I've really had to think about this one. At first nothing sprang to mind but on further reflection I remembered asking my Mum an awkward question when I was about 4 or 5. I may even have been younger than that. We were on a surf camp that my Dad used to organise in North Devon and Mum and I were in the shower block. I spotted what must have been a sanitary product or condom machine and asked what it was for. Her reply? The immortal - "I'll tell you when you're older." At the time I honestly thought I'd hold her to it but I obviously forgot. Until now. And by now, I think I know the answer...
As I couldn't recall anything much I asked both Mum and Dad if they remembered me ever putting them on the spot. Dad thought the very concept was highly amusing. He said, and I quote, "You were not the sort of child who would have been content with being fobbed off with 'I'll tell you when you're older'. No chance." I take that as something of a compliment. My Mum said that I had "an enquiring mind." I take that to mean I was a pestering sort of sprog that probably never shut up.
I did one of those learning style tests recently and discovered that I'm a pragmatist. That means I like to ask questions to help me understand things - I like to know the how, what and why of the thing. So, I can well believe that once I had a question in mind as a kid I would have badgered on until I felt my query had been satisfied from every possible angle. So thanks Mum and Dad for providing me with answers. It either means that I learnt many things earlier than other people, or I was fed a truckload of cobblers and may now be incorrect in believing the earth to flat and the sky to be blue because Winnie The Pooh painted it so.....
Friday, 29 January 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
#60 Learn to Live without Something You Love for a Week
I didn't like the sound of this one much. One of the perks of being an adult is that, by and large, you can get away with indulging yourself in the things you enjoy. Kids tend to need permission to do almost anything they actually want to do, as it's probably something inappropriate for kids.
So, I confess, when I started considering this I tried to think of things that I like but wouldn't really miss that much. So, chocolate was out. I did give up chocolate for Lent one year when I was a teenager. I didn't enjoy that much, but by God, I've never had a better Easter. Proper gorged myself.
What else do I like then? Well, I like sleeping and generally lounging around in my jimjams, but I didn't think it would be that sensible to live without sleep for a whole week and it's too cold to go without the jammies. So, the search went on.
I also like playing on the internet and since our broadband at home went down for 5 days this week, that almost ticked the box, but I can access the web at work so got my fix there. I also tend to need to use the internet at work so going without it for a week may have caused problems.
The book suggests going without TV. Impossible. We've got a serious amount of dvd box sets to get through. Computer games and junk food are also things the book proposes I give up - I'm not really fussed about either of them so that wouldn't have worked.
Then it came to me. Text messaging. I'm really bad for sending a quick text in place of calling and actually speaking to people. One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more sociable and see more of and talk more to my friends. So, I decided to give up sending text messages for a week and call people instead. And it worked! In fact, as the days went by I barely missed the old text message and I'm definitely going to continue avoiding sending them wherever possible.
And, now I'm thinking about it I went without decent chocolate AND tv AND lounging in bed in my jammies for 3 months when I was travelling through Central America so I'd already more than satisfied the criteria for this one - what a shame I can't give myself 2 blue stars for this one!
So, I confess, when I started considering this I tried to think of things that I like but wouldn't really miss that much. So, chocolate was out. I did give up chocolate for Lent one year when I was a teenager. I didn't enjoy that much, but by God, I've never had a better Easter. Proper gorged myself.
What else do I like then? Well, I like sleeping and generally lounging around in my jimjams, but I didn't think it would be that sensible to live without sleep for a whole week and it's too cold to go without the jammies. So, the search went on.
I also like playing on the internet and since our broadband at home went down for 5 days this week, that almost ticked the box, but I can access the web at work so got my fix there. I also tend to need to use the internet at work so going without it for a week may have caused problems.
The book suggests going without TV. Impossible. We've got a serious amount of dvd box sets to get through. Computer games and junk food are also things the book proposes I give up - I'm not really fussed about either of them so that wouldn't have worked.
Then it came to me. Text messaging. I'm really bad for sending a quick text in place of calling and actually speaking to people. One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more sociable and see more of and talk more to my friends. So, I decided to give up sending text messages for a week and call people instead. And it worked! In fact, as the days went by I barely missed the old text message and I'm definitely going to continue avoiding sending them wherever possible.
And, now I'm thinking about it I went without decent chocolate AND tv AND lounging in bed in my jammies for 3 months when I was travelling through Central America so I'd already more than satisfied the criteria for this one - what a shame I can't give myself 2 blue stars for this one!
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
#43 Do Something Charitable
This is a 'thing to do' that means quite a lot to me...
When I was younger my Mum started a Friends Group for a charity that some friends of ours had founded - Children's Hospice South West. They set the charity up to provide respite care for families in the South West with life limited children, like themselves. They needed to raise £1 million to build the hospice and, with the help of groups like ours, did it. They have since gone on to build a second hospice and are in the process of building a third. Being part of something like this right from the beginning proved to me the power that groups of people, motivated to the same end, can have.
Since then I have maintained an interest in volunteering and fundraising and, of course, I now work for a charity too. I'm not trying to sound pious and righteous, it just makes sense to me to get involved in this stuff. We all know it would be nice if the government provided hospices for terminally ill children and catered to the needs of people suffering from awful illnesses and those living in poverty, or those suffering abuse at the hands of others, but in reality it just can't happen. And even if, suddenly, they had the means to solve all these problems, I think a lot of people who volunteer for causes like this would lose out. Volunteering brings people together and provides opportunities to develop communities, skills, friendships and gets stuff done too!
At Ostomy Lifestyle we send out a quarterly newsletter to around 2,500 individuals. We can't afford to get a mailing house to send these out for us so I bribed our loyal and jovial band of volunteers with pizza and cake (see previous blog) and 11 of us achieved in a day what it would have taken the 3 of us in the office a week to do. We spent a whole Saturday folding, stuffing and sticking and then filled up every post box within a 20 mile radius. I was completely bowled over by the effort everyone put in and the feeling of satisfaction was immense. Plus, whilst we were busy filling envelopes we chatted and caught up on the news and generally had quite a nice time.
I have also challenged myself physically to raise money for charity. I did the Race for Life a couple of years ago and that was horrible. I'm definitely not built for running and I injured my knee training, but I raised some money for Cancer Research UK, so that's ok. I also cycled the width of England on the Coast-to-Coast route last year with a team of 8 other riders.
