The River Orwell is my new neighbour, and I must say he makes for an exceptional one.  Living this close to the water is a very different way of living to what I was used to. I take pleasure in simpler things – like a blue sky and the sound of a seagull circling ahead. One of the best things about living in Suffolk is how dry it is, so even though it’s cold you can still go about your day. Though, I must say we are having to adjust to the colder climes. I am not in Joburg anymore, lol! Winters there required a simple cardigan and perhaps a light coat in the mornings.  So … yes … different! But we are enjoying the crisp coldness and snuggly weather.

My husband and I had an impromptu picnic on the river shore the other day, sitting in the bough of a tree we ate our sandwiches and made friends with all the dogs who came ambling past – that’s another perk to colder weather – all the dogs on the beaches!

My own poor Fudge, has been dealing with an eye abscess that is taking forever to heal but it looks like she’s turning a corner for a while she couldn’t enjoy her walks with the wind getting in her eye, poor thing.

In terms of writing, book three is now finished and I’m working on the line-edits – it’s incredible that I’m at this stage – this book was so difficult to write and I was flooded with self-doubt, luckily my editor managed to talk me off the ledge and I am starting to feel rather excited about its release this year – more news on that in the weeks to come!

I can’t believe January is almost over.  I must say that personally, I prefer the start of the year to the end of the year which always feels like such a drain. While I love Christmas, there’s a bit too much of a focus on having ‘the perfect Hallmark Christmas’ I feel, and with friends and family scattered across the globe, it can be hard to live up to. Whereas the New Year just feels more positive. There’s all that New Year energy going around – and I love that. I’ve always loved making big audacious goals, though I can be a bit like Bridget Jones, breaking them by day one! So instead of really big audacious goals, I have more modest ones. Writing two new books this year and losing weight are two of my biggest. I know writing two books probably doesn’t seem modest but at this stage, it’s a lot more manageable as I’m working at this full time.

I started my own bullet journal – have you heard of them?  – as a way to ramp up my productivity and keep an eye on my progress, but also to be a bit more present in my life, and take note of things that I’m experiencing – such as mood, health, what I’m reading, what I’m grateful for  – as well as what Julia Cameron, the author of The Artist’s Way, calls artist dates. I love that you can design your ‘BuJo’  any way you want.  Also, it is an excellent way to do two things I love most –  which is procrastinating and visiting the stationery shop! Finally an excuse! Lol.

As I have to document my day more now, it gives me more of an incentive to get out of my writing room and get out and about.

Do you keep a bullet journal? What’s your favourite part of winter / January – I’d love to hear about it!

xxx

Uncategorized Bullet Journal goals River Orwell Suffolk Winter writing