I find it hard to let go of summer. Suddenly, Cambridge is like this:
At eight o’clock in the evening… How did that happen?
However, this post, at Catherine, Caffeinated, struck just the right note to make the onset of autumn seem inspiring (rather than simply a descent into dark nights where I have to go to bed at nine before the house freezes up).
Spurred on by Catherine, I decided to stop being negative and instead browse the web for more articles to send me enthusiastically on my way, ready to write lots, be more organised, clean the windows so that I can actually see out of them… All that sort of thing. Ooh, it’s almost like New Year already.
The results of my trawling are here:
Writing – I found several inspiring Mslexia articles online. Click here for interviews with Isabel Allende, Naomi Alderman and Joanna Trollope, including sections on the methods they use. For crime fans, there’s a great piece along the same lines on Sophie Hannah in the current issue, but you can only read an extract on the website; you have to subscribe for the full version!
Food – I thought a selection of quick supper recipes would help me breeze through the autumn months. However, when I searched using that term, I came up with a BBC food page featuring guidance on how to make crab with mango and avocado salad, as well as seared squid, chorizo and chickpea puree. Slightly scared. I don’t think they’d be quick with me at the helm. However, the same website came up with 140 pasta recipes that are rated “quick and easy”, so I’ve decided to make a start with them.
Work – I have to confess that, until this morning, I was unaware there were five top methodologies for dealing with email. However, Pandora’s Box has now been opened and I will probably spend hours experimenting with them all. (Having said that, some of them seem deeply impractical. I don’t think my regular work would benefit if I only checked my email twice a day… But its horses for courses, of course.)
House – Quick solutions needed on this front too. I really enjoyed this Good Housekeeping pageon how to give the air of a person with a well-ordered life. I probably won’t actually take the advice – it’s more of an aspirational thing – but, still, it’s good to know the theory.
Relaxation – I found this page of tips really interesting. I gather it was created as part of the H2G2 collaborative online encyclopaedia project which I read about here. I love the range of different techniques the page explores – with everything from meditation and change of scenery, to plate smashing, and, indeed, cleaning. Perhaps I will plough ahead with the Good Housekeeping advice after all…
Clare Chase 
Great idea for a post Clare! Found the email one interesting. Will have a proper read of the writing info later. Thanks! Hope you've had a good summer. Cambridge can be lovely in the Autumn.x
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Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Anita – I'm really glad you enjoyed the post. We had a lovely summer thanks – hope yours was great too. And you're right about autumn really. It's been a glorious here today :0)
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