May Parade of Adventures, or Should I Bother?

self-inflicted punishment for Epic Fail. I am smiling because I just had some lemon and blueberry cake

Looking back at last month's Parade of Adventures, I have to admit to not being brilliant at doing the things on my list. I tend to change plans and veer off in unexpected directions, doing everything except the things I planned, that is just me, and part of my irresistible charm, I'm sure you agree.  Last month, though,I excelled myself and didn't do even one of the things on my April Parade of Adventures, which were:

• Go out for lunch with the Young Philosopher. We seem to be like ships in the night. He is mostly either working or asleep, I am often ill. Must try harder. 

• Make a blanket bag to keep a blanket in for when i am chilly in the car. Scheduled some time with my Mum's sewing machine later this week, though probably only a couple of hours, and I have something else I want to finish first. Maybe I will just put the blanket in a bag I already have, for now. 

• Try a few new vegetable dishes. Nope. Cancelled the veg delivery, it was easier.

• Make a cake. Hahahahaha. 

• Buy some new jeans. I hate clothes shopping. I also hate not having what I need. Catch-22. 

• Do some badly needed decluttering of the loft. The Prof's been ill, I've been ill, we've been busy, we're going away...this month we have to make some space up there. My parents are moving house and some of our stuff, currently living in their loft and shed,  needs to come home.

• Write four letters. I wrote one.  

Ever hopeful, here is my Parade of Adventures for May

• Take lots of photographs, especially during our few days in Hay-on-Wye later this month. 

• Write more. Writing is always last on my list, after such things as laundry and housework. As I am never up to date with those things, I don't often get as far as the writing!  I hereby resolve to do even less housework so I can do more writing.  

• Force myself to enter the hell that is Lakeside Shopping Centre and purchase a pair of jeans or two. 

• Write another letter. Starting small...

That will do. Keeping it simple. 

November update and December Parade of Adventures

Here's how I did with November's POA


Finish knitting that scarf I got bored with it and took it off the needles and started knitting something else
Go to a firework display on Guy Fawkes Night done. We had planned to go to the organised display nearly, but were invited to a firework party and went there instead. I had my first toasted marshmallows!
Buy sparklers Sadly, I never did get my sparklers. Maybe next year...
Go out for lunch with the Young Philosopher Not yet, due to his working schedule, social plans and my health
Buy a winter coat and new jeans got the coat. As for the jeans, I can not find anywhere where I can buy jeans in my size with NO STRETCH. What is it with the stretch jeans? I want jeans, not jeans that think they are leggings. The elastane also makes me itch. Where have all the jeans gone?
Tidy and clean the house ready for the Christmas decorations in December work in progress!
Make a lovely warming vegetable soup The butternut squash I bought a couple of weeks ago is still sitting in the kitchen
Eat breakfast every day I managed it a few times..
Get to bed before midnight ditto..
Assemble the mini greenhouse we bought done
Plant bulbs and sweet peas I didn't want to go out in the cold...
Buy myself flowers, or accept them gratefully when the Prof buys them Done, but they have died now so I think I could do with some more, or maybe a nice red poinsettia


I am pleased with my achievements last month. I also decluttered huge amounts of stuff as part of Louisa's Declutter November Challenge Bagfuls of things have made it to the tip and the charity shop, with more to go this weekend. 


There's not so much on this month's list, I have deliberately kept it small. For the first time ever I am fairly ahead with the Christmas preparation and I am hoping to actually do some fun things this December. We are going to a Victorian Christmas Fair this weekend, a Vintage Fair and a Christmas concert the weekend after, and I am hoping to make it a carol service for the first time in several years. 


December Parade of Adventures  


Plant sweet peas and bulbs
Buy a poinsettia
Get myself some new trousers
Research beginner level DSLRs and get myself one. Any suggestions, anyone?
Go out for lunch with the Young Philosopher
Put the tree and decorations up by the end of this weekend (4th Dec)
Finish all Christmas shopping by 11th December (a little optimistic, but one can hope)
Get all wrapping done by December 18th
Have all cards in post early
Go to a carol service

November Parade of Adventures

image: dereksky

I wrote an Autumn Parade of Adventures back in September, and looking back now I see that many of them haven't been done yet, so here is my November list, containing some of those and some others. I will post again in a month with my list for December, which hopefully won't be exactly the same. I am so much better at setting goals than accomplishing them! Here is my recap of the Autumn list and my new list for November.

Autumn recap

I started knitting the scarf, it's about a third done. I haven't bought my winter coat yet, I should do that soon, before they have all gone and the shops are full of bikinis. I have made a start on getting the house ready for Christmas, but not a very big one, to be honest. Plenty of time! (manic grin). The garden is mostly tidied for the winter, but we haven't decluttered the shed. I still have bulbs and sweet peas to plant, baked apples and cinnamon toast to eat, and I never did buy myself those flowers. 

