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Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the colours of autumn and I try to go autumn leaf viewing every year.

Unfortunatley I didn’t have time to go this year. This is a shame, because the area where I live has so many beautiful autumn leaf viewing spots. There are many mountain temples in the area, and they are all so beautiful in autumn. One of my favourite temples in Kiyomizu-dera in Yasugi. (There is a famous temple in Kyoto with the same name.) It is in the mountains and has a pagoda. It is surrounded by trees which look beautiful in October and November.

I feel like this season passed by so quickly. I had some free time the other day, so I went for a run. The trees in the park are nearly bare. They only have a few leaves left. I guess I left it too late to visit temples this year. It is almost winter. Now I have to prepare for my trip back to the UK so I’m going to be very busy over the next few weeks. I will have no time to see the last of the autumn leaves. I hope to make more time to see them next year.

How about you? Did you go autumn leaf viewing this year? Where did you go?

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

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Do you like movies? How often do you watch them? I like movies, but I haven’t seen one for a long time. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I watched a movie. Maybe the last time I went to a cinema to watch a movie was three or four years ago. The last time I watched a movie at home was….I can’t remember.

This means that I don’t know very much about new movies. Sometimes my friends talk about new movies, but I have no idea what they are talking about, and I can’t join in the conversation. Sometimes people ask me, “Have you seen any good movies lately?” I have to answer “No”.

The only time I sit and watch movies is when I’m on a plane. If I have a flight of ten or twelve hours, I like to pass the time by watching movies. I don’t sleep very well on planes, so I feel tired and don’t feel like reading. Movies are good for times like these.

I guess I don’t watch movies so much because I prefer to read. If I have the choice between watching a movie at home or reading at home, I will always choose reading.

The one thing I enjoy watching is documentaries. I often watch these on YouTube. I enjoy all kinds of documetaries, but mainly I watch political and current affairs programmes. They are not movies, but they are interesting.

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How often do you eat out? I don’t eat out so much. I go to restaurants maybe two or three times a month. When I was younger, I used to go almost every night. I worked in a language school. I finished work at 9:00pm, and I was often tired. It was easier to go to the Italian restaurant across the road from the language school than to go home and cook. I always went with other teachers, so it was not only convenient, but fun. We could relax and chat after work.

Of course, I could have made food in the morning before going to work, and put it in the refrigerator. I tried this for a while, but I didn’t continue. Actually, I don’t like cooking. I’m not very good at it, and I don’t look forward to it. When I cook, I make easy dishes, like vegetable soup, steamed vegetables or vegetable pasta.

When I eat out, my friends and I tend to go to the same restaurants. We have a favourite deli-type restaurant, a favourite coffee shop which serves Italian food, and a favourite shop which makes a wonderful Egyptian dish called Kushari.

Of course, eating out is expensive, so I don’t go to these restaurants regularly. Sometimes when I am really tired, I feel like eating out, but then I think about the cost. When I don’t feel like cooking, I buy something at the convenience store. I try not to do this too often because I know it is bad for my health.

I must make an effort to cook more at home. It will be good for my health and also for my wallet.

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

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Do you drink coffee? How many cups do you drink a day? When I worked full-time in a language school, I used to drink five or six cups a day. I got sleepy in the afternoons, so I drank coffee to keep myself alert (alert: awake and energetic).

I soon realized this was not a good habit, because I had trouble sleeping. When I changed jobs, and went to work in an office, I changed to herb tea. My favourite was peppermint tea. It was refreshing and gave me energy. However, I still felt sleepy in the afternoons, so I would eat chocolate. (This was not a good habit either.)

Now that I work alone, I drink around two cups a day. I need coffee in the morning, because it helps me wake up. I also need coffee in the afternoons if I am writing or creating something. It helps me stay alert. I would like to drink more green tea, so I’m thinking of drinking matcha in the afternoons instead of coffee. It is healthier and I like the taste. I just need to buy a new tea whisk, because I lost my old one. (Where did it go? I have no idea. It just disappeared from my kitchen!)

When I go to coffee shops with my friends, I always order coffee. There are coffee shops in my city which serve different kinds of coffee-based drinks, such as cafe mocha or caramel macchiato. These drinks are high in calories, so I try not to drink them too often, but I love coffee with cream and chocolate syrup! Next year, I’ll try to make healthier choices.

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

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I have a Kindle. I like it very much. It is very convenient when I am travelling. Years ago, when I didn’t have a Kindle, my carry-on bag was always very heavy because I read when I am waiting in airports and train stations. Of course I read on the plane and the train as well. When I was travelling a long way, I would take two or three books with me.  These days I only have my Kindle so my bag is not so heavy. E-books make life easier.

But I like to read paper books as well. We have more than 2,500 books in our house. We get more books all the time. So sometimes, we have to buy new bookshelves. This morning I ordered some book storage boxes. They will go in the office in our house.  Soon there will be no more room! I should throw some books away, but our books are like old friends. I would find it very difficult to choose which books to keep and which books to throw away or give away.

Patricia @ I Talk You Talk Press