On Monday there was haggis, neeps and tatties with the Brownies. We listened to Burns’ music and made red roses – my favourite poem

On Tuesday there was a work catastrophe which carried on through much of the week. A reminder that I’ve still got a lot to learn. There was also my first run of 2012 (not bad……) and a thorough spanking at darts

The rest of the week passed without much incident. Yesterday saw me head off to Pittodrie…

This was my second trip so far this year so I’m now apparently a member of the Red Army. Yeay. After that it was off to the pub for entirely too much drinking hence today’s general feeling of fragility.

And how has your week been?

Wednesday, the 59 from Torry to Northfield….

Thursday, a phone box on Watson Street……

Friday, the Co-Op on Union Street….

I’m always on for a task which involves the purchasing of stationery

As you can see I sent 5 postcards, one for each working day of the week. To new friends, to old friends and to a couple of very special boys The reaction I have had from those who’ve received their cards has been really touching. I’m a big fan of proper post – receiving more than bills and credit card offers through the door – and it seems I’m not alone. Even my shocking handwriting (and it is awful!) doesn’t seem to halted the spread of joy. So, what are you waiting for? Grab a postcard, scribble a few lines and say hello!

*Enjoying my new t-shirt

* Getting stuck into my new book – We Danced All Night – and thoroughly enjoying it. Hopefully I will manage a good deal more reading in 2012 than I did in 2011.

* Slowly getting my brain back into guiding mode. Brownies start back on Monday

* Doing battle with both a breadknife and a razor. I came off worse in both encounters. They don’t put that in the sodding Gilette Venus adverts

* Attending Pittodrie for the Dons -Kilmarnock game. For those of you who follow football, I’ll accept commiserations later. If you don’t, don’t ask

And how about you?

Easing myself back into the Why Don’t Yous? with a straightforward one this week. As a general rule I am pretty solitary person. I like my own company. Even when I’m spending time with those absolutely dearest to me, I do eventually hit my limit and need some quiet time. I like being on my own. I sing to myself, talk to myself, I read, I sit and think. I’ve gone to the cinema on my own, gigs on my own. There have been times when I’ve taken it too far and spent too much time on my own, but I think I’ve improved the balance since then.

This is all a roundabout way of saying I could have picked a number of different things for this week, but the one I have selected was Friday lunch. I sat in the kitchen at work, on my own, with the door closed and enjoyed 25 minutes of peace and quiet, along with a bowl of thai green curry/lentil soup and the Guardian magazine from last Saturday. It was lovely.

I would strongly encourage everyone to take a peek at Sarah Rooftop’s Why Don’t You? list. I have them jotted down in my diary all the way into August and I am really looking forward to each one. Actually, just read her blog full stop. It’s ace!

When it comes to the making of New Year’s Resolutions, I think it’s too important a task to rush into, hence why I’ve taken the last couple of days to ponder my 2012 ‘to-do’ list. Or to put it another way, I’ve spent the last few days watching more cartoons than I ever though possible and haven’t been near a computer Looking back, I did pretty well in 2011. I did sell the car, kept on running, took a bit responsibility for my finances and got a bit more organised. I did not, however, get much more in the way of crafting done or learn how to say ‘no’, so they definitely go back on the list. So, in no particular order…..

1)     Keep on running. I’ve pretty much ground to a halt on this one since the Ness 10k, but entries open for the 2012 Baker Hughes in less than a fortnight so that will give me something to focus on. Geoff is planning to take part as well, so I can’t have him showing me up! I will again be running in support of those super boys and girls at MND Scotland.

2)     Readjust my life/guiding balance. It’s got a bit out of hand again and I need to take steps to do a bit less. I don’t want it to feel like a chore and it’s in danger of getting that way. I won’t be providing the best for my girls if that keeps up.

3)     Sort my finances. It’s all about the Benjamins. Apparently. The budget in the House Of Pad took a bit of a spanking in the run up to Christmas, there needs to be a bit of rebalancing going on.

