31/01/2009 by Aileen.

Last post for January anyway. Half an hour to go until midnight. I didn’t take photos of snowdrops. Not sure what I have done in the last couple of days. Great time at Creative Writing. Lovely hearing everyone’s stories/poems. There was a lovely dawn this morning, and although I was up I baulked at going out to take photos. Need to get organised the night before. (Excuses) I must trawl through my January photos and see if there’s anything worth uploading. Otherwise, a new month tomorrow. I love new things.

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29/01/2009 by Aileen.

I had a stroll round the garden this afternoon and found that the snowdrops are coming out. Several clumps have nodding heads. I will take a photo manana.

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27/01/2009 by Aileen.

Up. Mass. Church cleaning. Mushroom omelette. Slept!   (Getting old)

Played around with words for poem for next TMA.

Then I read all afternoon and until now (gone 9pm) (Heated up beef casserole from freezer for evening meal.)

The book was Philippa Gregory’s The Little House which J and I have both read before but had forgotten about. We both loved it.

I finished Sansom’s Revelation the other day, but that was a book I COULD put down. It’s about a mediaeval detective. Sansom is a brilliant researcher, and the story was fascinating, but his vocabulary is risible (good word!) His favourite expression is ‘he said quietly‘ with ‘he smiled sadly’ coming a close second. It really got on my nerves.

So now I’m bookless. Think I’ll go for a Deaver next. It’s a while since I read about dear old Rhyme.

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26/01/2009 by Aileen.

I didn’t feel like turning out tonight. Too toasty and stuck into studying. But we had a good time photographing blue items. This was my best shot.

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26/01/2009 by Aileen.

Where does the time go to? We had a pleasant weekend with Kev and Mag staying overnight. Today (Monday) I took Spice and Ellie to the vets. Sugar should have gone as well, but she has disappeared. Probably heard the others make a fuss this morning. Or caught sight of the cat baskets.

Going back to last week -

I started the new digital photography class on Thursday morning. It was a very basic introduction (as I expected) but there was still something I didn’t understand about different specifications between digital and film slrs. Need to google it. We have a project to do - five photos of our house/neighbourhood. The light is dismal at the moment so am waiting for it to change. We have three weeks.

On Friday it was Creative Writing. Such fun. The group really is lovely.

Tonight it’s Viewfinders. We are taking photos with the theme of ‘blue.’ (No, not pornographic. At least I don’t think so!)

I’m about to study now, as I can’t find Sugar for the vets. We’re on to poetry. Most enjoyable.

Oh I forgot. In the last few days I have registered with Twitter (don’t know why!) and discovered that I registered with Flickr a year ago. So I have uploaded some rubbishy photos from the new year. My name is

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21/01/2009 by Aileen.

… and a lot has happened. Yes, Obama is in! Hope it means a bright new future for the world. Some talk today about sorting out Guantanamo quickly. Great stuff.

On the home front.

Monday.

Really good talk at Viewfinders from a member who climbed a previously unclimbed mountain in Nepal. The photos were brilliant and his talk was so polished. A  pleasure to look at and listen to.

Tuesday.

Finished yesterday’s housework, made stuff on SL and attended an Obama party in the clothes I made.

Wednesday.
Best weather of the year so far at Sewerby Hall and the beach where we saw many different species including purple sanpipers. We kept hearing the g.s. woodpecker drumming, but no sighting.

Then this evening I found I had lost 2 and a half pounds at Slimming World. Last year I lost one and a half stone, but put back half a stone over the winter, so overall I lost a stone last year. I was 10.5 this evening, so need to lose 12lbs to reach my target weight.

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18/01/2009 by Aileen.

Yes, time is ticking on. Another week about to start. I have made lots of plans as usual. I’m usually okay for a day or two, but by midweek I don’t feel like sticking to any regimen and just do as I please. It’s daft really. I just love making plans, but hate carrying them out.

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15/01/2009 by Aileen.

Today’s new digital photography class was deferred until next week, so there I was, up and dressed, with nowhere to go. So I spent the whole day learning how to make clothes in Second Life. And I still can’t. Will take another photo tomorrow to show you what I mean.

I feel guilty for wasting my time in this way, but also, I don’t want to change. I love being creative. Lovely day birding yesterday. Beautiful light with sun breaking through the clouds. But not for long - just misty at the end. We were hoping to see hawfinches, but instead so TWO water rails. They were in the distance of this picture.

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13/01/2009 by Aileen.

Well, I was so industrious yesterday. It couldn’t really last. Although I have been industrious in a sense. I decided that I really must learn to build things in Second Life, and where best to start but with clothing. So I made a skirt with prims, and I made a t-shirt by uploading a template/texture. Here is the skirt. It’s really rubbish, but I’m pleased as it was my first attempt. I’ll have to upload the t-shirt tomorrow, as I forgot to take a photo.

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11/01/2009 by Aileen.

Well, I’ve had a really lazy week last week. Visitors gone, TMA sent off, no ‘activities’ started yet except for Viewfinders (camera club)

I’ve spent the week slowly doing the guests’ sheets, putting away Christmas decorations (except one darn it) and virtuously (!) finishing off Christmas food so I don’t have to throw it away.

John’s worst ‘wound’ finally seems to have cleared up in the last couple of days, so he should be back to normal next week. (He got up over Christmas and New Year, but ideally should have been having bed rest to keep off the pressure point.) Anyway, I’ve resisted the temptation to give him a list of things to do. Only because I know he wouldn’t do them!

I’ve spent such an enjoyable day. I took the Children’s Liturgy at Mass this mornint, and saw Francesca, whom I’m preparing for First Holy Communion. I just wish that I didn’t keep watching myself perform. I feel I’m putting on an act instead of behaving naturally.

Then this afternoon I’ve spent an enjoyable time getting to grips with ‘positioning’ on my secret web site. It isn’t that private after all,  so although it is far from perfect you can find it at

www.rainbowpuddles.co.uk

Please don’t laugh at it. It’s meant to be serious. Also, I’ve built it up from scratch - no templates involved (apart from the blog bit) so it really is amateurish.

I’ve planned next week in Outlook, so feel really organised. The church leaves Christmastide and enters into Ordinary Time today, and my ‘activities’ are starting up next week, so I feel this is the beginning of 2009 for me.

And let’s hope it’s a good one for all.

I’m well aware of the dreadful problems in the Middle East at the moment, as well as conflict and famine elsewhere. I feel so helpless. Simon Covey talks about our ‘circle of influence.’ I can’t do much about current afffairs, but I do try to present a positive outlook to those I know and love.

Simon Covey also says we can increase out Circle of Influence. Maybe this year I will have to try and do that.

BTW Simon Covey is author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and other books.  Google him.

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