To have or not to have? - that is the question

And what's that?

New Year Resolutions of course. Last year I took up some resolutions made by other bloggers and here's how I got on.

Fix things - I can't remember fixing anything apart from a few sewing repairs. DH is the main 'fixer' in this house.

Read at least one book a month - done! In fact I read more. You can see them all on my bookshelf at the side.

Have fresh flowers in the house - most weeks I had fresh flowers but not that many picked from the garden.

Don't start new projects until current ones have been completed - I have finished quite a few things - the 2012 blanket that turned into about 4 different blankets, a Tunisian stitch cot blanket, the Advent Calendar, Christmas bells, Poinsettia wreaths, handkerchief case, book mark, handkerchief edging, beer glass cosies, 2 cat baskets, iPod case, a few India cot blankets and a Christmas bauble. Didn't do too badly there but there are still some projects hanging around which may not get finished at all.

I think I'll just have one general resolution this year and that is to

write down, record and plan

in the hopes that those jottings will enable me to be more organised. (I bought myself a Filofax for Christmas.)

Mind you, I don't particularly like being too organised as I enjoy 'going with the flow' which is much more spontaneous, inspiring and creative.

Oh dear, to have or not to have? - that is the question.

A Tale of Two Books

Two books, one I enjoyed reading and one I didn't.

F2F by Phillip Finch is about a new kind of predator, a psychopathic genius, stalking the Internet and Can't Let Go by Jane Hill is a psychological suspense about a girl who has built her life on a lie.

I should have put one of the books down as the plot went round and round and did not really come to a satisfactory conclusion.

The other book I couldn't put down even though I was certain that I'd read it before. The plot was built up over different chapters and was gripping right up until the end.

Should I tell you which book was which? No, I don't think so - I'm sure that everyone's taste for fiction is different. I've now got 2 more books on the go (one for upstairs and one for downstairs) plus a book on the Kindle. These New Year Resolutions are a doddle!

xx

Different!

I found this book in the CS and the blurb at the back prompted me to buy the book to read. (I ignored the fact that I had a huge pile of books just waiting to be read at home.)

'Rankin's whimsicallly dense sing-song patter reads like Douglas Adams crossed with Aaron Sorkin by way of Mother Goose' Entertainment Weekly

'Rankin's prose is like a mind-expanding drug ... beware, lest you find yourself addicted ' SFX

I also had to look up to see if Robert
Rankin was any relation to Ian Rankin.

Verdict: It's certainly an entertaining and very odd read. My mind didn't expand but the addictive comment might be true as a few weeks later this book turned up at the CS.

Now this one I nearly put down at the beginning, thinking 'this chap can't be serious" but I persevered and found it, again, a very entertaining read. I'd certainly 'have another go' with this author.

Perhaps I am addicted!

Has anyone else read any of his books?

Welcome to my new follower - I was just on your blog the other day on a blog hopping jaunt.

xx

Just found

I've just found one of my New Year Resolutions' lists from last year.

* Make a new password book by looking up and checking one password per night. - This started well but then stopped when I ran out of steam. I've just finished it now. At the end of my old password book  I found this NYR list!

*Make a crochet square each night. - The squares were not done each night but I have made over 365 of them.

*Make a Nativity figure each month. - This was done each month for the first eight figures. The last figure was done in December.

*Follow up one line of 'followers' each night by visiting their blogs. - I think I've visited everybody. If I've not commented on your blog in a long time please let me know and I'll pop along and have a nosey.

*Sell at least one item on Ebay each month. - I have sold more than 12 items but not as one item each month.

*Clean one room each day. - Errm!! Daily cleaning and tidying completed each day but not a deep clean. Hobbies and activities had priority. Must try harder.

Apart from the last one I've not done too badly.

Killing three birds with one stone

Oh my, new wool! This is for my Summer granny blanket for a double bed, based on Lucy at Attic 24's Summer Garden granny square and her Granny Stripe colours with the inspiration for the design from According to Matt's blanket here. Nothing original here on this one!

While using the wool I just had to do a few more Granny roses ...

... and another King for my Christmas Nativity. (See the Nativity label posts.)

The puss cats weren't helping but still had to be in on the act.

I'll call him Gaspar, I think. He seems to be lifting one side of his mouth up, doesn't he. I can do that.

Excitement

One of my New Year's Resolutions, in order to help the de-cluttering, was to put at least one item on Ebay each month. Whoo the excitement of watching the bids rising in the last few seconds is intoxicating! (I really must get a life.) I've got two auctions finishing in half an hour. What do you think? Multiple seller! Three lots of positive feedback! Hey, what! Must go - this Ebay Babe is on a roll!


Later - Sold and sold.

 Yeah!

I'm shattered now. Can't take all this excitement in one go.

New Year's Resolution ...

... achieved for January. I wanted to make another Nativity Set (maybe, definitely the last one) for a present and challenged myself to do one figure each month. Here's the first figure.

I think I'll call him Melchior.

I've used some vintage lace which was given to me as part of a Christmas present last year. This person parcelled up some CS finds - lace, and crochet cotton and presented them beautifully in a wicker basket (which contained my Christmas present to her the year before.)

I think he's carrying Frankincense. Can you see the fake holly berries on his head? 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

First - the resolution

I have resolutions which I will try to keep, reporting on progress each month.

How long will this last I wonder?

I am looking forward to

* the first snowdrops

* walking



* knitting, crocheting and making



* growing



* resting



* looking at life, the Universe and everything

* feeding family



* being with friends



* playing



* living and loving



Ooh and a whole lot more!

Thank you everyone for dropping by and welcome to my new followers.