Another Amazon Order placed means more lovely books to read

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Are you obsessed with ordering books from Amazon? I am and I love it! That rush of adding books to reach the free delivery limit, knowing they are on their way & squeak, when that “your order has been despatched” email arrives in your box.  Ok, so I’m a saddo but I make no apologies for my obsession. These are the 4 books I ordered today, check them out, have you read them? What do you think?

They have all been recommended by friends (but these are not affiliate links)

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness

I’ll plan to write reviews when I read each of them, that is the plan anyway…. wonder if I’ll stick to it…

Creative expressions on the sunniest sunday in 2011

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My sweet white cat with his sweet little pink nose

Ziggy cuddling up to his favourite person

Having chased my little white cat around the garden so I can lather his pink nose in baby sunblock I am ready to settle into some writing.

Its a toasty hot day with a glorious breeze, so I’ve set myself up in the garden with a comfy chair, laptop and extension cable. I’m trying not to work but sometimes i am so wrapped up in learning something new that I find myself researching and playing all weekend, then I get frustrated that I’ve spent so much time in front of screens.

This doesn’t count though as writing here is playing for my own creativity and that is fun. I’ve fixed wordpress so that I can upload photos so here are my cats. Introducing the Zigmeister, currently he has a virus so his third eyelids have come out to show he’s not well. He wasn’t impressed with the vet sticking a thermometer up his bum and even less impressed at being pinned down so we could squirt worming paste in his mouth. Moral of the story is don’t eat mice!

Lazy cat yawning in conservatory

Xena lazing about having a bit of a yawn

Next up is Xena who has recently graduated into being a senior cat! She is an American born rescue cat who I brought back from Florida in 2003. She had a rough journey over the pond and now explodes at both ends when put in the car.  She is a real lap cat though and loves lying about the place usually not far from me.

Cats are luxurious in my eyes, they are so laid back and calming especially after a hard day at the office. To have something that loves you unconditionally and without any expectation is simply lush. I grew up with cats and will grow old with cats… although I hope not to die alone eaten by cats Bridget Jones stylie! Both of our cats have so much character, they provide love and entertainment and we wouldn’t be without them.

What animals are important to you and why?

Sundays can be so frustrating!

Aside

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Lush pot plant, spring 2011

I toggle between loving sundays and hating them, today I am loving it but that’s because I’m getting an extra Sunday tomorrow. Its May Day tomorrow and by definition its a day off for the workers but sadly as I have so much work to do I am going to need to break the rules and crack on tomorrow. I can work from home though so I’ll get up late, fanny around for a while and probably start after lunch.

I wish I was a morning person so I could get up early and “seize the day”. Sadly, if I wake up early it seems to be that I am worrying about work and yet am unable to use that time constructively. I am quite hard on myself in that respect and so I am determined to use this site as a creative vehicle to get my work life balance back on track. There are loads of things I would like to be able to spend my time on without feeling guilty… I fancy exploring some ideas now:

Gardening

I’ve always felt a sense of peace when mucking around in the vegetable patch. I love to plant seeds and watch them grow and then nurturing as young plants. I rarely manage to pick the produce at the right time and it ends up going to seed. It seems to be the process rather than the end result that gives me pleasure there.

Writing

Oh how I would love to be able to write short stories and even a novel, I’m not sure I really have a novel in me . Writing feels to me like having a really good friend to chat with. Its so therapeutic putting pen to paper, i like that better than typing, but I can’t write straight into a blog any other way. I am hoping this process of turning up regularly and writing about things that means a lot to me will help give me confidence to write for others to read.

Creating Warm Fuzzies

There are lots of things that give me warm fuzzies – a smile from my son, my fiance making me laugh, a nice snooze, a good meal, a lush cup of coffee, dark chocolate, a vivid flower in full bloom, eating a sweet pea off the plant, freshly cut grass, ticking something big off my to-do list, cuddling the cats, sitting in the sun, beautiful views, crashing waves, memories of happy times with lost loved ones, having a whole day ahead of me, holidays, days out with friends

Eliminating Cold Pricklies

There are lots of things that give me cold pricklies – time pressure, being chased to do things, having a day behind me where I haven’t achieved my goals, tiredness, thinking of the things I should have done but haven’t, wishing I’d done something creative and soul nurturing when I’ve spent all day online (I am hoping this site will help me fix this particular problem).

My biggest issue surrounds setting myself more realistic goals so I don’t end up feeling constantly disappointed by lack of achievement. I think I actually do get a lot done but I don’t give myself credit for it.

There is a lot of food for thought here and I very much like the idea of exploring these areas and many more to “give my head a shake” as my dad would say. I’m looking forward to adding in some great pictures here, I’m going to use Flickr images as they are so amazing.

And She’s Off to a Cracking Start!

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Peonie Roses from our garden, spring 2011

I’m afraid you’ll never get to read my first ever blog post because my computer just ate it! If i were the superstitious type I’d take that as an sign to stop before I even start. However, this venture comes from new motivation and an over enthusiastic claptop isn’t going to deter me (oh nice typo!).

This is a very personal blog written by me, Katie – mother, bride-to-be, worker, part-time slightly crap gardener and wannabe writer. While visiting my best mate I picked up her copy of The Artists Way by Julia Cameron which is all about discovering & developing your creative inner self. I declared that I would love to be able to do that stuff but as I don’t have a creative bone in my body its not worth bothering! Crikey, did that cause a splurge of reminders about all sorts of creative projects I’d put my hand to as a student and young mother. Distant and dusty memories but they gave me hope.

That was 2 years ago. She shipped me home with the book and a flea in my ear about my self worth. I have successfully kept a journal of musings since then but despite my best efforts I haven’t managed to achieve more than a slight sense of disappointment at my creative achievements. That is one of many reasons I am setting about this project. A bit like new years resolutions (tho its nearly May) I’ll list them here then I can come back to see how I get on:

  • its a personal project and not related to work, this is strictly just for me
  • its about the things I am interested in – for example anything to do with writing, books and authors I’m reading, things that make me feel good, travel e.g. great experiences, outstanding photos, friendships, firsts…
  • its for creating a habit of writing – “turn up at the page”, that’s step one, now write something.
  • by building and growing this blog I will commit to creating something that is exposed to the outside world – will it nurture commitment and flourish or flounder like other projects people can’t see?

Even if no one ever reads this I know that someone could and I hope that will make me take care enough to make it the best it can be.