Life In General – I get a bit of a sense of deja vu for what I’ve been up to this week, being very much like last week. A few family things with my Mum, including getting her back to driving again following her knee replacement – a milestone achieved. Otherwise I’ve been at home working (see below), and nothing really exciting to report.

I did get to try the gherkins that I pickled a month ago. There are mixed views on how long you should leave them before trying, but I went for a straight month.

They were pretty good if I do say so myself, and had retained the crunchy texture and not gone soft! I only made two jars, so they’ll be relatively short lived but I am encouraged to perhaps try them again next year.

Following up on last weeks post about maps, I picked up the latest version of my local sheet this week. My how things have changed. It now comes with a digital download, so that you can have the map on your smartphone (or other device). I’ve yet to try this, but it seems like it might be handy. At first glance there are some minor differences but nothing as significant as the changes I post last week comparing the my two older versions.

I also succumbed and bought my first Christmas presents this week. All are items that, in my experience, sell quickly and therefore although I’m a little ahead of time I know that at least I’ll be able to give them as presents. I’m not planning on doing anymore Christmas shopping for a while longer.

Work – Development work all week long, which isn’t particularly exciting to talk about, as it’s mostly involved spreadsheets.

Allotment. – The weather hasn’t really been on my side this week, I’d hoped to get garlic and onion sets in the ground, but due to rain the ground is just a bit too wet to work without compacting it, so I’ve delayed that. No big deal, still plenty of time to get them in.

Currently Reading – I finished rereading J R R Tolkein’s “The Two Towers” [GoodReads], it’s still as good as I remember it to be. Haven’t started anything else yet, not quite sure what I want to read next.

The Week In Wildlife – In Pictures

How Writing 1000 words a Day Changed My Life – [LINK]

Our desire for goods is at the heart of this’: Why Bruce Parry wants us all to live more sustainably – [LINK]