Versatile Blogger

Ooo, look at this lovely green square, proof - proof, I say! - that someone - someone! - reads my blog, ha ha!

Thank you Beth (My Name is Beth) for the Versatile Blogger Award - I feel as though I ought to suddenly cover all-sorts-of-varied-topics-in-vivid-mixed-media-all-at-the-same-time in order to justify it, but fear not, gentle reader - I shall resist the urge.

Now, the Versatile Blogger Rules insist that I share with you 7 items of fact about my person, and I shall endeavour to make them short (yet interesting) before passing the badge of honour to other Versatile Bloggers in need of a lift who are very Versatile and admirable in other ways too. Beth made me laugh out loud with her factoids, though I have no idea which pudding she's talking about in Fact Number 3, I know I should know, and I feel like an idiot with lots of little obvious round things staring me in the face.

1. I played with my teddies until the ripe old age of thirteen, whole-heartedly creating an entire world for them out of (mostly) paper and card and imagination. My brother and I made little (frame by frame) videos on strips of paper for the video shop, we wrote magazines and newspapers by hand in felt-tip pen, and at one time in Teddysland there was a law that every teddy had to wear pants. I could go on and on about it, but I promised to keep this short :D

2. Reminded by Beth's mystery pudding description, I hate seeing little things coming out of little things. Rebecca, who I used to sing with, hates to see little things going into little things. Strange, huh?

3. I am fiercely secretive, whilst at the same time somehow appearing to be open to the point of giving-far-too-much-information. I'm not sure how that works.

4. My favourite writer is Richard Brautigan. He brings new meaning to everything he writes about. For example:

"Geometry"
A circle
comes complete
with its
own grave.

Unfortunately he is now dead, and therefore follows the way of the circle.

5. I was once held at gunpoint in Mexico in the middle of the night/nowhere. What surprised me was that instead of panicking, my brain slipped straight into cold calculation, and time slowed down. I remember noticing with interest that the gun had a silencer attached, and was aimed at my heart instead of my head. Raising my hands to signify surrender happened automatically. That night I was SO GLAD I could speak Spanish.

6. Courgette is my favourite vegetable, ever since I had a vivid dream about living in a refugee camp with massive food shortages (in which someone kindly let me have some steamed courgettes in return for looking after their children, but you don't need to know all the details I'm sure, after all, other people's dreams are usually quite tedious).

7. I feel like I get an insight into a person's character by contemplating the shape of their hands and feet. Phil has quite gawky feet, which clearly tell me that he is extremely loyal. I'm sure there's no scientific basis for this, yet the facts remain.

The Versatile Blogger Rules (as far as I can tell) also demand that I pass on the award and spread the love, if that's what it is (which it might as well be - love also bestows awards, demands intimate information and comes with an elaborate set of rules).

I must now admit to being a silent lurker on the pages of these blogs, a reader who repeatedly fails to comment, an ethereal being who adds nothing to the internet experience, a taker instead of a giver... but one who pops by with great regularity thanks to my RSS feeds...

The Smallest Smallholding
Lucy is so enthusiastic about her plans and honest about her challenges, that it's a refreshing read (and one which makes me feel connected to other people like myself who are attempting to live the smallholding dream).

{duck fluff}
Laura is another lovely, down to earth lady - a maker and a mother. I started reading her blog after finding it by clicking "next blog" whilst I was still pregnant with Meg. Laura was pregnant too, but due a month or so earlier. I got hooked waiting for her to pop, and enjoyed reading about her creative projects :D

Hairshirt
Zoe lives up the road from me, and has just recently had her second daughter. Her blog is beautiful, and again, deals with moments in a mother's life as well as the challenges of growing vegetables with little free time. I've only just discovered this blog and am finding it really inspiring :D

Now, how am I going to tell them about their award without revealing the fact that I have been secretly reading? I suppose I'll have to come clean, change the habit of a lifetime, and leave a comment... And about time, too.

Tangled Yarn's One Year Anniversary!

Horray!

*Sounds of party poppers popping*

Today is the anniversary of my very first blog entry!

*Cheers and whoops of delight*

I just had a quick nostalgic peep at my first posts, and was reminded about the One Hundred Days project (which - alas - seems not to be taking place this year, the old website is no longer there). I was also reminded of my very first (and only so far, thank goodness) bitchy comment, which I have left for the sake of authenticity.

