The Return of Herblog.

Hello Peeps.

Sorry I've been MIA these past few months.

The main reason behind my hiatus from posting has been my Appraisal.  Yep folks, I've been busy churning out the world's biggest poo that is my Annual GP Appraisal, all so that a self-congratulatory, condescending, so-called colleague can patronise me and check I've done my homework properly at the end of the day...... PUR-LEEEZE.  I did not spend 5 years in medical school and countless SHO night-shifts for this s**t!

As you can tell, I'm not the biggest fan of this process.  But the powers that be, with all their infinite wisdom, think that this is what makes me a better doctor, especially after You Know Who did You Know What (read: Shipman, not Voldemort).  Don't get me wrong, I do feel that there does need to be some form of formal objective assessment of all doctors at the end of the day; I just don't think this is the way to do it.  In the wise words of a certain Eric Cartman: "This is a pile of tree-hugging, hippy crap."

If I did come away with anything useful from this process, it's that I need to organise my time a lot better.  I lost my old filofax so was on the lookout for another, but something that was more fun as well as practical.  Cue my latest acquisition....

My Kate Spade Brightspot Avenue Debra Agenda.  Bit of a mouthful, but look how purrr-dey!!  (Sadly, I don't think this is available on the Kate Spade website anymore).

Yep- I've gone all Old School, and am now back to writing down dates, deadlines, lists of things to do.  I need to see at a glance what I need to do for the day, month and even year.  Somehow using the calendar on iPhone just doesn't work for me.  I need to write it all down....

The other thing that we've started doing as a family is actually sitting down with Little H at the table and eating dinner together.  With the hours that Mr H and I put in, it's often difficult for all three of us to eat at the same time, but we've been making more of an effort, and it is starting to pay off dividends.  Little H is eating better (and I truly believe that he eats better at nursery because he sits down with all his other friends), Mr H and I get to eat earlier, which means we have more time to ourselves after Little H is tucked up in bed.  Plus we don't go to bed feeling bloated on a full stomach.  Good news all around.

Hopefully with these little tweaks, I'll be a little less negligent with this blogging lark!

Cracking my spine.

No, not literally (as if!)

I mean "Wreck this Journal."

 If, like me, you've been living under a rock, you may not be aware of this book.  Let me enlighten you...  Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith is a bit of a novelty in that it encourages creativity and thinking outside the box, using (often) bizarre suggestions to fill and destroy pages within the actual book.  You are only limited by your own imagination, and what you aim to be left with is your own unique journal, essentially a "work of art."

 One of the first tasks (and one I personally hate doing) is to crack the spine of the book.  Here goes....

Ouch!  OK, so it may have been painful at first, but actually it was quite liberating.  Talk about living life on the wild side!  I just realised on the back cover that at some point, I'm going to have to mail this journal to myself.... oh boy (sigh).

I think this book is meant to appeal to all ages, but I think teens may enjoy this the most.  Either way, at £6.47 on Amazon, I think it would make a cool stocking-filler for Christmas.  I'm quite looking forward to seeing how my journal shapes out.  I may even get Little H to contribute some of his Crayola handiwork...

Oh comely

If it weren't for Gemma from Gemsmaquillage posting about Oh comely magazine (read here), I don't think I would have ever come across this little "gem" (see what I did there?)  Moving on...

I found it quite difficult trying to categorise this magazine which was reflected in the nightmare I had trying to source it at my local WHSmith's.  I eventually found it in the "General Interests" stand, somewhere between National Geographic and Time Magazine; an area usually frequented by Mr H, but not by me.  Oh no, you'll usually find me poring over the likes of Vogue, Red Magazine, and Hello (the latter, when no-one's looking).  I digress...

This is definitely the type of magazine to enjoy over a cup of hot chocolate under a snuggly blanket.  It's a mix of features that seem to be centred around a particular theme.  This issue in particular was all about space, with random quirky features from "how to build your own rocket" and "postcards from outer space", to more thought provoking pieces eg. orbiting round to the dark side of the moon with absolutely no human or radio contact (the latter terrifies me- I don't know how Michael Collins managed it during Apollo 11).

I don't think I've done this magazine enough justice with my last paragraph!  Seriously though, this is a beautifully crafted magazine that you will not only enjoy, but you'll be left with a feel-good warmth inside.  I can honestly say that I have never read a magazine in its entirety from cover to cover before (Mr H can testify to this-too many fashion magazines relegated to the recycling stack after 1 hour), but I have never come across a publication that has piqued my curiosity like this before.  (Mr H can also testify that I am now a crazy loon who randomly spouts out space trivia like a true boffin!)

Issues for Oh comely cost £4 each.  This may sound steep, but when I factor in how much time I spent thumbing through this issue with interest, plus the fact that it comes out every 2 months, I'd say it's worth it.  I even took out a year's subscription (£22- again, another first!) and ordered a back-issue as I couldn't wait until their next one.

If you're feeling a little curious, Oh comely is only available in WHSmith, or you can check out their website here.

5 reasons to love October

With the exception of December (being my birthday month and Christmas), October is my favourite month of the year.  For me it's all about the beautiful warm colours (as opposed to the drab grey in January), the hearty comfort food, and the promise of Christmas slowly approaching (it's OK to think of the latter this early I reckon, as long as you don't shove it down other people's throats!)  Mr Herblog (Mr H), on the other hand, hates it;  he's officially a "summer" person, and the mere thought of clocks going back an hour fills him with dread.

Anyway, if you need convincing, here are my Top 5 reasons to love October (in no particular order):-

1)  Colour:  You've only got to look out of your window.  The trees are filling with the most beautiful shades of rust, amber and gold.  Plus it's great fun kicking through piles of autumn leaves with Little Herblog (Little H).

2)  Long nights:  With an extra hour in bed and the longer nights closing in, there is nothing better than hunkering down under a load of cosy blankets with a good book or movie (man optional) and a glass of merlot.

3)  Pumpkins:  (and butternut squash!)  They're everywhere right now, and taste amazing when roasted with garlic and chilli - even better when turned into a soup (it's a hug in a bowl!)

4)  Hallowe'en:  I like to have a good scare once in a while, although poor DH ends up suffering through some horror flick with me!  Failing that, a good creepy novel always works.

5)  Season 3 of Homeland:  If you're anything like me, chances are you're hopelessly addicted to this.  I can't wait to see what will happen to Brody, although must admit I was a bit bored of the whole Carrie-Brody love thing.  Have set the Sky+ for series link...

Do you love October as much as I do?  What are your 5 reasons why?