The what have I been doing list

And after the snow came the sun. Today has been as sunny and warm as a spring day in Australia and after re-potting some plants this afternoon I could almost believe I was back there already!
Here’s an example of what you don’t want to find. (for the record this is not my plant!!!)

Anyway I figure it’s time to catch up on what’s been going on during my absence the last few weeks and the best way to do that is a list!

1. Went to London at the end of March for the Stitch and Craft show (Link goes to the 2009 site) which was GREAT! We had so much fun there and spent a bit more than what I meant to…but hey….it’s craft! There was loads of cross stitch, knitting, beading and paper craft (the only thing that didn’t interest me greatly)

2. While in London I took the opportunity to finally see St.Paul's Cathedral. I've wanted to see it for so long now and although it was too late in the day to climb up the dome, the church itself is beautiful and definitely worth seeing if your in London.
My little point and shoot camera couldn't quite cope with the scale of the building!
3. Went to see Step up 2: The streets, at the movies. It’s very much aimed at the teenage market but myself and Karen couldn't resist seeing it as it follows on from the “so you think you can dance” TV show (US) that we love.

4. I've been to a couple more beading classes and shall post some pics of what I've been doing later in the week.

4. The great pack-a-thon continues and I can't wait till it's all done. Things progress though and it's possible that I can almost sense that there might be, somewhere, the shadow of the light at the end of the tunnel!

5. There have been several big nights out since I last posted regularly. However all photos of said nights are never to see the light of day since they are all really, really......really bad! Still....great nights out usually equal bad photos!

6. Tonight I am off to see Yamato, The drummers of Japan. I think this will be rather good and will let you know

7. Some knitting news. Well...sorta. I'm still knitting...frantically as it happens but am unable to say too much as its the gift variety. However it's all coming along very nicely and I promise to post pictures soon.

8. Tomorrow I am doing a surprise activity. Well I know what it is now but it was a surprise before Monday. I'm not going to post about it now but I am going to have a wonderful day tomorrow and I'm all excited. Details and perhaps photos on Thursday!

...and I think your up to date now with what's going on in my life, which is more than I can say for myself!!

10 things on a Monday

1. I went swimming this morning. It’s something I want to get back into now that I have time and I’m finding it to be a very positive thing in my life. As I was meandering up the lane with the sounds of splashing in my ears I thought to myself it’s as much a mental thing as a physical one. Anyone who’s ever been on a diet will know that doing things that are good for you don’t always make you feel great. So something that doesn’t just increase your well being but also creates a feeling of well being and positivity has got to be twice as good for you!!

2. I need to get out into the garden. The sun is out, the birds are a-tweeting. The daffodils are in bloom. It’s way too early for it but the proof is there…it’s spring. And the garden is not ready.

3. Went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the cinema Saturday night. If you get the chance to see this…Jump. It’s fantastic. It’s a musical in case some don’t realize it (and some haven’t) and Johnny Depp is his usual amazing self in partnership with Helena Bonham Cater. The story might be well known but the telling (thank you Tim Burton) is lively, clever, funny, seedy, musical, creepy and absolutely brilliant!!

4. I am making Moussaka tonight. I’m enthused at the moment about cooking. For a while I just couldn’t be bothered…these things run in phases. But now I’m once again reading cookbooks for fun and buying too many magazines. I shall let you know how it goes.

5. I am on the last sleeve of the Juniper jumper. If I can be bothered to sew it up and everything goes well with the neckline it may be finished sooner than I thought.

6. Solitaire on the computer is a bad habit and wastes much time.

7. Cinnamon Latte’s are not quite as good as vanilla ones…which are in turn not as good as Gingerbread ones.

8. Gingerbread Lattes appear to be seasonal…which is disappointing.

9. Whilst flicking through the TV channels recently I came across Dirty Dancing. What a great film that still is.

10. At the start of the year I decided I wanted to expand my reading habits. I read a lot but tend to stick to Fantasy or Sci-fi. I figured I needed to delve into not only the more classic titles but also some of the more popular stuff too. I picked up a copy of “Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, at the second hand shop today and have started that. I remember when it came out I was working for a book store and got so sick of the hype I couldn’t face reading it then. Judging from the first few chapters I think I did myself a disservice but we shall see how the story unfolds!

I am the List Queen...hear me roar!

January....from my calendar

Well the start of the year loomed in front of me a few days ago like a big black hole of potential unknown-ness....and for a little while that was all too much to deal with. After several months of stress and headless chicken behaviour I apparently needed a couple of days to rest and recuperate....who would have thought!

Those couple of days gave me the chance to think about some of the things I'd like to do this year and once I started writing stuff down I couldn't stop. The list is very long so far however it appears that a list is what I need to give direction and purpose to my life, (probably not very healthy but to each their own) and so a list I now have.


So...a sample -

Watch the entire series of Buffy - yes this is what I got for Christmas!


Knit four things with wool from the stash - the stash is growing at an alarming rate...some of it must be used. Four things should be easy


Learn how to make sushi - I've wanted to do this for forever...this is the year!


