Chez Spud

It’s been a funny old week what with one thing or another. Mostly dominated by a client photoshoot and frenetic pre-holiday preparation.  I’m not sure why packing for trips is such a Whole Big Thing for me, but it is. I’d like to blame it on having to pack for an entire family but, if I’m honest, I’ve always been like this. It got a whole lot worse when the boys came along, but the low level packing hysteria has been part of my modus operandi since time began.

Really, there’s no reason for it. I ought to be a packer extraordinare given the huge amount of time I spent travelling for work in Days of Yore. But I never got the knack, more’s the pity. I’d like to be able to report the packing angst means that I’m one of those super organised souls who arrives on holiday prepared for every eventuality (you know, those who arrive with travel wash, travel clothes lines and pegs) but that’s not the case either. I’m pretty good at forgetting to pack something quite crucial (underwear was a notable low), or wildly over or under packing. I only took two pairs of trousers for a week long holiday when Bertie was a baby. A shame as he weed on one pair on the first day, and the second pair on the next. Lovely.

Anyway, so the Great Pack is in progress. A little slower than I’d like for some reason…

Despite this, I’ve managed to tick off (or nearly tick off) a few more items on my 39 things to do before I’m 40 list. I’m slowly starting to make inroads in to it…

1. Learn how to use a sewing machine (February)
2. Learn how to crochet (January)
   
3. Make a blanket from crochet granny squares – work in progress as of 8.2.10
4. Go to Sutton Hoo
5. Go to Cove Hyth
6. Have a family holiday somewhere hot (March)
7. Have a night away from the boys with MrSpud
8. Take the boys to Banham Zoo
9. Complete all my Christmas shopping by the end of November
10. Make my boys’ birthday cakes – one completed (7.2.10)
11. Learn how to use the Lensbaby (6.1.10)
    
12. Visit my family Up North
13. Make a wedding photo album
14. Join a choir
15. Replace ancient framed photos in the house with more up to date ones (photos not frames)
16. Make a photo wall in the kitchen
17. Decorate office and install Craft Corner
18. Go to Lavenham
19. Learn how to use flash
20. Get 5 mentions for my client in the Financial Times (boring, sorry) – one done, two interviews awaiting publication
21. Take the boys on the train for a day trip
22. Go to the cinema with MrSpud
23. Give Chez Spud a makeover (cheating, this is work in progress but who knows given previous track record) (19.12.09)
24. Ride a horse - (21.3.10)
25. Sit on a beach and read a book on my own
26. Ditch o2 for Vodafone – after much thought, stuck with 02 and upgraded my phone. V boring.
27. Make biscuits for the first time (yes, really)
28. Take a ’star trails’ photo
29. Take a ’smooth’ water photo
30. Drink a peach bellini (make that 4, in quick succession might as well finish up the bottle right?)
31. Watch 5 films I haven’t seen before – three done
32. Do the Secret Blog Project I’ve had in mind for a while
33. Have a pedicure (22.3.10)
34. Sleep in a tent in a location other than the garden (sigh)
35. Go to a fireworks display
36. 50 photos in Explore on Flickr – 31 done
37. Make felt figures
38. Buy a summer dress and wear it
39. Learn how to use our alarm clock. We’ve had it 2 years. It’s probably time.

So, I can 1. use a sewing machine (even managed to turn up a pair of trousers yesterday without ruining them…resultl!) and 2. I’ve finished all the squares for my granny blanket.  They are awaiting sewing together:

Oh but what’s that in the background? I have naughtily started another crochet project, a ripple blanket using the Attic24 neat ripple pattern. I wanted an easily transportable project for holiday. Yes, you read that right…I am now so obsessed with crochet that I’m taking it on holiday.  SEND HELP.

I’d hoped going on holiday somewhere hot would naturally lead to “38. Buy a summer dress and wear it” being ticked off. I just can’t seem to find anything that doesn’t make me look like mutton dressed as lamb or a sack of potatoes. Might have to deploy “1. Learn how to use a sewing machine” and make one.

Yesterday I ticked off “24. Ride a horse”

I had a little ‘helper’ as you can see, and he was in charge of producing photographic evidence. If you squint, you can ‘just’ about see me…

I haven’t been on a horse for 27 years, I was surprised how quickly it came back. It felt the same but a LOT higher up, presumably because I wasn’t handed an enormous Cobb to ride when I was 12 years old. Coco is pretty chunky

Mounting and dismounting was quite, erm, interesting. I’m surprised I didn’t get a nose bleed I was so high up there. I felt a little ‘anxious’ and definitely wasn’t up for more than walking, steering, going backwards and stopping. Coco had a few other ideas and there a couple of moments of panicked trotting (me panicked, her trotting). But it was a lovely way to enjoy the warmth of the early spring sun.

Spring is definitely here. We went to the beach twice last week, admittedly a bit breezy, and the garden is full of spring flowers now; banks of snowdrops, narcissi, daffodils, crocuses, first signs of hyacinths and, quite suddenly, a carpet of sweet smelling violets. Skippy days xx

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