Thoughtfullness

I have been in a thoughtful mood recently. It hasn't always been cheerful, but it's not all negative either. We're coming up to a time of year when Christmas is looming and the weather turns colder, money can get tight and there's generally a lot to think about. So. Some of my thoughts:

Christmas. This will be the second Christmas I get to spend with James, and we've been thinking about nice traditions we could start. So far we intend to personalise advent calendars by giving each other something small for each day of December. Obviously this is all on a low budget so it will usually be some small chocolate item or other minor treat, but hopefully some home-made things will find their way in there. Even a hurried note is so much more Christmassy and personal than a cheap advent calendar (we don't really need them, being adults, but I still like to count down the days!)
There's also the usual present issues. Some people provide lists, other people say they don't want anything (grr), some people are just impossible to buy for. It's a nice aspect of Christmas, the present buying, but can be rather tricky when you've no idea what anyone wants and have a limited budget. I'm trying to compensate by being very organised, to the point where James now refuses to help me write lists, he's had enough of them.

The dog. Still. We'll be going home for a few days at the end of this week and although I'm looking forward to it, I can't help feeling the house will be a little emptier without Layla. Probably smell better though.

NaNoWriMo. We failed! Actually it's probably more fair to say we gave up. I personally knew I wasn't going to complete it within a few days of starting. My idea just wasn't structured enough and, while some people start on November the first with no ideas at all, I work better if I have a more clear idea. I cared too much about what I was writing to rush it. I knew I could go back later to 'fix' it, but writing is partly about getting lost in it, and I was skimming over things, ignoring plot holes, not developing characters.
It has really confirmed, in some ways, my initial opinions of NaNoWriMo, although I'm now more aware of how other people see it and why it's useful for them, it's just not for me.
I hope we can carry on with the writing we started, but I suspect lack of routine may get in the way.

I appear to be developing a charming sore throat and the snow outside is so thick it's hard to open the window. I'm expecting another day of being trapped inside thoughtful tomorrow.