Autumn Goals

I can't believe that we're already a week in to September! Where have the last eight months of the year gone?! I feel like I blinked and missed them- but that's probably because I've only left the house a handful of times all year, and haven't been out living life to the full. I honestly feel like I've missed the whole summer, and it makes me a little sad to think of all the things I've not done this year. 

But, hey; it's September and we're heading in to autumn, so it's time for fresh starts and second chances. I'm so excited for the last third of the year, and hopeful that I'm able to enjoy the next few months a little more, and make up for lost time. I'm already thinking about all the fun autumn things I want to do over the next couple of months, as well as some other less-seasonal tasks, and I thought I'd talk about some of them today to try to encourage myself to start doing them, and make myself accountable. Maybe it'll work this year.

These are some of my autumn goals:

Take a Holiday to Cornwall

Okay, it's not autumnal, but my first goal for the month is to make it through a week's holiday to Cornwall. We're going away soon, and I can't wait to be back by the sea in one of my favourite places, taking in all the familiar sights, sounds, and smells, doing some sight-seeing, and eating lots of yummy food. Some of the things I hope to do while I'm there include:

♥ Visit Perranporth Beach

♥ Explore Portreath.

♥ Go to Padstow.

♥ Spend a day at St. Ives

♥ Get Rick Stein Fish 'n' Chips

♥ Take a walk on the beach.

♥ Paddle in the sea.

♥ Sight see by tour bus.

♥ Go on a boat trip to try to spot some sea life.

♥ Dine at some cool restaurants,

♥ Find some good independent book shops to bankrupt myself in.

Take a Walk in the Woods When the Leaves Fall

I'd really like to take a walk in the woods when the leaves fall to take in all of the beautiful colours, enjoy the fresh air, and hear the leaves crunch beneath my boots. 

Crunch Through Fallen Leaves

Maybe I'm just a big child, but there's something so satisfying about the sound of dead leaves crunching underfoot, and getting buried in leaves up to your shins. I want lots of that this year, please. It reminds me of being little.

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

I've still never visited a pumpkin patch, and would love to go to one to pick out a pumpkin or two, and take a few photos for the 'gram.

Carve a Pumpkin

I wasn't well enough to carve a pumpkin last Halloween, so fingers crossed I'll be able to carve one this fright night. It's tradition.

Bake an Apple Pie

I haven't baked in ages because it hurts my back too much these days, but I miss baking something tasty from scratch, and want to try to make an apple pie this autumn. I mean, seriously- is there anything better than warming up with a freshly-baked slice of apple pie and custard straight from the oven on a chilly autumn evening? It's the best autumn comfort food ever.

Read Lots

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year for reading. I don't know why, but there's something extra cosy about curling up under a blanket in bed and burying your nose in a good book when there's a crisp chill in the air, and an explosion of autumn colour to inspire the imagination. I want to find plenty of time to read this autumn, and work on completing my Goodreads reading goal before the busy Christmas season slows me down. I'm currently on book 32 of the year, and only have another 8 to go to hit my goal, so it should be doable if I keep up my current pace.

Go to a Fireworks Display

I'd really like to make it to a fireworks display on Bonfire Night. I haven't gone to one in over a decade now, and I miss it. I used to go every year since childhood to the one on my local RAF base, and I hear this year could be the last year they have one, as they're set to build on the playing field where it's always been held. It'll be the end of an era, so I have to go one last time.

Make my Animal Crossing Island Look All Autumnal

In case you were wondering (of course you weren't), I'm still addicted to Animal Crossing New Horizons, and I can't wait to start enjoying the autumn season in game. I've just started a new island, and I'm looking forward to making it look super autumnal with pumpkins and spooky stuff everywhere. I'm currently working on building a farm area so I can make a cute little pumpkin patch.

Make a Halloween Cross Stitch

I've never made a Halloween cross stitch before, and I think 2022 is the year to change that. I just need to find a cool pattern I like.

Watch Lots of Autumn Movies

I love a good movie marathon during the autumn months, and I'm already itching to watch all the cosy autumn movies and creepy classics. Actually, screw horror movies, I'm most looking forward to rewatching Practical Magic, You've Got Mail, Hocus Pocus, and War of the Worlds.

