Lately...

I’m feeling like I want to post and share some pictures, and to document a little bit of our summer.

Not that there’s anything too newsworthy; I’m still enjoying my work in the bookshop and in Haworth. The weather’s still moody (I relish it, despite being in an apparently very small minority of pluviophiles).

Joe’s spent time with his grandparents but is now home again. We’ve bought his new school shoes - expensive!!! - and the remainder of his uniform. It’s the halfway point for the holidays and we’re planning on saving for a trip to one of the Greek islands perhaps next May at half term.

Joe’s new/old desk is currently in the living room, until we take it outside for sanding and move some of his bedroom furniture around. I’ve been using it and will struggle to hand it over…

We’ve been out for walks locally. Summer feels as though it’s on the wane. But it’s making a slow retreat in an extended explosion of yellow and violet and magenta.

Blackberries are ripening and the first shades of rust and gold are creeping into the bracken.

At home, the cats are still barely tolerating one another. They touch noses in greeting then it’s all hissing and paw swipes and spying whilst pretending to be asleep.

I’ve been bringing in the usual seasonal bits and pieces: honesty, allium and poppy heads, heather. We have a few old clothes rails in the (unfinished) kitchen extension, and they’re excellent for drying herbs and flowers.

I’m treating myself to the odd book from work; the latest is The Shipping News - I wanted my own copy to add to my library. So I ordered one.

Next in line are some more of the Ladies Detective Agency series. I bought a recent one and realised I’d skipped the two preceeding it. Alexander McCall Smith is so prolific, it’s easy to think you’re up to date when you’re not…

And I am re-reading Thornyhold again. There are some books you can read over and over yet still discover new details within the pages.

On TV, we’ve been going a little bit retro: Six Feet Under, Peep Show, Saxondale… I’ve also discovered Flowers and last week we watched The Devil All The Time. Which was a grim but decent film. Apparently, the book’s better…

Yesterday I was up early and had breakfast in front of Gardener’s World. I’d highly recommend it as a way of getting your day off to a gentle start; I felt very serene driving across the moors to Haworth. Even after a very large coffee.

The drive is always a pleasurable one anyway - the views are stunning and there are so many pretty houses and farms.

Things are still fraught, what with our current situation.

But I’m also feeling optimistic and have a few little projects on the horizon involving my photography. Collaborations, opportunities.

Writing is still important, of course, and again I’ll be doing more of that.

I’ve long dreamed of producing a book; a combination of my words and pictures. The Journal is a lovely thing to make but it involves a lot of work and continual deadlines.

Having taught myself the basics of design and publishing software, the prospect of a book isn’t so very daunting. So perhaps that’ll be a longer-term project which I can work on more slowly.

And now it’s time to put my feet up and have a relaxed few hours.

I’m back in work tomorrow and am looking forward to it. I feel very lucky in a lot of ways.

Sad sometimes (walking past Joe’s primary school - I don’t like endings). But also looking forward to that September feeling, of new starts and a change in the seasons.