It's fair to say that this past week has been incredibly busy, today is 'day 13' since I had a full day off, and I don't think I've worked a day under 12 hours in that time. Tut. Tut.

Tomorrow morning, I head off on retreat for five days, and in order to avoid taking any work with me, I have loads still get done today.  So the displacement activity of a quick blog post!

After church, and then a meeting to plan for Advent, I felt the need for some fresh air (and a Gregg's apple turnover!) so I went for a short walk.  The leaves are spread carpet-like across the pavements, and there is nothing I like better than kicking them up or scrunching them underfoot.

It's become one of my 'rituals' of gratitude, something I do once at least every autumn, to celebrate the fact that I am still here, still healthy and still enjoying life.

I have a lot to do before I can even think about packing for tomorrow.  But it's been good to take 'five' to enjoy a bright, cold autumn day and to scrunch the leaves once again.