I know, I know - it's been a while

 Well, almost a year if I'm honest.

It's been quite a full on time and that hasn't abated yet, but it's time to grasp the nettle and just write...

It's a weird kind of coincidence that I started thinking about getting back to this blog and musing about what to write on Saturday morning during ParkRun. Having just opened my blog I see that it's virtually the last thing I wrote about before disappearing without trace on here.

I have been struggling to find time to write especially as I wanted to keep my SubStack going. So, I've decided on a plan... Great what running along the beachfront can do once your lungs get fresh air and the sun hits tour back...

I've been diving off in so many directions that I can't keep up with myself.... So I'm going to simplify things to make life easier and the writing under control.

The SubStack writing was going haywire, with too many different strands. I felt good about getting something written each week, but the stress of juggling with topics and voices was too much. In order to keep it managable I've reverted to writing about just one thing each week. It needed to be something with a common theme where I already had some draft material to fall back on when life gets in the way.

So, I've gone right back to the beginning of the writing I did on this blog about eating the tidying/finances elephant one bite at a time. It's serving more than one purpose in that it's keeping me writing to a schedule so that that get it out there muscle doesn't slacken off. In addition it's keeping the SubStack going, even though I think it's only my loyal family reading it along with a couple of others. This way if I approach growing the membership in a more structured way, the material will already be building up in an archive. Finally, it's making me re-read and re-structure the work so that it's easier to convert into an e-book when I'm done.

It was always my intention to try and collate the ideas into a book. This way I'm writing it, ready for editing and polishing in small steps - one bite at a time you might say!

Now my BIG project is that I want to start a business. Don't know why and don't know why now! The problem is I've got so many different ideas that I'm not sure where to go with it, or even what type of business it's going to be. I'm going to record my progress with it here so that in the same way as the Elephant book, it can grow into another ebook once I've got to the end to see if it was a daft idea or not.

A while ago I did some ghost writing for an organising website which I enjoyed immensely until the owner of the website decided to go all AI and disposed of her human writers. The website is American and so it could be that a UK version would be good. It would allow me to use all the draft material and ideas that I built up as well as organised the content ready for publication. But would it be for subscribers only, or in a newsletter, or as an ebook, or supported by paid for printables? Hmmm...

Then I have a whole lot of '10 Things to Do with/Ways to...' that are in the same saved folder. They could be a good resource, especially if they came with downloadable printables too...

Or perhaps I ought to write some more Phonics materials with downloads for practise or video content to help with early readers....

Then there's the possibility of creating courses in some of the things I've delivered as a schools' consultant or advice on...

You see my dilemma...

I need to do this properly as dabbling about all over the place has only led me to confusion and lots of saved files and folders with valuable, but muddled content. This will mean some research and learning. Time spent now on deciding on platforms, selling, marketing and so on - even though I have no product yet - can only pay off.

There's also all the decluttered stuff from the loft (and if truth be known a lot of the rest of the family's throw outs), waiting to be repurposed and reworked. That would produce a physical product as well as material on making various creations - again with instructions, downloads, patterns, videos.. Ooooh - where to start.

While I'm making these first decisions I need to carry on clearing. Lots of things are selling online through platforms that make the job easy. I've also been listing some of the things I've made perticularly for craft fairs that are just lurking in the loft. I just haven't got around to going to many or organising the stock effectively. Interestingly enough the bags that I've listed online are selling quickly with some people asking if I have more.. perhaps that's a good place to start.

So, enough rambling. Plan of action.

Number One - I need to sit myself down and design a work schedule with set times for concentrating on the start up. Once I've carved up that time I need to go through all the multifarious emails and webpages I've been saving up to read and work from.

Then I'm going to list all the possible businesses and decide which one to pursue. At least with a list, if one doesn't come off I'll have already done the thinking about other ideas to start with something else.

That to me seems a sensible starting point, so on that note, I'll stop rabbitting on and get my head down to some serious planning..

I'll let you know how it goes!

Getting it Sorted - Healthwise!

