sallysetsforth

Thanks to Kate for the idea behind this post :)

Seven things I’m loving right now:

1) School holidays. Two weeks of no classes, and I'm so glad to have some time off without the constant pressure of assignments. I'm not going away, as travel usually costs more when so many people are taking leave at the same time, but that's okay as I have heaps of things I want to catch up on during the break.

2) My personal cheer squad. I simply can't say enough how much I have appreciated people's support this year. Knowing that I have friends, old and new, barracking for my success and cheering me on in my artistic endeavours means the world to me. Thank you!

3) The electric blanket. We don't have central heating, so an electric blanket is wonderful in Melbourne's winter. We waited a long time before getting one, but the difference it makes to how quickly I fall asleep makes it worth the price ten times over.

4) Tetley Extra Strong tea. In the last few years this has become my everyday tea. It brews up fast and strong, and has a great flavour. These days I drink more tea than ever, it's warm and comforting. Terrible "jokes" on the tags though - best to ignore them ;)



5) Making index cards. After nearly six months of working on assignments and not having the time or energy to create outside of school work, I'm really enjoying the daily index card challenge. I'm finding that I'm mostly drawing patterns so far (part of my rebellion against drawing actual things for so long), but I think I'll loosen up as the challenge continues. It's just great to be doing something creative for myself.

6) Socks and slippers. Another winter thing, but seriously - how good are socks and slippers? So good.

7) Cosy crime reading. Thanks to the Melbourne Athenaeum Library I have been working my way through several series of detective fiction for the last couple of years. I recently finished Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series (*sob*), and have also been progressing at different rates through Dorothy Sayers, Peter Lovesey, Margery Allingham, Ruth Rendell, Ngaio Marsh, Leslie Thomas, Gladys Mitchell, Peter Robinson and Josephine Tey. Yes, Agatha Christie too, but for the occasional re-read rather than new read. I have an extremely poor memory for book plots, so I always forget whodunnit and can therefore appreciate an old book anew :)