It was really far, and really hilly, and really rainy, and really, really cold, but between us we had a good laugh and raised more than £4,000 for Ostomy Lifestyle. We earned every money, but I genuinely enjoyed the experience and am even planning something similar again.
I don't know what motivates other people to volunteer and fundraise but I do it because it makes me feel good. Yep, no true altruism here. I get a nice feeling by using my skills and energy in a genuinely constructive way. If you don't already help out somewhere, do consider it. It's great fun and if you pick a cause that means something to you it's even more satisfying. And if you really don't have the time or inclination to volunteer, please think about making a regular, or one-off, donation to your favourite cause. I know it's a cliche but every little really helps.
This 'thing to do' is one that I'm going to keep doing so I definitely think I can give myself a green star!
When I was younger my Mum started a Friends Group for a charity that some friends of ours had founded - Children's Hospice South West. They set the charity up to provide respite care for families in the South West with life limited children, like themselves. They needed to raise £1 million to build the hospice and, with the help of groups like ours, did it. They have since gone on to build a second hospice and are in the process of building a third. Being part of something like this right from the beginning proved to me the power that groups of people, motivated to the same end, can have.
Since then I have maintained an interest in volunteering and fundraising and, of course, I now work for a charity too. I'm not trying to sound pious and righteous, it just makes sense to me to get involved in this stuff. We all know it would be nice if the government provided hospices for terminally ill children and catered to the needs of people suffering from awful illnesses and those living in poverty, or those suffering abuse at the hands of others, but in reality it just can't happen. And even if, suddenly, they had the means to solve all these problems, I think a lot of people who volunteer for causes like this would lose out. Volunteering brings people together and provides opportunities to develop communities, skills, friendships and gets stuff done too!
At Ostomy Lifestyle we send out a quarterly newsletter to around 2,500 individuals. We can't afford to get a mailing house to send these out for us so I bribed our loyal and jovial band of volunteers with pizza and cake (see previous blog) and 11 of us achieved in a day what it would have taken the 3 of us in the office a week to do. We spent a whole Saturday folding, stuffing and sticking and then filled up every post box within a 20 mile radius. I was completely bowled over by the effort everyone put in and the feeling of satisfaction was immense. Plus, whilst we were busy filling envelopes we chatted and caught up on the news and generally had quite a nice time.
I have also challenged myself physically to raise money for charity. I did the Race for Life a couple of years ago and that was horrible. I'm definitely not built for running and I injured my knee training, but I raised some money for Cancer Research UK, so that's ok. I also cycled the width of England on the Coast-to-Coast route last year with a team of 8 other riders.
It was really far, and really hilly, and really rainy, and really, really cold, but between us we had a good laugh and raised more than £4,000 for Ostomy Lifestyle. We earned every money, but I genuinely enjoyed the experience and am even planning something similar again.
I don't know what motivates other people to volunteer and fundraise but I do it because it makes me feel good. Yep, no true altruism here. I get a nice feeling by using my skills and energy in a genuinely constructive way. If you don't already help out somewhere, do consider it. It's great fun and if you pick a cause that means something to you it's even more satisfying. And if you really don't have the time or inclination to volunteer, please think about making a regular, or one-off, donation to your favourite cause. I know it's a cliche but every little really helps.
This 'thing to do' is one that I'm going to keep doing so I definitely think I can give myself a green star!
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
#33 Learn to bake a cake
When I was younger I used to help my Mum bake cakes. In fact when I was really little I used to pretend to make pies by rolling out scraps of pastry with my mini rolling pin and Mum would let me bake it along with what she was making for our tea. I wish I could say this was the start of a Nigella-esque existence for me, but it wasn’t. OK, so I know that to make your basic sponge you want 4oz of flour, 4oz of sugar, 4oz of marge and 2 eggs. Plus cocoa powder if you’re making chocolate cake. Easy enough to remember. But I can’t say I have ever used that knowledge to bake anything. I made some fairy cakes a while back but that was simply to have fun piping chocolate fudge sauce on the tops (and into my mouth). The husband is a bit of a fitness fanatic and as a consequence we don’t have cake or biscuits in the house very often, so baking would be pointless. Except when you work for a charity and have volunteers to bribe.....
I had arranged an envelope stuffing session to get our charity newsletter sent out at the weekend and decided to bake a cake to keep the troops sustained. I didn’t use the 4,4,4,2 combo but went instead for a carrot cake recipe which didn’t use marge (I know! Crazy....) but used bananas instead. Hmmm..
Well, this is the baked cake pre-icing (please note used cake tin as evidence that this was a home-spun effort!
And this is the iced cake with me adding chopped walnuts...
And is le gateau avec walnuts. Tres bien non?!
I can’t pretend the cake didn’t suffer from the lack of marge. I think it did. It had a good flavour but was a little on the dry side. Seemed to go down well with the volunteers though which was the main thing. TICK! And a bluey-grey star for me.
I had arranged an envelope stuffing session to get our charity newsletter sent out at the weekend and decided to bake a cake to keep the troops sustained. I didn’t use the 4,4,4,2 combo but went instead for a carrot cake recipe which didn’t use marge (I know! Crazy....) but used bananas instead. Hmmm..
Well, this is the baked cake pre-icing (please note used cake tin as evidence that this was a home-spun effort!
And this is the iced cake with me adding chopped walnuts...
And is le gateau avec walnuts. Tres bien non?!
I can’t pretend the cake didn’t suffer from the lack of marge. I think it did. It had a good flavour but was a little on the dry side. Seemed to go down well with the volunteers though which was the main thing. TICK! And a bluey-grey star for me.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
#53 Succeed At Something You're Bad At
Plenty of things sprang to mind for this one - singing, knowing when to stop talking, getting out of bed in the morning, being nice to people when I'm tired, wrapping presents, yup, I'm bad at all these things.
However, one skill is particularly pertinent just now. I have just started my second term of silver jewellery making, which I love. I'm fine with the hands on bits with piercing and texturing the metal etc, but I stumble at the design stage. Not because I don't have ideas - I get plenty of those, but I'm not very good at putting those ideas down on paper. In fact I'm rubbish.
I went to a class called 'Drawing for the Terrified' a few months ago. The lovely teacher was so enthusiastic and I could tell she was determined to be positive about everyone's attempts. But you know when someone is being positive in the face of all adversity, and they're struggling?! Yeah, that was what like when she came to look at my sketch:
"Ooh, so, erm, yeah - I like it! Erm, which bit did you find the most interesting to draw? Because I think you like the texture of the flower. Am I right?"