Looking at my attempts to get rid of the clutter whilst unknowingly pregnant (and completely exhausted because of it) reminds me how things have changed over the last year, and how different my life is now. I won't list all of the differences, but in the last year I have stopped touring with Ember (after ten years of travelling and performing with my musical companion), moved to a secluded smallholding, had a beautiful baby, written a novel (ha ha), and started making crafty presents for Christmas... And I've done a fair bit of de-cluttering too, obviously! :D


Anyway, I must leave these celebrations as I'm in the middle of making some felt finger puppets for Megan's Christmas present. Thanks for supporting me and reading my blog! Here's to another year!


*All photos found by searching on Google Image, and rather over-excitedly applied, sorry about that!

Blogging Backlog Hell

Friday 29th January.

Argh! I have been so stupidly busy that I've somehow managed to build up a backlog of about 12 as yet "unblogged" days, and it's driving me mad! I know I'm not alone in this, Beth has had difficulties too. It's not easy! :) The big push to get the album finished and safely to the manufacturers is completed, so at least that stress is off. It has consumed most of my waking hours for the past two months, but especially in the last four weeks.

Another problem is that the batteries for my camera need recharging, so I will do that when I have finished typing this. My blog without photos would become a little two dimensional, I reckon. You need before and after photos, right?! So I will do that now. And if you'll bear with me I'll just try my best to catch up, even if it happens somewhat slowly.

Meanwhile, allow me to direct you to the amazingly creative world of Citrus Girl, a woman who's talents and energy know no bounds, a Maker of Many Lovely Things...

And you might like to know that one of my favourite bloggers is giving away some of her beautiful designs this week... here's the 4th giveaway, but you can easily find the others!

Oh, and finally, I was overjoyed to receive the Sunshine Blog Award from the Heartful Blogger, for being one of the twelve bloggers who inspire and enrich her! :) Thank you, Tammy! Woo! I am looking forward to nominating my favourite bloggers and passing on the love! I shall do it, I promise, I just need time... :)

Laying the Old Year to Rest and Preparing for the New Year

Day Twenty Eight.

Finally starting to feel normal again, after a week of exhaustion and being completely full of cold (alright, snot). I can't believe I've had to breathe through my mouth every night for so long, it was a relief to be able to breathe through my nose again last night! Ah, the petty detail. Isn't that was blogging is really about?! Ha ha :)

So, one of today's missions is to catch up with my blog entries... I know, I've really let it slip what with being ill and all.

The other main task was this: I spent a good part of the day creating an itinerary for Ember's upcoming tour 'Up North,' sorting out the details and logistics of each gig and making sure we have the right times and contact numbers, etc.

The tour runs from 9th - 15th January and was booked many months ago, mostly repeat gigs, so we know what to expect. We shall be visiting these places (more info on our dates page):

Sat 9th: Faldingworth
Sun 10th: Guisborough
Mon 11th: Stockton on Tees
Tues 12th: Hartlepool
Weds 13th: Otley
Thurs 14th: York
Fri 15th: Near Telford

I'll have to sort the details out for the rest of January and February in the next few days, so there's that to look forward to as well, ha ha.

Happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one :)

Christmas Cards are GO!

Day Thirteen.

I've got to admit that I've jumped into this whole "Do Specific De-cluttering Task; Blog About It" thing rather naively, without any initial concept of the amount of time and effort required on a daily basis by what is, in reality, two tasks. I can only drop my jaw and gape in wonder at the wonderful work done by two of my favourite bloggers - Beth and Tammy - each of whom has a small child to deal with, as well as all the usual household tasks, as well as the daily blog and One Hundred Day Project. Argh! Much respect to you guys.

My boyfriend has started complaining that he never gets to spend any time with me. True, I am a workaholic, but this blog thing takes the biscuit, I reckon. I'm loving it though! Apart from the anguish it causes.

So today, I killed two - no wait! - fed two birds with one grain. As the washing machine is broken, I've been going to my mum's house to do it, but only once it has amassed itself into a giant pile of offensive sights and smells. While I was waiting for each load to finish, I wrote my Christmas cards, which will assuage my Christmas-themed guilt no end. I don't normally do Christmas cards. Or at least, if I do, I don't do very many. Raised with a strong work ethic, I usually feel that I should make them all by hand, deliver them by hand, accompanied by a home-made mince pie or somesuch. Then I run out of time, and quickly write out about half a dozen shop-bought cards. It takes a long time! I am not happy to send a card which has a pre-printed message, which is preceded by 'To Bob' and followed by 'From Joe' - what's the point in that?! So I like to write a little in each card, hardly a catch up, but something personal at least.


Here is my stash of ready cards - all that is needed is Phil's signature, and the envelopes have yet to be addressed. Getting there, getting there...