Happy Wednesday dear reader!

It’s nearly Halloween!!!

You know why I love Halloween?

Because when Halloween is over, PUMPKIN SEASON WILL SOON BE OVER AND WE WILL FINALLY BE AT CHRISTMAS!!!!

I know dear reader, don’t hate me. I know y’all (still in Texas mode 2 months on) LOVE halloween and pumpkin picking and all the rest of the autumn/pumpkin-related stuff that I love to hate. But I was tired of it within a week as usual, and I’m excited to see all the halloween houses on my estate turn into CHRISTMAS houses!!!!!!!!! And I am excited to not have to endure the sight of another pumpkin or pumpkin field for another year.

I have actually gone out today and purchased one of those projector things that show moving images of pumpkins and ghosts and gory things on your house exterior, after being terrorised by one of the kids on the estate about how shit my house looks on halloween!

We have no kids, we have no desire to go and spend money on making my house look all scary or attach a big spider’s web like all the other houses on the estate, but I DO love being a part of the festivities and having kids knock on to get sweets on halloween night and seeing them all in their little costumes.

So after last year’s bloody fiasco of trying and failing to get kids to knock on the door (because my house wasn’t decorated and nowadays parents only take their kids to houses that are decorated) and trying to force James to drive around the estate handing out the sweets I’d bought that had pretty much gone to waste (which he refused on the basis of looking like an absolute WEIRDO), I vowed that 2023 halloween would be DIFFERENT.

Kids would be falling over themselves to knock on our door this time!!!!!

Alas, my grand ideas once again have NOT come to fruition, and it turns out that as much as I want to be a part of the festivities, I don’t want it so much that I’ll give in and get a pumpkin anywhere near this house. So I compromised and bought a projector and I’m going to post on the estate’s Facebook group to say please knock on [my address here] because I now have two gigantic bowls of sweets that I really need going ASAP so I don’t get forced to eat them all myself and put on another 6 pounds that I’ll struggle to get back off.

Anyway, pumpkin-moan over, HOW ARE YOU?

What have you been up to this week?

Work is mega busy right now so I’m not getting much time midweek to do anything really, but I’m excited because I’m going to see a psychic tomorrow!!!!!!

I can’t describe it but I feel like a change is coming or needed or I DON’T KNOW JUST WELCOMED and I want the psychic to tell me what change that is and confirm my gut feeling that it is coming. And no, if you’re wondering, they don’t have my name so on the off chance they happened to search me and find this blog, they won’t know I’m predicting a change on the horizon!

I can’t wait to see what they say though, and afterwards I’m going for some tapas and vino in a place I’ve wanted to visit for yeaaaaaaaaars so it’ll be a really nice Thursday to break up an otherwise really mundane week.

Anyway, hope your week is going well dear reader, it’s a short and sweet one from me this week on account of I’M TIRED and I need to try to power through a book ahead of a live event with the author next Friday.

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Reading

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read by Dr. PhilipPa Perry

I’ve not had much time to devote to reading at the moment. I think with the dark nights rolling in, by the time I finish work and make my tea, it’s nearly time for bed and I don’t quite have the energy or desire to read. I always get the same around this time of year as we adjust to the darker evenings.

But I’m set on reading this book in its entirety because I’m actually going to see the author speak live next Friday night! I’m so excited. I have had this book for years and delved into it every now and again, but never managed to finish it. It is my mission to read this book in a week though finally, and seeing her speak live is an excuse to finally do so.

Wish me luck!

You can learn more about it here.

Watching

The Office U.S.

James started watching this whilst in Spain and I quickly got hooked. He’s seen it before, I think during one of the lockdowns in 2020/21 but I never watched it with him. I did dip in and out but that was about it.

Anyway, I got hooked alongside him watching it in Spain and we are still making our way through the series. I think we’re on season 5 now, and I just absolutely LOVE it.

The show itself is just so so so funny, which OF COURSE it is because it has been somewhat produced/had some involvement from the comedy geniuses Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, but I just love it so much. It is such feelgood, easy watching TV, especially after a long or stressful day.

If you haven’t ever seen it, I would STRONGLY recommend it. Some of the characters are annoying AF (the guy below) but it’s all part of it and overall, the characters are amazing, the storylines are great, and it has just the right amount of stupidity/daft comedy. It’s just great, go check it out!

Listening

It’s a bit weird that this song has been in my head lately because I somehow attach the concept of change to it and as I said, I’M ON THE VERGE OF CHANGE. Spoooooooooooky huh?

This song came out in August 2020, right before I quit my job and had no idea what I was jumping into next. I was trying to make a go of being a freelance writer, I took up a job in a wine bar, and I had no idea generally what I was doing with my life.

Anyway, I used to listen to this song on repeat around that time and it now makes me think back to that time in 2020 fondly. I think change is only ever a good thing, even when it feels quite scary and like you’re diving into the unknown, and that’s generally the vibe this song gives.

Enjoy!

Careful What I Try to Do – Erasure

Before You Go…

Don’t forget those of us in the UK, the clocks go back on Sunday so we can expect darker nights even earlier. YIKES we’re at that time already. Where the hell did this year go?!

I always mourn the end of summer, it always seems to go too quickly and really, we never seem to GET one in this country. It rains pretty much all the time and we may get a few weeks of sun and warmth if we’re lucky (I know, I’m exaggerating a bit but I just LOVE sun and warmth and light and find myself wishing we would get more or what we do get would last longer each year).

But I have to say, there is something so beautiful about the cyclical nature of the seasons. It feels like I blinked and we were in this time of year a year ago with the leaves falling off the trees and those cold, fresh, delightful days of winter and Christmas upon us.

I’m really excited as always for winter. I love walking and running and being outdoors all wrapped up and cosy on those fresh, crisp days. I’m counting down for them and hopefully SNOW!!!

Anyway, I hope you’re OK and your week is going OK and I’ll be back with you next Wednesday for the next instalment of the Coffee Corner!