Apologies for what is about to happen. It looks like Christmas is truly upon us (me).

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
On Friday we picked up our tree. I say we, but I mean the boy. And it’s the most beautiful, stumpy, plush tree. It’s a boy, clearly. He’s covered in baubles of the finest calibre. I could never not have a tree. It completely transforms the atmosphere and gives me the Christmas tingles than can only mean one thing – it’s imminent! Here he is, in night and daywear.

Home Alone.
Now that the tree’s up, it’s acceptable to watch Home Alone, 1 and 2. And laugh my head off. I love them both.

The Weather.
Or rather, moaning about the weather. It really has been dreadful. I don’t mind the cold at all. It’s the wind, rain, hail stones and sleet I have a problem with. Today, for example, I’ve got wrapping paper to buy stuff to do. I need to leave the house. But it’s so hard to drag myself out there in the torrential rain. And if it stops for a minute, don’t be fooled. It’s on and off like you’ve never known before. Unbearable. I need me some waterproofs.

My Christmas jumper.
I can get away with lots of things now that the tree’s up. It’s my excuse for everything. Like, I keep telling the boy he has to be excited, now the tree’s up. (He’s not). Anyway, I’ve been blasting the Christmas tunes and sporting this rather dashing jumper with joy in my heart.

My favourite Christmas song.
Our cheeks are nice and rosy, and comfy and cosy are we.

Christmas.
Yes, this will be a fad intermittently until the time is actually upon us. We went to the markets at last this week, but they were so busy that we just had a sausage and a beer and then escaped. Need to pick a quieter time to go. Also, I booked my trains to go home-home for Christmas. Heading south. Hopefully I won’t have to drag my suitcase through the snow to get the station, like last year. Also, there may or may not be another TBA dress on my imaginary Christmas list.

Bacon Sandwich.
I worked from home for the first time ever on Friday. Aside from the fact that that is wonderful in itself, it also meant that I could partake in a bacon-sandwich-lunch-break. My favourite kind of lunch break. Burnt toast, a slick of butter and loads of ketchup, and piled high with an abundance of crispy bacon. Perfect.

Definitely Maybe.
Thanks to Zane Lowe, of all people, I saw Definitely Maybe trending on Twitter this week. Which forced me to give it a little whirl of my own. I will always love it.

Matilda.
Because I am Matilda, I am desperate to see this.

Berlin.
This has already been a fad once before. But like Christmas, this is going to be an intermittent one. Until February. WHEN WE GO TO BERLIN. Eeeeeep! Finally, we’ve booked a holiday. And we’re staying in basically the trendiest hotel you’ve ever seen. And we’re just going to hop from trendy bar to trendy bar. You know the drill. So excited.

Freelance.
The work experience I did last week resulted in me being offered some paid freelance work. This means I will actually be paid in sterling for writing words down in a suitable fashion. For asking someone questions and transcribing and turning it into something people can read. This will be an absolute first. An absolutely delighting first. I don’t want to get too excited though, in case it’s just a one-off. I mean, what do you reckon, is it too early to get my business cards printed?

My new shift dress of dreams.
As I was browsing my local vintage shops yesterday I came across a plain black shift dress, clearly from the 60s. I thought, Ooh, I haven’t got a plain black shift dress, clearly from the 60s – I better try this on. At this point, the earth didn’t move. It was more a case of pragmatism than desire and anyway, I had a few other things to try on at the same time, so the shift dress wasn’t really moving mountains. But as I put it on, it was as if heavenly angels sang in unison. Seriously, it fitted me better than any other dress I have in my wardrobe. Like it had been made to measure. The collar, shoulders, darts, length, hips. All in the right place. All sitting perfectly. I couldn’t believe my luck. I snapped it up for a mere £18 and can now officially say I have a little black dress in my wardrobe. A perfect little black dress which was made to measure and couldn’t be more me if it tried.

Working nine to five, what a way to make a living.
I’ve already banged on about this, I know. The cows have officially gone home. But for the purposes of these fads, it needs mentioning again. I haven’t had a 9-5 routine for about 6 years, since my school days (and even then, it wasn’t strictly speaking 9-5). So the work experience I did last week gave me that little glimpse back into a routined and normal life. I say normal only because it’s the life all my other friends and family lead. I have to say, it’s hard being at work in the evenings or at the weekends when you know everyone else is have a jolly good knees-up. I mean, sometimes, it’s fine. But when it’s every week, it starts to grate. I am longing for free evenings and weekends, by default. Just got to keep plugging away and hopefully it’ll become a reality soon. (Obviously, if it ever does, I will moan endlessly about the fact that I never have a day off in the week and have to do my shopping at the same time as the rest of humanity. Can’t win.)

