The whole picture: December 2020

What I've done and where I've been in December

I think I may have hit a new record this month, in terms of least distance strayed from my home, thanks to local Covid restrictions (Tier 4, since you asked). I've become very familiar with the walking route between Tonbridge Castle and my house, and have spent many a morning taking my camera out and snapping photos of the local area, just for a reason to get out and about. Nonetheless, one of the things I've enjoyed most this year is watching my local area change through the seasons, rather than whizzing through it on my to/from the station, and missing the subtleties. 

Many of my friends and family received homemade Christmas cards this year, as being on furlough meant I had the time to get crafty. Crafting is something that I often put off doing, as it's a lot of effort to get my materials and equipment out, but once I begin, I love getting creative while watching a Christmas film or two.

Thankfully, our Christmas plans didn't involve anyone outside of our household, so we weren't affected by the last minute rule changes, though anyone who was affected has my full sympathy.

What I've eaten in December

It seems mad that in December, a month normally full of feasting, nights out and family meals, I haven't been in a single restaurant, bar or pub. My eating out has been restricted to takeaway options, and I've become very familiar with Finch House, a coffee shop in Tonbridge which does fantastic gingerbread lattes at Christmas.

There's also a new addition to the local coffee shop scene - Ridings opened in Hildenborough recently, and it'll be a lovely cafe once it's allowed to open properly. So far though, it's been take away only, so I've developed a weekly ritual of trekking across muddy fields to collect a takeaway hot chocolate, which I enjoy on the walk back home.

What I've been watching in December

The Holidate on Netflix

Films

I began the month making my way through the torrent of Christmas films available on Netflix (seriously, how do they churn them out so fast?). As you might expect, they all blurred into one cheesy, snowy, fairy light-bedecked blur, but the one that did stand out was The Holidate. It was as predictable as rom-coms always are, but slightly less twee than the other festive offerings. 

Outside of the Christmas deluge, I watched:

• Seven Pounds - darker than I expected, and pleasingly unpredictable, though sometimes hard to follow.
• Naledi - an easy-watch documentary about an orphaned baby elephant and her fight for survival in an African sanctuary. Probably too mushy for some, but I love all things wildlife.
• Saint Judy - A gripping biographical film about an American lawyer who took on an immigration case which changed asylum law in the country.
• A Dog's Way Home - Our choice for an easy Boxing Day watch, about a dog trekking 400 miles across America back to her home. It drags a bit in the middle, but if you love animal films, it's worth a watch.

TV shows

The main show I've been binging throughout December is Dawson's Creek. I was a bit too young to watch it the first time around, so I've never seen it, and I'm enjoying having something slow-paced and calming to dip into when the madness of the real world all gets a bit much. The characters' intense self-awareness grates at times, and the fashion is VERY '90s, but I enjoy a will-they-won't-they storyline as much as the next person.

What I've been reading in December

• The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain - I picked this one up after enjoying Kiss River by the same author last month, and was pleased to find I liked this one even more. It's written in such a way as to make the piecing together of one family's past very enjoyable for the reader, and is rather hard to put down.
• Believe In Me by Susan Lewis - Another one which I picked up because I've enjoyed previous books by the same author. I found it disappointingly slow-paced to begin with, compared to the others I've read, but after persevering, it became enjoyable. On the downside, I only really cared about a couple of the characters, and had little empathy for the others.
• The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jeffries - I usually find books set in both a different culture and a different time period quite difficult to get stuck into, but this one clicked straight away. The character of Louisa is immediately likeable, and the mysteries left behind by her husband after his death are very intriguing. I won't give too much away, but if you want to escape the drudgery of the English winter, this would be a good place to start.
• Secrets of a Happy Marriage by Cathy Kelly - As December ends, I'm part way through this one, having struggled to keep track of all of the characters and their relationships with each other in the first few chapters. So far it's putting me in mind of Marian Keyes' work, so if you're a fan of her books, give this one a try.

What's next?

As always this year, no big plans. At time of writing, two vaccines have been approved for use in the UK, so there is hope on the horizon. However, I suspect we'll be going into a full UK lockdown in the meantime. I do have a crafting project I want to work on in January (watch this space) and hope to find time for plenty of reading and walking too.

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See also - what I got up to in:

• November 2020: Scarecrows and Christmas lights.
• October 2020: London, baby!
• September 2020: Seals, beach huts and ice cream.
• August 2020: Cream tea, rooftop jaunts and sunflowers.
• July 2020: Castles, wildflowers, and a return to blogging.