 Okay, it's been a while - there's reasons for that  - I won't go into all of them. suffice to say that just when I thought I was back on track and ready to go into what the doctor has agreed to (no pills for a while - hooray!) I got shingles so was derailed a bit.

Anyway, I've only got a short (3 month) window to get my blood pressure and cholesterol in check or I've got to seriously consider the doctor's request to take medication. 

It's easier said and done as stress is apparently playing a big role, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Obviously the first port of call is my weight. Don't get me wrong. I'm not humungously (is that a word) in trouble here. I had been doing well, dropping a stone and a half, when the doctor first put me onto blood pressure tablets. The weight then stopped dead and exercising got more and more difficult due to the side effects of the two tablets we tried! Now I'm off them it's time to really concentrate on slimming down.

Exercise has always done it for me. Particularly running!

Sadly, due to work on our seawall my regular ParkRun exploits sort of ground to a halt as my knees object to running on sand. Along with some time pressures it all got put to one side. Luckily the ParkRun is back to it's usual route, my shingles (let's not go there) have gone and I can grab back my Saturday mornings for this week!

I still get to tennis, but the doctor also wants more strength training. I used to go to dance and martial arts fitness at our local sports club. The class times no longer fit in with what I can do so I was in a bit of limbo. I haven't renewed my membership till I work out if it's worth it just to use the swimming pool - time has been my enemy again there. So, as I had a good time during the pandemic with online classes I've decided to restart those. The package I've picked also has some quick start programmes to try to get you into the swing of it quickly. I did start the initial one until the shingles got in the way. The plan is to begin again at the end of this week when the diary is a bit clearer.

I'll report back on this first element next time - along with my eating plans - I'm still working that one out as the summer is a really busy time for family birthdays and there's just far too many temptations for success. Next week will be a good time to examine how to adjust my willpower there!!!

The other thing that's well and truly slipped has been my making. I haven't got to my spinning group in ages and I've been too tired to concentrate in the evenings. I did manage one or two bits though...

Birthdays mean cards and mini presents so that gave me the kick I needed to get these done...

 

I've also managed to keep up my SubStack contributions. I did think that was going to sink without trace as well as so much other 'stuff'. Then I thought I could keep my weekly posting going by being a bit kinder to myself and readjusting my expectations. For August I'm sticking to a photo and a quick message to go with it to give myself a rest from the pressure of regular longform writing till September.

How's that?

Now I've written it all down I feel like more's been moving forward than I originally thought - hooray!

I'll let you know how it all goes.....

Sorting for the Holidays...

 I felt bad about getting behind again with posting. I seem to manage to get my Substack musings posted on time, but somehow the blog suffers. I think it might be because I tend to let random thoughts flood the Substack pages, while I feel the need to stick to more of a brief here. Am I right to do that? I don't know. I just know that they feel like two different animals to me and I'm happy with that, so I'm carry on and crave your indulgence!

I opened this blog to find that I started a couple of posts, photos and all, so it seemed daft not to complete them and publish, rather than starting again from scratch. This isn't just laziness or some form of eco-writing recycling, honest. I am going to stick to the focus I wrote about last time. However, there are some mitigating reasons...

Firstly we're off on holiday for a few days next week. That means that although I've done the groundwork on the Etsy shop that I was talking about, it's not the most sensible thing to stock it and then go away so I can't do anything about any orders that I might miraculously get. Secondly, the next area for me to focus on is health. 

I've made a whole load of appointments - feet, high blood pressure review, dentist and was going to pat myself on the back about those, but nearly every one has a knock on which needs exploring further - so they'll keep until after the follow ups and the holiday so I can explore in depth. So for this post and the next I'll use up the drafts I've discovered, which, happily, are linked to the holiday anyway.

To begin with I have finished a bit of making - my creative streak has been on hold of late with one thing and another. It's been confined to watching the Great British Sewing Bee - (OMG I have to try making one of those scrap fabric bags.. I'll let you know if I ever find time to do it. 

Still, here's the project I've finished... hooray.

One of the ladies I play tennis with has a holiday let. She's regularly having to refurbish and refresh the fittings and has of late asked for a hand with recycling the old upholstery into cushions. This time she asked for some cushions, but also wanted a draught excluder too. I've never tried that before so...