The Manchester Christmas Markets.
Those of you who follow me on twitter will know that I was on market watch all week. The sheds were popping up all over the place. And I could hear lots of German voices as I made my way around town. There’s generally loads more people about – the markets always create a little buzz in the air. Apart from the fact that it’s nowhere near cold enough for market time, I’m excited to take my first little stroll around them. Obviously it will not be at the weekend (I’d rather not, thank you) and I will not be partaking in any mulled-wine drinking (urgh, I’d rather not, thank you) but I will eat cheese and drink boozy coffees and German beers and eat fancy stews and the best sausages ever and look for unique Christmas presents. I’ll be seeing you shortly, markets! (This photo is from last year and all I can remember is being so cold I could’ve cried.)

My latest book.
Yet again, I’m head over heels with the book I’m reading. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. As you can see, I’m going for something of a war theme at the moment. I’m only about a third of the way through, but Uhhhhh, what’s going to happen?

Vintage Christmas Decorations.
In particular, baubles. Especially the frosted or woven silk variety. I spent an inordinate amount of time discovering these beauties on eBay this week. There is also an inordinate number of them on my watch list. I fear my bidding frenzy shall be fierce when the time comes – I shall not be held accountable for my actions. (I’ve also got a tiny soft spot for wooden tree decorations too. Just sayin’.)

The OC.
I’ve just accidentally stumbled across back to back episodes on a previously undiscovered channel. So while it’s not strictly speaking a fad of the past week, it’s a fad of right now so I reckon it counts. Seth Cohen, I’m sorry I’ve neglected you for so long.

Internships.
So, I’ve finally landed myself some work experience. Probably nothing to do with the fact that I begged and said I’d work for free. Needless to say I’m nervous. Obviously, what to wear is the least of my worries. Got that one down. More concerned how to move my mouth and make words string into sentences that simultaneously mean something. Gonna have to work on that bit. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll here more about that when the time comes.

Bonfire Night.
I lie. Since I became to old to play the guess-the-colour-of-the-next-firework game, bonfire night hasn’t really had sway for me. However, I did love how the temperature conveniently dropped a few degrees and the air was suitably smoky. Might even be able to whack out the winter-wear soon. Eventually. But rather than spending the evening outside, I spent the it camped out on the sofa with half-price fizz. Ideal. (Just so you know, THIS is what I mean by winter-wear.)

November.
Firstly, how on earth it is November, I do not know. I’ve always thought of November being one of the least significant months of the year for me (except for the fact that it’s the one before December). Nothing happens in it for me. But this year, with my internship, hopefully it’ll bring something good.

Topshop Petite.
Once again Topshop Petite came to my rescue this week. They are the only jeans that fit/look how I want/come in miniscule leg-lengths. And I was kind of worried that they were burgundy, because I hate burgundy, but the boy kindly informed me they are in fact CLARET, which explains the whole me-liking-them thing. As much as I thank Topshop Petite for providing such a wonderful service, I do think I should be slightly concerned about the fact that my leg-length is a lower number than my waist. Note to self: must work on that.

Coffee.
I’ve made the seasonal transition from frappe latte to just a latte (an extra shot if the occasion requires it). I must say I’m thoroughly enjoying them. My favourite thing though, it has to be said, is the cardboard sleeve around the cup.

Holidays.
I need one. Like, now. I mean one where I don’t feel guilty and anxious. A proper rest where I can pretend life is not passing me by far too quickly. And I can drink without hangovers and eat with abandon. Any offers of a beach-break or city-break or log cabin or cosy cottage would be gratefully received. Ta.

Alone In Berlin.
(Did I just say I need a holiday? No, Berlin’s not on the brain at all.) I just finished Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada. I do love a good wartime novel. This one is a translation though, so it wasn’t as epic as I was hoping. If anything, it made me wish I could read German. Still good though. Worth a read.

The Future.
So, having celebrated our fifth anniversary this week, I’m naturally thinking ahead. Like, where will we be in another five years? There’s a million things we want to do. Hopefully we’ll have bloody done some of them! But anything could happen in that time. I already have a bad habit of factoring for the unexpected and tragic – I plan to knock that on the head. As it stands, we’re both just looking forwards in anticipation. See, here’s me, looking forwards.

So, here you have it, my fads of the week: round two. Who’d’ve thought I’d actually keep something like this up? I must admit, it’s helpful that I’m off today. Plenty of time and no excuses. Enjoy!