"Well, yes, but the shape is all wrong isn't it?"
"Oh, don't worry about the form, you're going for texture!"
"And have I managed it?"
"Well, ummm, oh yes! Maybe just try not trying to find shortcuts to get certain effects, just draw what you see. Do you know what I mean?"
"I didn't capture the texture did I?"
"Remember we all see differently! So, umm, yes, lovely.....who else has had a go?..."
In short, I felt a little better about just having a go but didn't come away feeling that I had unleashed a new ability.
So, I decided to ask the husband for a drawing lesson. He's pretty handy with a pencil and used to be a teacher (of Geography, not Art, but he drew maps and stuff so that still counts).
He found this cute picture of a bunny. I like bunnies.
Then he told me to draw it. Without giving me any instruction. Now, it has taken a lot of guts for me to post this first attempt up. No sniggering please, I know it's not very good, that's the whole point.
So then we analysed it and decided it wasn't very good. In fact, it looked more like a mangy gopher than a cute little bunny. So, the husband explained how he did his, which was rather splendid. I got jealous and thought about jacking the whole exercise in but agreed to let him coach me. And this is the result:
It's still not Tate material perhaps, but a definite improvement wouldn't you say?! In fact I'm really rather proud of this drawing, quite possibly the best I've ever done. Not only does it actually look like the thing it's based on, I find it surprisingly pleasing to the eye.
I have to say thank you to the husband for his forbearance on this challenge. There was an argument (because I used a rubber and that is FORBIDDEN), and I stomped off upstairs to sort the laundry.....and generally make a noise so that it be known I was cross. Then I came back down, apologies were made and we agreed to try again. There were other fractious moments, but we overcame in the name of art. Obviously I haven't succeeded in being gracious about my shortcomings or taking criticism. But the book only said I had to succeed at 'something' I'm bad at, not 'somethings', so I think I can tick it off and award myself an orange star!
However, one skill is particularly pertinent just now. I have just started my second term of silver jewellery making, which I love. I'm fine with the hands on bits with piercing and texturing the metal etc, but I stumble at the design stage. Not because I don't have ideas - I get plenty of those, but I'm not very good at putting those ideas down on paper. In fact I'm rubbish.
I went to a class called 'Drawing for the Terrified' a few months ago. The lovely teacher was so enthusiastic and I could tell she was determined to be positive about everyone's attempts. But you know when someone is being positive in the face of all adversity, and they're struggling?! Yeah, that was what like when she came to look at my sketch:
"Ooh, so, erm, yeah - I like it! Erm, which bit did you find the most interesting to draw? Because I think you like the texture of the flower. Am I right?"
"Well, yes, but the shape is all wrong isn't it?"
"Oh, don't worry about the form, you're going for texture!"
"And have I managed it?"
"Well, ummm, oh yes! Maybe just try not trying to find shortcuts to get certain effects, just draw what you see. Do you know what I mean?"
"I didn't capture the texture did I?"
"Remember we all see differently! So, umm, yes, lovely.....who else has had a go?..."
In short, I felt a little better about just having a go but didn't come away feeling that I had unleashed a new ability.
So, I decided to ask the husband for a drawing lesson. He's pretty handy with a pencil and used to be a teacher (of Geography, not Art, but he drew maps and stuff so that still counts).
He found this cute picture of a bunny. I like bunnies.
Then he told me to draw it. Without giving me any instruction. Now, it has taken a lot of guts for me to post this first attempt up. No sniggering please, I know it's not very good, that's the whole point.
So then we analysed it and decided it wasn't very good. In fact, it looked more like a mangy gopher than a cute little bunny. So, the husband explained how he did his, which was rather splendid. I got jealous and thought about jacking the whole exercise in but agreed to let him coach me. And this is the result:
It's still not Tate material perhaps, but a definite improvement wouldn't you say?! In fact I'm really rather proud of this drawing, quite possibly the best I've ever done. Not only does it actually look like the thing it's based on, I find it surprisingly pleasing to the eye.
I have to say thank you to the husband for his forbearance on this challenge. There was an argument (because I used a rubber and that is FORBIDDEN), and I stomped off upstairs to sort the laundry.....and generally make a noise so that it be known I was cross. Then I came back down, apologies were made and we agreed to try again. There were other fractious moments, but we overcame in the name of art. Obviously I haven't succeeded in being gracious about my shortcomings or taking criticism. But the book only said I had to succeed at 'something' I'm bad at, not 'somethings', so I think I can tick it off and award myself an orange star!
Saturday, 16 January 2010
#26 Help Save the Planet
The book has a checklist for this one. It asks if I recycle:
Paper? Yes
Glass? Yes
Plastic? Yes
Tin? Yes
Cans? Yes
We're pretty lucky where we live as our council provide us with 2 wheelie bins, one for general household waste, and one for recyclables which covers just about everything, except glass, but they gave us a separate box for that. We don't even have to sort the stuff out, just chuck it in willy-nilly. I've been thinking though, if we didn't have it so easy, would I still recycle as much? True, we used to keep the glass and take it to the bottle bank before we got the glass collection box. But I can't honestly say I'd make a huge effort to keep all our paper, cardboard, plastic, cans, etc if we didn't have a bin for it right outside the front door. Primarily because our house is just too small. If we lived somewhere more spacious I could see myself being all fussy about having well organised boxes to sort it all into.
The book also asks how often I:
Forget to recycle? Almost never. As I said, it's so easy to do it, I can feel really virtuous without having to exert myself at all!
Turn lights off when you leave the room? Not as often as I should. The husband frequently nags me about this. What generally happens is I leave one room to fetch or do something in another, with the express intention of going back to the first room straight away, therefore leaving the light on. And, I confess, I sometimes get distracted in the new room and don't end up going back to the first room for some time. We have got round this to some degree by using energy saving light bulbs all over the house, which, these days, give out a nice bright light. What we haven't managed to get round is my general dizziness....
Leave power switches on? Sometimes. Now, I'm a bit confused by this one. Do they mean leaving things on standby? Because we don't do that. However, if they mean just leaving things plugged in with the plug point switched on, then I have to say we do that a lot. Is that bad? Surely if you're not using something and it's not on standby it won't be using any power, will it? I would be grateful if you could help me out with this one!
