So that’s November done! I just can’t quite believe we’re in the last month of the year and hurtling towards 2018 at rapid speed! I know I literally say that every month, but still, there has been something disconcerting about the rate at which this year has whizzed by. I feel like every time I sit down to write these monthly round up posts I find myself wondering how on earth another four weeks could have passed by so quickly without much having happened, but November has actually been different. In fact, it’s been pretty damn eventful, truth be told!
It all started with Bonfire Night. When I was little I didn’t like loud bangs, so my Mum had the pleasure of having to watch all fireworks displays from behind a window! These days though I’m a huge fan and not having been to one in the last few years I was determined we would get to see some. We headed over to a local display in the next village from ours and had a lovely evening drinking beer in the warm glow of the bonfire and watching what was, in my opinion, a pretty impressive display considering it was just a small local one. As we set off for the walk home I was reminded that we really have moved out to the countryside when a car that passed us suddenly reversed back down the road and a man stuck his head out of the window and asked if we needed a lift! If someone did that to you in Birmingham you’d run for the hills, but here apparently it’s just the done thing!
The following week things took a turn for the slightly less jolly. We had booked a trip to go Go Karting with work, which I’ve never done before. Given that I don’t drive yet I was a little apprehensive, but I really wanted to give it my best shot. I duly got all trussed up in my overalls and awaited my turn – just look at how positively it started:
I actually did fine for the first stint. My main tactic was just to get around the track in one piece and take the corners nice and slow. I certainly wasn’t the fastest, but I was doing it, and that was the main thing. Just before the last lap though it all went a bit wrong. One of the guys (who, ironically, works in our Safety Team…) tried to overtake me and took out my back wheels pushing me straight under the crash barrier! I took most of the impact to my right hand and suffered a nasty case of whiplash, not to mention a very dented sense of pride! So Dan had to cheer me up with this:
It was all very scary and didn’t really sink in until the next morning when my body went into shock and I was in a bit of a bad way. Ever the trooper, though, I still managed to get myself all dressed up for an awards ceremony the next evening! Well, I never pass up an opportunity to get my gladrags on, do I? And it’s just as well I managed to get myself there because we actually won a Highly Commended award for Shared Services Centre of the year!
The next day we headed down south to spend the Weekend with some friends of ours in Southampton. We had a wonderful time with them and their two adorable children. On the Saturday we visited the New Forest Nature Park, where we saw all sorts of animals like otters, wolves, lynx and deer. They also had a fantastic adventure playground there, including a zipline. Sadly my injuries (and the fact that I’m an adult) meant I couldn’t play, which I was a little bit gutted about to be honest…! As I wrote at the time, I’d been secretly hopeful in the run up to the trip that I’d get to spend some time at the beach, and my hopes were realised as the next day we headed down to Lee-on-Solent for a lovely afternoon skimming stones and looking for seashells. All that sea air must have done me some good because I had the most restful nights sleep that night, though I didn’t quite feel ready for Monday. Time flies when you’re having fun though, as they say!
Talking of time flying, the following week my sister and I had a right trip down memory lane. I’d bought her tickets to see Bananarama for her birthday months ago and the big night finally arrived last week! I got a lot of ribbing from people when I told them how excited I was, but it’s actually lucky I bought the tickets when I did because it was a complete sell out! We had such a fun night singing and dancing along to all our old favourites from our childhoods. Also, big bonus – we were basically the youngest people there, which let’s face it, doesn’t happen all that often….
And since then it’s been all go! Basically a blur of German Market, Christmas Shopping, trying to get the house ready for our housewarming and trying to tie things up before the festive period really gets underway! Some days I find it a little overwhelming, having all these plans again, but then at the same time it feels so nice to have things to look forward to and someone to share them with. For once, as much as I feel a tiny bit flustered at the speed with which time is whizzing by, I’m feeling really happy about impending Christmas fun!
Bring it on, December!
Love,
Picking the Day 