Greetings!

Hello again, Autumn is here amongst us now, looking forward to cosy nights in, and spending time with family. What do you like about the month of november?

Are you all organised for your winter garden? When the nights start to draw in and some of us are beginning to miss the great outdoors, surround yourself with some houseplants which will bring nature inside, but I hear you ask what about outside?

What jobs need doing this time of year? Plant spring bulbs, tidy up your borders, plant new hedges and fill gaps in borders with wallflowers for a great blaze of spring colour next year.

"Life's greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved." Victor Hugo

Hot topic - Time management
 Where's your time going?

How organized are you with your time? Do you rush around everywhere but nothing seems to get finished for you?

The key to time management is to realize that you cannot possibly do everything that there is to do; instead, you have to consciously decide what you are going to do with the limited amount of time that you have at your disposal.

Do you have written list of what to do or is it all in your head? Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. - Mahatma Gandhi

Here are a few easy steps for effective time management,

• Identify the difference between your work and personal priorities
• Translate your priorities into realistic goals
• Identify timeframes/ deadlines related to each activity
• Consider your monthly calendar or planning book a time saving device
• Learn to say "no" to opportunities and requests that take your time and don't move you forward towards achieving your goal
• Identify your own barriers to effective use of time
• Strive for balance between "doing" and "being"

From an article by Betty Clark Carlson

Did you know?
 Halloween

Did you know...our ancestors celebrated New Year on November 1st. The Celts celebrated their New Year's Eve on October 31st. It was celebrated every year with a festival called Samhain (pronounced 'sow- in'), that marked the end of the "season of the sun" (Summer) and the beginning of "the season of darkness and cold" ( Winter).

The beginning of the Celtic New Year was on November 1st.

The first week of November has always been a time of festivals and celebrations of the harvest finishing and the beginning of winter.

Watch those fireworks at your favourite bonfire evening? When I was small, I used to love going to see the fireworks in our local park, eating toffee apples, and hot dogs! Wrapped up in my favourite warm coat and scarf.

Have a lovely november, and keep those winter blues away. Keep your pets indoors over the next few weeks because of those fireworks.

It'll soon be christmas, and those festivities are a welcome break from all of that hard work over the year.

Fear does not have any special power unless you empower it by submitting to it. - Les Brown