Ask for a lift in the car when you could walk, bus or bike it? Often.... (hangs head in shame). I will admit to being pretty bad on this one. I drive everywhere. I cycle a lot too, but only for recreation, not usually for trips that would otherwise have been made in the car. In my defence I do sometimes get the train to work, but as I don't live within (sensible) walking distance of the train station that involves using the car to take me to the station. And getting the train doesn't make economic sense as the fares are so blooming high. As a couple we are fairly good only having one car, and the husband cycles to work to limit the daily joint commute. Occasionally I will walk to the local shop if we need something, which is about a mile away, but only if it's not something we need in a hurry. OK, I will try and be better on this one....
Fill the kettle with more water than you need? Rarely. Apart from the energy saving aspect, if you overfill it you just have to wait longer for your cup of tea. Boo to that.
Leave the tap running when you're not using it? Rarely, if ever. Got this one nailed I think. And we're not even on a water meter!
The book also wonders if I've ever persuaded someone else to start saving energy or recycle? I'm sure I have. I remind people at work to use the paper recycling bin and am asking you all now to make steps to recycle as much as you can - and this doesn't just mean giving your rubbish to the council to recycle. What about keeping the fronts of greetings cards you have been given and using them as postcards? Or re-using carrier bags, as bags for your next shopping trip, or as bin bags? And don't just chuck clothes you don't wear anymore - give them to a charity shop, or clothing bank. And if you're clearing stuff out, why not see if someone else wants it? Use www.uk.freecycle.org to give your things a new home.
And it asks if I have ever campaigned for a greener world? I remember getting a letter from Sting when I was about 10 or 11. I think he was writing on behalf of the Rainforest Foundation and I think I'd written to them as part of a school project. I was well chuffed with this letter. I had never heard of Sting before but knew he must be someone famous and I didn't care that the letter was a facsimile, it was addressed to me, and I don't think I got much post at that age. More recently I have campaigned to save the rainforests by signing up to The Prince's Rainforests Project (www.rainforestsos.org) - which is headed up by Prince Charles, who I think is a jolly good egg.
So, I've done all the above, I've watched 'An Inconvenient Truth' (and have to say it left me LESS convinced about climate change, which I know wasn't the aim), I have offset my carbon emissions when I have travelled by airplane, I make an effort to buy Grade A energy efficient appliances and we virtually never chuck food away (good grief, the mere thought makes me shudder), but - I could probably do more to help the planet and thinking about this has given me an idea how I could complete another of my things to do!....
Do post a comment for other ideas how I (and others) can help save the planet, if you've got any good ones.
Green star for me - how appropriate!
Paper? Yes
Glass? Yes
Plastic? Yes
Tin? Yes
Cans? Yes
We're pretty lucky where we live as our council provide us with 2 wheelie bins, one for general household waste, and one for recyclables which covers just about everything, except glass, but they gave us a separate box for that. We don't even have to sort the stuff out, just chuck it in willy-nilly. I've been thinking though, if we didn't have it so easy, would I still recycle as much? True, we used to keep the glass and take it to the bottle bank before we got the glass collection box. But I can't honestly say I'd make a huge effort to keep all our paper, cardboard, plastic, cans, etc if we didn't have a bin for it right outside the front door. Primarily because our house is just too small. If we lived somewhere more spacious I could see myself being all fussy about having well organised boxes to sort it all into.
The book also asks how often I:
Forget to recycle? Almost never. As I said, it's so easy to do it, I can feel really virtuous without having to exert myself at all!
Turn lights off when you leave the room? Not as often as I should. The husband frequently nags me about this. What generally happens is I leave one room to fetch or do something in another, with the express intention of going back to the first room straight away, therefore leaving the light on. And, I confess, I sometimes get distracted in the new room and don't end up going back to the first room for some time. We have got round this to some degree by using energy saving light bulbs all over the house, which, these days, give out a nice bright light. What we haven't managed to get round is my general dizziness....
Leave power switches on? Sometimes. Now, I'm a bit confused by this one. Do they mean leaving things on standby? Because we don't do that. However, if they mean just leaving things plugged in with the plug point switched on, then I have to say we do that a lot. Is that bad? Surely if you're not using something and it's not on standby it won't be using any power, will it? I would be grateful if you could help me out with this one!
Ask for a lift in the car when you could walk, bus or bike it? Often.... (hangs head in shame). I will admit to being pretty bad on this one. I drive everywhere. I cycle a lot too, but only for recreation, not usually for trips that would otherwise have been made in the car. In my defence I do sometimes get the train to work, but as I don't live within (sensible) walking distance of the train station that involves using the car to take me to the station. And getting the train doesn't make economic sense as the fares are so blooming high. As a couple we are fairly good only having one car, and the husband cycles to work to limit the daily joint commute. Occasionally I will walk to the local shop if we need something, which is about a mile away, but only if it's not something we need in a hurry. OK, I will try and be better on this one....
Fill the kettle with more water than you need? Rarely. Apart from the energy saving aspect, if you overfill it you just have to wait longer for your cup of tea. Boo to that.
Leave the tap running when you're not using it? Rarely, if ever. Got this one nailed I think. And we're not even on a water meter!
The book also wonders if I've ever persuaded someone else to start saving energy or recycle? I'm sure I have. I remind people at work to use the paper recycling bin and am asking you all now to make steps to recycle as much as you can - and this doesn't just mean giving your rubbish to the council to recycle. What about keeping the fronts of greetings cards you have been given and using them as postcards? Or re-using carrier bags, as bags for your next shopping trip, or as bin bags? And don't just chuck clothes you don't wear anymore - give them to a charity shop, or clothing bank. And if you're clearing stuff out, why not see if someone else wants it? Use www.uk.freecycle.org to give your things a new home.
And it asks if I have ever campaigned for a greener world? I remember getting a letter from Sting when I was about 10 or 11. I think he was writing on behalf of the Rainforest Foundation and I think I'd written to them as part of a school project. I was well chuffed with this letter. I had never heard of Sting before but knew he must be someone famous and I didn't care that the letter was a facsimile, it was addressed to me, and I don't think I got much post at that age. More recently I have campaigned to save the rainforests by signing up to The Prince's Rainforests Project (www.rainforestsos.org) - which is headed up by Prince Charles, who I think is a jolly good egg.
