It appears November was an epic month of food: eating lots of cuisines or foods that I haven’t eaten in absolutely ages, work having lots of tasty meals and treats especially relating to some product launches. It really is the small things that you become grateful for – but let’s be honest, who isn’t grateful for free food!

Been watching more things in my free time too: TV series, Chinese dramas, some films, and even started watching some festive Christmas things too. It is that time of year now, after all.

So, here is my food-filled, drama-watching gratitude journal for November:

1 Grateful for carrot cake. Baked carrot cake last night to bring into the office for a colleague’s birthday and got to eat some – super tasty. Grateful for work for a Deliveroo lunch, haven’t had prawns in ages! Just super grateful for food today it seems!

2 Grateful for leftover pad Thai for lunch today, as well as leftover cake! Grateful for gravy for dinner this evening – so yummy. Grateful for Artemis today, even though she was grumbling a lot this afternoon, she was so sweet and cuddly on the sofa this evening. She slept on me and it’s so adorable and I’m grateful that she feels safe enough to let her guard down and sleep on me.

3 Grateful for Thai food again, I was really after some dim sum but alas Thai food it was. Grateful for checklists at work reminding me what needs to be done. Grateful for Artemis who was quite funny on the walk this morning, she sniffed the branch she owned yesterday and eventually decided she still owned it!

4 Grateful for Only Murders in the Building, we’ve finished the latest season and I absolutely love this show. Grateful for writing and recounting the recent past, it’s good to reflect on how far you’ve come. Grateful for rain, oddly, dampening the fireworks because Artemis had her tail tucked under pretty much the whole evening – she is super afraid of fireworks so I’m grateful the loud bangs didn’t go on as late as they might have. Grateful that we are able to provide some comfort to Artemis, she was wedged right between us on the sofa, presumably the closeness makes her feel safe and secure.

5 Grateful for available car park spaces, town was so busy today. Grateful for Artemis, I did some training with her this evening and she was catching on to some things. Grateful for quieter fireworks tonight, Artemis was still scared of the bangs but they weren’t as loud as yesterday so didn’t impact her as much. Grateful for the hubby going out for a snack run. Grateful for a Chinese drama I’m watching featuring tasty desserts and it is absolutely hilarious!

6 Grateful for Artemis today, watching her can be hilarious and she does remind me to stay present. This evening she was sure she had a toy on the sofa underneath her, so she was sniffing frantically to find said toy – but there was no toy on the sofa at all! Her determination was hilarious, she eventually hopped off and found a toy elsewhere. Grateful for jacket potatoes and salmon, such a simple meal, yet we haven’t had it in ages. Man, I miss eating potatoes!

7 Grateful for ranting sessions with a colleague, reminds me of my training days when the seniors would just rant about work and life – it’s good to get stuff off your chest. Grateful for hilarious YouTube videos, was laughing for about five whole minutes after watching one – ah, the endorphins that must’ve been released. Grateful for the electric chargepoint working remotely, meaning I don’t have to go out in the cold to unplug the car – it was mighty chilly today.

8 Grateful for cupcakes at work, celebrating a product release. Grateful for work organising a professional photo shoot, I completely forgot but you didn’t have to book in or anything. Grateful for efficiencies, as something has changed at work meaning that something else will be much quicker to do, and it’s been at least one year of waiting – so I’m grateful for the changes happening.

9 Grateful for skilled technicians doing their jobs today. Grateful for technology coming a long way. Grateful for seeing someone wonderful today.

10 Grateful for managing to walk Artemis this morning with very little treats, I had forgotten to fill up my bumbag with her usual walking treats, but still had some training treats which I managed to ration on the walk! Grateful for the in laws who sent some cool stuff that we’ve received today, the hubby was so happy. Grateful for Artemis who slept on my leg this evening, it’s been a little while since she last napped on me – we both napped actually.

11 Grateful for friends visiting with their baby and hearing about their parenthood life. Grateful for Thai food, so very tasty. Grateful for the hubby putting together the new mahoosive crate for Artemis, it looks really nice and modern and it’s bigger than the old one – she seems to be taking to it very well. Grateful for Artemis, in our obedience class she did very well and I was very impressed that she stayed in a down stay for as long as she did – progress!

12 Grateful for sleep and napping – so rejuvenating. Grateful for Artemis who was snoozing on me this evening – so adorable. Grateful for the hubby helping me out and doing a lot of the chores today. Grateful for Trello helping me keep on track with all my plans.