November Parade of Adventures

Finish knitting that scarf

Go to a firework display on Guy Fawkes Night

Buy sparklers

Go out for lunch with the Young Philosopher

Buy a winter coat and new jeans

Tidy and clean the house ready for the Christmas decorations in December

Make a lovely warming vegetable soup

Eat breakfast every day

Get to bed before midnight 

Assemble the mini greenhouse we bought 

Plant bulbs and sweet peas

Buy myself flowers, or accept them gratefully when the Prof buys them. He reads this blog. 


This month I will also be joining in with Louisa of The Really Good Life's Declutter November Challenge. I will be getting rid of something that I don't love/need/want every day during November. I might even post photographs of some of them. Yesterday it was a half-dead basil plant from the kitchen windowsill, I put the few reasonable looking leaves in the Prof's lunchbox salad, and the rest of the plant in the bin. I will spare you a photo of that, as I didn't think to take one at the time, and I am not digging through the bin, even for you. 

Autumn Parade of Adventures

Despite the news that apparently that we are expecting a heatwave hotter than Hawaii this week, it feels like Autumn to me at the moment. The Virginia creeper that covers the fence in the back garden is starting to turn red. I love Virginia creeper and was so pleased to see it when we moved here, but it turned out a let down as invariably the wind takes most the leaves before they turn truly red. 


I am always reminded at this time how close Christmas is, and how much there is to do. I am determined this year to actually enjoy December and the lead up to the festive season, as usually, in recent years with my bouts of anaemia and then CFS, I spend December stressed, overwhelmed and feeling ill. Last year it was well into February before I recovered. This year I am hoping to cut down on work, and plan ahead, and possibly even enjoy December, and then not be ill for weeks after Christmas, wouldn't that be nice. 


It's a long time since I did a Parade of Adventures post. The idea initially came from the Flylady whose idea it was to call her daily 'to do list' by that name. I like the idea - I would much rather write a Parade of Adventures than a to do list, wouldn't you? 


So, here is my Autumn parade of adventures for this year

• Knit a scarf
• Buy a good quality winter coat. The inexpensive one I bought last year resembled a dog blanket after half a dozen wears (thank you, Sainsbury)
• Go to the firework display on 5th November
• Buy some sparklers!
• Tidy and clean the house ready for Christmas tree and decorations 
• Make a start on the Christmas shopping
• Put the garden to bed for the winter 
• Declutter and organise the shed before it's too cold
• Buy myself flowers
• Eat soup, cinnamon toast and a toffee apple. Probably not together.
• Bake apples
• Plant bulbs and sweet peas for the Spring

What's on your Parade of Adventures this Autumn?

Parade of Adventures for December

First, the November recap. This was November's POA

1. Blog every weekday. Almost. I think I missed about three days.
2. Take at least one photograph every day. Same again.
3. Make a Treasure Map. I started...bought the board and glue, sorted out all my old mags....not done the treasure map yet.
4. Knit two dishcloths for my Dad. I am halfway through the second.
5. Create a budget plan. Done.
6. Reclaim the bedroom from the boxes and piles of stuff that need decluttering! Work in progress. The Prof and I have done a lot, but it's not finished yet.
7. Sell some books on ebay/Amazon. Decided I couldn't be bothered. Donated to charity.
8. Do one writing exercise every weekday. Done.
9. Post something I have written (other than blog posts) online. Not yet....
10. Work out how to resize photographs for posting here. Kind of, but still learning.

I'm quite pleased with my achievements, though there is room for improvement in almost all areas. Did I say I was perfect?

Here is December's POA.

1. Respond every day to the prompts at #reverb10 either here, on flickr, or some other way.
2. Take lots of photographs.
3. Write detailed list of wedding preparations, things to do etc.
4. Get the Christmas decorations up by 12th December.
5. Get all Christmas cards written and posted before the last posting dates.
6. Make my Treasure Map.
7. Try Green and Black's hot chocolate with brandy in it, as recommended by Sara.
8. Spend less time online.
9. Get outside every day for some fresh air and exercise.
10. Make time to read.

I've included some fun things there, and also some items that I hope will me de-stress and get some space. I'll review this list in January and see how I did.

Parade of Adventures for November

Borrowing heavily from both Flylady's PODA (Parade of Daily Adventures) and from Kristina at Tina's Tree, here is my November POA.

1. Blog every weekday.
2. Take at least one photograph every day.
3. Make a Treasure Map.
4. Knit two dishcloths for my Dad.
5. Create a budget plan.
6. Reclaim the bedroom from the boxes and piles of stuff that need decluttering!
7. Sell some books on ebay/Amazon.
8. Do one writing exercise every weekday.
9. Post something I have written (other than blog posts) online.
10. Work out how to resize photographs for posting here.

I think 10 will do. I will check my progress at the beginning of December!