October...

Well, they do say Autumn is a time of change. I suppose it's nostalgia for the school timetable that makes it still feel like a time of new beginnings, freshly-sharpened pencils, and making plans for the year ahead. This October was definitely no exception, and managed to surpass even my usual frequency of ricocheting between highs and lows like a hyperactive pinball. 

There were times where I felt parts of myself, my positivity, my sanity, being chipped away, like a miniature dinosaur excavation...

The sale of my flat, my new home, dragged on and on and ON, and just when I thought it was done, my solicitor unearthed something so insurmountable that nothing could fix it. I cried in the work toilets made my peace with it, ate commiseratory cake, and started plotting a Plan B.... 

Then, one week later, it was (magically) All Fixed And Fine Again. Cue street parade, celebratory cake, apologetic tweets to those who'd offered help with Plan B etc. etc. 

It was only after I'd started packing, with my moving date mere days away, that the "Everything Is Awesome" message was found to have been sent in error. Apparently, there'd been a mix-up with my file (with the Lego Movie script, I can only assume) and things were Very Much Not Fine after all. So, it was time for a New Plan B*...

My New Plan took the form of an eagle renting a rather sexy little room (in the Brighton Laines no less!!), complete with leopard print wallpaper, five lovely housemates, and only one bathroom.... 

The location couldn't be more perfect (it's so close to my favourite Mexican restaurant that I practically shouted in my order on moving day), and I've finally been reunited with my stuff that's spent 11 months in storage. It was like Christmas, with more fairy lights. And, if nothing else, living here is going to give me a bladder of STEEL. 

My new bed - complete with an actual mattress(!!)
and WiFi access. HURRAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Thankfully, gratefully, October was far from solely doom and gloom. In spite, or perhaps because, of feeling so stressed and helpless about the whole flat thing, I managed to fill every spare second (and millimetre of stomach) with the best things life can offer, including:

1. Cheesy carbs

Do you think it's a sign that your pizza is excessively huge when it needs THREE plastic table things in the box? (The third one is blocked by J's hand - I promise I can count to three) Or is the sign when one slice takes up an entire plate?

Seriously- the box on top is a normal 12" pizza...

2. Halloween Parties, by the (severed) handful. 
This year's festivities included a night out on the town, dressed as what most people guessed to be a "microwave kitten"... I wasn't.

The lack of rabbit ears probably didn't help (the bunches were the best I could do last-minute; especially as I'd drunk too much rum to be wielding scissors) but I maintain that my DIY-d tunic dress was OBVIOUSLY a boiler. 

The second outfit, for the Halloween special Boardgames Meet-Up, was marginally more obvious. A DIY-d checkerboard t-shirt, laddered tights, and half a dozen rubber snakes entwined round my limbs, hair, and waist...

I was going to share a photo here, but my Halloween 1 Hangover left me looking so ghoulish I would probably give you nightmares.

3. Pub roasts
Including a "sharing" roast - something I've never experienced before. I really wasn't sure how I felt about the whole thing, until my fellow roast-lover pointed out that they'd given me a double portion of cauliflower cheese because I wasn't going to eat any of the meat. Maybe they're not so bad after all...



4. Biro tattoos
Because what else are you going to do after eating your own weight in cauliflower cheese?!

[Comments below saying "DUNCAN - YOU HAVE TO GET THAT MANATEE TATTOO FOR REAL" would be very much appreciated]

5. Noodle Soup
Milliseconds after shifting the final box on Monday, I was struck down with a cold so brutal that it's basically kept me bed-bound for this whole week. On the plus side, my new bed is so pretty I don't mind living in it 24/7, and it's been the perfect excuse to cook up vast amounts of seriously scrumptious noodle soup with gyoza from my local** Asian supermarket. I've managed to get my packet-to-bowl technique down to under 6 minutes. In your face, Jamie Oliver.

What have you been up to lately? 

Katie xxx

*I know this should probably be "Plan C", but Plan B just sounds better. Although, come to think of it, Plan C kinda sounds like fancy. I might be coming round to it after all.

** Oh, Brighton - how I've missed you!