Here's the cushion (nothing fancy, just a straightforward envelope design).

And the draught excluder just before I sewed up the final seam.

As it happens it was a real recycling project as we were throwing away a feather pillow that had split and it was the perfect filling for the draught excluder. I think I've just about finished clearing all the loose feathers up - they go everywhere. You can't see them here as I made an inner 'sausage' to contain them within the gingham cover.

With holidays nearing I did have a good look at my make up - not that I've got that much, but some of it is a bit old and really needs disposing of.

It was frightening to see how old some of it was. Not good for my skin or eyes, those items are now in the bin. I don't tend to think of the use by dates on toiletries and cosmetics. I should, I know, and perhaps that explains some of the irritation I've been getting when wearing old mascara!

With a much reduced stock, and all the brushes washed and dried I feel much happier about packing it ready to go away..

Now I'll need to move on to all those mini samples I've got - bet they need sorting too!

Back on Track to get things sorted

 Okay, so life is re-establishing some sort of normal, albeit a bit different to before Mum went into hospital. I've caught up with cleaning, washing, ironing, Substack posts and all that, although inroads into the ebook I'm putting together and the pile of craft stuff to do remain fairly untouched.

I've started a bit of a digital sort out too. I couldn't find a number of photos and documents and realised that the folders on the laptop, phone and hard drive were in a real state. Having begun reorganising it all I've noticed how much needs decluttering and deleting. I've written all about my intended path through my digital muddle on my Substack so I'll leave out the details. Suffice to say it's taking a while, but is really satisfying. I've begun labelling folders coherently and cleared loads of room on all my storage meaning that my devices seem to be operating much faster!

Of course all that has led to one or two headaches. There's only so much staring at a screen that the body will take. It made me think about the chat with the doctor about health, blood pressure, relaxation and stress. A while ago I had a problem with my feet - too much tennis and not replacing my shoes early enough. I bought a massage ball at the time.

It works like magic. Firstly rolling it around under the balls of my feet released the tingling sensations and went quite a way towards dealing with the pain, then I tried it up and down my calves after tennis and running to massage the muscles - brilliant.

So now I've been employing it around my shoulders and voila! Soreness and much of the headachey feeling have gone...

I did think thought that a break from the screen was in order so I whisked out the sewing machine. For a while now I've been considering doing a series of 'how to' makes or showing how I've recycled one item into another. I'm sure I've mentioned it before. During my digital show down I found lots of photos I'd taken over time of projects step by step. All I need to do now is to find the time to write the instructions! One step at a time though.

Having sorted through a number of mum's clothes that no longer fit her in order to make room in her wardrobe I've got a bag of bits and pieces that weren't good enough for the charity shop/selling online. There were some nice petticoats with the odd mark on them and so I've mass produced a load of scrunchies.

both from the slips and from some spare cotton fabric...

They can go in my box ready for selling at a craft or Christmas Fair later in the year..

Planning ahead - not that's really getting things sorted!

Catching up...

 It's been quite a couple of weeks so I haven't got to posting lately! I do have good reason though with Mum firstly being hospitalised and then re-acclimatising to being home along with decorating the spare bedroom. Still, I was spurred into action by an email reminding me about a forthcoming dental check up and hygenist appointment.

I'm not sure who scares me the most.. the dentist (he's a really nice man, but he wields all the weapons of torture when necessary) or the hygenist (who is really deadpan and issues warnings about bits of cleaning I've missed and I feel like he'll report me to some higher authority).

With that in mind I really should sharpen up my dental routines. I do all the necessary brushing, but the interdental cleaning gets a bit hit and miss. So, as part of my getting sorted with regard to health, I'm making a real effort with my mini brushes and remembering to use them every day.

Hope I get a gold star when I go to my appointments!

I mentioned a little while ago that I'd taught myself to crochet. I did start experimenting with more shaped pieces and thought I'd give socks a go. I bought a how-to magazine, but got in such a muddle with the heel that I had took pity on myself and turned the work in progress into wrist warmers instead!

