Okay, well, here we go …
The weather …
Ugh. Can we talk about something else? While I adore where I live and have no intentions of living anywhere else, every January I declare that if I had the money and the means I’d leave Australia and go somewhere else – somewhere cooler, cold even – for a couple of months … until February was well and truly done. Somewhere where the overnight temperatures are less 26C feels like 30C and more, well, I’d settle with below 20.
The month began with a lot of rain – and then came the heat and the off-the-charts humidity … and the cane toads. Walking down the paths you see all the tiny babies hopping around, so so SO many of them.
Health …
Nothing here to write home about either. Somehow I managed to get a summer head cold which has been worse on my lungs than my last bout of Covid was. And that’s inconvenient given I’m scheduled to start a long-distance walk in NZ in a couple of weeks that will involve hills. Heavy heavy back-to-the-drawing-board-should-have-trained-harder-over-winter sighs.
In better news, I have slowly been building some better habits in the background and will be ending January 2kgs lighter than I began it.
Travel …
As I write this, I’m in Hervey Bay at my daughter’s place – and have been for a week. Although I’ve been unwell for most of the week, I do love it here … so much it was (partly) the inspiration for Whale Bay in my new novel, One For Sorrow.
Book News
Speaking of which, while my designer is busily weaving her magic on a cover, the book is now done (pending formatting which can’t be done until I have a cover) and scheduled for release on April 7.
Ebook preorders are now available here for Amazon and other platforms (eg Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble etc) here.
The blurb is below:
Clementine Carter, a successful, albeit jaded, Melbourne divorce lawyer, left her Queensland coastal hometown Whale Bay twenty-five years ago and hasn’t been back since. But when her Aunt Rose dies and leaves Clem her beach shack and New Moon – a new age shop – she returns to arrange their sale.
Once back in Whale Bay Clem soon discovers that Rose’s death might not be the accident she’d been told it was so with the help of some old school friends and town barista Finn Marella, Clem sets out to investigate Rose’s death.
With millions of development dollars at stake, can Clem read the clues Rose has left behind and unravel the mystery before it’s too late for her too.
In other writing news, I’m working on the first draft for next year’s Christmas book tentatively titled Christmas at Fountains Hall. It’s a sequel to Escape To Curlew Cottage and to say I’ve been struggling would be an understatement. I think, however, I (finally) smashed through whatever the blockage was the other day.
And before I forget, I’m doing a promotion with Local Is Lovely this week and the first Philly Barker is on sale at most retailers for a week only at $0.99 – eBook only.
Watching …
Sarah has a Disney account and I don’t so this week we’ve been binging both seasons of The Bear … I love it! I also binged Prosper (Stan). Richard Roxborough is amazing as the high-flying evangelical pastor in the family megachurch. Brilliant stuff.
I’ve also become addicted to Candice Renoir, a French cosy cop show on Acorn. Yes, it’s in French, no, my French isn’t good enough to watch without subtitles, but I love it.
Word of the Year – Build
My word of the year is “build” and that means creating habits, structures, and whatever else can’t be done and dusted in a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.
Earlier in the month I decided I wanted to make a temperature blanket. Which, of course, means I saw it on Instagram, announced to Sarah (yes, she’s back from the UK) that it looked pretty cool and then high-tailed it up to Spotlight for some wool and a crochet hook.
Don’t know what a temperature blanket is? Essentially you crochet (or knot) one row a day with the wool colour based on the temperature. Here’s one that inspired me.
Now, I haven’t crocheted anything since I was at school – and then it was granny squares – so this was always going to be a challenge. #thankgoodnessforyoutube
Some blankets are massive, but I decided I was more likely to keep it up if I made mine narrower and crocheted three or four months before starting again and joining the strips.
I was limited in the wool I had available too, but I’ve maintained it and will show you the progress next month when it’s got some more length to it.
Once at Spotlight I bought some knitting needles and decided to do that as well – another thing I haven’t done in nearly forty years. It, however, came straight back to me.
The original idea was to make scarves for the homeless while stopping me reaching for the wine while I’m watching TV. Thanks to a stupidly hot day last Sunday when Sarah and I stayed in and binged The Bear (Disney), and during the week when my brain was full of snot (too much information) and I binged Prosper (Stan), I’ve almost finished the first one and like it so much I might just keep it for Grant.
It’s done in a rib stitch so super tight and warm and I got my inspo from a jumper I saw one the Max Mara site when I was looking for wardrobe ideas for Clame Carter (my protagonist in One For Sorrow). As you do. I do enjoy it when my characters can afford to shop at places I’d never be able to – even if by some miracle I could ever fit into the sizes.
Over to you …
Alrighty, that’s enough from me … what’s been on your calendar this month? Perhaps you’d like to update us on your word of the year or intentions? We’d love to hear about what you’ve been up to…
The linky is below and it’s open for a week…
My co-hosts are:
Deb at Deb’s World
Sue at Women Living Well Over 50
Donna at Retirement Reflections
And Anyways... 