So, I've done all the above, I've watched 'An Inconvenient Truth' (and have to say it left me LESS convinced about climate change, which I know wasn't the aim), I have offset my carbon emissions when I have travelled by airplane, I make an effort to buy Grade A energy efficient appliances and we virtually never chuck food away (good grief, the mere thought makes me shudder), but - I could probably do more to help the planet and thinking about this has given me an idea how I could complete another of my things to do!....
Do post a comment for other ideas how I (and others) can help save the planet, if you've got any good ones.
Green star for me - how appropriate!
Thursday, 14 January 2010
#15 Fart and Burp
The book says: "Farting and burping show us our bodies are doing a good job. They're as natural as the wind that blows, so they should be celebrated, not frowned upon."
Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more - we're far too prudish about our bodily functions in the UK. However, I haven't farted for 6 years now. This is not because I am delicate and lady like, oh no! And if I could fart with gay abandon, believe me I would.
The truth is my digestive system was surgically altered as a life saving treatment for Crohn's disease. My large intestine was removed because it was ulcerated and inflamed to a dangerous degree. Consequently my bowel was diverted out through an opening in my abdomen - this spout is called an ileostomy. You can see a picture of one here:
www.ostomylifestyle.org/ileostomy.php (I don't think this works as a hyperlink, you might have to copy and paste)
So, my poo (and farts) are collected in a bag that I wear on my tummy. Many people might think this isn't very nice, I beg to differ. It's much nicer than living with crippling inflammatory bowel disease, or being dead. Harsh but true. On the whole I barely give my ileostomy more than 5 minutes thought a day. I won't deny there was an adaptation period after the operation, but given the choice between the bag and the diseased bowel it is NO contest - bag every time. I can't think of a single thing that the stoma or bag prevent me from doing. In fact, I genuinely think I value my health, relationships, lifestyle and body far, far more than I ever used to. Now that IS something to be celebrated.
There's more than 100,000 other people with stomas (colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy) in the UK. You probably know someone with one - whether you realise it or not. It's surprisingly common but people just don't talk about it. Shame really. Passing the residue of the food you've eaten is as essential a part of living as eating the food in the first place. I heard a truly horrifying statistic recently - on average 50 people die of bowel cancer every day in the UK. But that's not the horrifying bit - 92% of bowel cancer deaths could be prevented if symptoms were caught earlier. In other words, 46 of those 50 people could survive. If it is caught early enough bowel cancer is the easiest cancer to treat and survival rates could be much better. Bowel cancer is the 2nd biggest cause of cancer death in the country, but quite definitely not the 2nd most talked about. Please, spend 10 minutes reading about the signs and symptoms here:
www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/home/bowel-cancer
But, more importantly, don't be afraid to talk about it! It's just poo at the end of the day. We all do it - into bags, down the loo, in bushes, whatever - it's all the same. Absolutely nowt to be embarassed about. I've used my unsqueamish attitude to all things poo-ey to help others adapt to living with stomas. I'm the Helpline Services Manager for Ostomy Lifestyle, the UK's stoma support charity. Great cause. You can do your bit by not shying away from poo or wee related conversations. Or donating to Ostomy Lifestyle. Or both!
So, that's a long way of telling you that I don't fart anymore.
Burping is another matter. The book reckons we burp 15 times a day. Hmmm, maybe...I can't say I've ever counted but I'm not shy about it. In fact a friend recently told me I wasn't 'really like a girl' due to my burping (and swearing - see previous post) habits. I think this is a little unfair. I know plenty of girls who burp just as much as me, more in fact. Again, it's a natural by-product of digestion. I'm not into gratuitous belching, or doing it unecessarily loudly after meals as a 'compliment to the chef' (yeah right...) but when you need to allow digestive gases to be released, go for it I say.
Think I've earned my purple star for this one!
Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more - we're far too prudish about our bodily functions in the UK. However, I haven't farted for 6 years now. This is not because I am delicate and lady like, oh no! And if I could fart with gay abandon, believe me I would.
The truth is my digestive system was surgically altered as a life saving treatment for Crohn's disease. My large intestine was removed because it was ulcerated and inflamed to a dangerous degree. Consequently my bowel was diverted out through an opening in my abdomen - this spout is called an ileostomy. You can see a picture of one here:
www.ostomylifestyle.org/ileostomy.php (I don't think this works as a hyperlink, you might have to copy and paste)
So, my poo (and farts) are collected in a bag that I wear on my tummy. Many people might think this isn't very nice, I beg to differ. It's much nicer than living with crippling inflammatory bowel disease, or being dead. Harsh but true. On the whole I barely give my ileostomy more than 5 minutes thought a day. I won't deny there was an adaptation period after the operation, but given the choice between the bag and the diseased bowel it is NO contest - bag every time. I can't think of a single thing that the stoma or bag prevent me from doing. In fact, I genuinely think I value my health, relationships, lifestyle and body far, far more than I ever used to. Now that IS something to be celebrated.
There's more than 100,000 other people with stomas (colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy) in the UK. You probably know someone with one - whether you realise it or not. It's surprisingly common but people just don't talk about it. Shame really. Passing the residue of the food you've eaten is as essential a part of living as eating the food in the first place. I heard a truly horrifying statistic recently - on average 50 people die of bowel cancer every day in the UK. But that's not the horrifying bit - 92% of bowel cancer deaths could be prevented if symptoms were caught earlier. In other words, 46 of those 50 people could survive. If it is caught early enough bowel cancer is the easiest cancer to treat and survival rates could be much better. Bowel cancer is the 2nd biggest cause of cancer death in the country, but quite definitely not the 2nd most talked about. Please, spend 10 minutes reading about the signs and symptoms here:
www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/home/bowel-cancer
But, more importantly, don't be afraid to talk about it! It's just poo at the end of the day. We all do it - into bags, down the loo, in bushes, whatever - it's all the same. Absolutely nowt to be embarassed about. I've used my unsqueamish attitude to all things poo-ey to help others adapt to living with stomas. I'm the Helpline Services Manager for Ostomy Lifestyle, the UK's stoma support charity. Great cause. You can do your bit by not shying away from poo or wee related conversations. Or donating to Ostomy Lifestyle. Or both!
So, that's a long way of telling you that I don't fart anymore.
