This and that

It's almost the end of January. We start the year with such hopes and lose steam somewhere in the middle of the first month. I realise that if I don't bother about results, if I just track my habits and see the ticks where ticks are supposed to be, I am more likely to climb back up on that bandwagon.

Today, I started out going to the gym and sweating profusely. Which made me feel saintly and flushed with ...I don't know, endorphins?

Anyway, I am listening to The Waves by Virginia Woolf on Audible:

I bind my hair with a white ribbon, so that when I leap across the court the ribbon will stream out in a flash, yet curl around my neck, perfectly in its place. Not a hair shall be out of place.

I listened to Wind in the Willows twice. Now I realise I luxuriate in the beauty of the descriptions, the whimsical flights of fancy, as well as the description of all that good food. It's what I listen for in The Christmas Carol as well. My favourite description there has to do with fat onions that resemble Spanish friars.

I think I may listen to The Secret Garden next. But I have yet to find a recording that I like.

This is my message from The Universe today.

Do you know what I'd really, really like, Jennifer?

For you to know that I think about you every moment of every day.

K?

The Universe

And that your happiness is the point of this all, Jennifer. And that chocolate was not an accidental discovery.

I'm back at work after a lovely four-day holiday. During that time, I went to Backyard to see in Mark's birthday with him and give him his presents, decided to make achari chicken tart (still haven't assembled all the ingredients - what on earth are nigella seeds?), visited my father twice, got back on the treadmill and exercise bike and made the 10,000 steps every day.

Read a book or two.

Went to Bookexcess to get a heap of presents (and wrapping paper).

Met Anita for tea to give her (finally) her Christmas present.

I've been a busy bee. And I thought I just spent my holiday sleeping.