Fabulous Jo – crochet, knitting, artworks, writing – I’m seriously impressed with your endless talents! Those temperature blankets sound like a great idea. I can’t wait to watch Prosper, did you know Richard Roxburgh was my pen pal back in high school and I love everything he’s in? Grant gets tired of me mentioning the fact that we were ‘close’ back in the day – like we met at a school camp and then wrote a few letters to each other close. He rolls his eyes every time I happen to mention it. Hope your health is improving and well done on the 2kgs lost, all the best for your training.
Hi, Jo – I am very impressed that you are making a temperature blanket. I think I did some crocheting in high school but there is no way I would be brave enough to try knitting or crocheting now (YouTube or no YouTube). You are my hero!!!
My attempts are quite imperfect, but it feels food to be doing something with my hands.
I remain incredibly impressed!
Hope you are feeling fit and well again soon. I took up knitting during lockdown…and never picked it up again, so your creations are very impressive.
I have no idea how long this one will last … my attention span isn’t known for being vast.
Too much snot…LOL! That cracked me up as did your characters going shopping! Like one does 😏🤣. I’ve seen temperature quilts so knew what you meant right away. Well done with the knitting. I tried to pick up my mom’s and can’t seem to remember how to do the rural stitch. Head smack! Good job on the building habits and the weight loss. You’ve got the hike cased! It’s all in the mind. Bernie
You’re right, it is in the mind, and my head is very much in the way at the moment.
I guess you need to kick your head out of the game and just rely on your feet!😏
Hi Jo, firstly thank you for the gorgeous photography which always makes me feel good. Go you being 2kgs lighter and more importantly being consistent with your goal. I’ve never heard of a temperature blanket but what a great idea. I enjoy crochet and knitting but never seem to get around to it. Perhaps I should at least start with a scarf for the homeless as that would have a good purpose to actually finish it. Well done with Whale Bay and I’m honoured to have been one of the first chosen to read it. Have a wonderful February and I’m sure you will ace your hike, however, it’s about enjoying the journey isn’t it? Thanks for being a stunningly talented co-host and friend. xx
I’d offer to house swap with you; I always say I want to go somewhere warm this time of year! I’ve been fighting off an awful cold/cough for a week or two now and it’s driving me crazy that I just can’t seem to shake it. We enjoyed The Bear too but it does make me question my son’s choice to go into the culinary field! LOL
Of course, your son is entering that world. I guess not all kitchens are like that one … I hope …
Congratulations on the book! How exciting (again! But I’m sure everytime fills you with pride and a sense of accomplishment as you send it off into the world). I too got sick in December that was a flu and so bad I kept assuming it was the onset of COVID but it wasn’t. My freind who also caught it had to cancel her trip to Hobart). There are some nasty bugs about. And yes, I’ve had great trips to Finland and Norway in Jan. Our Canadian friends have questioned why we’d want to be in snow if not skiing. But quite a magical change for us! #WBOYC
Each book does make me proud and scared in equal measures …I’ve never been skiing (and have no inclination to do so) but love the winter. The only thing that gets me down is the short daylight hours.
Argh this humidity is pretty rubbish. I agree with the idea of escaping for a month to avoid the worst of it but feel the weather can be so extreme we might find we come back to no house!
Anyhow many congratulations on the completed book – I shall be waiting in anticipation.
I’ve never heard of a temperature blanket but it looks very cool. Also love your scarf – giving me Harry Potter vibes!
And that hat the model in the Max Mara photo is wearing! Traumatised flash backs to my childhood when my mother made me wear a home knitted version to school in the winter! I was forever trying to lose it but it always seemed to make its way back to me!
We were saying exacyly the same thing – we’d need to have house sitters in to empty the pool out every time there’s a dump of a ridiculous amount in a ridiculously short time.
Those of us in the northern hemisphere are, of course, grousing about the chilly temps. Maybe we need to set up a blogger home exchange program (of course there would have to be some overlap so we could meet each other).
I saw something on Instagram about temperature blankets and was intrigued. I’m so impressed you are giving it a go. If I had any idea how to crochet, I would definitely want to make one too. Wouldn’t it be interesting to make several over the years and compare them? I imagine there would be a lot more reds and oranges as time went on.
One of the other bloggers from the US was doing a temperature blanket a while back – so at least I knew what one was. Hopefully there’ll be enough fluctuations to make it colourful. I must say I like your scarf much better than the jumper it was inspired by (and don’t get me started on that weird red hat thingie the model is wearing!)
Hope the weather cools down for you soon – we haven’t had the humidity, but the high temps and hot nights have been eternal this summer. The last week or so has brought a bit cooler weather, so I’m almost sleeping again – bring on those lovely cool nights!
A temperature blanket? Never heard of it but your curiosity and willingness to experiment are amazing.
I’ve never heard of a temperature blanket, Jo, but it sounds interesting. I hope you’ll share the finished project with us. I am also intrigued by your new book. I’ll get my Amazon preorder in.