Category Archives: Gardening

Coughs and Colds

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I’m not alone in catching one bug after another this winter – almost everyone I work with feels crappy in one way or another. As soon as I get rid of one illness I catch another, and it’s getting REALLY ANNOYING, especially as I cannot afford to have any time off work. Like most others, I just have to grit my teeth and get on with it, whilst simultaneously spreading my germs around the place. At least it’s not covid this time. I got in trouble for not going to work with covid in December and had to have a disciplinary, which is all kinds of crazy. I’ve had covid twice now – the first time it was literally illegal for me to leave the house, whereas the last time I got in trouble for not spreading it around. Make it make sense.

It’s doubly annoying because there is SO MUCH I want to do this year, yet as soon as it gets to the weekend all I have the energy to do is rest. I so hope that spring brings healthier times.

In between bugs, I have had some nice times this month. The highlight has got to be the dog sleepover – our first time having Pluto overnight, along with Newton. I’ve just realised that I haven’t even shared a picture of Pluto yet, which goes to show how under the weather I’ve been because this is exciting news indeed.

My sister got a little brother for Newton in January, and although he is so different to our gorgeous Newt butt, he is very much adorable in his own little way (albeit a handful, but aren’t all puppies?)

He is a lot less laid back than Newton was at that age, which is quite… tiring, but the snuggles more than make up for it. He only has on or off – he is getting into EVERYTHING or he is in the deepest sleep I ever witnessed.

My knitting year hasn’t started with the bang I hoped it would, but I did get a little commission done for the daughter of someone I work with and her girlfriend, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

I’m going to make time for some knitting this weekend, because I have an absolutely SUPERB idea that I can’t wait to show off. It’s going to be fantastic. I cannot overstate how excited I am about it.

I also got out into the garden for the tiniest of tidy ups, and the pre-spring bulbs are bringing a bit of colour and joy into the garden. We’ve had some really nice winter sun at times, and on the morning I took my camera into the garden, it looked like the flowers were glowing.

And just like that, I am excited again about the new gardening year. Before this month is over, I need to get the February seeds on the go before it’s too late, especially as last year I didn’t do nearly enough in the garden.

As long as I can stay healthy for more than five minutes, the year should finally get going for me now. Let’s hope these aren’t famous last words…

Thanks for reading,

Hayley x

Slow & Sleepy

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It was a slow January. I wonder if I had a touch of long covid because until last week I found it very difficult to stay awake at all.

It has been too cold to want to do much whether I felt like it or not,but the frost couldn’t keep me away from a good photo opportunity.

My favourite picture was this one:

I wanted to capture the tiny bit of winter sun that was able to get into the garden, but also as I was breathing out (I was deliberately huffing my breath out to make it more noticeable) it made a really nice hazy effect. If you look closely, you can see the moisture particles.

That’s pretty awesome, right? I’m itching to get back into gardening as I didn’t do much over the last couple of years. I had so many plans, but I was too ambitious what with all the other various crafts and projects I like to dabble in, not to mention having a full-time job. This year I have simple yet effective plans – I’m trying to do a little bit of everything rather than hyperfocus on one thing.

As for the knitting, I am still pottering away in the background but I haven’t managed to do much. When it comes to my spare time I’ve spent a lot of it playing The Sims. Firstly because I effing LOVE playing Sims, and secondly because, when I’m feeling under the weather, it’s the only thing I can manage to do other than sleep.

Last week I found I had some spare energy, so I made it a priority to get out of the house for a long walk. It was lovely to be out, there was still a lot to see even though spring is not yet doing its thing.

It’s easy for me to feel a bit panicky that there isn’t enough time to do all the things that I love, but then I remember that my annual leave allowance will be renewed on the 1st of April, and once again I will have a better work/life balance. I forget this every single year!

As soon as I see the spring sun, that will also perk me up and life will get more interesting again. Until then, I am still in hibernation mode (which is apparently a completely normal thing for humans to do, to kind of hunker down for the winter, and it’s only goddamn capitalism trying to convince us we should have the same level of productivity all year round).

Anyway! If you need me I’ll be mostly under a duvet with a good book for the rest of this month.

When I return, I’ll have some new knits to show you.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Hayley x