Bit chilly, bit wet.

New snow! That should make searching for sunglasses in a forest a lot more interesting! There was mostly rain in town, the coast is a lot warmer. So was the bottom of the Bötsle hill, there's a huge difference between there and us - it's 75 metres above sea level where we live. Anyhow, we set off around 10.30 to hunt for the polaroids. Having been reminded that my Nana would send up a prayer to Saint Anthony, the saint of lost things (or as my Mum used to say, the saint of lost causes), I sent my regards and asked for sharp eyes.

Someone else had found them is all I can think, the ground was easy to see, there were three pairs of eyes looking since Ruth (who lives nearby) also joined us. It feels good to have gone back and closed the chapter. And got some exercise in the rain, which would probably have put me off a walk otherwise. I explained that I was working on loving rain, and that provoked stunned silence from my Irish pal who knows all about the big wet. Generous Ruth had two pairs of polaroids and has given me a pair if they work! What a sweetie she is. I have since done a search on the internetty and believe there are similar ones available, even here in the north. I will happily try Ruth's out first. 

Getting ready to dress the Left party window is fun. I have been gathering raw material and bought two glitter pens (red and green of course, I'm so traditional) at Lidl yesterday - they were dried up! So back they went... We called into the second hand shop and I did some very satisfying Christmas shopping, finding what I think will be perfect gifts for three good friends. And a big bobbin of red parcel ribbon that I need for dressing that window. There happened to be a 9-pointed red paper star sitting quietly by itself, and it now happens to be hanging in the middle of the downstairs sitting room now. Looks very festive and glows beautifully. Can you have too many stars? I don't see how! I got some more exercise going up and down steps to fix it to the ceiling etc. I can also report that heat travels upwards and you get hot and bothered at ceiling height for too long faffing about.

Apparently, my London nephew is decorating his flat with lights this weekend, feeling the need for winter cheer. It's a family complaint perhaps? I love suffering from it! One brother was making jam yesterday, and another has been doing major DIY and decorating in his home - we are all pretty handy I think. And creative, it's lovely to never be bored, to always have a project or three on the go, to never have an empty IN-tray. 

I haven't done any practical work on the photo-calendar today, but I've been mulling over the next steps. I think doing a week at a time is smart, to get some finished products sent off to clever Helena who will slot them into place. I work better on this sort of project if I have a plan in my mind, when I draw and paint there is no plan to speak of when I begin, it grows as the work progresses. bookbinding is somewhere between the two, with planning needed, but flexibility possible, it's interesting to think about how different processes work.

As we walked Ruth and I were speaking about being "Sweepers" and seeing the details in a situation, or being task-focused and all the other ways we might tackle a job. And how understanding this helps us to be accepting of other people and their way of doing things. Something that was also being talked about on the radio this morning, in connection with a report about how women are doing yet more of the domestic work during the pandemic, and how they are also losing jobs at a much greater rate than men. Usually men's work is the first to go in a recession. One Indian man was speaking about how his wife needed to accept his way of washing up, instead of complaining it wasn't her way! (an old stumbling block with my Mum was exactly that, apparently my plates were incorrectly stacked. Come off it Babs!)

So, the fire has been lit, the bed changed, the washing, done, a new red star has appeared in the East and I feel curiously drawn to it. We have drunk tea and read the paper, and thought about pasta for tea. Tomorrow we are out in the forest for a three hour stint of forest bathing with Lasse, I have my woolly underwear and big boots at the ready, the karrimats and little portable three legged stools are going with us as well. It will be interesting to see how we get on, It's really wet everywhere and today there was a high wind as well as sleet. I realise I'm painting a gloomy picture! The house looked like the blip shows, as we returned at 3.