Wonderful Wednesday: November 2018

5 December 2018


Sneaking this post in at the beginning of December because I wanted to include the very last day of November, which fell on Friday. How quickly is this year disappearing? I'm hugely busy, which is making the weeks fly by but I love this time of year so much so I'm still desperately clinging to these last few weeks of 2018.

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♥ Spontaneous days off... I've somehow ended up with a couple of days of annual leave left. While I could carry them over until next year, our summer holiday was a long time ago and it's been a busy few months so I've decided to book some days off here and there to give me a few surprise long weekends in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I enjoyed two this month - on the first one I took myself into London for the day, meeting my husband for lunch and then headed to the Tate to see the new Burne-Jones exhibition, which I'd been excitedly looking forward to for months. I might do a separate post on the exhibition actually so I won't comment on it here, save to say that it was everything I was hoping for - I loved it.


Some of my colleagues just couldn't get their heads around my choosing to spend time on my own, not at home but going out to tea or to an exhibition. They just couldn't understand it. Of course it's always good to share experiences with people you love, who are enjoying it too, but sometimes there's just something so freeing about taking yourself out and just spending some time on your own doing whatever you want to do. Perhaps it's something I couldn't have done when I was younger and granted, I wouldn't want to do it all the time but I enjoy my own company or just relaxing with a book and a cup of tea. It's not to be feared. 

On Friday, I hopped on the train to Cambridge to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends, and her beautiful new baby. We went out to lunch, cooed over the newest littlest member of her family and I read endless stories about trains to her (slightly) older kiddo. It was fun to catch up but equally fun to escape to my aunt's that evening, who lives close by, for dinner and lots of red wine. I even managed to start my Christmas shopping the next day, a very productive trip!

♥ Autumn walks... We've enjoyed some quintessentially-autumn walks over the course of the last few weeks - kicking our way through the fallen leaves on a crisp day before heading home to enjoy something deliciously warming from the oven. It's stew season and I couldn't be happier!


♥ The first frost... Another highlight from this month, waking up and opening the curtains to see frost glittering across the grass and the hills in the distance covered in the most delicate of white sheens. Leaving the house to walk to work, I noticed my breath clouding in front of me and my eyes stung. I snuggled deeper into my scarf and curled my hands in my pockets as I trudged along. I really need to dig my gloves out from wherever I packed them earlier this year...


♥ Internet meet-ups... At the beginning of November, I was able to meet up with the lovely Sam who was visiting London for a few days. We went to Honest Burger and spent an enjoyable few hours putting the working world to rights and laughing a lot! It's so great that the Internet, which is so huge, can enable you to meet some like-minded souls. I've met some dear friends through the magic of my little circles on social media, it's a special thing and worth remembering when the algorithm continues to kick you on a regular basis and it can feel like you're looking into a void at times!

♥ Netflix Christmas specials... I know they're cheesy (beyond cheesy really!) and if you drill down into the storylines, they're not the stuff of Booker prizes but they're warm and cosy and comforting, which is a lot of what Christmas means to me. I've just watched one so far (The Christmas Switch) but I've book marked the others to enjoy in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

♥ Getting in the Christmassy mood... Along with my deep-rooted love of Netflix Christmas specials, I've slowly been marking off other little Christmassy snippets to  build up the enjoyment and anticipation. I visited the Country Living Christmas fair at the beginning of November with my mum and we enjoyed it so much we've decided to make it a yearly event to visit together. I think I was most excited about visiting the food suppliers - sampling heaps and heaps of cheese, along with a cheeky few festive beverages. I opted for some amazing cheddar and two delicious chutneys, which I'm really excited to bring out on Christmas day...along with a fair few more cheeses that I need to pick up in advance. Pickled onions too, as if there was ever any doubt.

We've bought our Christmas cards and I've written the list of people I want to send them to. Now I just need to find some time to curl up and write them. I've picked up a few Christmassy CDs and we've planned our epic food shopping list. Dare I say it, I'm starting to feel a little organised? Here's hoping...


Hope you all had wonderful Novembers and that the next few weeks are full of love and laughter - the next time I sit down to write this list, the new year will almost be here!

♥ Do let me know what's made your week/month a little rosier by leaving me a comment below or dropping me a tweet (I'm @happygoluckycat) or better yet, why not join the fabulous bunch of #WonderfulWednesday bloggers? Pop over to their blogs for a dose of mid-week happiness - SallyMichelleHelenKateJo, LauraSarahPetaElMimmiLynseyKatie and Em (I think that's everyone - shout at me if you're not on the list!) - and then join me in counting down the days until the weekend. It's in sight! 

6 comments

  1. Spontaneous days off feel the best! That gained time feels magic. I really enjoy spending time on my own as well. In fact, just yesterday I went to a restaurant myself and then hung out at the nearby park myself, reading a book. I currently live with one of my best friends from college, and I love spending time with her, more than I like spending with most people, but it's still nice to have moments to myself :) // The Christmas Switch was the first one I watched! What did you think of it? I was looking SO forward to it because Vanessa Hudgens was my childhood :3 I thought it was a little cringy, but I watched the whole thing anyways so.. that says something :D I've heard good things about The Christmas Chronicles so I'm planning to watch that too :) -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's

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    1. Haha yes, cringy is absolutely right but I still enjoyed it right to the very end - I think 'cringy' is at the root of all of those holiday specials :) Hope you have a wonderful Christmas x

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  2. I always save some holiday days to scatter through the year at random - long weekends are the best, aren't they? I'm not feeling particularly festive yet - I'm not the most Christmassy person anyway and having to work Christmas week is a bit of a bummer but your decorations do look beautiful x

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    1. Thank you so much - those aren't actually our decorations but a particularly splendid-looking tree in a local shop! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and have a little time off x

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  3. Sounds like you have had a glorious November Cat! You always capture photos of the seasons so beautifully - I need to do this more.

    I also watched a Christmas Switch and The Christmas Chronicals. Love Actually and The Holiday are on my festive 'to be watched' list.

    Glad you had a wonderful time with Sam! The internet is ruddy wonderful sometimes isn't is? xx

    Lynsey || One More Slice

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    1. It really is :) Thank you so much, you always capture food so wonderfully - perhaps we can swap tips! Have a fantastic Christmas, Lynsey xx

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