13 Grateful for a new Chinese drama mini series I’m watching, quite funny and actually really interesting as it’s a loop of the same day, like Groundhog Day. Grateful for lamb and mint sauce, which I had tonight and I love mint sauce so much!

14 Grateful for fruit, as I’ve been snacking on a lot of fruit lately. Grateful for calendar time blocking, it’s been helping me stay on top of tasks and has prevented task switching at work. Grateful for Boots delivery, almost running out on some skincare products!

15 Grateful for pillows and cushions today. Grateful for good car park spaces, really not good at parking but I did well today! Grateful for ramen, which I haven’t eaten in absolutely ages.

16 Grateful for free lunch today at work, as there was a training meeting which was very helpful. Grateful for cake as well, as it was someone’s birthday. Grateful for tuna pasta bake, which we ate this evening – a really tasty meal that reminds me of my mother in law as she introduced the meal to me. Grateful for colleagues who are all very supportive and positive.

17 Grateful for sleep and naps. Grateful for some life admin, cleared a few things which is great. Grateful for Artemis who was snoozing on me this evening. Grateful for rice, love the stuff. And grateful for the hubby for doing a lot of the chores today.

18 Grateful for obedience class, learnt some interesting tips today. Grateful for the hubby helping me do some research. Grateful for Artemis, who was using me as a pillow this evening, she’s very cuddly these days.

19 Grateful for family dog walks. Grateful for the hubby helping out with house stuff today. Grateful for Artemis, she looked so precious snoozing in the most flexible position on the sofa next to me this evening. Grateful for yoga poses, helping provide some relief.

20 Grateful for lie ins, much needed. Grateful for jacket potatoes and cheese – simple, yet classic. Grateful for carving out time to do a little sewing, some garments have been sitting there for months and I’ve finally made a start.

21 Grateful for driving and having a car today, running so many errands and attending so many appointments – it sure makes it a whole lot easier! Grateful to have an evening out and have a lovely dinner with the hubby, haven’t eaten out on a weekday since pre COVID I don’t think! Grateful for the little things.

22 Grateful for pizza party at work, tasty! Grateful for ramen, which we had this evening, proper comfort food for me. Grateful for Artemis who snoozed on me this evening, she was absolutely shattered from the long walks the dog walker has been giving her and it’s so adorable!

23 Grateful for work organising doughnuts on release of a product, super tasty and filling! Grateful for the hubby being home to accept some items that I ordered yesterday.

24 Super grateful for some training today, very helpful and insightful. Made lots of notes and aiming to put what I learnt into practise. Grateful for shopping delivery today, it is super cold today so really don’t fancy leaving the house!

25 Grateful for local authentic Thai food, never disappoints. Grateful for a really helpful virtual class I attended today. Grateful for The Santa Clauses, back for season two and really entertaining. Grateful for lists helping us keep track of chores.

26 Grateful for sleep this morning. Grateful for batch cooking all the meals for the coming week. Grateful to have a varied day of writing and drama watching, even managed to watch a film too.

27 Grateful for sat nav, helping me get from place to place. Grateful for cameras on my car, helping me traverse through tight spaces. Grateful for lemon juice, clearing away all the tea stains in our mugs. Grateful for organised laziness, having batch cooked over the weekend means we were able to simply reheat this evening. Grateful for Artemis, we had a training session this morning and it appears she better understands a couple of the dog training commands now.

28 Grateful for morning walks with Artemis. We walked in a lovely park where loads of cars were zipping about in the perimeter and though it was absolutely freezing this morning, I’m glad I took the time to walk her and experience this calmish walk whilst others were speeding along to start their working day. Grateful for batch cooking at the weekend again, a busy working day for me so it’s great to just pop something in the microwave and enjoy it on the weekday.

29 Grateful for Artemis who was full of snoozes this evening on the sofa. Grateful for work for providing cookies, they were really tasty and chewy cookies! Grateful for calendar blocking which has really helped me keep on top of work and keep realistic expectations of timelines.

30 Grateful for heating! There’s a cold snap at the moment and I was so cold driving to work, I had heaters blowing and warm seats on and heated steering wheel on too – it was the lowest charge I had when I arrived at work but I managed to get home ok. Grateful for a little art today, as work organised an arty event decorating Christmas decorations for the trees in the office. It was really nice taking some time out, decorating, listening to Christmas tunes – starting to feel festive now!