As it happened there was also enough of the same yarn to make a matching cowl so win-win there!

This post is a bit short of necessity as I'm still catching up with housework, writing, planning and so on left over from the time it takes to hospital visit when the venue is twenty miles each way. In addition it's pretty essential to hang around when there's no indication of discharge and you don't want to get caught halfway home and then have to turn round and retrace your steps!

So I'm off to plan out where my writing is going, both here, on Substack and with the ebook I've started. Then sort out my old Pinterest pages into something coherent.

Just a short job list eh?

Wish me luck!

Yes, We Have No Bananas..

 When I first taking some snaps for this Getting It Sorted train of thought I took a photo of my breakfast choices. Among them was this..

Yes, I do like bananas and was happy when I read about the health benefits for the heart of the potassium they contain. However, since that long phone call with my doctor they're now only making an occasional appearance. It seems that the potassium rush has to be balanced with the effect on my cholesterol levels! There are times when it all the advice feels a bit complicated to steer round. So, bananas are only allowed immediately before exercise. I can have them on Saturdays (before ParkRun) and Thursdays (as I play tennis early) so I'll have to be content with that. I can, however, indulge in apricots and get my potassium kick from them!

The other culprit in my breakfast that I've already touched on is porridge. Again a big surprise as I thought I was doing the right thing with it. Luckily I'm a fan of Greek yoghurt and according to the doctor that's okay - along with the chia seeds and berries (or apricots). Phew!!

On a creative note - I did finish the Valentine's card..

I was quite chuffed with it - some thought now on a 7 year old card. I can't find one for our March birthday girl. The other seven year old was easy - she loves unicorns and princesses and I found a card with them both. The March one though... unless I can find a kick boxing pianist on a card I'll have to create something.....

I have also been putting away some of the Christmas makes and finishing off some that weren't done in time - they'll be all ready for next year. 

 

These were really easy.. double sided squares with a line of stitching across the corners. Then a ribbon through the channels created, joined and decorated with beads and voila! gift bags, jewellery pouches, call them what you will...

So now I'm off to get my Substack offering for this week done - all about my inability to just do one thing at a time.. until next time...

Last Christmas? - What about next Christmas?

Phew - back again, sorry about the pause, but you know how it is?!

Anyway.. In the Getting Sorted stakes Christmas is one of those occasions that I promise myself I'll be all ready for by starting early and yet then find myself chasing my tail as the time evaporates. So, this year I'm going to get going with plenty of time!

I did strike lucky a couple of weeks ago with some bits and pieces I picked up on sale. There didn't seem to be as much around as usual so maybe stock control in the ships has tightened up - or perhaps I'm getting a bit more picky. Still I was very pleased with my haul, especially the kit which I can use as a pattern for multiple decorations. 

The fabric I didn't understand. There was no pattern or obvious Christmassy design to the pack. It was just in green, white and red. I don't suppose anyone will inform the authorities if I use it for any sewing project other than Christmas and it was stupidly cheap so just had to be bought.

I've posted these cards before - they were so simple (thank you internet videos) and quick that I'm aiming to make a number for 2024. 

They also prompted me thinking about other shapes I could use such as heart cookie cutters for Valentine's Day so I've been experimenting. Then I saw some designs like this online too so it looks like I'm well on the way with that task. Just a few final touches - I'll post those after delivery so as not to spoil the surprise if he sees this (he won't, but then again you never know).

Onto other matters, now I've banished my cold I'm trying to back into the swing exercising. After all the doctor was quite approving of what I do - although she did have some added suggestions that I'll have to schedule in. First I need to renew my club membership and get going again. It lapsed while I was snuffing into my tissues and I haven't got back up there yet. Then I've made an effort to put all my swimming gear ready in a bag so I can just grab it and go. Well that's the theory anyway...

I'm trying to kill two Getting Sorted birds with one stone here as I've packed a load of odds and ends of samples of body wash, etc. to take and use up. 

I'll check in next week to see if I've made it!

Oh and over on the Substack this week I decided to publish one of my short stories - someone might enjoy it - take a look and see if you do....