Burping is another matter. The book reckons we burp 15 times a day. Hmmm, maybe...I can't say I've ever counted but I'm not shy about it. In fact a friend recently told me I wasn't 'really like a girl' due to my burping (and swearing - see previous post) habits. I think this is a little unfair. I know plenty of girls who burp just as much as me, more in fact. Again, it's a natural by-product of digestion. I'm not into gratuitous belching, or doing it unecessarily loudly after meals as a 'compliment to the chef' (yeah right...) but when you need to allow digestive gases to be released, go for it I say.
Think I've earned my purple star for this one!
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
#22 Invent a Secret Code
This 'thing to do' is actually quite straightforward - simply invent a secret code for communicating with those smart/bored enough to work it out!
So - here you go....
Every letter is represented by another letter and these substitutions remain constant throughout. I have included every letter in the alphabet in the message.
If you think you've worked it out leave your answers to the questions as a comment!
Ofdc jy wigu xdkigujct xvdkigu ndz?
Fdkt wig tktu mvdwtp cft swvimfiet?
Ofjlf qii dejzdv pi wig vjrt htyc?
Fio agjlrvw lde bidcy uge?
Good luck!
So - here you go....
Every letter is represented by another letter and these substitutions remain constant throughout. I have included every letter in the alphabet in the message.
If you think you've worked it out leave your answers to the questions as a comment!
Ofdc jy wigu xdkigujct xvdkigu ndz?
Fdkt wig tktu mvdwtp cft swvimfiet?
Ofjlf qii dejzdv pi wig vjrt htyc?
Fio agjlrvw lde bidcy uge?
Good luck!
Monday, 11 January 2010
#41 Learn to Like These Foods
'These Foods' being:
- broccoli
- shellfish
- lettuce
- Brussels sprouts
- carrots
- smelly cheese
- coconut
- peas
Please remember that these challenges are from a kids' book....
Ahh, broccoli, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...stir fry, pasta dishes, Sunday lunch, broccoli and cauliflower cheese, curry, fish pie, almost anything really - we love a bit of broccoli.
Shellfish? Well, I came to this food group late in life. In fact I recall it clearly. The husband and I were in the Canary Islands in 2004 and ordered sea food paella from a lush beachside restaurant. We figured that the place to initiate me in the ways of the crustacean was somewhere that kept everything alive until the last possible minute. So there I tried mussels, squid (ok, not shellfish I know but scary nonetheless), clams and big ol' prawny jobs. Quite liked them on the whole. But, the best was yet to come - lobster. Oh god yeah. Tried these bad boys in Nicaragua. Sooooo fresh, soooooo cheap and soooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy. I was almost gutted I liked it as I'll probably never be able to afford it again.
Lettuce - well, yeah, I mean, is it possible to not like lettuce? It doesn't really taste of anything does it?...
Brussels sprouts - ah! Now, in the name of my 101 things to do I actually tried these for the first time 3 1/2 weeks ago - on Christmas Day. And I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about. Someone, somewhere clearly started a smear campaign against this harmless vegetable. I don't know why but I'm determined to get to the bottom of it. I confess I was a victim of the anti-sprout propaganda, but I thought they were very tasty and feel the time is right for a revival. So, I urge you, if you too have treated sprouts unfairly after years of bad press, unfounded rumour and misunderstandings - then please, think again. They're really nice.
Carrots - I can remember eating carrots as a kid. In 'risotto'. My mum used to make us a kiddy-risotto which wasn't like the grown-up ones I now enjoy with arborio rice, white wine and the such like, no, kiddy-risotto involved standard rice, peas, carrots, sweetcorn, sometimes bacon I think too. And possibly tomato ketchup. Which I think may have been a Hellie-variation on the dish. Yup, I've always been a creative eater. So really kiddy-risotto was a way of getting us to eat lots of veggies. And it clearly worked. So yes, I can say I like carrots.
Smelly cheese - my sister reckons she would rather live without chocolate than cheese. I think that's a bit steep. I couldn't honestly say that I could live without chocolate. It's pretty great. But we're not here to talk about chocolate, we're talking about cheese. Which I also like, just not as much as chocolate. See, I really shouldn't have even mentioned chocolate, as now I can't stop writing and thinking about chocolate. But cheese, yes - I like cheese as much as the next man does (but not as much as my sister does), and I like smelly cheese best of all actually. The honkier the better I say. I have spent many nights in hospital as an adult and have been 'enjoyed' hospital 'cheese'. It came with the supper pack - 'cheese', butter and 2 Jacobs crackers. That's it. Except it wasn't really cheese - it was yellow rubber. That had sat next to some real cheese in the fridge so that it vaguely smelled of cheese, but tasted nothing like it. That put me off mild cheese forever. Smelly is the way forward.
Coconut - that which comes inside a Bounty bar? Yes please! Don't remember ever not having liked Bounty bars.
Peas - seriously? Do kids not like peas? I used to eat garden peas out of the tin! These days I do prefer frozen peas but back then I was adamant - tinned peas. Yes sir.
So, I can safely say I have learned to eat all the foods listed above - TICK! Blue star for me!
- broccoli
- shellfish
- lettuce
- Brussels sprouts
- carrots
- smelly cheese
- coconut
- peas
Please remember that these challenges are from a kids' book....
Ahh, broccoli, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...stir fry, pasta dishes, Sunday lunch, broccoli and cauliflower cheese, curry, fish pie, almost anything really - we love a bit of broccoli.
Shellfish? Well, I came to this food group late in life. In fact I recall it clearly. The husband and I were in the Canary Islands in 2004 and ordered sea food paella from a lush beachside restaurant. We figured that the place to initiate me in the ways of the crustacean was somewhere that kept everything alive until the last possible minute. So there I tried mussels, squid (ok, not shellfish I know but scary nonetheless), clams and big ol' prawny jobs. Quite liked them on the whole. But, the best was yet to come - lobster. Oh god yeah. Tried these bad boys in Nicaragua. Sooooo fresh, soooooo cheap and soooooooooooooooooooooooo yummy. I was almost gutted I liked it as I'll probably never be able to afford it again.
Lettuce - well, yeah, I mean, is it possible to not like lettuce? It doesn't really taste of anything does it?...
Brussels sprouts - ah! Now, in the name of my 101 things to do I actually tried these for the first time 3 1/2 weeks ago - on Christmas Day. And I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about. Someone, somewhere clearly started a smear campaign against this harmless vegetable. I don't know why but I'm determined to get to the bottom of it. I confess I was a victim of the anti-sprout propaganda, but I thought they were very tasty and feel the time is right for a revival. So, I urge you, if you too have treated sprouts unfairly after years of bad press, unfounded rumour and misunderstandings - then please, think again. They're really nice.
