I may have been fairly quiet this month - as with September - but I've really enjoyed it. I'm working my way through my mountain of partially written blogs, but more than that, I'm making time for other things I really enjoy and am making sure I balance work, home and play. This may be easier said than done some days, but on the most part, it means there is a lot that has been making me smile this month. Here are just ten things:
2. I'm settling in at the new job after my second month. I've got my permanent desk now and have made it feel like mine with photos and all my silly bits and pieces. On top of this, I'm really enjoying the job and getting stuck in with different things, not to mention the later morning starts and being able to get home earlier in the evenings.
3. The darker mornings and evenings may be causing issues with my seasonal affective disorder, but they are perfect for cosy nights in with lots of candlelight. All my favourite scented candles (watch this space to see what they are) and tealight holders have now been unpacked and I'm about to stock up on more.
4. Autumn and winter always mean opera to me and I love spending evenings at Leeds Grand Theatre. This month, I got to enjoy four operas in a week (although only three were really good). I also booked more tickets for next year, saving £180 through Opera North's Under 30 scheme.
5. Another great thing about Halloween is dressing up, especially when a Halloween party doesn't actually fall on October 31st. I got to be daft with my husband and continue our couple's costume tradition with our take on Back to the Future. It's made us want to do more random dressing up together so we're now looking at opportunities in the future to make the most of all the ideas we have.
6. Food at this time of year is always great and I have been making the most of the squash and pumpkins I can get my hands on. The best part is, the husband has found that he is just as pumpkin-obsessed as I am so he hasn't said a word about me buying so many over the last few weeks (although he did give me a fist bump when I bought more this week). I've also been enjoying trying new recipes and tweaking old ones I've created, which has made me realise just how much I've missed cooking and experimenting with food, so I may need to think about blogging some recipes.
7. Autumn means sloe gin, which is only ever going to be a good a think. As well as enjoying a few glasses of the stuff, I also finally bought myself a proper cabinet for all my glassware so I could move it out of the drinks cabinet my grandparents gave me a few years ago. Not only does this mean I can now make drinks on top of my little bar, I can now invest in more booze to fill it up.
8. I had to admit defeat this year and give up on my gorgeous Hell Bunny coat, which is now five sizes too big. I'm keeping hold of it to use as a maternity coat in the future but I needed to buy a new jacket for the Yorkshire winter. After looking for weeks, I ended up buying the new version of the same coat in my new size and I'm so glad I did. Even when I'm dressed down, this coat makes me feel glam.
9. The husband has had his projector for ages now, but we've never watched the Lord of the Rings on it. This changed this month and we binge-watched all three of the extended editions on the big screen, which was awesome. I'm now looking forward to my annual re-reading of the books.
10. Last but not least, we're continuing our Christmas tradition of going to the ballet. I treated myself and the husband to tickets to see The Little Mermaid in December and I am so excited! I'm determined to book more ballet tickets next year, although I think one might be enough for the husband!