Busy week at work...

and from here on in it just gets busier...

Can you believe it is only about 30 days to Christmas? I am kind of excited, slightly anxious, not at all Christmassy, and still think it should only be about May - what happened to this year? where has it gone??

I guess it has been a hectic time at work since the beginning of May and that is where my year has gone. I started the plans for the shop move on May 3rd, working about 60 to 70 hours a week getting everything laid out on paper, listing the quantities of stock, putting the items into sections and making sure that I didn't forget anything. We managed to get a wonderful respite during our week in Cornwall (when I win the lottery I am going to live in Cornwall and Paris), before the actual physical move happened. It was great, it all just about fitted into place. The team worked amazingly hard and we got it all done in such a short space of time (6 days!!), and since then we have been so busy, it has been fantastic. That is where the time has gone.
And because of this I can't believe it is November and I am not feeling Christmassy. I am trying hard. Today we went to a fab garden centre and looked at tons of Christmas decs, listened to Christmas Carols, smelt Christmas smells - I came home with bells, cinnamon candles and twinkling stars (all in red), but I still don't feel Christmassy. We saw stockings, tinsel, and Father Christmas. We saw elves, candy canes and excited children. We saw lots of red, lots of lights and lots of Christmas food, but nothing. We even started Christmas pressie shopping today.
I am living by the premis that if you act it, it becomes natural, so I am acting very excited. I am working hard at it. We are counting down the days to getting the DVDs out. The CDs are twitching in the cupboard. The tea towels are making their way down the stairs, ready to make a move into the kitchen. The advent candle is out......I could continue listing, but you get the picture.
We start late night Christmas trade this Thursday night too - the Christmas lights go on then as well, so maybe that will be the push to start the squeeing.

In other news: the dining room is 2/3rds done - I am not planning on doing the wall behind the bookcase until the new year. It isn't vital to Christmas and takes the pressure off with everything else happening - though if it gets done then it is all to the good, and means I get to use the red.

DD was having a mad moment after work today and wanted to model against the "snowfall" wall, complete with 3D glasses with the film ripped out, red eyes and her smelly old school blazer (she doesn't wear it anymore!!).

Proper photos of the room will follow when it is all done without photos of mad, red-eyed teenagers...

Other stuff?? American Wife has been finished. I so enjoyed this book. I am not sure quite what it was that captured me: but I am almost tempted to start re-reading it immediately. I raced through it as the I couldn't put it down, sitting in bed til 1am most nights this week telling myself one more paragraph, just one more paragraph.....now I know the storyline I can take it at a gentle pace. It has also inspired a few other reads which have been added to the reading list.

Have a good week x