It was a crazy week at work last week. My husband qualified as a Notary Public in the summer, although he had to wait for insurance, society membership and other things before he could start practising. Last week was the first chance we had to set up websites, so my spare time in the office was grabbed by him. It is done, and should be running straight for a few months before I need to fiddle again.

Fiddling with websites turns out to be part of my hygge. I like writing the copy, working out where I want things to be, and fiddling with colours, pictures etc. That does mean that my work is a lot more hyggely than it could otherwise have been (even more so, since I work with the Husband) but I was relying on some time to write blogposts ahead, get the newsletter out and write some more book. But, hey ho, I takes my money where I can.

And in the evenings, I was relaxing. Getting back into the work pattern, cooking meals for the family, reading books, some crafting and watching TV with my family.

My craft project at the moment is a green shawl, using the Virus Shawl pattern. I keep it in a painted box by the side of my settee. It’s such a good pattern, because once it’s in your head you don’t get rid of it and you can just pick up and put down at will.

 

It’s also so repetitive, with counting in tens, sevens and fours, that you can get a really good meditative rhythm going. I’m also dreaming of a new blanket pattern (actually designing one myself) but I’m a slow creator, so it may never come to pass.

Curating my life (reading and watching) I have had a quiet week. I finished reading The Kicking The Bucket List by Cathy Hopkins. It’s our bookclub read this month (we’re talking about it tonight) and it was a really lovely read. Three sisters, having lost their mother, are forced to relate to each other by the rules of her will. Every two months they have to spend time together. It was interesting to see how the relationships between the sisters changed, how they learned about each other and themselves. It’s not always a feel-good read, and all the better for that.

And, in complete contrast, I am reading National Populism by Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin. It’s a political book, so this isn’t a recommendation for many, but an attempt to try personally to understand what is happening across the world at the moment and, perhaps, by seeing all sides to find a way through.

Still curating my life, I spent a fair amount of time last week watching TV with the family. We love quiz shows, it turns out, so we watched University Challenge, Only Connect, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. There are few things more heart-warming to a parent than having a child get an answer right that you didn’t even understand the question of. It’s nice to know that they’ve moved past you, even if it does hint at Trivial Pursuits being less of a dead cert than it used to be.

And story-wise we’re watching Outlander Season 4. It’s a good story, true, but there are elements of the production that amaze us. This season (SPOILER) is set in North Carolina, but that’s all filmed in Scotland. ??? Scotland as North Carolina??? The way they do it is fascinating. This article on the creation of River Run is amazing.

My hibernating is going well. I’m feeling relaxed, and enjoying the weather, bad or good. I still feel the need to set up a better morning routine, but that needs the light to be better, or me to actually sleep earlier. Life is never easy as a night owl.

I have a massive favour to ask….

I don’t monetise my blog. I don’t run adverts, take sponsorship for writing posts or use affiliate links. I want everything I do on this blog and in my hygge life outside to be truthful. If I promote a book it’s because I’ve read it and like it, if I  point out an item it’s because it’s impressed me on its own merits and not because the publicist has talked me into it. It does mean I don’t run giveaways and I’m not chasing followers, but the drawback is that I need to find a way to support myself.

That’s why I write books. My thoughts are that if I ask you to buy a book not only does it support me, and let me keep writing as an independent writer, but you get something back for your bucks. I’ve written several books, some on hygge, some on Christmas. If you like what you read here, or in the Hygge Nook, and you’d like to support a struggling writer, would you please consider buying a book? Ebooks give you the best value, since for 2 or 3 pounds you get the whole content of the book without paying the extra for paper production, but I’d be a pretty poor writer if I didn’t appreciate the beauty of a real book in the hand. If you buy just one book, it all adds up in the end to support me, and I’d be so grateful.

I’m working on my new book, Enjoying a Self Care Winter: Hibernation for Humans which should be out in the next few weeks, but until then you’ll have to live with my back catalogue.

I have three Christmas books,

Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas was released in September 2017 and is available again in paperback and ebook version. It looks at keeping the Christmas season warm and cosy, with ideas for activities and routines to keep Christmas happy.

A (Hygge) Christmas Carol is my look at Dickens’ immortal classic and the many lessons we still learn from it today. It contains the full text of the book as well as hyggely thoughts on the story.

Enjoying a Self Care Christmas is only available in ebook version. It’s about keeping Christmas simple enough and healthy enough to keep you sane in the process.

My other books are hygge related, 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way  was my first book, and is available in Paperback and Kindle version. It’s a simple look at ways to feel more hyggely in life and at home even though we’re not Danish and don’t have it in our DNA.

How to Hygge Your Summer, in Paperback and Kindle form, has lots of good ideas for the summer months. I strongly believe that hygge is so much more than throws and warm drinks.

Happier is my fourth book. It’s about how I boost my own happiness levels. It’s full of hints, tips and ideas for you to use and adapt to suit your own situation. It is available in ebook and paperback version from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

If you buy any of the books through the links on this page, I get a couple of extra pence per copy, in Amazon vouchers which go towards buying more books to review for the blog. I’d really love it if you’d support me monetarily, but I quite understand that cash is tight for many people, and I just love having your support via reading and commenting as well.