Communication.
It has become increasingly apparent to me, that when you live with someone communication of the most banal kind becomes an absolute necessity. It is an actual craft that needs honing, if you will. So, when you find yourself saying something as banal as: This cloth has been used for glass-cleaning, I am placing it back in the drawer; please don’t throw it away, because in the event that you should ever need to clean glass, this cloth is more than up to the job; don’t worry that you personify banality, but simply remind yourself you are perfecting the valuable art of domestic communication. And then live happily ever after.

Navy.
I want everything (clothes-wise) in navy at the moment. It’s just so much friendlier than black. Navy says cool/stylish/effortless, whereas black seems to say i’m-hard-and-lack-depth-and-imagination. I’m well and truly, in the navy.

Fruit.
Yeah, I might be a bit behind with this one. I think I’ve probably mentioned before, I sometimes panic that I don’t eat enough of the stuff. I mean, properly wakes-me-up-in-night panic. I think the biggest part of the problem is that we live in the city-centre and don’t have a car. Stocking up on fruit is therefore something of a burden. So we’ve looked at those fancy online thingys where you can have seasonal fruitboxes delivered to your door. But, being the fusspot I am, we decided it might be a bit risky. So, we’ve vowed to order fruit every week in just a normal online shop. Yeah, we have to do it manually, but at least then I won’t get any apple other than a golden delish. After all, that’s a risk I was not prepared to take.

Potatoes.
No but seriously, I couldn’t live without them. It’s so easy for me to say they are my favourite food ever. Roast potatoes [or roasties, as the boy would say], jacket potatoes [baked spud], boiled potatoes [boilies], mashed potatoes [just mash], potato wedges [yep, wedges] sweet potatoes [hmmm], potato salad, bombay potatoes, potatoes in soup, potatoes in curry, and, of course, CHIPS (chunky, thin, crispy, soggy, salty, on a plate, in a cone, on the beach when sober, on the street when drunk). I’ve probably forgotten something. But I’d like to this opportunity to say: I love you, spuds, you are my nearest and dearest.

Ernie K-Doe.
There are no words for how much I love his voice. It’s my favourite sound this week (and maybe even ever). Completely addicted. Rather than take my word for it, have a listen for yourself. It took me ages to choose which song to put on here, but I reckon this one just about covers every reason why this voice is just so uhhhh.

Anyone who knows me will be familiar with the fact that I’m something of a faddy and whimsical girl with a propensity for short-term infatuations. What I love this week, may well be forgotten about the next. With this in mind, I’ve decided to do a weekly feature on exactly that. Five things that are going up in my world right now. You’ll soon see that my infatuations can be very wide-ranging and peculiar. So, here you have it: my fads of this week.

Interior Design.
At the moment, I have a particularly soft-spot for vintage pouffes. I also love to collect anything made from amber glass. The silly thing is, we RENT. I wish I could store my landlord’s furniture on the roof, to make room for my recent [more tasteful] acquirements, but instead we are forced to CRAM. But seriously, I spend an inordinate amount of time collating images (day-dreaming/wanting/fad-ing) of interior design spaces that I love, for future reference. Only, I wish I could act upon it now. I’m sure the boy doesn’t feel as broody for furniture as I do, but this can only be a good thing, as it means I will be sure to get my own learned way, when the time does eventually come. Ha!

French.
Yep. You got it. One day I WILL speak French. One day I will be chic and live in Paris and like dogs and jam and buy fresh bread daily. One day, I WILL be a lady. Je pense que ouais.

Irma Thomas.
Counting every drop, about to blow my top, I wish this rain would hurry up and stop; I’ve got the blues so bad, I can hardly catch my breath – the harder it rains, the worse it gets. One day, magically, I’ll be able to sing like Irma. No but seriously, her voice makes me ache and long for all the things I can’t do and all the things I can’t have. Girl got it good.

Tax Rebates.
Sometimes, they come when you least expect them. Like, you know, for the first time EVER and three years late. If I’m honest, the first thing that sprung to mind? Well actually, it was two things. In quick succession. Berlin. Followed swiftly and seamlessy by: Russell and Bromley. (Is that three?). No but seriously, who could go to Berlin without a new pair? Haaaa. This fad will end soon, I promise. It MUST end soon so I can resume normal, basic-shoed, life. (Please, let me forget you ever existed).

Steak.
I’m sure I read somewhere once that it’s entirely possible to crave the good old red stuff. I can’t remember the last time I indulged on a fancy plate of steak and chips. I must rectify this soon. It’s not the sort of thing I would cook myself (I will never succumb to the chip-pan and/or oven-chip). So steakhouse date is to be soon. In a bit, Sirloin lad.