My Life in the Week Ended 11 January 2026

Hi all. How has your week been? I hope that the New Year is bringing you blessings.

My brother was due to stay this week but didn't make it. He's come down with that nasty lingering bug that loads of us in the UK seem to have had. I know because I've only just got over it myself. It started at the end of November and I was still coughing my little heart out as we saw in the New Year.

Anyway with the change in plans our week has been pretty peaceful, a bit of respite before the rest of the month when we'll be venturing further afield. Here's a few memorable moments from this week.

What I Finished

A pair of chairs that normally live in my study but venture downstairs when we have guests are safe to sit on again. The wood glue has had a day out and rickety joints have been made good. The covers, that I put on the seats over a decade ago, were tatty. So, while I was at it, I spruced them up using remnants of fabric leftover from when I made curtains for the motorhome last year. The retro feel seems in keeping with the style of the chair which wouldn't look out of place in a '60s kitchen.

This was a fairly straightforward job that just involved a fair bit of stapling. But I've also moved on and started a more ambitious upholstery project. It's work in progress so you'll have to wait for the big reveal.

What I Watched

Photo: Pixabay: TiBine

I don't know if binge watching is the right term for what I've been doing. My viewing pace might be a bit too slow for that. But I am working my way through all the episodes of Northern Exposure, the beautiful 90s TV series set in Alaska. It's an all-time favourite of mine and my partner Paul hadn't seen it before. It took him a few episodes to get used to the quirkiness but now he's hooked too.

We saw an episode this week that, in my humble opinion, ranks as one of the finest If you're a fan too you'll remember the episode where Maggie's house burns down and Chris, the arty DJ at the local radio station, finds a novel use for her old damaged piano. If you didn't see these wonderful tales first time around I'd urge you to do so. They're beautifully cast, the storylines are intricate and slightly oddball and the scenery is, of course, breath taking.

What I Bought

I popped into town to send a parcel on Wednesday but also headed off to the town's refill shop for an exciting purchase. Back in December I treated myself to a beautiful Indian spice tin from another local retailer. I've been thinking ever since about how I should fill it to get the best use out of it.

I turned to my favourite Indian cookbook and it seems that a lot of the recipes had the same spices. So now the seven little pots contain cardamon, chilli, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, whole mustard seeds. These are all organic and the entire lot (excluding the cardamon that I'd recently restocked anyway) came in at £3.99. Having this on hand is going to be so much easier than rooting about in the food cupboards for the right ingredients.

The first little outing for my new spice kit was great. My family wolfed down the korma that I made from scratch. Even the leftovers in the fridge that I hoping to have for lunch have vanished. Spurred on my success I'm hoping to try out some other long lost spicy recipes in the coming weeks.

What We Saw

Photo: Pixabay: LH985

I normally go out with Mum on a Saturday morning. Her carer doesn't visit at weekends so she appreciates a bit of company. Normally she gets the bus and meets me , and often Paul too, down by the harbour but as it was a particularly lovely day we made a special trip.

We all popped up to Berry Head, a nature reserve on the Coast Path just on the western edges of town. There's a very good cafe that's always a doggie haven. After coffee we headed to the clifftop to see if we could spot dolphins. Its a popular spot for marine life to feed. and we weren't disappointed. There were loads of them.

Now I would have taken a picture but it would have been distinctly underwhelming. My wildlife shots always seem to be more miss than hit! So you'll have to make do with a picture from Pixabay, my favourite source of royalty free images. Someone has definitely done a much better job of capturing these beasties.

What's the Weather Been Like

Many in the UK have had some pretty wild weather this week. There's been warnings in place for snow, ice and wind in various parts of the UK. I thought that we'd avoided the worst of the storm Goretti as I slept like a log as it passed through the South West. However it appears that our little town wasn't unscathed. I passed through the local park on Friday and found this casualty. It looks like its end was definitely nigh. It was almost hollow.

This time the picture is my own. Trees are easier to photograph than dolphins as they tend to stay still!

What I Noticed

I'll be honest and say that my mood hasn't been great recently. I'm not sure if a touch of seasonal affective disorder took hold during these dark days. Or maybe I was in the doldrums because I've been under the weather physically for such a long time. Even though things looked pretty normal on the surface I wasn't getting much joy out of anything.

Happily things have taken an upward turn this week. I feel much more perky. Perhaps, shedding that cough has helped but I think another tactic has done the trick. I've increased the amount of time I've spent being actively creative. Doing this definitely raises my spirits.

Last week I talked about a yearlong mosaic project and it's now underway. Each day, alongside my gratitude journal I create a little fragment of art using ceramic pens on broken mosaic tiles. I so look forward to my little morning doodle. I spend the day before thinking about what I'm going to draw.

After my tiny fragments of tile are baked to make the ink permanent I'm going to form them into a record of 2026. Turning on the oven to cook each piece on its own would be madness. So I'm saving them to do a batch at a time. So, among the jumble of things on my bedside table there's a repurposed paprika box. I'll pop them in here until I've have enough to warrant the gas use.

So that's a little run through of the last week. It's been a productive one in terms of makes that have progressed and reconnecting with joy. Hurrah! I hope to see you in seven days time. Join me then to find out about my journeys to slightly more far flung places.

Sending love to you all.

Julie