Starting again (again).

Hello and welcome to another blog post from the girl who can’t seem to actually get her butt into gear and write a regular blog post. Was my last one a year ago? Longer? Less? I don’t know and I am am apparently too lazy to check. At any rate, it has been a while.

Today I logged in with the intention of deleting my account. My main reasons being:

1. My life is boring and no one needs to read about it.
2. Some of my “projects” have been a bit crap and I don’t really need a large audience viewing them (I’m not quite sure who this “large audience” is, but in my head there a MILLIONS of people potentially reading about me and my not-very-good attempts at “art”.)
3. I am, as mentioned before, slack at posting on a regular basis.
4. I’m not sure what the focus of my blog is meant to be. Is it craft? Is it cooking? Is it long-winded opinion pieces? I don’t know. Which means my readers don’t know either.
5. I have a very busy life and no time to keep up with a blog.

All valid reasons, perhaps, but probably more akin to lame excuses, if I’m being honest. Let us look at these points and (because, hey, you made it this far and I’m clearly continuing on, so it would be rude for you to leave now…) see if we can offer an alternate viewpoint:

1. Boringness: Maybe my life is a tad on the tame side. I’m not exactly climbing mountains or winning races or embarking on fascinating journeys of self-discovery. But, I would imagine, that that is true for many people. MOST people in fact. So maybe people might like to read about someone who is like them and not pretending to be AMAZING and interesting ALL THE TIME (how very tiring that must be!). I’m just a regular person trying to make it through life with minimum drama and chaos, and if that makes me boring then snore away!
2. Who said I have to be the best artist of all time to deserve having a blog? Who made that dumb rule? Me, clearly. I am learning all the time and just trying to have a creative life and share the process and if some of my handiwork is a bit on the crap side, who cares? I like it when other artists show their failures or not-quite-perfect projects because it helps me to remember that we all make mistakes and sometimes really cool stuff can come from a stumble.
3. Me being a slack blogger is probably not on anyone’s list of “Things that make life harder/annoying/disappointing”. I’m just not that important, in the scheme of things. So I should take that worry off the table.
4. Lack of focus is, again, not the end of the world. Is anyone paying to read my blog? No. Is anyone basing their entire life strategy or business plan on my blog? No. Is anyone locked in to following my blog for the rest of their life? No. What does it matter if I post about cookies one day and then discuss the merits of bed socks the next? You can come and go as you please. Why am I trying to limit my likes and dislikes to one subject?
5. I am very busy… making excuses. That’s what takes up my time. I think “Oh I am not good enough/interesting enough/productive enough to have a blog” What a load of tosh.

So, you can see, I decided not to delete my account. Not just yet anyway. Maybe I will let it stick around. Because maybe I enjoy writing these sporadic posts. Maybe, just maybe, I am allowed to do something just for myself – shock, horror! – and it doesn’t need to be for anyone else. And it doesn’t need to be exciting, or earth-shattering or even remotely clever. It just needs to be honest.

I am “starting over” in many areas of my life right now so this blog will be just one tiny piece of that enormous puzzle. Pretty sure I will get fed up, lose pieces and chuck it all on the floor during several tantrums, but that’s ok. My life, just like me, is a work in progress 🙂

Blogging Challenge – Day Twelve : Favourite Childhood Book

Howdy folks.  Yes, I am skipping challenges on the Blogging Challenge.  Just pretend you haven’t noticed ok?

I was a big reader as a child.  From the age of six onwards, I always had my head stuck in a book.  I was the annoying kid in class who always finished the assigned reading way before schedule and had to be given other books to read while everyone else caught up.  Yeah, THAT kid.  I was like it in high school too.  It’s very possible I was the only one who actually READ the books we were assigned.  But I enjoyed them – everything from
Catch-22 to 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird and Animal Farm.  I loved them all.

My Mum always read to us when we were little and I suppose that’s why we always enjoyed books in general.  As a child, I loved stories with animals in them, but didn’t like anything scary or dark.  I remember one book I read gave me nightmares and actually made me physically ill so my Mum had to go to the school and asked for it to be removed from the library.  I don’t remember what it was called, but it was a book of so-called fairy tales, and it had one story in it where a witch rips the faces off pretty young girls so she could disguise herself as them and get up to mischief.  Kinda gross.   A less sensitive kid might not have been bothered by it, but it frightened me and my Mum took action ha ha.

I know I had a book about a dog called Barney, that my Mum used to read to me (until it fell to pieces) but I haven’t been able to find it since.  Another favourite was “The Golden Egg Book” by Margaret Wise Brown.  It too fell to pieces from being read to death.

When I was a bit older, I read voraciously on my own.  Enid Blyton was an early favourite, particularly the “Magic Faraway Tree” and “The Secret Seven” (my Mum won a set of these in an art competition when she was ten years old – I have them now 🙂 ).  I still secretly read Enid Blyton books, when I am needing some comfort or just to take some time out.  There’s a been a bit of a backlash about them in recent years, with regard to them not being very politically correct, but I love them.

Of course, Judy Blume was a HUGE favourite as I entered into that tricky pre-teen period.  My best friend and I loved her books and read all of them.  “Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret,” was probably devoured by more 10-12 year olds in the 80s than just about any other book ever written.