Go swimming - I was doing this several times a week a (long) while ago but work got in the way....now that I'm footloose and fancy free it's time to do some of the things I enjoy

Read 10 must read books - the list is yet to be finalised but I wish to extend my reading genre's. I'll probably post the list at some point.

Get CV up to date - boring but necessary! Although I'm not working now I will need that CV in the future


Enjoy my time off - this is a biggie for me. Apparently there's a big chunk of my self worth that's tied to my work and so I don't do unemployment well. I feel guilty, I worry and I stress. The couple of months I'm taking now is not without purpose and as such I am giving myself permission to enjoy not working. I have earned this break and will do fun things with it such as visit the shops, walk along the beach, take photos, knit and have coffee in a different cafe each week/day/hour...as the need hits me!

This year is going to be great....I know...it says so on my list!!

Flip Side

So the other day I was feeling rather weird-ed out with the whole finishing work thing. And this week has been full of the weird feelings so it wasn’t without reason that I came up with the “10 things I won’t miss about work” list. However it didn’t cheer me up like I thought it would and instead left me feeling a tad angry…as all those annoying things do.
Over the course of the day the angry feelings subsided and the melancholy feelings resurfaced causing me to think about those things that I would miss.

There’s a lot to be said for working in such a magnificent city. I know it’s just work and a city is just a city and I don’t pretend that it’s not got it’s down side. But despite all that, underneath the day to day stuff is a feeling that you are somewhere special, somewhere where anything can happen and probably already has.

Ok, ok that’s not to say I couldn’t find the same atmosphere anywhere else but you have to admit that places like London have certain magic to them that other places don’t.
I’m hoping I haven’t wasted the opportunity. I’m hoping that I took advantage of it and revelled in the experience. I think I did some of that. I think also I wasted many moments being caught up in the every day work life as I would if I lived somewhere else. With any luck the next place I work will be twice as exciting!

10 THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT WORK

10. The trains. I know…it’s a love to hate them type of thing but they are clean (mostly) and run on time (mostly) and its kinda fun…in a weird and Kathie like way!

9. The walk to the station. Some mornings it was a struggle but mostly I liked starting my day with a walk. It made me feel active and fit...even when I know I'm not!

8. Buying a packet of chips (crisps) off the guy in the store down the road from the station for .1p cheaper than at the station!! Hehehe it’s the little things that are the most satisfying.

7. Being part of the gang on the train in the mornings. We might not know each others names but we’re united by a common sleepyness and resent new comers and loud talkative people!! (it is 6.30am after all)

6. The coffee machine. Oh I know it’s bad and (I was well and truly off the stuff before I started here) next week I shall have some withdrawal fun but until then I shall continue to make my way to the kitchen to press a different button each time. Espresso, cappuccino, choco creme, black/white with milk/sugar, tea..........Come on folks…they have Hot Chocolate on tap!!!!!!!

5. Borough Market! Two words, one great big lovely market full of yummy stuff!

4. Um hello…the pay packet!!!

3. Seeing that lovely old lady the Tower Bridge every day. Really going to miss this.

2. Being employed. Call me old fashioned but work gives me a sense of purpose and a feeling of worth. I’m not defined by my work but rather supported by it. It stretches my brain and makes me be grown up sometimes. Plus I enjoy it…mostly.

And the thing I'll miss the most???

1. Two hours a day. What would you do with two hours a day? I read loads, studied, planned travels, examined recipes, thought about knitting, wrote lists, watched people, listened to music (both mine and other peoples) and slept among other things. It was great…and I don't know what I'll do now that I wont have that ‘spare’ time anymore.

shakin the blues

Even if it is my last one for a while there’s something about Monday mornings that makes you want to bury your head in your cereal and hope that it all goes away.
But it never works and so here I am sitting at my desk trying desperately not to go and get a coffee (I’m weaning) and wondering how I’m going to get through what will probably turn out to be the longest week in the history of very long weeks.

SO I figured I’d cheer myself up with a list (I love lists) and here it is!

10 things I won’t miss about my work

10. Annoying accents in the workplace (all day…every day!)

9. People drinking on the trains…I know they look similar but trains are not pubs.

8. RSI, bad back pains and blurry eyes…hazards of the trade!

7. Those strange office folk who don’t clean their cups and are proud of their coffee rings…it’s not a mark of how dedicated you are it's just gross

6. People who go to the toilets to talk on their mobile. (Am I the only one to find this weird? I mean surely there are better places)

5. Business men who will shove you out of the way in a queue but insist on holding open a door for you when you are 20mts away forcing you to run so that they can be polite.

4. Really short evenings…by the time I get home I have only 3-4 hours before I SHOULD be in bed. (eat, shower, TV…there’s no time to do anything useful)

3. Them wot stole my bin (see earlier post)

2. Paper cuts on my nose from free papers being shoved in my face outside the station.

1. Other people’s music as heard from their mp3’s on the train. (even good music is bad when heard through other peoples headphones…either get some real speakers so we can all hear it or turn it down….I said turn it down….I SAID…Geez what are you deaf???)