Taking time out

All work and no play, means I'm closer to meeting my Dec 1st deadline for the Christmas 2022 book. But it also means I'm tired and snappy, and intensely preoccupied with this new book. Needs must, and all that, and I know I work better under pressure, but taking time out is important too. Especially since it also helps reboot my creativity. Doing something completely different to writing means I come back to it with a fresher mind and some new ideas. So this week, in addition to frantic typing, I've taken the dog on some lovely walks, and I've also taken her for a fitting for a made-to-measure coat. As you can see, she's not happy about it. In fact, she was scared of the cloth tape measure! Bless. I'll post a pic when the coat is made.

I've also planted a dwarf apple tree and moved some strawberry plants. Fingers crossed they'll produce fruit next year.

The highlight of my week has to be having lunch out with a dear friend. Fish and chips, a glass of wine and a good catch-up did me the world of good.

In between writing and trying to stay sane, I've been scouring the internet to find Christmas tree ideas. The one we've had for years finally fell apart (bald fake fir trees aren't very attractive) so I've been looking for an eco friendly replacement ie, not plastic. I'm torn between buying a living potted tree which I'll either keep outside in its pot for the rest of the year or plant it on the mountainside above my house, or buying something utterly different. The problem is, I don't know what to go for. Any suggestions?

Finally, here's what I've read over the past seven days: