Chasing My Tail (if I had one)!

Well, it's been quite a day (again!). 

But first, I stumbled on this lovely Mini-Book project and a Giveaway of a duplicate mini-book.  It's on Tracie's blog and is made with the Jolly By Golly range (Cosmo Cricket's fabulous offering for this winter).  Go and take a look - but be quick if you want to enter the giveaway - it ends at midnight GMT - you have less than 3 hours!!

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So, back to my day... I'm afraid I might be boring you with recent whinges about how hectic it's all been.  Especially as I know there are people who cope with so much more than I have to manage, and they don't get all muddled up and worn out like I do. But, then we are all different.  I am still feeling the effects of that fall - it's now been 14 months - and I think that, just now, I am what my mother always calls "A bit run down".  I'm so tired and don't seem to remember anything if I don't write it down immediately (well, not without a big effort anyway). 

So, Mr.G (or D or DH or Himself, or Sir), slept badly because of his bad cold.  He had one of those horrible nights when you can't breathe very well and keep tossing and turning.  Of course I felt sympathetic, but he woke me up and at 5am I had so much trouble getting back to sleep.  The result was that I've been even more dozy today than yesterday (and that is saying something!).  I need to have an early night, New Year or no New Year!

So, I did manage to get to the garage okay, to have the car serviced.  No snow - hooray!  That was okay, as  I had to sit and wait, which gave me the chance to relax a little.  However, it cost about twice what I expected (just for an annual service), and when I asked what it would cost to repair the dent in my back wing (it's a long story... I reversed into "nothing" - honestly, when I looked there was nothing there - so puzzling) - anyway, it would cost £500, so the dent will just have to stay there!

I managed to remember to go to Halfords, to swap the car cover I bought on Tuesday.  I got a size Medium, not realising that my car is much taller than average (it's a Skoda Roomster, which is like a mini-MPV), so it's not really "medium" in size.  I swapped it for a Large cover - different design, not so nice, cost £3 more... hmm.  Got it home, went to put it on the car. Big fight to get it over the top as the car is taller than me. Finally got it in place... Too short. Won't cover the back window.  So, do I keep it - it does cover the front windscreen and the sides - or return it again, and try something else?

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Next hassle... D was still not very well, so the house was in the same mess as when I rushed out after breakfast.  Made him and J. their lunch and managed to find myself something too.  Decided I must organise the weekend.  We were due to go to Cheltenham on Saturday, to see my best friend and her children.  However, the kids were going to be with their dad (divorce in progress... no more needs to be said).  We arranged yesterday, that we'd go over on Sunday instead, so we would see the children on Sunday night and Monday.  Of course, I forgot to check my diary/calender.  I have stuff to do on Monday.  I can't put it off because... I have stuff to do on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday... Here we go again!

So, I had to call her and apologise - could we swap back to Saturday, please?  But she had been offered a ticket to go and see the Rugby.  As we'd changed our arrangements, she said yes, so now won't be home til late on Saturday evening. I couldn't ask her to cancel that, could I, so we changed our weekend to 23rd January instead. 

And of course, I double booked that too - because I hadn't kept the calender up to date:-

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On Friday 22nd January (this is Good News by the way, just in case you're getting bored), I am going to Knuston Hall, in Irchester (Northamptonshire), to stay the weekend and take two courses.  On Friday I will do a Bookbinding course, then on Saturday/Sunday, it's Printmaking.

I am so looking forward to this!  This was part of my recent decision in September -New Year Resolution - to Make More Of My Talents - well, it was a new academic year, you see.  My year does really start in September - always has. I decided I must find a bookbinding course and that I would try some printmaking again, after not doing any since art college a century ago. I was lucky enough to stumble on the brochure for Knuston Hall, as the receptionist at my osteopath has a daughter that works there.  I never even knew it existed and it's only up the road! 

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So, a nice digression, but back to the double-booking... I have had to text her an apology and suggest February instead.  Still waiting for the reply.  She is very forgiving, so I'm sure it will be fine, but I feel such a twit! I daresay she'll be too kind to tell me that I am, but she would agree with me lol!

I have now got my diary up to date, also my calender to match.  I think I have everything on it, except the start date for J's Saturday morning club, as he gave the brochure to his friend.  I will cope...

All these small things just wear me out. I had all kinds of other little things to sort out today as well and did manage to do them, including a walk with J. to the Post Office, to post a Very Important Parcel!  So that was another positive thing about the day - I sent off my Submission to S.I. magazine. 

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New Project

And this evening I have started my new Scrapping Project.  You may have read one of my comments about our new bedroom extension, which we had built earlier in the year. It's been the reason for me getting my own work space, in J's old bedroom. 

I have printed off a series of photos that I took, between March 17th, when the builder arrived and July 13th, when we were finally "moved in" and spent our first night in our lovely new room.  I plan to make an album with them.  Here are just a few -

Day One - March 17th - Single Storey Kitchen

May 11th - New Bedroom and Bathroom windows go in

What it used to be like

July 2009 - Now it's 2-storeys high

July 13th 2009 - Our Brand New Bedroom

... and our lovely new Shower Room

I think the album will be house-shaped and have been making plans in my head about how to do it.  I now think it will be a double-bound album. 
On the Left will be a full-width set of divider-pages, of stiff card, with the Months written on them.  Then between these, on the left, I will have journalling pages, to correspond with the photograph layout pages on the right. 
These Right side pages will be bound seperately, on the right side, so the whole thing opens in two directions. 
I hope that makes sense... Anyway, I'm a bit excited about it.  I plan to make the book the same shape as our house, with the Main part of the house on the Left (as it is in real life) and the Extension on the Right. 
I think the main cover will have a large photo of the whole house, taken from the front. 

It's going to be fun!  I plan to make the pages first, then do the binding after (I may know someone with one of those binding machines - at our Scrap Club - in which case I will ask to borrow it.  Otherwise, I'll use book rings, or hand stitching, or old-fashioned three-part bindings... we shall see.)

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So, maybe today wasn't so bad. It's just frustrating to be so tired and keep making mistakes, getting muddled and forgetting stuff.

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New Year's Resolutions (the other new year this time!): 

Take Fish-oil supplements, to improve my memory!
Start my Pilates Exercise Plan, to strengthen my back. 
Start some Yoga as well, to relax. 
Start saying "No"! when I need to.

Which, I suppose, all come under the title "Look After Myself".

So that's two resolutions on the go now - September's was "Make More of My Talents and Sieze Opportunities".  January's is "Look After Myself".

I can do that.... I think!

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So, in advance of the Twelve O'Clock Midnight Chimes...

I wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Goodnight All!