Till next time then.

 

Getting it Sorted - Rather Sweetly!

 If you read last week's post you'll know I'm stealing my sister's tips and hacks - last time it was keeping the hand cream close, now it's the attack on my waistband.

I attempt at regular intervals to control my weight. It's not that I'm overly above where I should be healthwise - it's just that a few pounds would make a difference to my blood pressure readings. Often I get caught out when I've made a firm resolution about what I'm going to do and then don't have what I need with me.

Take these,

I'm trying to cut down on sugar. I have tried tea without sweetening. The problem is that as I can't stomach (quite literally) milk in tea I feel the need for something in the hot coloured water! I do use sweeteners to try and help me at home, but don't aways have them with me. These have now appeared at my sister's. Yes, the solution is not to rely on remembering to take mine out of the kitchen, but to have more than one supply. So now there's one pack on my sister's work surface and another in my handbag. No excuses now!

Craft wise I'm sort of repeating the bag making session. I made some tote bags for my mum and sister a while back which they find handy when out and about. Then, just recently, there was a book sale in the library and my elder niece's two bought up a stock of reading material. They then had nothing to put their books in and so commandeered the two tote bags. That's fine, but they don't want to give them back as they reckon that they are handy!

Hence these....

I feel another set of instructions coming on as these are simpler than the Bluey bags. They are unlined so are a bit quicker to make, lighter and fold up smaller....

Once I get to the instructions part of my Substack they'll have to go on it too.... Like the Bluey bags they started life in another guise. The orange bag started out as a curtain! Nice and sustainable eh? I feel some recycling posts coming on!

Getting it Sorted - Smoothing and Soothing

 I was in my sister's kitchen chatting about nail polish and stuff! She, my nieces and my great nieces all enjoy a spot of nail colour. They also like smooth moisturised skin - I usually forget, or apply nail polish just when the garden is calling and it chips off immediately! I've never been able to keep my nails in any sort of shape - I guess all those years in the classroom removing wall display staples without using the right tools didn't help....

Anyway, I noticed that on the windowsill, right near the sink was a handy tube of hand cream....

So guess what I felt the need to do on the way home - yes, buy handcream and (even more importantly) put it right where it's required.

So now I have it staring me in the face to remind me to use it. In fact, I got two - one for the kitchen and another for the bathroom.

Let's see if it galvanises me into action - mind you it doesn't solve my inability to flash gorgeous nails around, but one step at a time I say!

I've also raided the loft after last Saturday's coffee morning/craft fair to see what I've already acquired for the looming festives. I uncovered the pack of cards I found in a supermarket clearance for 10p that I knew was up there and also two lovely cards that I bought last Christmas Eve at a fraction of their normal price. 

Some of the decorations I had ready to give as mini gifts needed some extra embellishment so I turned to videos online to work out how to add to them. Low and behold there were some tutorials on making tassels...

Oh my goodness, I'm addicted. These aren't quite finished and neatened off. They are so simple and satisfying - even better than pom pom making and use up odds and ends of yarn and beads! They may even make an appearance alongside the gift tags on presents this year.... More reasons not to throw away ANY yarn........

Another set of instructions for when I get round to them on my Substack....

Getting It Sorted - Read All About It

 This week I really am going to focus on my reading! I keep getting sidetracked online and with my Kindle, but the real issue is the pile of magazines that I seem to be building!

This lot were loitering in a drawer under the TV and I've found some more in the garden room. Most of them I've skim read and dived a bit deeper into one or two articles. All of them sit accusingly of.. well I was going to say a task, but it's not, it's supposed to be an enjoyable pastime, The thing that stops me enjoying it fully, I suppose, is the number of unread issues. So.... this week I'm going to carve out the time to finish them all (yes, even the one from April!) and indulge the fun of reading before moving them off to new homes....

I have, however, been busy with the sewing machine. A while back I needed some fabric with the characters from the Bluey cartoon series to make one of my great nieces a picture for her birthday - I've shared that photo before. The fabric seemed very expensive so I bought a duvet cover at a fraction of the price and had plenty left over.  I made some fabric pots with Bluey and family on them and a tote bag for each of the great nieces - there was still quite a bit left so I've made a few more bags and put them on the local sales page.

