struggle with motivation in artificial light and this year seems to be even harder somehow.  It's also very difficult to see close stitching and accurate colours in embroidery work when the light is poor.  The struggle is real.  Although there are the same number of hours in the day, the days feel so short.  I didn't notice when I worked in a London office as the days were LOOOOONG winter or summer but being at home all day and trying to stitch things, it really affects me.  Many of us struggle with the darker months I know.  The thing is, I do enjoy so many aspects of winter - being cosy, lighting the fire, comfort food, winter fashions and knitwear, bare trees against a beautiful sunset. So many good things which I try and remember to appreciate but I do miss the daylight so much.

My daughter has been isolating from school due to covid cases there and consequently all of her year 13 are taking their A level mocks at home this week.  It's been pretty stressful for her and of course all of her peers who have had such a disrupted year.  It did mean that we could decorate the tree whilst listening to tacky Christmas music; a tradition for her with either me, a friend or boyfriend helping.

It's dark now and the day is only half over but I have high hopes that I might get those Christmas cards done tomorrow...