I actually enjoy stacking wood, along with other physical farmwork. Maybe in more moderate quantities than this time (I'm still sore...) but in principle I like it. Makes me feel productive and capable- feelings that are kind of hard to achieve in thinking work.

Hair:  I have been bored with knot buns for some time now. I've worn the style almost exclusively since my hair reached BSL. It is a wonderfully easy, sturdy and ok looking style, and as such it has been difficult to replace. Cinnabuns have been back for quite some time now, but they have not been the same as in shorter lengths. Making a good one isn't that easy and usually the result is still less sturdy than an average knot bun. So, knots I have worn, trying to keep things interesting by wearing different clips, Amish pins, scarves and caps.
       Now that exhaustion had temporarily slowed my activities, I decided that it would be a good time to play with my hair a little, just to see if I could come up with something interesting. So, I tried to make a braided bun. When I looked the result from the mirror, I was simply astonished. The pitiful, lopsided braided bun I remember from my old attempts was gone. Just gone. It had been replaced with a GORGEOUS bun that looked balanced, decent sized... the very thing I had dreamed of but had labeled as something that might not be in my future.  While this bun takes a tad longer to make than the basic knot, the gorgeous result is well worth it. The rope braid option will change the look completely without being more difficult to produce... boredom conquered!

Sewing: I finished my yellow dress/apron set yesterday and I still like how it turned out, unusual color or not. I think I'll continue my sewing projects today. It's light and productive work, perfectly suitable for the day when I don't feel 100% strong and sharp. And it still shortens my to-do list.

And here are pictures of my new styling attempts.



Regular braided bun on a day when my hair was very wispy. I see a lot of improvement since the last time I tried this.



And here's rope braided version. Yes, I'm wearing my yellow home dress. I haven't still decided how well the color suits me...but I like it anyway.

Pretty, pretty, pretty!!!  That yellow is very flattering on you.  I think I like the braided bun best, eventhough your rope is pretty, too.

You're welcome!! 

Thanks for mentioning the braided bun tip-I tried it today and really like it!  It took me 2 tries, bit I think this is how I'll do it from now on 'cause I love how it looks.

Thanks again!!!

The braided buns are definitely better when started from a French braid. Mine have started to come out really neat. Today is the first day I'm wearing my bun secured with a Ficcare beak (honeymarble, of course). I'm not sure if a beak clip could be used for a braided bun if the braid was thick, but for once I think my thin hair is a benefit and I really like the look.

Life: Well, to say that I'm a nervous wreck might begin to describe things- in a couple of days I should know whether or not I have received a grant. My high hopes (as my application was truly stellar) have shrunk quicker than a snowman in Sahara, and there's absolutely nothing I can do except worry. If it turns out that I didn't get this grant, I will have to seriously reevaluate my plans for a research career. I know I have done good work, my research is good and has already proved to be interesting even on an international scale, I have excellent recommendations and my merit list is impressive. If that isn't enough to give me a chance to continue my research for one more year, I don't think it's realistic for me to expect to do a career in this country. And, going abroad permanently is really not an option for me. I'm not the ideal urban single researcher, I am a country philosopher. It's a shame, since I'm not really interested in anything except thinking, homemaking and writing my book. Somehow, all my talents are such that they make a wonderful life and gain much praise, if one can do without money. And doing something unimportant just for money for my entire productive life is something unimaginable to me- like a slow suicide. Temporarily, I can don pretty much anything, but it's not the way I want to live out my life. I'll figure something out in the end, that's for sure. But the thought of having to figure such out doesn't make me happy. At all.
         But, even laced with these dark thoughts, my weekend was quite bright. We visited a rabbit exhibition on Saturday, and worked in the garden on Sunday. We are now preparing it for the winter. Summer has gone so quickly, and I know it's not just that our Northern summers are not that long to start with. But winter will be good too, especially if there will be snow. Feeding birds, lanterns, my dramatic snowmen...it'll be fun.
       This year, we discovered that though flowers are lovely, kitchen garden is where our hearts truly lie. We love to grow and preserve our own food. So, next year, our first and most important goal is to expand our kithcen garden. I think this plan will fit particularly well into our overall restoration plans for the garden-the people who started gardening were also first and foremost growing food for their family. One can never go badly wrong while reviving a tradition.
     
Crafts: Finished cross stitching our wedding record. What looked like a small project turned out to take several months of careful work, but the result with all its nearly-invisible detail is very nice. It also taught me a lot about cross stitching. I now feel confident enough to undertake something bigger...
       Before that, however, comes a plain sweater for T. I've already started to knit it, and it looks like it will be quick and nice to make. I hope to finish it in time for winter.

Interesting about starting a braided bun with a french braid.  I guess I have always done that and never realized that the bun would shape differently.  I start with the french braid because I don't like to put my hair into a ponytail first and it is too hard to start a high braid without it being bound into a pony tail. 

Good luck with the grant - if anyone deserves it, you do!

Didn't have my hair trimmed last night...it just slipped. Will try again tonight. Today's style is a knot bun with red Primavera beak. Braided bun makes braid waves, and those would make trimming more difficult for T.
     I still dislike the idea of trimming, no matter how sensible it is. After the trim, my hair barely hits the waist, while now I'm at clear, generous, obvious, indisputable waist length. Come, New Year!

Crafts: A couple of pictures of the wedding record I finished a couple of posts ago. Because I'm so proud I managed to complete it without too many mistakes.