Carrots - I can remember eating carrots as a kid. In 'risotto'. My mum used to make us a kiddy-risotto which wasn't like the grown-up ones I now enjoy with arborio rice, white wine and the such like, no, kiddy-risotto involved standard rice, peas, carrots, sweetcorn, sometimes bacon I think too. And possibly tomato ketchup. Which I think may have been a Hellie-variation on the dish. Yup, I've always been a creative eater. So really kiddy-risotto was a way of getting us to eat lots of veggies. And it clearly worked. So yes, I can say I like carrots.
Smelly cheese - my sister reckons she would rather live without chocolate than cheese. I think that's a bit steep. I couldn't honestly say that I could live without chocolate. It's pretty great. But we're not here to talk about chocolate, we're talking about cheese. Which I also like, just not as much as chocolate. See, I really shouldn't have even mentioned chocolate, as now I can't stop writing and thinking about chocolate. But cheese, yes - I like cheese as much as the next man does (but not as much as my sister does), and I like smelly cheese best of all actually. The honkier the better I say. I have spent many nights in hospital as an adult and have been 'enjoyed' hospital 'cheese'. It came with the supper pack - 'cheese', butter and 2 Jacobs crackers. That's it. Except it wasn't really cheese - it was yellow rubber. That had sat next to some real cheese in the fridge so that it vaguely smelled of cheese, but tasted nothing like it. That put me off mild cheese forever. Smelly is the way forward.
Coconut - that which comes inside a Bounty bar? Yes please! Don't remember ever not having liked Bounty bars.
Peas - seriously? Do kids not like peas? I used to eat garden peas out of the tin! These days I do prefer frozen peas but back then I was adamant - tinned peas. Yes sir.
So, I can safely say I have learned to eat all the foods listed above - TICK! Blue star for me!
Friday, 8 January 2010
# 66 Have a Snowball Fight and Fun in the Snow and #79 Build an Igloo
Let me state for the record - I hate being cold. Like, really hate being cold. It makes me grumpy and whingy. So I don't relish winter weather. I know a lot of people dislike the winter because of the short daylight hours, but that doesn't bother me - as long as it's not freezing cold.
So, imagine my glee at the current 'Big Freeze'. Yay.
I live in Hampshire and it started snowing in earnest here on Wednesday 6th Jan. The ferocity of the snowstorm was such that I was essentially snowed in on Thursday. This irked me somewhat as we were neck deep in a major funding application at the charity I work for and I could really have done without being stuck at home. This did, however, offer me the opportunity to get out have 'Fun in the Snow' - and allow me to tick another couple of things to do off the list.
So - snowball fight? Yup. Fun in the snow? Well, the husband pushed me over into a snowdrift. That was 'fun' in the way that having snow down your pants is fun. (i.e. not really fun at all). Snow angel? Yes...
Sledging? Nope - bit flat round here and we don't have a suitable implement for sliding around on. Snowman? We started to build one and got distracted by thing to do #79 - Build an Igloo.
This is what an igloo should look like:
(Picture courtesy of Mr Duncan Smith)
I'm told the way to make them is to fill a box with snow and compact it and then tip it out - much like building a sandcastle. So, nothing like the way we approached the challenge. Which was to simply start piling snow up in a vaguely circular shape. And then get bored because the feeling has been lost in the hand appendages and the realisation has struck that building an igloo takes ages and is relatively pointless.
This is how far we got (and don't ask what's going on with my bandy arms - they're freakish I know and I don't understand why either):
So, all in all I think I can tick both of these off. I know I didn't actually build an igloo but I got as close as I'm ever likely to, thanks very much.
2 orange stars for me!
So, imagine my glee at the current 'Big Freeze'. Yay.
I live in Hampshire and it started snowing in earnest here on Wednesday 6th Jan. The ferocity of the snowstorm was such that I was essentially snowed in on Thursday. This irked me somewhat as we were neck deep in a major funding application at the charity I work for and I could really have done without being stuck at home. This did, however, offer me the opportunity to get out have 'Fun in the Snow' - and allow me to tick another couple of things to do off the list.
So - snowball fight? Yup. Fun in the snow? Well, the husband pushed me over into a snowdrift. That was 'fun' in the way that having snow down your pants is fun. (i.e. not really fun at all). Snow angel? Yes...
Sledging? Nope - bit flat round here and we don't have a suitable implement for sliding around on. Snowman? We started to build one and got distracted by thing to do #79 - Build an Igloo.
This is what an igloo should look like:
(Picture courtesy of Mr Duncan Smith)
I'm told the way to make them is to fill a box with snow and compact it and then tip it out - much like building a sandcastle. So, nothing like the way we approached the challenge. Which was to simply start piling snow up in a vaguely circular shape. And then get bored because the feeling has been lost in the hand appendages and the realisation has struck that building an igloo takes ages and is relatively pointless.
This is how far we got (and don't ask what's going on with my bandy arms - they're freakish I know and I don't understand why either):
So, all in all I think I can tick both of these off. I know I didn't actually build an igloo but I got as close as I'm ever likely to, thanks very much.
2 orange stars for me!
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
#70 Spend Christmas in another country
As today is the 12th night and the day that we take all our Christmas decorations down, I thought I'd mark it by looking at thing to do #70 - Spending Christmas in another country.
Well, we spent this last Christmas in Wales, which is kind of another country (well, a Principality actually) but we spent the Christmas before in Belize which is perhaps more worthy of discussion here!
Our time in Belize formed part of a 3 month exploration of Central America, starting in Panama City in October 2008 and ending in Mexico City in January 2009. We didn't particularly choose to be in Belize in time for Chrimbo, it just kind of worked out that way. We stayed in a town called Placencia which is at the end of a peninsula so surrounded by beaches. As we weren't going to have any presents to open we treated ourselves to a lush apartment for the festive period.
We started the day feeling a bit fuzzy round the edges after cocktails and live music at a beach bar on Christmas Eve, so, after phoning home and speaking to our families we went down into the town to meet up with travelling buddies, Kate and Bec. We spend the rest of the day playing games at our apartment in proper Christmas fashion. Except we had beans on toast for lunch which wasn't very Christmassy. But surprisingly yummy! And anyway we were booked in to a nice restaurant for dinner that night with another couple we'd met travelling through Belize, Dave and Carol. So the 6 of us dined together and celebrated Christmas with almost nothing familiar or festive around us! No turkey or roast potatoes for us. Bec is from Australia so she was after her traditional dinner of lobster, and we felt it would have been rude not to get involved!
