Sunday 9 October 2011

Autumn Chill

By eck it's been a chilly day here in Leeds.  The sky has been a mucky grey and we've had wind and rain.  Apart from a trip to the local supermarket I've been indoors trying to keep warm.

We made some malted muffins this afternoon and they're quite tasty - perhaps could do with a bit more of a malty taste but that's a lesson for next time.  We have a recipe book with 100 different varieties - sweet, savoury and healthy.  Looking forward to trying most of them!


I've been getting some CD's uploaded to iTunes today so I can have a change of music on my iPod.  Going away with work for a couple of days soon so good to have plenty of music to pass the time on the train and in the hotel.

Despite the cold I do quite like Autumn.  There are some annual traditions that we enjoy - some English and some from over the pond.

First up is Halloween with lots of kids dressed up "trick of treating".  Must get a few bags of sweets and a pumpkin.  We sometimes spend the night with our friends over the road having some good food and a drink or two.

Next is Bonfire Night - you know, when we celebrate Guy Fawkes failure to blow up the Houses of Parliament.  Anyway we don't usually go to a fire these days but do enjoy watching the spectacular display of fireworks in the night sky.

Towards the end of November we like to celebrate American Thanksgiving with a turkey and all the trimmings.  Good practice for the Christmas dinner about  month later.

November in my family also sees loads of birthdays - my mum, my brother, two nieces and three friends.

So lots to look forward to over the next couple of months.

Finally for today I got the latest newsletter from The Sumo Guy today.  I do like to share this with you and encourage you to check out his website at  http://www.thesumoguy.com/

His theme this month is about "more is less".


Too much stuff can clutter our mind. Whether that 'stuff' is items in a home or activities in our lives.


You see, when there's too much stuff in our lives we begin to suffer from fuzzy focus. We lack a clarity of focus.  In our desire to improve and keep ahead of the game we maybe pursue too many good ideas rather than focus on a few great ones.  You see;


'Focus brings clarity but clutter clouds your thinking.'


How can you apply this to your own life?  Why don't you set aside just 10 minutes to focus on what you need to do to create some space in your life?


That might be chucking some stuff out, but it might equally mean saying no to some things.  And let's not make having a lack of time an excuse.  Everyone can find 10 minutes.  In doing so you'll begin to create the space to allow great ideas to develop and flourish.  And once you've done 10 minutes you often create the momentum to do more.  Here's a couple of questions to answer:


What's the one activity I need to reduce or cease doing?
What ten minute action can I take today to increase my effectiveness?

Ok that's it for today.  Time to get some tea and settle down to watch the Horse of The Year Show.  It's not that I'm dead keen on horses or anything.  It's just that one of the riders is Jessica Springsteen - and sad people that we are we might just get a glimpse of her dad - Bruce.  If you're not a Tramp then you just won't understand.

Bye for now.