Week 5: Nigella

• Burn's night came out of the blue this year. I forgot to get a haggis, which us unlike me, so I'll have a whiskey and think of Dad, Grandma, and Grandad. Maybe I'll pick up a cheap one in the next day or so and do something with it. Otherwise I'd feel like I've missed out.
• The planets have aligned and the universe has bestowed a great kindness upon us. Nigella is announced as the new host of Bake Off.
• The woodpeckers are back. I can hear them from inside the house. Also, for the first time this week, it's felt much lighter in the mornings and late afternoons. It's no longer dark outside of work hours. Is spring around the corner?
• A difficult person I was managing at work has left, and so that's been a weight lifted. Myself, my whole team, and the meetings we all have together, have lightened up and everyone is much happier and relaxed. Managing a toxic person is so exhausting.
• Speaking of which, I'm quite burned out again this Jan. Not as bad as last year, when I was trying to cram far too many things into my week; but I can still feel it. I keep thinking I'll read or paint, but have no motivation to do so once I get ready. I have to just accept this as being the way of things for me. Row back on commitments and wait out the winter. I'm ok with that, as long as can stop myself feeling guilty.
• Quote of the week: "Maybe your garden isn't growing because every time a flower grows you cut it to prove to everyone that you're a gardener."