Things To Look Forward To This November

It was only a matter of time, this second lockdown. I’m in a very different state of mind this time around and feeling very restless. The last time we were entering spring and daylight saving time was coming up and spring had just welcomed us. This time there is just darkness – though these first few days have been warmer.

But let’s not get too down on ourselves. To keep the positivity flowing, I’ve made a list of things to keep me busy in-between working and crying this November.

Bake Dutch Spice Nuts
The only good thing that comes with the Dutch Sinterklaas are the kruidnoten, literally translated as ‘spice nuts’, they are small, round-shaped cookies spiced up with anise, cinnamon, and cloves and are they are the best boost during the cold months so I can only imagine they’ll be more than welcome this season. I usually get them from the Netherlands, but this year I want to attempt to bake them myself.

Keep myself busy with Crafternoons
I still have some clay left from the Sculpd set I bought earlier this year and have been wanting to give some clay wall art a go. And maybe some Christmas ornaments too if I’m feeling particularly creative. There’s also a Studio Ghibli origami kit I need to make some time for.

Kick off Christmas movies season
While we’re on the Christmas topic … I don’t think I can wait for December to start watching cheesy Christmas movies. In preparation, I have a whole back catalogue of Hallmark Christmas movies ready to be caught up on before Netflix drops their releases.

Make the most out of my Mubi trial
Of course, I’m going to have to give my brain a cleanse from those Hallmark movies with some foreign and art house films. And that’s perfect in time for my Mubi trial – they select a number of movies each week so it’s easier to pick from a shortlist than endlessly scrolling and wondering what to watch.

Walk around the neighbourhood again
I’ve been neglecting my lunchtime walks the last few months, but I really need to make an effort. To push myself a bit more I want to turn it into a challenge, so I stick to it through these cold, wet and windy afternoons.

Roast and boil sweet chestnuts
A few weekends ago I foraged sweet chestnuts I stumbled upon on a walk and now they’ve dried I’m going to boil half of them and roast the other half. Picking them, roasting or boiling and then de-shelling is quite a meditative process so that will help me kill an evening or two.  People have suggested baking them in a cake or making marron glaces, but the roasted sweet chestnuts are my favourite snack and I don’t know how I feel about experimenting yet.

Make Clay Masks
I don’t know if it’s the seasons changing, stress rising or dietary reasons, but my skin has been playing up and could definitely use some extra care. I’ve been meaning to make clay a mask that will help rejuvenate it back to a happier state.

Create A Dedicated Home Office Corner
The only thing I brought home from the office was my laptop. Over the months I’ve collected a riser, extra monitor, keyboard, mouse and even an office chair. It still doesn’t feel right where it is at the moment, so I need to find a new corner and move all of my stuff there.

Has some sort of lockdown been announced in your country? How are you planning to get through?