Amazingly they sold immediately and paid for the original duvet cover! I've still got some fabric, but the characters left are a bit big for bags so I'm off into town for some wadding. The girls can all have mini Bluey quilts for their dolls/teddies this Christmas!

I really ought to organise myself enough to take photos and write out instructions to show how to make these bits and pieces. It certainly spreads the cost of presents! I'll put it onto my to do list. Maybe I'll get around to sharing some of the 'how to make' ideas on my Substack once I've finished with Phonics!!

Getting It Sorted - Smelling Sweetly!

 

Now this one's a bit of a luxury, I know...

I seem to have gathered a whole collection of odds and ends of rather nice perfumes! Most are the last knockings of presents. I know I ought to finish one bottle before I start on the next, however, it only seems polite to wear a gift when it's given. Then the others sort of get moved down the finishing up line.

As a result I've a number of these with the remains of the scent sloshing about at the bottom of the container.

I also know that they should be used up before the air/light gets to them and spoils the smell so it's time to get going and use one at a time till each is finished. After all, Christmas is coming and you never know what Santa might have in mind.

I've also accumulated a number of samples, some of which I've used part of when on holiday (saves lugging a big quantity around in my luggage. Again, they are now on display to remind me to use them up. The newish, unopened ones are ready to go into our Christmas Eve lucky dip/tombola/treasure hunt (I can't remember what we're doing this year - or perhaps we haven't decided yet). 

This is a task I'll enjoy - definitely - now what to do with all the lovely bottles once they're finished?

I'm back on the card creation for a while. Firstly, because I've a craft fair looming next weekend and they always sell well. Secondly, it'll get me in the right frame of mind to start on this year's Christmas versions.

I'd seen some rather like this one in a magazine a long time ago and fancied having a try.

Once I'd worked out the template it was great fun fidgeting about with different fabrics to get the effect I wanted and to rummage through the button box for the 'cherry' on top.

What do you think?

Right, on with a bit of discipline now.. My next Substack post is due - all about Deadlines this time. I'm trying to be good about posting on time so it's probably the right subject... Perhaps you'd like to pop over there to have a look?

Getting it Sorted - Best Foot Forward

 It was daft really. Writing about my sister and her shoes and not starting from there myself. After all, they take up far more room than nail polish and the choices about what to keep and those to throw are far more straightforward.

So, this week the shoe rack has been emptied...

What made the task easier was the fact that the weather has definitely changed so the summer stuff needs storing away - and at least one pair that have still been in use, while only just surviving the ravages of use (and age) isn't worth saving till next year!

I've sorted, thrown and given away some and still have plenty to wear - result - I'm very happy and they are all organised and ready to go.

I also delved into the loft a while back to unearth some rather nice boxes and old wrapping/craft paper. During the recent half term these made it over for one of my sister's childcare occasions when all the relevant parents were working.

They all had individual approaches to covering their boxes with a patchwork of scraps creating their own personal storage boxes. It was not only a fun way to while away a rainy afternoon, but it also cost absolutely nothing as I had the scraps, boxes and PVA glue and found some wooden letters in my card making stores.

 

One great niece chose to cut small pieces choosing the pictures she liked, another decided to go for strips, whilst the 4 year old watched them use the PVA on the paper scraps and they position them onto the boxes. She decided there was a better method. First she pasted a small area of PVA onto the box, then cut out a shape or picture to fit and finally put it onto the pasted surface. It was quick, efficient and far less messy than the other two!

When it came to sticking their coloured, wooden intials onto the boxes, the oldest pair put theirs on the top of the boxes, but the littlest one went for the front 'cos that's where you look to open it!'

(I know the Z is reversed, but that's a normal trait for this particular great niece - as I say, they are all very individual!)

Right, now to tackle this week's Substack offering... I hope you get the chance to check it out. Last week I added the first in the series about helping the process of learning to read with phonics as a building block....

