Autumn

Yes, the leaves on the ground mean it's definitely time to say it's no longer summer, despite some fairly balmy days in the last week. Yesterday I finally walked over to Cherry Hinton Hall (the first time I've been when there was no Folk Festival in full swing), where I got to watch some very cute children feeding some worryingly large swans. When I think of Cambridge's abundance of green spaces I think of the obvious - Parker's Piece, Jesus Green, Midsummer Common - but I always wish they had a few more trees, and that's one thing Cherry Hinton Hall grounds has an abundance of. I'm thinking this is somewhere I should visit more often.

In other news, a new job just six miles from home has led to me rediscovering an old activity - cycling. Someone said to me it's the wrong time of year to start cycling again, but I think autumn is the perfect time of year, while the weather is cooling off but it's not too icy to breathe. I have to say it feels pretty liberating to be out in the fresh air instead of cooped up in my car on the A14. I love my route, which takes me across the river and through Petersfield to the station, out of town past the hospital and through the fields into the village - I love the way the character of the city changes every five minutes.

What I don't love is the way bus drivers appear to have no ideas about giving cyclists personal spaces, which is why I have today invested in a cycle helmet. The last time I owned a cycle helmet, I was 11 years old and I always took it off as soon as I was out of my parents' sight, so I guess this marks my entrance into sensible adulthood. I'm going to look sooooo cool.

Starter Plot 1

I think my metamorphosis into Felicity Kendal is finally complete. I've got an allotment!

After months on a waiting list, and having resigned myself to the conclusion that a plot would never become available, I have been offered Starter Plot 1 at the Cambridge City Council-managed Maple Close site. Eeek!

I am both excited and a little anxious - I'm really hoping I'll be able to manage it properly, and actually successfully grow something. It's a really small site (there are two massive plots, and two other starter plots), so I'm hoping the neighbours are friendly and won't look at me with disdain as I struggle to get any green shoots - weeds aside - to come out of the ground. We've discovered a cut through from our house that reduces the journey to a whole five-minute walk, so at least I can't make the excuse that it's too far away.

At present the plot is full of weeds, but they're pretty new weeds so digging them out shouldn't be too much of a struggle. Meanwhile, I've planted tomato, courgette, aubergine and pepper seeds that will hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, be ready for planting out. Look at me and all my plans!

Of course, the real point of all this is to slowly up the pace on my Total World Domination Plan (tm) - but shh, don't tell anyone...

New pastures

We're in!

Today I closed the door on the old flat for the last time. It felt quite odd looking around the empty space, and posting the keys back through the letterbox knowing I will never see the inside of it again. I hope the new tenant likes it as much.

We had some good times there but I know I will end up loving the new place. It doesn't quite feel like home yet, but already I'm loving how much room we have, and I'm really enjoying being able to cook in the new kitchen. We're close to friends and Dad, we have some great places nearby and we can still be in town in a 30-minute walk - all in all we're much better off. I know Simon is happier being here all day than he was in the old place. Oh, and I'm hoping my bike will get more use, having discovered how dusty it was when I rode it here yesterday...

In other happy news, we have a new person at work who lives in Cambridge and I've discovered that car-sharing is a wonderful thing! Not only do I no longer have the guilt about driving all the way to Bury by myself, but I'm saving petrol and the journey feels twice as fast with someone to talk to on the way. Who knows, I may even get some knitting in on the weeks I'm a passenger. Score!

On being married and moving house

One of the most common questions I've been asked in the last month is "so what's it like being married?" - to which I always reply: "it's just the same as before, except I have a ring on my finger." And that's exactly as it should be, I think.

Simon and I tied the knot on August 8, and it already feels like a lifetime ago. We had an amazing day celebrating with all our friends and family; everyone seemed to have a good time and the whole thing just felt completely right. And the honeymoon was awesome too - the most relaxed we've both been in a long time. I wish we didn't have to come back to reality!

But here we are, and after 18 months in our lovely flat we've decided to move, because we're finally fed up with sacrificing space in order to live right in the middle of town. And I said 2009 would be the year we didn't move!

It will be a wrench to leave here - I love being right on the edge of Midsummer Common and right by the city centre - but we're also fed up of tripping over each other and everything we own. So now I'm surveying all our possessions and wondering how long it will take to pack them. We move in four weeks, so I guess I should get started...

In other news, I'm nearly finished the main body of this beautiful jumper and very excited about finishing it. I will try and get some photos and post them here soon!

Moving house

I'm surrounded by cardboard boxes in a flat that's surrounded by fog. Tomorrow I move house, so Simon and I will get to spend Valentine's Day driving across town moving all our possessions to our new flat - hopefully by that time this fog will have cleared!

Up until today it's felt more like spring than the middle of winter, which has given me a bit of that 'fresh start' feeling while I've been packing. Today it's difficult to motivate myself, though, and I'm putting that down to the weather - although I'm actually excited about moving now, after the initial disappointment of finding out we had to find somewhere new. I'll miss a few things about living here, but it's hard to be upset when we're going to have Midsummer Common as our back garden. I just wish physically moving everything was going to be easier...

Lazy and forgetful

Those are my two excuses for not having posted in a year. A year! In that time I have moved cities (back to my home town of Cambridge), passed my MA, started a new job, bought a 16-year-old car that has miraculously survived my driving (so far), and generally done all sorts of new and interesting things. None of which I can remember now, obviously.

Finding this blog again is a bit like turning up some old diary that I started when I was 12 years old and lost interest in two weeks later. Except this time I am going to try and start again... promise.

So: this week I have mostly been working lots, getting very excited about heading off to Truck festival in a little over a week, and trying to figure out whether I can persuade anyone with the knowledge to fit a second-hand car radio into my car, thus saving us having to drive to said festival in silence. I'm not sure I fancy my chances.