I have to admit — November has never been my favorite month. It feels unfair to say that, since it’s also a month of the year, but somehow I always struggle with it. This year I even caught a cold for the first time in a while, couldn’t go to the garden for long, but I'm glad that I could recover before @hivebeecon this weekend. I was also lazy for posting to Hive Blog a little 💦
The sunlight fades, the rain keeps coming, and even when it’s clear, the roads get slippery and I ride my bike less. I do like being at home, but there’s something about this season that makes me feel a little trapped indoors.
So I decided to get some help from plants — I picked up a vitamin essence from the local organic shop. I remembered taking it last year and feeling quite good.
The borscht in the first photo was also my way of cheering myself up — a bowl full of color and root-vegetable power. My partner doesn’t like beets, but my daughter loves them and ate with such appetite that it made me happy to share the soup with her. I’m grateful to have a little one with a grown-up taste in food.
Lately I’ve also felt a lack of motivation, so I limited my to-do list to just three things. One of them was preparing my application for Contextile 2026, a biennial textile exhibition in Portugal. Over the weekend, I knitted a sweater for @pupiko to warm up my hands and started drafting the proposal — both the text and a bit of code. Slowly, my energy began to return.
Applying for a competition next year with Pupiko is one of the three goals too.
December is easier. The Christmas mood helps lift my spirits, and by year’s end the days start to grow longer again.
So I’m reminding myself to find small joys in the remaining two-thirds of November — like this weekend’s BeeCon and a workshop I’ve been invited to in the neighboring city at the end of the month. Little sparks that keep the heart warm.
Do you have any tips to survive November? Or don't you have any struggle for the month? Happy to hear from you ☺️
11月が苦手です。大事な一年の一月ではあるので苦手と言っては申し訳ないのですが、やっぱりそこまで得意ではないようで、今年はひさしぶりに風邪をひいて、庭に行けず、ようやく回復して、週末の @hivebeecon に間に合ってよかった！という今日この頃です。Hive Blogもサボり気味でした 💦
太陽の光が減って、雨降りの日が多くて晴れても道がつるつるで自転車に乗れなくなって、家の中は好きなもののなんとなく家でもんもんと過ごすのが、この時期の苦手なところなのだと思います。ということで、植物に助けてもらおうと思って、オーガニックショップでビタミンを補給のエッセンスを買ってきました。去年のこの時期飲んでいて調子がよかった気がしたので。
冒頭のボルシチも色と根菜のパワーで元気を出すぞと作りました。相方はビーツが苦手なので食べませんが、子供が気に入ってもりもり食べてくれて、作ってよかったなあ、食の好みが渋好みの子でよかったなあと。
あとは、やる気がなんだか出なかったので、やることを3つだけに絞って、その一つ、ポルトガルで二年に一度開催されているテキスタイルのコンペ・展示Contextile 2026に応募する準備を始めました。週末に @pupiko のセーターを編んで手のウォームアップをして、応募書類やコードの草案を書き始めると、少し調子が出てきた気がします。
12月はクリスマスムードで気分が上がって、年末には少しずつ日が長くなり始めるので、比較的楽しく過ごせるんですよね。11月の残り2/3を元気に過ごすべく、日常にちょいちょい楽しみを作っていくのって大事だなと思うのでした。そういう意味では今週末のBeeCon、月末に招待してもらっている隣町でのワークショップに感謝ですね。
11月を乗り切るコツはありますか？それとも、全然11月が大丈夫なタイプですか？よかったらご意見聞かせてください。
The borscht looks very good indeed; soup is still the best food to fight a nasty cold/flu, glad you're feeling better.
Being in the Southern hemisphere, this is supposed to be summertime, but the weather's really been so strange, with some nights and even days, icy cold!
Enjoy HiveBeeCon @akipponn!
I remember you are in south hemisphere :) I thought how is it like in the opposite side of the earth when I was writing this post. I wish you keep warm and enjoy the upcoming spring and summer!
November is somehow just a passing month for me. Nothing eventful aside from the all soul's day when we visit the cemetery to honor our family member who already passed away. Other than that, November is just a so so month. I guess just focus on doable things each day to keep you feeling productive. You know, just divide a bigger goal to smaller achievable ones and you won't know each day you're already accomplishing that project or whatever goals you have done in no time. Keep the soup in your menu to keep you warm from the chilly weather there!
Oh, I didn’t know the all soul’s day— that’s beautiful. In Japan, it’s in August, and I wonder how it is in Germany… 😅
You’re so right, taking small, intentional steps each day really matters. I’ll make soup again today! It may be a small step too 🍲
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STOPNovember and February drag me down. I try and have things to do to distract me 😍
Yeah, here you are from northern Europe! You can choose and sow peppers/eggplants in February. So it's a bit better month for me ... 😁