November 2024: Cosy Nights, RGB Upgrades, and Proper Roast Dinners

There’s something special about November. The clocks have gone back, the evenings draw in early, and suddenly staying in with a good curry and a film feels like the most luxurious thing in the world. Looking back at my camera roll from this month, it’s clear that I’ve fully embraced the cosy season.

Embracing the Dark Evenings

With sunset arriving before 5pm, November has been all about making the most of those long evenings at home. The highlight? Perfecting the art of the takeaway curry night.

There’s an art to the proper curry night setup. You need the right lighting (RGB strips dimmed to a warm glow, obviously), the film queued up, and everything laid out on the coffee table so you don’t have to move for at least two hours. This particular evening featured a chicken tikka sri lanka with a cheese and garlic naan. Pure bliss.

The Festive Creep Has Begun

It happens every year. One minute you’re carving pumpkins, the next minute Christmas decorations are mysteriously appearing around the house. I’m not complaining though – these little light-up gnomes are genuinely brilliant.

Look at these lads with their sparkly hats and magnificent beards. They’ve taken up residence on the windowsill and honestly, they bring a bit of joy every time I walk past. November might be too early for a full Christmas tree, but a few gnomes? That’s perfectly acceptable in my book.

Getting Out for a Proper Roast

Of course, you can’t spend every evening indoors. Sometimes you need to venture out for a proper pub roast, and November delivered on that front too.

Look at that Yorkshire pudding. Just look at it. Perfectly golden, ready to be drowned in gravy. Paired with all the trimmings – cauliflower cheese, peas, roasties – this was exactly what a grey November Sunday called for. Sometimes the simple pleasures really are the best.

Tech Corner: Smart Lighting on a Budget

Since we’re talking about cosy evenings and festive lights, here are a few tips if you’re looking to add some smart lighting to your setup without breaking the bank:

1. Start with bias lighting

Adding LED strips behind your monitor or TV reduces eye strain and makes everything look more cinematic. You don’t need expensive Philips Hue strips – budget options work brilliantly and often integrate with Home Assistant just fine.

2. Use scenes and automations

The real magic happens when you automate your lights. I’ve got mine set to gradually warm up in the evening (mimicking sunset) and dim automatically when the TV turns on. Here’s a quick Home Assistant automation snippet:

automation:
  - alias: "Movie mode when TV on"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: media_player.living_room_tv
        to: "playing"
    action:
      - service: scene.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: scene.movie_mode

3. Don’t forget the power of warm white

RGB is fun, but for everyday use, a simple warm white (2700K-3000K) is much more relaxing than cycling through rainbow colours. Save the RGB party mode for special occasions – or for those festive gnomes.

Looking Ahead

November has been a month of settling into the cosy season, making the home feel more comfortable, and appreciating those small moments – whether that’s a perfectly executed curry night or a Sunday roast with all the trimmings. With the gnomes already in position, December is shaping up to be full of festive chaos.

Until next time, stay warm out there.