November: Not Started in October, Honest.

Now, time to write about November. Which I have totally not started in October. No, definitely not.

I guess I should talk about Movember and No-Shave November. Both raise money for charity, both similar in terms of theme.

• Movember requires you to be clean shaven and grow a mustache.
• No-Shave November is all hair grooming, with that money going to charity.

Both are doing it to raise awareness around men’s health and mental health problems. I have no plans to do both… unless I run out of shaving gel, that is.

Fireworks and Politics

November is also when the Gunpowder Plot took place, on the 5th of 1605. It is celebrated each year with fireworks and more events around the UK. Because I’m totally not writing this in the past, I don’t know what has happened with that yet.

And yet, this time of year feels just as explosive as in the past. Looking back at history, you can see echoes and similar themes repeated over and over.

The post-Halloween budget for the British government has probably happened. Or not, depending on when I decided to publish this. The problem is quite simple: the UK isn’t raising enough taxes, and they need more. But that problem comes with the government making itself hostage to fortune around the economy and promises it can’t afford to keep. Worse still, pretty much everybody is coming up with nonsense about how to solve it.

The simple answer is the UK needs more cash for a rainy day. Needs to pocket that cash to help pay off debts it has and just in case. But nobody wants to pay. Similar to the past, everybody is pointing at each other. Hopefully, they are serious about governing and do what is needed. Maybe they have found the French crown jewels that were taken from the Louvre!

Winter Projects?

Maybe I would have started on a project for Christmas—I don’t know. I’m tempted to revisit an old story idea that keeps floating around in my head, constantly drifting to the plot and key moments. I should take a crack at writing that, but I don’t want to turn it into a novel. The problem is writing a short story is quite hard and, worse still, trying to strike the balance between detail and everything else. I need to roughly write down the outline of the plot, commit to it, and write it. I have in the past said I would but hit a wall, which was redoing the whole thing.

Good news is I can tell you this: drying washing during this season outside is impossible. Welcome to damp clothes season and putting the heating on, maybe. The weather has gotten a bit colder but not too cold yet. It is jumper season almost.

Now heading into the dark days of winter and the horror that is the Christmas season. Winter normally is wet, dark, and cold. I just dislike the fuss and stress of it all.

As for a closing line, I’ve been playing video games again and having fun. I need to get back into the habit of one of them after a long break. I just dislike having to step away and not being able to put time into it. Maybe I need to do my backlog this winter season—I think I should, I have a few to do. Onwards to nutmeg season after pumpkin spice season