Stuff.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
- Douglas Adams



So much to do. Sooooooooo much to do. Work stuff, Christmas stuff, Farmhouse renos stuff, basic necessities of life stuff... Stuff stuff stuff.

And am I doing any of the stuff I should be doing?

Of course not. I'm jotting a note about my procrastination skills on my blog while deadlines approach with amazing speed.

Here they come!

One more sleep...

... and then it's my birthday!!

So, some words of wisdom and humour to mark the occasion of living another year:

We turn not older with years but newer every day.

- Emily Dickinson

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

- George Bernard Shaw

With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come.

- William Shakespeare

A birthday is the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip!

- Unknown

Brunette!

Faraway friends - it is true. I have indeed dyed my hair brown. I still have many blonde streaks, but am no longer a blonde, per se. (And I absolutely love it, by the way!)

Many thanks go to my colleague Tatjana, who recommended her stylist Andrea to me. Andrea totally got what I was looking for and created exactly the style and colour I wanted.

Here is a recent picture of my present-day hair.

Taking Shape...

The bedroom arch is coming along. See the lovely exposed brick? Happy, happy me. :-)

And the guy who broke the windows has come forward and confessed that he kicked in the one window. As suspected, it was Ben, one of the former tenants. I have not yet spoken with my cousin Matt about what really happened and why, but I will keep you posted. At present, I have to admit, no reason that is in any way justifiable comes to mind...

My Advent Calendar

I opened my Advent Calendar today. (And got to eat not one, but two, tiny, waxy, not-really-real-chocolate chocolates.)

I know that many people feel Christmas has turned into just one big commercial gimmick to part us from our hard-earned money. And, these people have a valid point. But the holidays are still a magical time to me.

I hear Christmas carols on the radio, and my heart smiles. I see bright strings of lights illuminating dark streets, and I no longer care that it is dark when I leave for work, and dark again before I head home. Christmas trees and decorations, holiday baking, spiced wine and steaming apple cider, family traditions, festive parties and get-togethers, the hopeful excitement sparkling in children's eyes, snow softly falling from dark skies, candles flickering on tables laden with food, the anticipation of days of leisure after the frenetic rush of the first weeks of the month are over, the generosity of the season, time spent with loved ones...

The holiday spirit infuses everything. Or maybe it just infuses me, and I feel it coming through everywhere I go...