Getting it Sorted - Nibbling at the Edges

I know it seems like I'm obsessed by 'small steps' as well as eating - all those bites of elephants from last year's project! I'm blaming my sister for this one...

She's been soooo busy - mainly with helping others that she hasn't been able to get to a whole list of tasks for herself. Recently I was over at hers when she managed to whisk through half a dozen quick tasks in a small time window and we've taken, now and again, to grabbing the odd bit of time to get a job off her list.

Not too long ago she decided it was time to examine her shoe situation and we very quickly emptied her shoe store, cleaned it and put back her definite 'keeps'. She tried on some she thought she liked and discarded many that were either worn out or uncomfortable and went through the others for passing on, sale items or dumping.

It didn't take us long and so I've decided that 'Getting It Sorted' needs to be a series of quick gains to keep my momentum going! Thanks Sis...

Here's my first...

I've emptied my drawer of nail polishes, thrown away the dried up ones and selected these (above) to go back. There are one or two that I'm not sure about, so I'm about to try one of them out and then leave the others somewhere obvious so repeat the process so that I can make decisions about each one and either add it to my stock, throw it away or even perhaps add it to the craft pile as I remember an article about marbling using nail polish......

The second task has been longer, but I have decided against prevaricating any longer over Substack. So... (fanfare and drumroll) I've launched my Substack. It's going to be in the form of a weekly (fingers crossed) newsletter where I can empty my brain and try and organise my thoughts. Alongside that will be a series of second weekly posts on a particular subject which will change over time. This second string will start next week with phonics and helping those learning to read. Eventually there'll be a paid subscription too with extras - the weekly posts will stay free for all subscribers.

If you'd like to come along for the ride (the newsletters will be different to this blog so not all repeated stuff although there will obviously be bits of overlap with introducing myself there and the general run of life) then you can go to substack.com/@sueburton the newsletter is called 'And this is me .....'

Finally I wanted to decrease my making to-do list. I've a number of things stopping me getting to my wish list of projects so I'm concentrating on the small step of finishing one each week.

This week it was the turn of some cushions that one of our tennis ladies asked me to make from a suite covering that had worn out. I've finally got to grips with the task so hopefully she'll be pleased with the result. 

For once I remembered to take before and after photos...

as well as some 'along the way' shots, so I'll be able to do a step by step set of instructions on Substack later on!

That's me done with nibbling around the edges for today - last task - get the next Substack post done.....

Right, so why can't I settle to write?

 It's a mystery to me that with all the thoughts buzzing in my head, I'm finding it so difficult to get down to recording some of them! I've also been a bit all over the place with my blood pressure and anxiety, not to mention lack of sleep and have been searching for reasons for it all....

Not my usual thinking space I know, but local enough to use....

I've been taking a bit of a break from being so organised. Trying to go with the flow.. opening the fridge/freezer just before dinner to decide what to have, nabbing bits of time to jot down ideas, not sticking to a rough schedule for housework and so on. I think this might be part of the problem!

I mentioned last time about grouping, sorting and organising (even if putting things away could be a bit of a trial) and now I realise how important my routine, rituals and planning are to me. I'm one of those people who can't work unless their desk space is tidy, not as a delaying move, more a 'I can't operate my brain with all this mess' kind of move. There are those around me who don't see my tidy space as they would like theirs - whatever works for me I say.

Anyway, I've decided to get back on track I need to regroup and refocus in order to get working efficiently (or at all) again. I also think this drifting has left me feeling without control and added to the aformentioned anxiety and blood pressure problems. So, it's back to the roughly planned menus, the cleaned up house and goodbye to the 'I'll wait till there's a pile' ironing and the 'I'll clean up when we've finished this next task' mentality.

With that in mind I'm off to finish the ironing, clean the bedrooms, hang up the washing that's just finished and then, with mind clear, properly plan the forthcoming blog posts, Pinterest boards and Substack..

The creativity black hole might also be due to another little health question - all about hearing aids that one, but I rush ahead here - more later.... Back to the chores.

I'll be back soon with the grand plan all ready and raring to go..

Watch this space!