A nod to November

Yes, I know November is over, but I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on the month just past before rushing into the whirlwind that is December !

November never seems to get good press and to be honest, it has never been a favourite month of mine, stuck as it is between golden October and the twinkling lights of December. This year, though, I found myself thinking it wasn’t quite so bad.

It was incredibly mild for the most part and the late summer flowers provided welcome colour right through to the end of the month when a cold spell arrived. I will miss the cosmos in the garden but at least I have seeds aplenty to sow next year.

Earlier in November, I read a quote on Instagram (I wish I could remember who shared it) but it was along the lines ….‘flowers don’t bloom all year round and you don’t have to either’.  When I read that, it rang so true to me and  I felt my shoulders instantly relax (in relief !). And so, as nature slows down outside, I slowed down a little too. I reduced the amount of time I spend online, I unsubscribed to emails and signed up to stop junk mail through the letterbox as well as continuing to declutter and downsize my ‘stuff”.  A kind of shedding, if you like, and I have to say it feels good !

With the longer nights, I went to bed a little earlier with a cuppa and a book for company. I’ve not read as much as I would like this year, nor have I found a book that really captured my attention until I started reading ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman. I’m sure many of you will have heard of it or read it by now. As usual, I’m a bit late to the party on that front ! I have to say, though, it’s a funny, sad, touching and life affirming book that is also very readable. I highly recommend a read.

At the end of the month, we also collected the deeds to our house.  It’s a goal most of us have, to own our own home and be mortgage free, and I can’t quite believe we’ve made it.  I never imagined I’d end up living in a bungalow (albeit an extended one) but I totally love it and I feel very happy  (and lucky) living where I do.

I guess the one thing I struggled with in November, though, was the lack of daylight. Early starts and evening commutes home in darkness mean that I see very little daylight until the weekend and I think I suffer a little as a result. So, come Saturdays, I tried to rebalance that with a dander round the garden and walks with Boris. And that lovely low November light more than makes up for the shorter days …

So that’s my little round up of November ..it was a slower month in many ways but in good ways too !

How was your November ? And are you feeling festive yet ? I’d love to know !

Wherever you are, have a lovely Sunday x