This February, I...

 

✙ Took two weeks off work - and spent a week of that lazing about at home and enjoying myself with no pressure to go anywhere or do anything.

✙ Ate a crapload of summer fruit especially peaches, plums, apricots. Golden Queen peaches look terrible but taste amazing.

✙ Spent ten days in Golden Bay, my spiritual home, and became almost obscenely relaxed. I swam in the sea everyday and mostly stopped washing otherwise: it was heavenly.

✙ While in Golden Bay I went on an overnight kayaking trip and had a near death experience.  On the afternoon of the first day, the wind and the swell picked up and the waves became so much bigger than I am confident with - the waves were breaking over the front of the kayak and I FREAKED OUT. When we arrived at our destination I recovered with half a bottle of wine while shaking from shock; but now I can't remember the fear and only how amazing the trip back was on the second day. I Overcame my Fear? Or at least Killed it with Wine?

✙ Drank a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin.

✙ Took my measurements properly, re-sized a couple of patterns and sewed two skirts - one a-line and one pencil - and another Scout Tee. The a-line skirt is not that great, but the pencil one was a spectacular success I feel.

✙ Read a heap of books: Caesar's Women (Colleen McCullouch), The Snowman (Jo Nesbø), The Paris Wife (Paula McLain), Going Out (Scarlett Thomas), The Dante Club (Matthew Pearl), The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), The Subtle Knite (Philip Pullman), and the truly ghastly and stupid A Discovery of Witches (Deborah Harkness).

✙ Went to my first knit-night at Holland Road Yarn, where I was given permission by a fellow knitter to frog my thrice-cast on sweater and to admit defeat. "The yarn doesn't want to be that top." THE RELIEF IS SO GREAT.

✙ Washed my face with honey in the morning, cleansed using the oil cleansing method at night, and moisturised with a hand blended oil that included the epically stinky neem oil. Pretty happy with the results - have no immediate plans to turn back.

✙ Cast on a pair of merino-possum socks that I am enjoying knitting very much. Not a fancy pattern, but I'm not feeling too fancy at the moment so it's suiting me well.

✙ Had a spectacular meal with a group of friends that I regularly dinner-party with, and brought devils on horseback as my offering.

✙ Was fitted for contact lenses for the first time in the twenty-three years that I've worn glasses. Turns out I can't see that well with the particular contact lens prescription that I have which is disappointing. I'm hoping that we can sort that out at the next appointment I have BUT: it's fun to be able to see so much when applying my make up.

✙ PAID OFF ALL MY DEBTS AND FILLED IN THE DEBT UNICORN ONCE AND FOREVER.