Visit The Cotswold Wildlife Park

I haven't paid a visit to my local zoo yet this year, which is just wrong, so I'm hoping to find time to go in the next month or so. It would be weird to go a year without making the pilgrimage, and they've just had some Pallas cat kittens that I'd love to go see. 

Take an Autumn Drive Through The Cotswolds

I live on the edge of The Cotswolds, and it's particularly beautiful during the fall, when there's a backdrop of fiery colours everywhere you turn. Sometimes we go on autumn drives through the countryside and pretty little villages just to take it all in, and it's something I'd like to do again this year. You never know what you're going to find. 

Revamp My Bookshelves

There's one thing I must do this season, and that's finally finding the spoons to reorganise my bookshelves. I've been needing to  declutter and revamp them for a couple of years, and with piles of books getting closer and closer to the ceiling, I really can't leave it much longer. I began moving my DVDs out of their cases in to a couple of folders in August, so I just need to get some boxes so I can store the empty cases, and then I'll have more rooms for books, and be able to start organising them. I need to be ruthless and get rid of anything I no longer love or can't see myself rereading, and by the time I'm done, I should have lovely, tidy bookshelves with room left over for lots of new ones.

Have a Clear Out

I also want to try to start decluttering the rest of my bedroom. I'm so over all the mess. I've got too many things that I no longer use and a lot that I've just out grown over the years, as my tastes have changed, and I've got older. I want to go through everything and sell or donate anything I no longer want or need- even if I know realistically I'll probably not get enough 'good' pain days to do it all before the New Year. What would take me an afternoon pre-chronic-pain now takes me years. I at least hope to make a start on having a clear out, even if I only manage to get through one area, like my wardrobe or under my bed.

Buy a New Pair of Ankle Boots

I desperately need a new pair of black wear-with-everything ankle boots as I wore out my last pair, so I need to buy a pair this season. Hopefully I'll actually find some I like this year, as last year's selection of wide-fit boots was crap.

Start My Christmas Shopping

I can't believe I'm saying this because I'd swear it was Christmas two minutes ago, but it's the time of year when I like to actively start Christmas shopping. It might seem early, but starting early is the only way I can afford to get my family and friends gifts, and it's the best way to spread the cost and find the best presents before all the good things sell out. Time to get on it. I want to be organised early this year.

There are more goals on my autumn bucket list, but I've waffled on enough already, so I'll stop here. Plus, this is more than enough to keep me busy for a while. I don't know if I'll be able to achieve them all, but I hope I can, and I'm going to give them all my best shot. Wish me luck!

What's on your to-do-list this autumn?

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My Goals For 2022

Last year was not my best year for achievements. I didn't visit many places, I wasn't able to meet any new people, I didn't reach any milestones, and the less said about how little I blogged, the better. I can blame some of it on pain, illness, Covid and lockdown, but I admit I was also unmotivated and uninspired, and felt a bit 'meh' towards life in 2021. But then, who didn't?

I hope 2022 will be a much better year, and that I can find the motivation and pain tolerance to achieve more this year. As usual, there are loads of things I would like to make time for during the year ahead, from visiting new places and going to gigs again, to crafting more, and smashing my Goodreads reading goal, and much more. I'm going to talk about some of my goals for 2022 with you today, to make myself accountable, and hopefully motivate myself in to achieving at least some of them before the year is through. (Yes, I know it's a bit late to be talking New Year's resolutions, but hey, when do I ever do anything on time?!)

So, here are some of my goals for 2022:

Read 40 Books

After reading 42 books in 2021, I want to keep up my reading pace again this year, and make time to read (almost) every day. (I say 'almost', as there's always a few days when it's just not possible). I've set myself a new Goodreads reading challenge of 40 books for 2022, but I hope to read more, and beat last year's tally. I'm only on book five of the year so far, so I need to pick up the pace if I want to make it.

Take a Holiday to Cornwall

If I can get one thing out of 2022, it would be a holiday to Cornwall. We've just booked a week in Perranporth for early summer, and I can't wait for a week of sun, sea, sand, and sight-seeing. I'd love to fit in visits to St. Ives, Portreath, Mawgan Porth, and the seal sanctuary while we're there, and also take a tour bus along the coast again, either down to The Lizard or along to Land's End, as I've not seen much of those parts of Cornwall. I also want to paddle in the sea at Perranporth, walk on Porth Beach, take a boat trip to spot some sea life, and return to Gridl for breakfast. The reality is, I'll probably be spending most of the time in the caravan resting because it'll be painful and exhausting, but I want to be optimistic, and believe I can have some fun, too. 

