Angel Jem's City Cottage

Whatever else you do today (hello! I'm writing this a day late on Thursday: better late than never) go and vote. I don't care who you vote for, just vote. And if there's nobody you want to vote for, go and spoil your ballot. Spoilt ballots get counted as well, and can be a form of protest. On to Wednesday Wind Up. I've had a bit of a slow wake up this week, I think I either have a water infection or a cold, I find it so hard to get out of bed and into work. Or perhaps the sunny mornings just make me wish occasionally I was still a SAHM. Oh, the things I could do with a few days at home now! Never mind, that's not my season. I work 9 to 4 most days, so that's what I do. What am I reading this week? I finished reading Gone Viking by Helen Russell. It was funny, and touching, and all the things I wanted it to be. A good happy read, so that was fun. I also finished Happy by Fearne Cotton. It was interesting: while I was reading it, I could hear Fearne...

There are so many people eager to see the back of this year. I must admit, I am one of them. I just feel trapped under a large boulder at the moment. No one thing, but lots of little things, just getting to me, making me feel on edge, worried, stressed. And i don't do stress well. To the wind up. What am I reading this week? I am back on the Hardy again. It struck me that I only have this novel and then Tess and Jude the Obscure to read and I will be finished with the novels. So, The Woodlanders it is, almost exclusively until I am finished and then... well, probably some light romance or a good old murder for Christmas. What have I watched this week? I watched the first part of Rillington Place with Tim Roth playing Christie earlier this week. we have the last two parts saved up to watch, so later on this week may be a space to watch them. We also have the interview episode of the Apprentice on tomorrow. I love that episode, every year, because it lays the candida...

This is my desktop at work.... no, not the one on the computer, although it could quite well have been, but my real desktop at work. The teapot and cup are from the charity shop, and are marked Royal Spencers, so I don't know where you'd get one. The tea is Spiced Orange from Hoogly Tea and is gorgeous, beautiful light and delicately spiced orange flavoured herbal infusion. I'll link to it, I promise I will. I want you to look beyond, to look behind. Can you see the golden box flickering in the sunlight? See the delicate wisps of tissue sticking out? How I wish we had smelly vision. I would offer it to you to rest your delicate nasal passages along and hear to say, " Mulled wine scented tissues ? Who on Earth thought up those? And who would buy them?" That second question is, alas, redundant. I would. And they do mulled wine scented toilet paper with pretty gold Christmas pattern on as well. I'm going back after payday. Indeed. My payday treat th...

Oh my Gosh! It feels like I haven't posted a wind up for ages! My little City Cottage is in need of an Autumn tidy up and a clear out of ideas and attitudes. After all, this is where my friends are, not my followers. Here's my wind up; What am I reading this week? I'm reading every hygge book going; I have about 7 so far and another one on order for the end of October. The more I read, the more I like and the more convinced I am that hygge is what we do naturally; that all I need to do as a Hygge Ambassador is send people your way; all the homemaking, caring, crafting, living that you do and share on the interweb; that's hygge. Apart from a mass of Hygge books, I read This House is Haunted by John Boyne. It's a good old-fashioned ghost story in the tradition of Susan Hill's The Woman in Black or Henry James' Turn of the Screw . Eliza Caine loses her Father and takes a job on impulse at a deserted house in Norfolk. You could have told her it wasn...

I can't believe how far behind in Christmas shopping I feel this year! Normally by now I have lists ready and I'm well underway. I think part of the problem is that I haven't been able to get a sensible word from the Lads about what they want, and I am just not prepared to have a go at guessing myself. That, and the money flow is not the best. We are doing well, thank you, but working for oneself as a business, especially one like solicitor, means that you never know whether this month is a feast or a famine. I thought I would be giving up tutoring, but I still need to keep it up for the next year at least, if only to pay for Christmas. Having a small amount of cash every week just gives me the freedom to know that I will have x amount to spend on y day. It helps. Like Tesco says... every little helps. But this weekend I finally sat down, notebook and Evernote to hand, and planned the shopping. I still have no idea what the lads want, but they'll have to mak...

It's funny how you can have waves of shopping, isn't it? There was a year when everything I got was black... or red... or had squares or circles on it. I took Sarah off to Yarndale again this year, so I suppose it shouldn't have been too surprising when the shopping ended up having a common theme to it. But first... Yarndale . Sarah and I were both shattered after a week in school/work (and following on from a weekend away last week) so we cancelled the planned weekend away. We were due to Yarndale (that's a verb, it means spending time browsing yarn and stroking a lot of alpaca) yesterday, but had a pootling day at home instead. My living room is clean and smells nice again now. That only lasts until tomorrow, when the guineas will do their worst. So we decided that today was the day. We were up and out at 10.30, and at Skipton for 12.30. Last year we went on the Saturday and it was packed, like standing room only packed. The fact that we drove straight i...

