Is it really August already?

I don't want to wish the year away, but to me August is the start of the slippery downhill slide to Christmas.

July was a rather busy month, and went far too quickly - here are some of the things I did (or didn't do).

1. I didn't watch the Tour de France, except for the last leg into Paris and up the Champs Elysees - too many cyclists getting in the way of the scenery, in my view. To celebrate the Frenchyness of July (T de F, Bastille Day), I put up an "All things French" display in the library which has been very well received by our Francophile patrons. Sometimes my job is great fun!

2. I didn't watch the Diamond Jubilee either, and am happily avoiding the Olympic Games altogether. There's plenty to see on iView or on DVD - last night's classic French horror movie "Les yeux sans visage" was brilliant. I am still traumatised by the surgery sequence - how did thet get away with that in 1959? Thank you Maddie for introducing me to some obscure but amazing movies.

3. I've been trying to finish various crafty projects. Some have been underway for more than a decade. I am determined to finally finish this one by the end of winter. (It was one of my 2011 resolutions, but we won't discuss that.)

 

There are also two knitted cardigans and a pinafore dress (all half finished), plus a long list of projects I've planned but haven't started yet. I decided to teach myself how to do woodwork, but haven't even looked in the books I borrowed for this purpose - I always seem to overestimate how much time I have available.

4. There appears to have been a lot of on-line shopping happening - I have added to my collection of Kobenstyle cookware (now all of two items), taken advantage of the amazing Toast summer sale, ordered various goodies from Biome, and started off the summer gardening with Digger's Club. It's far too easy to press that "add to basket" button!

5. Speaking of the garden, I've spent a lot of time weeding, weeding, weeding. Also planting seeds (spring onions, purple sprouting broccoli, tomatoes, cosmos, Queen Anne's Lace). We still have lots of broccoli to pick, and I've been trawling the net for cumquat recipes, as our tree is rather full at present. It's all looking very good right now, as there's been lots of rain. It's hard to believe that spring is only a few weeks away...