There've been some changes around here since last summer. You might have noticed.

I took longer to get back to writing and crafting regularly since taking August off than I intended. Partly this was due to a restless sort of feeling about the whole thing, and what I wanted from it and where it was all going, and also because I was having to remember how to balance everything with working full-time again. The end of furlough was a sad time.

But now I'm back, and Better Than Ever. Probably. Maybe. Who knows; we'll find out together.

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

On the other hand, I did spend a lot of that time thinking about the future and making plans, some of which I'm still working out. Changes will continue for the next few months, though only little ones. But at least now I'm not feeling restless or uncertain now. Do you ever get that? A sort of flailing, of not knowing which way to turn: a bit stuck-in-the-mud. There's a word to describe when your thoughts get stuck, a bit like what happens to those with OCD or anxiety (perseveration: knew I'd remember it eventually!), when you just keep going over the same things and you can't break free. [Side note: if this happens to you frequently, especially if you get stuck on thoughts which cause distress, and you struggle to break free of the thought, it's probably a good idea to talk to someone who knows about mental health.]

The main thing furlough and the pandemic have shown me is how much more settled, less stressed, I am when I spend lots of time in my craft room. A quiet life, in fact, without lots of running around or spending all day dealing with Other People. So now I'm trying to plan out a life which facilitates that. There'll be some experimenting in the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, because I've decided to return to the pre-pandemic editorial schedule of two posts a week, I'm working out how best to amalgamate some of the less crafty topics. The books and the words and the miscellaneous life things.

Recent Reads

The End of the Day by Claire North

Worst. Idea. Ever by Jane Fallon

Words of the Month

Sometimes, it's difficult to pick my favourite words from a month. Sometimes, though, there's a theme which suggests itself (and I wonder what the people choosing them at the OED are thinking).

For January, my favourite words were:

Lightlying – the action of slighting or disrespecting a person or thing; contemptuous treatment; contempt, disdain

Fantysheeny – showy, fancy, or ostentatious

 This post is ad-supported
​