Summer to Autumn

September - that time of year when the sunshine slowly starts to give way to falling leaves and that ominous wintry chill. Back in the day it would be a month I never looked forward to, because of the start of a new school term - nowadays I still approach it with trepidation, because it's the ending of my favourite time of year, and also the changing weather can really mess with the old mood. And relating to moods, this month has been up and down a bit (what month isn't like that?) - I'll get the downs out of the way first.

There's been days where I've made that mistake of thinking too much and it's gotten me all worried - but a big part of that is being aware of the rut I'm stuck in as far as trying to find a job goes, and I'm just tired of having a certain place on my back all the time to find a job. I wish I didn't have to deal with their you-know-what (something beginning with B), but unfortunately it's the only way I can get any income without having a job, so I have no choice. Anyone who's in the same situation will know what I mean. I'm just glad I have my drawing to keep me from going nuts.
Also, at the end of August into the start of this month, my grandma had to be taken to hospital, because she was complaining of sharp pains in her left arm - those pains were the onset of a major heart attack. Thankfully, she was in the right place at the right time, so the doctors were able to treat her before it had a chance to happen, which was a huge relief. I just don't even want to imagine what could've happened if she hadn't been.

This brings me onto the ups now - since the hospital visit, grandma is doing much better, she's getting out walking again and her heart rate is improving, and I know she won't let something like that keep her down. I'm just relieved she's on the mend now.
I had an unexpected gift this month - it was from my brother's girlfriend Jodie, who arrived back home after her 3 month stint over in the US working at a summer camp. She bought my brother a brand new smartphone, but he'd already gone and bought himself one, so she said I could have it. Needless to say, I'm quite happy with it, and I appreciate the thought too. I had been planning to upgrade from my old phone to a smartphone eventually, so this was a nice surprise.
I'm saving the best till last though - on the 28th, me and Nicole reached a milestone in our relationship...we celebrated our 1st anniversary. Neither of us have ever been a relationship for that long before, so that made the anniversary even more special. Too bad we couldn't actually physically be together on the day, but we did get to vid-chat over Skype. 
As I mentioned recently, we did exchange anniversary gifts in person, two months early, back in July - here's what I received:

 My 1st anniversary present from Nicole - a wristwatch

I loved it when she gave it to me, and I still love it now, vice versa with Nicole and the ring that I bought her - and it's the thought behind the gift that counts. I don't know where this past year has gone, but I know that I made the right decision to start dating Nicole, and at the risk of descending into slushiness, I'm grateful that we met and that we love each other, because we both mean a great deal to each other.

Last but not least, a bit of artwork - and this month also happened to mark 10 years since I created my two bug characters Bob & Flyer, more about that here.

"Bob & Flyer - Then and Now"

And that's that for September - wrap up warm, everyone.