Lately...

FEELING utterly and completely rubbish!  Every year since I began teaching, I've been ill in
November.  This year I had barely finished congratulating myself, on December 1st, for avoiding the germs, when I got sick...

EATING some yummy chocolate treats at the Leicester Vegan Fair a couple of weekends ago, and incredible veggie and vegan delights at Mildreds in Soho last Saturday.  But since then... basically anything soft and bland that won't hurt my throat or make me feel even sicker than I already do.

DRINKING the first few mulled ciders of the season, oh yes!  If you're local to Leicester, head to Manhattan 34, in the Cultural Quarter, for the very best spiced cider.

BUYING Because I have a weird aversion to chocolate, I've always wanted an old-school calendar with nothing but pictures inside, but they can be hard to find. So I leapt at the chance to buy this Bodeleian Library advent calendar from Astley Book Farm recently. And I'm totally in love with my new No7 nail polish. I'm usually the worst at femme stuff like painting my nails, but this makes it super-easy and the neutral colour means chips don't show.

VISITING friends in London for a wintery weekend of book shopping, mulled wine, warm pubs and delicious food.

MAKING a variety of Christmas gifts; putting the finishing touches to hampers, making more vintage map art (watch out for a giveaway over at Eep! I'm A Blogger later this month), and discovering that embroidery is the perfect craft for when you feel crap and can't concentrate on a book.

READING Game of Thrones, still!  After a bit of a break, I was tempted back to read A Storm Of Swords Part II by Rebecca (who rightly told me it was amazing and a surprisingly quick read) and I've just embarked on book four, A Feast For Crows.  Even better, I've got my brother hooked, so I can look forward to much GoT discussion at Christmas.