On time for once! What am I reading this week? Claire Tomalin's biography of Hardy. In small bits. And to go with that, The Hand of Ethelberta. It's a lesser-known Hardy, probably because it's not his rural idyll style, but a comedy of manners about a young girl who, having been a governess and married to the son of the house before being widowed and taken care of by her Mother in Law, finds herself without an obvious means of support and has to live with her natural family in a London town house, with her family acting as her servants while she tells stories and decides which titled character she might marry. I am enjoying it; there are some humorous moments. What have I watched this week? Game of Thrones series 1. We only watch this when Mr K is out of the house, because the blood and guts don't suit him (and the sex is very in your face as well. I don't want to go giving him ideas if I can help it). Tonight he's out at a meeting, so we may we...

I 'um'ed and 'ah'ed about writing this post and making it public. I'm not the world's best at keeping resolutions. But this isn't a resolution, it's a firm decision. I am having a spending fast for the rest of January. A buy nothing month in an attempt to save extra money towards... well, I can tell you about that another time. For now, all I want to record is my firm commitment that I am not spending money on unnecessary things from now until February 3rd. Just over a month. Let's see how I do, shall we? I should report back every Wednesday in my weekly round up.

WARNING; This post is MASSIVE and full of photos of crochet.  Still reading? Last week I read this post about a chunky bag on Attic 24 .  My, but Lucy can really crochet. I mean, really. I wonder if she has a family of elves hidden in her understairs cupboard who sit, patiently, hooking away to complete her projects. Although, not elves. Elves are too... ethereal to crochet. It takes a more down to earth species to crochet. Like dwarves (no, too heavy handed) or gnomes (euch! too green fingered) or..., yes, I have it... hobbits. Crochet is an ideal hobbit craft. It's quick, easy, portable (so you can do it at the pub) and makes lovely stuff in the round. Perhaps Frodo really crocheted his tobacco pouch, or Sam hooked his garden flowers with pleasure as he sat back outside Bag End. You can find ideas for hobbit crochet here , but my favourite has to be either the crochet Smaug  or the idea that Geek Central has amigurumi figures with separate clothes made from fe...

Football on Sky. I love watching it with Mr AJ who gets real enjoyment from it. Cheap hyacinths at Morrisons. January isn't January without them. Brisket beef that takes 5 hours to cook. And Yorkshire pudding. Closing the curtains at dusk after a cold sharp day. A new crochet magazine with interesting reading and a cute free gift. What I spent Hyacinths 4×1.25 Magazines 2× 4.99 Mini chocolate 2× 42p

Tivo meaning I could watch an excellent episode of Simon Schama's history of the Jews that I recorded back in September. Kindle meaning I can read Robert Harris' new novel, An Officer and  Spy about the Dreyfuss Affair in France. Laptops meaning I spent about 2 hours trying to get a site web for Mr Angel Jem's website. Galaxy Tab meaning I can post on Blogger even now while my laptop recharges. My Family meaning all of the above are only tools to enhance my life with Mr AJ, DP, JW and the Princess. Money spent 4.48 on a wrap from McDonald's for lunch 9.30 on fish for tea and a small custard pie that had my name on. I haven't spent much on line this week: what I have has been refundable by other sources (for school or business) so I'm happy with that.  First sign of the laptop out and I get asked to do this, that or the other. Being busy is a good way to avoid spending.

Going back to school after a holiday knowing that I was going BACK to the same school. Baked camembert for lunch thus combining a treat for the first day with finishing off some stuff from Christmas. Watching Dead Poets Society with DP and wishing I could have had or been a teacher like Mr Keating. Fried mushrooms. Teaching someone to multiply decimals and watching him get it. Money spent today. 9.50 on Doritos for lunch, chorizo and peas for tea.

Mr Angel Jem's new business and the fact he keeps pushing me past my comfort zone. A quiet Sunday afternoon with the FA cup and the last of the Christmas tin of Roses, Planning ahead for the week; menu planned, work planned and social life, such as it is, planned. Playing Filofax. New diary, new year. Cottage pie for tea. I still have to make this; a quiet half hour in the kitchen and something warm and rib sticking for tea! Money Spent Nothing today. No books, no magazines, nothing.

Watching Death Comes to Pemberley with Mr Angel Jem and then today with my eldest and youngest. Having a lovely chicken and chorizo paella to make for candlelit supper for just me and Mr AJ tonight. Watching the rain on the windowpane outside as I sit inside. Rippling along with MY blanket Pear cider nicely chilled Money Spent today £29 in Tesco's. It was 4 pies for lunch, some ladies necessities, 2 tea towels for £1.75 and two magazines that fell into my basket; this month's Country Homes and Interiors and Craftseller, just for the Scotty Dog. £2.99 on John Newman's album, Tribute. This was with a £2 voucher from Money Saving Expert

Messing on the computer to draw up a poster for Attendance Tigers at school Sharing chips with curry sauce with my three children A Virgin TiVo box that means I can watch Sherlock again (and again and again) Having Nordic slippers that keep my feet warm The final day of Christmas lights. I'm de-Noelling tomorrow Money Spent today Chips £9 (included a curry sauce and large sausages) Drinks £3 Filofax Finance sheets £2.50 I sort of feel I should record what I've smoked and what I weigh in a Bridget Jones way, but I didn't ever enjoy that book, I don't smoke, and I daren't tell anyone yet the truth. So, no. Gratitude and spending are enough for now.