I also loved Ursula K. Le Guin and Paul Gallico, Beverly Cleary and Diana Wynne Jones.  I read all the classics – “Charlotte’s Web”, “Watership Down” (a little bit adult for me but I trudged through it when I was seven, not really understanding all of it I’m sure) and “Little Women”.

I read non-fiction too.  Mostly about animals and magic and art.  I Loved poetry and silly rhymes, and books about mysteries and fascinating facts.

I have a favourite children’s book now though.  It was given to me by a friend when I was in my twenties, and I dearly love it.  I would give it to my own children, if I had any, and have actually given it as a gift to friends and family (both children and adults).  My favourite children’s book is “A Little Bit of Winter” by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.  It’s just GORGEOUS.  The story of Rabbit and Hedgehog, best friends in the wood.  It’s Winter and Hedgehog has to go and hibernate.  Rabbit is worried that Hedgehog will forget about him during the long, cold months that Hedgehog is asleep.  Hedgehog himself does not know what Winter feels like and so they are both missing out on something.  It’s a story about friendship, mostly, but it is SO ADORABLE and the illustrations are the best.  I love it.  I have to do the voices when I read it, which is quite sad, but it’s just so darn cute.  There are other books in this series, but this one is my favourite.

Do you have a beloved children’s book that is dear to your heart?  There’s so many great ones out there, new and old, modern and classic.  Don’t let the kids have all the fun – try a few titles for yourself.  They’re comforting and calming and make you feel better about the world.  And, if you do have children of your own, get them in to reading early – it’s SO important.  My brother’s children all love to read and it makes my librarian heart proud. I’d be proud of them, whatever they did, but the fact that they love books and often can be found with their little heads buried in one is just icing on the cake.

Happy Reading Everyone x

(Picture : The Book Depository)

Blogging Challenge – Day Nine : What’s in My Bag?

My bag (or, rather, bags – I have too many of them) generally contains more than it should.  I am a hoarder in all areas of my life, why should the contents of my handbag be any different?  I am terrible at clearing it out regularly and it usually has about six months’ worth of receipts in it.  Also, about eight hundred tissues – used or not, who can tell? – and at least three pens, possibly leaking or not working at all.

So, today’s bag-hoard contains :

1. A Pair of tongs –  This is because I cannot reach those stupid ticket machine thingies in the car parks (when you have to lean out your window).  Whose arms are that long?  Certainly not mine.  I usually end up putting my neck out.  So, I have tongs.  I will take them out of the bag and just leave them in the car today though.  Promise.
2. Concert ticket – A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of my house-buying anxiety, I went to a concert with my cousin.  I had been looking forward to it for months but was so not in the mood to go that night.  In fact, an hour before hand, I was having a major meltdown and crying so hard I gave myself a massive nose bleed.  Over-dramatic much?  Anyway, the concert was AWESOME!!!  It was called “Totally 80s” and featured lots of one-hit wonders and some more successful musical acts of the 80s.  Wa Wa Nee, Martika, Berlin, Real Life, Men Without Hats and Paul Lekakis.  It was great.  They were all SO GOOD and sounded amazing.  It was a nice distraction for me and, predictably, I have held on to my ticket.  But it is going in the bin today. Really and truly. Pinky swear.
3. Purse – Well, obviously my purse is gonna be in there.  It contains no money but does have lots of receipts and a tonne of other crap in it.
4. House-buying documents and whatnot – I am currently carrying all my documents and forms and everything to do with my new house around with me like a pack horse.  I am paranoid something dramatic will happen and I will need the information immediately.  This is unlikely now, with settlement a week away.  But I am not very smart and apparently like to lug stuff around.
5. Gloves – I feel the cold.  We all know this.  I have a pair of black knitted gloves that have skeleton bones printed on them.  They are children’s gloves.  I have tiny hands.
6. Bandaids – my dermatillomania is kicking my butt at the moment so I am trying to keep it under control by keeping my fingers covered.  I keep bandaids on hand at all times.  I buy bazillions of them.
7. Numerous set of keys – I have house keys, car keys, my Mum’s house keys,  friends’ house keys, lots of keys to work etc.  Basically I jangle when I walk.
8. Phone – The dreaded mobile phone.  I am not one of those people who is constantly on their phone.  I forget to even look at it half the time and mostly use it as a clock.  I HATE talking on my mobile and I never answer it when I am driving.  Don’t text and drive, people!  I actually bought a new iPhone about 6 months ago.  I haven’t switched over to it yet (because I am a chronic procrastinator) and am still using my extremely ancient iPhone that has multiple issues.  Basically, it is dying, poor lamb.
9. Teabags – Um, yes, I carry teabags around with me.  Mostly green tea and lemon ones.  Just in case I go somewhere – to someone’s house for instance – and they don’t have any tea.  Who would such a person be and why I would be friends with them, I do not know, but it’s just in case.
10. Lip balm – I have a lippy in every bag I own.  Cruelty-free ones of course.  If they smell nice and taste a bit like fruit/chocolate/cookies, even better.

That’s pretty much it, except for the usual “lady” products and scraps of paper and general junk.  I should probably clean it out.  Today even.  Or tomorrow.  Or in three week’s time when I move.  That seems like a good idea.  Then I will have a new set of keys to put in it!