Go to a Concert

Thanks to Covid, it's been over two years since my last concert, and it's been torture. Gigs are life. I'm having major withdrawals, so I hope I can satisfy my cravings with at least one gig in 2022. I need a live music fix.

Do More Cross Stitching

I love cross stitching, but I did very little of it in 2021, and only finished one piece all year. I just couldn't find the motivation. I'd like to find my groove with it again this year, cross stitch regularly, and make lots of pieces. I've already been working on some retro Christmas bauble designs I didn't have time to finish over Christmas, so I'm off to a good start.

Do More Painting

I want to make more time for water-colour painting. I didn't dig out the paints often in 2021, but it's something I enjoy and find relaxing, so I really should try to do more of it.

Make Something With a Loom

I bought a small circular loom a few years ago and still haven't made anything with it, so it's about time I did. I don't have a clue what to make with it, but I always thought weaving looked like fun. Maybe 2022 will be the year I find out if I'm right. Or maybe it won't.

Explore More Local Places

I've lived in The Cotswolds all my life, but there's so much of it I've never been to or explored properly, and I'd like to change that. I want to do more exploring close to home this year, and see what cool places we can find.

Visit the Bluebell Woods

I'd love to go for a walk in the woods when the bluebells flower this spring, especially as we never made it last year. There's a woods near Faringdon in Oxfordshire called Badbury Clump which gets carpeted with a sea of violet bluebells from late April or early May, and it's so beautiful. It's well worth a visit if you're in to nature.

Go See the Lavender, Confetti, and Sunflower Fields

I'd also like to do a few things I've never done before, and visit lavender, sunflower, and confetti fields in my area. Mostly to take photos, but also to enjoy the general prettiness of a sea of colourful flowers. The confetti fields are fields of flowers like delphiniums and cornflowers that are grown and harvested for wedding confetti, and it sounds so lovely. It's at Wyke Manor Estate in Wick, near Pershore in Worcestershire for anyone who's curious.

Visit the Zoo

I'm a big animal lover, so I love a good trip to the zoo, and hope to visit a few this year. I would love to pay another visit to Whipsnade Zoo this summer to do all the sections we didn't fit in last time, and I really want to visit Longleat Safari Park to see the koalas and wombats, as I've never seen either animal in real life. It's a bit of a drive from Oxfordshire, though, so I'm not sure it would be possible without an overnight stay nearby. I'm also planning to fit in at least one day out at my local zoo, The Cotswold Wildlife Park, although, I'm sure we'll squeeze in several. It's such a lovely, relaxing place to walk around, and get some exercise while enjoying the animals, and I think it's good to challenge myself to push through my chronic pain every now and then to make it to the end. 

Take a Trip to the Seaside

I'd really like to take at least one day-trip to the coast this summer, and spend some time at the beach, paddling in the sea, watching the waves, and eating salty fish and chips straight from the paper on the sea front. (My holiday to Cornwall doesn't count). I grew up with multiple day trips to the beach every summer- usually to Poole or Woolacombe- which I haven't done much of as an adult, and I miss it so much.

Have a Good Clear Out

I feel the need to have a good declutter, so I want to gradually go through my stuff- clothes, bags, books, craft supplies etc- and clear out anything I no longer want or use. It'll probably take me most of the year with my health, but if I can cull some stuff by the end of the year, I'll be happy.

Reorganise My Bookshelves 

Reorganising my bookshelves was on my list of autumn goals, but I never found the time or spoons to see to it. It's definitely on my list of priorities before spring because the shelves are over-run with books I've read piling up towards the ceiling, and it's all such an eye-sore that it's actually stressing me out to look at it. I need to clear everything off, put my DVDs in to folders and store the cases, get rid of any books I don't want, and reorganise everything. Hopefully then my bookshelves will look pretty again, and I might even have space for new books.

And those are some of my goals for the year ahead. 

I don't know if I'll be able to achieve them all and I'm probably being a little too optimistic, but I'm going to give it my best shot anyway. 

Wish me luck!

Have you set any goals or resolutions for 2022?