My Month in Numbers 2012: August

Helloooo.

Have you noticed it yet? 

That slight chill around the ankles ... that slighly lower sun ... that sudden urge to re-visit your sock drawer ... that distictly Autumnal nip in the air?

There. I've said it. It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn. In fact, I've worn all 3 of my new 'back to school' cardigans [bought for my return to my campus job next month] already.

So, it's a perfectly suitable moment to say goodbye to August by taking a look back at My Month ... in Numbers:

1st = the Olympic Gold Medal the Team GB men's coxless 4 won while we watched from the vantage point of the art gallery 3rd floor viewing deck:

Is it just me or does it seem like an aaaage ago that we were inexplicably glued to the Olympics? I had to check and re-check the date-stamp on this photo to reassure myself that it did, indeed, occur in August.

3 = the number of library books I've read:

I mentioned in this earlier post that it'd been far too long since my last trip to the library. So I rectified that and took out 5 books, so far I've read:

• The Lying Tongue by Andrew Wilson [a great, rattling, twisty-turny, read-in-one-day thriller];
• Come, Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant [a fabulous read, unique language and style, very quirky, gentle and funny book - highly recommended];
•  and also Three Horses by Erri de Luca [a slight book in size, but filled with big themes].

I read them in quick succession and allowed myself to be completely absorbed, carrying my books everywhere I went. Yes. Everywhere ...

Then ... when I uploaded some recent photos on to my laptop ... look what I found while I was there:

A sneaky photo of me reading in the garden.  Taken through the dining room window. Without me realising.

Clearly James has been up to his paparazzi tricks again!

2 = the number of charity bags filled with the results of a long overdue wardrobe clear-out :

Last month when I mentioned how I'd been shredding old paperwork, it brought on a deluge of responses from people who'd been doing the same. So, if July was Communal Shredding Month I'm wondering ... was August a Clearing-out-and-getting-rid-pre-Autumn Clean for you too?

0 - 8= the items gracing one of our bedroom walls - before and after a little re-jigging and re-styling.

Before [roughly how it's looked for around 6 years or so]:

And now after:

Granted, it's not a gigantic change, but I tend to keep the bedroom really simple and light and as non-distracting-from-sleep as possible, so this is about as 'decorated' as I'm willing to go for now.

12 = the number of pieces of 'best' jewellery now on display [they're now inside the pin-board box frame, as seen on the left of the photo above]:

Having them so easily accessible, rather than in a jewelley box in a drawer, is already working. I've worn 4 different pairs of earrings in the last 5 days.

10 = the number of dresses I can now safely hang on my new metal wall hook:

Believe it or not [you know how I love clothes] this is the only wardrobe in the room.

And we share it!

Until that hook went up, I had to hang up [some of] my dresses on a make-shift Heath Robinson-esque construction of coat hangers precariously hooked over the top of the wardrobe.

It was a death trap. They frequently tilted, slid, collided, collapsed and fell off. All at once. With an almighty clatter, sending coathanger shrapnel and patterned dresses everywhere.

Imagine Jenga, or Kerplunk ... but with frocks ... and you'll be on the right track.

Oh and yes, that photo above reminds me ...

2 = the number of original 50s pin-up girl posters I've been kind enough to allow James to hang in the bedroom. If you coul dsee them in real life you'd know that, when the door's open ... you can't actually see them.

Whether or not there's any truth to the rumour that I've been leaving the door open more often than usual ... well ... I couldn't possibly comment ... ;-)

35 = the number of bloggers who pulled themselves up to their full height and then shared it with us all during The Height of Summer series.

33 = the new-to-me old books I've given a home to this month:

There are only 30 in this photo because I only bought the last 3 this morning and haven't yet taken a photo.

At this rate I could create my own 'A Vintage Book A Day' desk calendar ...

And finally ...

107 = the total number of my products which I took to a real life bricks & mortar shop, just this morning! I'm renting out some display space in a new local tea-room / craft shop / workshop - my first venture into selling my products off-line! But enough of that for now ... it's a moment which deserves a post of its own. And it shall have one, next week for, as all good bloggers should ... I took my camera!

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Rightio - over to you. If you're counting along too this month, the usual rules apply:

 

The Month in Numbers 'etiquette':If you write a post and want to leave a link for myself and others to visit and/or pin it to the dedicated Pinterest board please bear in mind it has a shared experience aspect to it.

• When you swing by my blog to drop off a link to your Month in Numbers post - please leave a comment for me while you're there. Not because I'm needy ... but because it feels fair. Reciprocal.
• Please link to my blog in your post. As much as I'd like to think that everyone who reads your blog already knows what 'My Month in Numbers' means... the truth is, they don't. So unless you explain where the idea comes from and how your readers can join you in doing the same next month, they are none the wiser.
• Please take time at some point in the month to visit and comment on a few of the other posts too.

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Thanks for dropping by today.

 

Hang on to your hats/socks/cardigans Mr.September ... because here we come ...

 

Julie