Resolutions, Changes and Living Simply

Well our babies are back at uni again and we are missing them.  This year could see some changes for our family as M is in her final year and J is looking for a work placement for the next year, before his final year at uni.

The new year started for us last Sunday, the first day of our normal routine once the children were back at uni.  My Husband and I went for our first nature walk of the year to see if the snowdrops were in bloom.

 We enjoyed taking the time to absorb the little details

 and watched this Red Kite circling overhead.

 Some seeds were still clinging to their seed heads.

We discovered a few fungi in the woodland.

In the evening we tried to spot the planets that were in alignment just after sunset, but it was too cloudy.  Last night we did manage to see Venus, Mercury and Mars.  Recently I also spotted Jupiter, but missed Saturn as I didn't get up early enough! :)  A couple of years ago my Husband had a telescope for his birthday and this year we are hoping to get involved with a local astronomy group.  I have always enjoyed gazing at the stars and want to learn more about them.

 This week I have started catching up with a few podcasts and blogs and have been interested to hear about everyone's new year's resolutions.  I don't really make any resolutions myself.  I am continuing with my plans to lose weight (including the 2lbs I put on over the holidays!) and to get fitter, but they aren't new year resolutions, just a lifestyle plan.  My Husband and I are trying out tai chi and yoga together this coming week as part of our ongoing fitness plan.  Simplify seems to be a keyword in many resolutions and that is a word we try to live by and we will be looking at ways to improve upon this again this year.  I'm not someone who needs to change things around in the house often, but I do have a tendency to hang onto things, so a general sort out of the cupboards is required this year.  I have bought a few new clothes this winter and so I shall be having a sort through my wardrobe this weekend and filling this bag for charity.

 One thing I am guilty of is buying lots of craft supplies!  This year I want to catch up with some of the projects that I have already bought supplies for, but I'm not putting a limit on my wool purchases!  Let's be honest, I'm a lost cause in that department! :)

My Husband and I enjoy reading a lot and get most of our books from the library. Long ago we realised that we couldn't possibly buy all the books we wanted to read, so we only buy the occasional book nowadays.  Over the past year I have also stopped buying most magazines.  Our local libraries loan a lot of magazines, so I borrow any knitting and crochet ones that catch my eye.  

 Food wise we also live simply.  We grow a lot of our vegetables on our two allotments and I make most meals from scratch.  Food wastage has always bothered me, throwing away unwanted food is simply something that we have never done.  Why buy it if you don't need it?!  I was somewhat bemused by a friend last week telling me about the amount of food that they threw away after Christmas!  Hands up, I threw out half a head of celery that was past its best, but that went on the compost heap, not in the bin.  I'll get off my soap box now! ;) I'm not criticising other people's choices, just stating that we prefer to life more simply.  Or maybe we are just getting old! :)

Back onto the subject of books and I have joined in with this reading challenge that I first saw on the lovely Deb's blog.

This week I finished the book I started reading in December, "The Long Mars" by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, so I am now ready to start the challenge.

This is the first book I shall be reading as Book 1 of the challenge:-

A Book That You Own But Haven't Read Before

This book was given to me by a work colleague a few years ago and I hadn't gotten around to reading it.  I started reading the first few pages last night.  A good intro, but as yet I'm undecided as to whether it is going to grab me or not.

Something I am also still undecided upon is the pattern for my giveaway mitts.  I have nearly completed one pair and I'm not too sure about them, so I will be casting on another pattern this weekend.

The giveaway is still open, so please join in by leaving a comment on my 7th Blogiversary post.

Best wishes, Pj x