word of the week

This is my first word of the week post for quite a long time now, can you tell I am full of New Year energy with the sudden influx of posts on the blog. I decided to make it easier on myself and include my word electronically rather than hand draw it, however after half an hour of trying to work out how to produce a word as an image, find the consistent font and colour to match the blog, and then find a format that would upload it without a line running across the top of the image, I'm thinking a spot of calligraphy may have been easier!

So, although this week is obviously full of new beginnings, there is a sense, also, of things coming back around. The house is returning to normal, with decorations down, gifts put away, and a return to simpler, less indulgent food. The Husband was in work between Christmas and New Year, but the return back this week truly marks the end of the festivities and life regaining its usual rhythm.

A return, for me, in the last week to some old habits. I'm trying to find more time for blogging, for the occasional burst of calligraphy, for cooking, and reading. It is starting to feel like balance is creeping back in, and after this post, I sense that I am managing to enjoy some of those things that I had lost touch with in recent months.

I've also returned to the A Year With My Camera project. I joined in a little haphazardly at the start of last year, but never got beyond snapping with my phone, and reading the emails. This year I've put the proper camera on charge, which I'm seeing as a first positive step, and I'm also trying to encourage my mum to join too, in the hope that a bit of teamwork will keep me more accountable!

I think we will shortly be returning to Ikea too. Having gone on a spree last night getting lots of storage and organisers for various parts of the house, we have got the bug, and are spotting a few other places where a little organisation would help. I'm not sure if it's the New Year, or having spent so long in maternity clothes and now having to tactically pick clothes suitable for feeding the baby, but I've definitely got the urge to purge my wardrobes and return some calm and order to the rails.

Hope you all have a great week.

the year in books: june

"In the countryside near Shanghai, almost all of the peasants could read and write, but here 90 per cent could not. I realized now that I had been lucky to have lived in such good conditions near Shanghai"

I read the sum total of one book in May. This book was sat on the shelf and I mistakenly thought it was one The Husband had purchased, but later discovered it was one we had been given in a box coming from  a relative. I found it interesting, but hard-going. It is the autobiography of Anhua Gao, who grew up in communist China. It gets brilliant reviews elsewhere, so obviously many people enjoy it, but I found the writing a struggle. The history of China was fascinating and horrifying in equal measure, and the stories she shared of her experiences painted a desperately sad picture of life in those times. It certainly made me want to understand more about the cultural history. I found the structure of the novel difficult at times, key things seemed to be missed out and then mentioned much later. I can't honestly say I enjoyed this book, but perhaps that is a reflection on the dark content. I'd be interested to know what others think of it.

I've started reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for June, and hope to get a few more books read too. 

On a slight aside, and because I suspect book people are generally word people, have you ever seen this website? It is a website listing unusual and interesting words, and it is a treasure trove of fabulous terms and definitions. I was reading Lottie's post last night, and she mentioned once reading a word which was defined as the feeling of diving in to water, and never having been able to find it since. Being the person I am, that was all I needed to set off on a hunt to find the word, and I came across that site, and the word "curglaff" which means " the shock felt when plunging into cold water". I'm not sure yet if it's the word Lottie was looking for, but I love it. My favourite find so far though is the brilliant "chork" which is defined as "to make the sound that feet do with shoes full of water". It almost feels like an elaborate April Fool, but I sense many happy visits in the future finding weird and wonderful words.

Linking up with Laura's The Year in Books