Only two days until September. I have to say, I am looking forward to it a lot this year. My computer at work has had an issue with the software we use and it has taken six weeks… count them… to sort out. I now have a computer that works mornings at least. Afternoons, I’m not so sure. There are always glitches with new programmes/ computers that need ironing out. I’ll settle for part time official work, instead of full time ‘bodging to do the best I can and when are you out the office so I can do proper stuff?’

As I wrote in The Ber Months Approach, I’m hoping to do my September Small Things again, hashtag #smallthings and #septembersmallthings. I started making mental, and then physical notes on the small things I can anticipate coming up, a couple of days out, a meal with friends, a weekend away. Over the next few days I’ll start gathering photos as I live, ready to share on Insta, Facebook and here.

And then September will start and it will give me the same back-to-school vibes it always used to. Especially since I have a literal return to proper work now. The French call this time of year La Rentree, the Return, and I have always seen great sense in that. After weeks of school holidays, time away, disrupted work patterns even for those not taking time off, it’s good to hit the Autumn and feel that the rhythms of life can settle down again. Even though my big holiday this year doesn’t happen until the end of September I can appreciate that life’s routines start again.

This weekend my Instagram friend, Clare, wrote a post that made perfect sense to me. She said “August the month when I pause, jump off normal routines and take time to reflect, give thanks and then look forward. It’s my end of year month so hence it has this theme and has done for a number of years now. In January I just want to hibernate so August, which has that kind of transitional feel to it, works perfectly for me.“

Clare illustrated the post with a pile of books she’s used most this year, that provide her support and wisdom when she needs it most. August, she explains, is  “a fresh new year, a new beginning sharing just a little of my life here.” She chooses her word of the year, marks up her planner and begins again with a clean slate. New Year, New You.

I’m not a big New Years Resolution fan. I tend to wait to reboot until March, or end of February at least, when the weather is better and the light is making a marked return. But it strikes me that as a teacher and a mother of students (any age) August has always been a restart month as well. Preparation mentally and physically for a new year. It might explain why the last week (what time wasn’t spent asleep or coughing like a Victorian consumptive, wan and palely loitering) was spent in a major room switch. I need to take photographs of my new and improved living room. I need to clear away the last vestiges of storage boxes, unwanted books, paperwork and more. I’ll share the tour one day this month. And why I’m sat here now, planner in hand, and getting ahead.

Thank you, Clare. You gave me the prod I needed to take this weekend seriously. Am I ready for the next year? Not quite, but I’m closer than I was last week. La Rentree? Bring it on. Let’s show this Autumn who is Boss.

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

How to Hygge Your Summer is my book about making the most of summertime. Hygge is so often seen as a winter pastime, and yet the principles of hygge (good food, good friends, time to be) are just as applicable to days when you can gather in a park or garden as when you gather round the fireplace. This book only scrapes the surface of what you can do, but hopefully sends you off with inspiration to make your own summer hygge.

I’m currently working on two book projects: I have a hankering to rewrite 50 Ways to Hygge the British Way, so it’s not available at the moment, but even dearer to my heart and my next stated aim is to finish and publish my next book, Simple Plus Cosy = Hygge. It will be about homemaking and how the home we create shapes the hygge we have. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of summer/autumn/winter.

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Arno Smit on Unsplash. I wish I had a garden shed like this one! I chose it because I love the colours of the windowframes, the tantalisingly inviting open door and the comfy chair within. Perfect spot for a cup of tea and a good book. And the header today is my Rowan tree, Mountain Ash, with berries on it ready for the birds to strip before winter.