seventy-seven

back at last

I hadn't intended to be away so long.  When we set of to France in early August I packed my laptop intending to blog about my month away from the big smoke.  Well the internet connection wasn't working and to be honest we were just have too much fun relaxing and reading and swimming that chasing up a repair just seemed like too much hard work.   

And then we came back .....

    

as we turned into our road the heavens opened and in our haste to unpack the car my elderly laptop was dropped hard into a large dirty puddle.  I thought it was the end but the thanks to a the advice of a good friend it has been nursed back to life and here I am.   I hope to be a good blogger this autumn - wish me luck.

  

we love books

 I saw a fabulous post over at quilt while you're ahead.  Monica, another book lover, has given up a meticulous system of book organisation and sorted her books by colour.  The effect is beautiful.  I would love to be so brave.  In our house we have organised the books by subject and/or author.  The system and it's in-built idiosyncrasies have evolved over fourteen years of marriage and three house moves.   

 

My husband loves his books and I fear if he came home to find I had re-arranged everything by colour we might not make that fifteenth anniversary.  (I am kidding about the divorce but he would not be happy).  So for now when I want to gaze at a beautiful bookcase organised according to colour I shall have to go elsewhere.

PS - I will show him the second photo as evidence that he doesn't always put the books where they should be.  I mean to say The Spanish Civil War smack in the middle of American political autobiographies tsk tsk. 

distracted

Usually I am distracted by things on the web. Links on blogs that send me off journeying deep into other peoples worlds. I love blogs.   But  this past week I have been distracted by tidying, sorting and spring cleaning.  My sewing corner in particular was a disaster.  I had to make some tote bags for a summer fair and realised that things had become more than a little disorganised.    I had previously found these glass jars at Ikea for 99 pence and they were perfect for my plans.  So calm has returned and I'm really inspired to get some serious sewing done.

mummy what have you done?

We had this large expanse of white wall in the kitchen and  for as long as anyone can remember I've been talking about turning it into a giant chalk board but I never felt like I had the time. Then I read this.  If this woman can prep, paint and clear up a whole room in 24 hours then I can paint a single wall in a morning.  And boy was it worth it the children were so pleased that it made my day.    I had visions of a weekly calender, shopping lists and weekly menus on the board but I think there maybe just lots of drawing - and that's just fine by me.