It was a nice day, but really nothing like Christmas at all. Which I think was a good thing. Me and the husband are both lovers of a good family Christmas and we found being so far away from them a lot harder than we anticipated. Being in a Caribbean country with no decorations or carols meant there were less opportunities for nostalgia and comparison to creep in, so it didn't feel as poignant. Had we been in Austria or somewhere with a more traditional feel I think that would actually have been harder. As it was we were but a few weeks from seeing everyone again and it meant we enjoyed this last Christmas even more!
So, I can tick off thing to do #70 with a pink star!
Well, we spent this last Christmas in Wales, which is kind of another country (well, a Principality actually) but we spent the Christmas before in Belize which is perhaps more worthy of discussion here!
Our time in Belize formed part of a 3 month exploration of Central America, starting in Panama City in October 2008 and ending in Mexico City in January 2009. We didn't particularly choose to be in Belize in time for Chrimbo, it just kind of worked out that way. We stayed in a town called Placencia which is at the end of a peninsula so surrounded by beaches. As we weren't going to have any presents to open we treated ourselves to a lush apartment for the festive period.
We started the day feeling a bit fuzzy round the edges after cocktails and live music at a beach bar on Christmas Eve, so, after phoning home and speaking to our families we went down into the town to meet up with travelling buddies, Kate and Bec. We spend the rest of the day playing games at our apartment in proper Christmas fashion. Except we had beans on toast for lunch which wasn't very Christmassy. But surprisingly yummy! And anyway we were booked in to a nice restaurant for dinner that night with another couple we'd met travelling through Belize, Dave and Carol. So the 6 of us dined together and celebrated Christmas with almost nothing familiar or festive around us! No turkey or roast potatoes for us. Bec is from Australia so she was after her traditional dinner of lobster, and we felt it would have been rude not to get involved!
It was a nice day, but really nothing like Christmas at all. Which I think was a good thing. Me and the husband are both lovers of a good family Christmas and we found being so far away from them a lot harder than we anticipated. Being in a Caribbean country with no decorations or carols meant there were less opportunities for nostalgia and comparison to creep in, so it didn't feel as poignant. Had we been in Austria or somewhere with a more traditional feel I think that would actually have been harder. As it was we were but a few weeks from seeing everyone again and it meant we enjoyed this last Christmas even more!
So, I can tick off thing to do #70 with a pink star!
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
#16 Make a swear box
I have a confession to make....I can be something of a potty mouth. I'm not proud of this but I have been known to express myself using words of a less than savoury nature. I know it's the last resort of the eloquently challenged, but sometimes only effing and jeffing will really cut it.
Normally this isn't an issue as my family and husband are pretty tolerant and indulge in the practice themselves occasionally. No, my verbal habits only become a problem when I'm at work. I work for a small, new charity and as such there is often only myself and my colleague Neil in the office. And he's from the West Country too so doesn't even notice my language. However, when there are others present I become acutely aware of my apparent inability to speak as a lady should. So, making a swear box seemed like a good chance for me to bring my tongue in line. And since I said the proceeds would go towards the charity Neil suddenly has started noticing when I cuss and happily prompts me to pay penance.
So here is my swear box:
Since I made the box I have been making regular contributions and I can honestly say that knowing I have to put my hand in my pocket each time I'm tempted to be coarse has made me more aware of what I'm saying. Hopefully the end result of this will be that I cause less offence and find more interesting ways to express myself. Admitedly there are still times when events overtake me and I have to let rip with an expletive, but I've been having fun re-discovering words like "Crikey", "Fiddlesticks" and "Sausages". Yes, "Sausages" - try it!
I'll keep the box going until the end of the 101 things to do challenge whereupon I'll reveal how much money my bad language has made for a good cause.
Normally this isn't an issue as my family and husband are pretty tolerant and indulge in the practice themselves occasionally. No, my verbal habits only become a problem when I'm at work. I work for a small, new charity and as such there is often only myself and my colleague Neil in the office. And he's from the West Country too so doesn't even notice my language. However, when there are others present I become acutely aware of my apparent inability to speak as a lady should. So, making a swear box seemed like a good chance for me to bring my tongue in line. And since I said the proceeds would go towards the charity Neil suddenly has started noticing when I cuss and happily prompts me to pay penance.
So here is my swear box:
Since I made the box I have been making regular contributions and I can honestly say that knowing I have to put my hand in my pocket each time I'm tempted to be coarse has made me more aware of what I'm saying. Hopefully the end result of this will be that I cause less offence and find more interesting ways to express myself. Admitedly there are still times when events overtake me and I have to let rip with an expletive, but I've been having fun re-discovering words like "Crikey", "Fiddlesticks" and "Sausages". Yes, "Sausages" - try it!
I'll keep the box going until the end of the 101 things to do challenge whereupon I'll reveal how much money my bad language has made for a good cause.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Christenings, Christmas and...crikey - it's 2010 already!
So, it's been over a month since my last post and my last 'thing to do'. That's not good since it means I now have just 86 days to complete 96 'things'. Hmmm... better get cracking.
Why the long break then? Well, my lovely god-daughter Ruby was christened on 6th December and I set myself the rather ambitious target of stitching a birth sampler for her as a Christening gift. It looked lovely when it was all finished and framed up, but it did rather absorb me. When I finally raised my head above the parapets after that I saw that the Christmas onslaught had begun. 3 weeks of shopping, festivities, travelling and general distraction later and I realised that I had neglected my challenge rather.
Well, don't you worry. I'm back in the saddle now and won't be getting down 'til I'm done. Watch this space....
Why the long break then? Well, my lovely god-daughter Ruby was christened on 6th December and I set myself the rather ambitious target of stitching a birth sampler for her as a Christening gift. It looked lovely when it was all finished and framed up, but it did rather absorb me. When I finally raised my head above the parapets after that I saw that the Christmas onslaught had begun. 3 weeks of shopping, festivities, travelling and general distraction later and I realised that I had neglected my challenge rather.
Well, don't you worry. I'm back in the saddle now and won't be getting down 'til I'm done. Watch this space....
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