4)     Have regular cleaning purges. I have stuff. Too much stuff really and I need to get rid of some of it. I got started last night by having a pretty brutal clear out of my wardrobe. What can go to charity will, the rest is for the bin.

5)     Get crafting. As stated last year, I have lots of materials and equipment, now I need to put this stuff to actual good use or give it to someone who will. This is going to mean cleaning the craft area. I may require a lie down before that one.

6)     Be a better friend and daughter. Remember birthdays. Ring people. Send postcards, possibly even write a letter.

7)     Have fun Pretty self explanatory that one.

8)      Always do the dishes immediately after I finish dinner. There is nothing more spirit sapping than walking into a kitchen first thing in the morning and it’s a tip with dishes a’where.

Work

My job remains a shiny and wonderful thing It’s not always easy, but there is a reason why it’s called ‘work’ and not ‘sitting around eating cake’. My bosses like me, I like them and I have a level of job security I could never have imagined.

Guiding

This continues to suck every bit of spare time I seem to have. Cutting back on this is probably my main challenge for 2012. I enjoy it; I do need to get some balance back though. 2012 hasn’t even started and yet I know I potentially have 5 residentials to look forward to. I’ve already put my foot down on one, I need to maintain that courage and say ‘no’ a little more often.

Love

Well who woulda thought it? The cliché is true, it is always when you least expect it that something wonderful comes along. Hurrah for Geoff is what I say!

Running

I took part in two 10k races this year. It still seems a slightly odd thing to be able to say actually. I haven’t been running in weeks, thanks to aforementioned busy-ness, dark nights and a complete aversion to running on treadmills now, but I want to get right back into it. Entries open for the 2012 Baker Hughes 10k on 16^th January

Aberdeen

Over the coming weeks my time spent in the Granite city will exceed the time I’ve lived anywhere else in Scotland. Yes it’s cold, wet and grey. Yes the seagulls will eat your face as soon as look at you and yes the smell of fish can get a bit much at times, but despite all that it’s home and I’m happy here.

Life

All in all, life is pretty good. I’m looking forward to the things that 2012 will bring – a trip to Switzerland , more races and a whole host of things that I can’t even imagine right now. So how was 2011 for you?

9 of my little darlings joined the many hundreds (thousands?) on Union St and on the sidelines for the annual Christmas lights switch on. The start was delayed, the pager went off while we were waiting and apparently a fire engine trying to get onto Union St caused the bulk of the hanging about but it was a cracking evening and the girls did me proud I also saw Sarah Rooftops and stared at her like a bit of a loony. Sorry!

My cold is mostly gone which greatly improved the general mood over the weekend, as did time with Geoff, who remains all things wonderful and shiny We watched Strictly – well, I watched it and he laughed at me swearing at Tess Daly – and Iron Man 2, which was ok, but got a teeny bit silly in places. I got completely spanked in my darts on Monday, but fared better last night, winning my singles though not the doubles. There needs to be entirely more practise going on around here!

Now….onto the pimping out. With Christmas looming I wanted to share the businesses of two good friends of mine. I love both of them dearly, but that’s not only reason I’m giving them a plug – they’re also insanely talented people. First up, there’s Barry…..

He draws! He tattoos! He models with fimo! The boy is a legend and I would encourage one and all to check him out on both Folksy and RedBubble - be ready to spend money!

Moving on now to the Queen of Resin, Addison Malloy. I am lucky enough to have several bits of jewellery designed and made by Addison, only one of which I have paid for. This is because she is very generous as well as being wonderfully talented.

Addison’s current venture is Freak Carousel and if you are anyway interested in well made, creative, one-of-a-kind jewellery made with serious attention to detail then get on to that website and wield your debit/credit cards with gay abandon.

 Homemade soda bread, toasted and bathed in buttery spread stuff. Enjoyed on a Saturday morning which was much quieter than I had feared, while watching Yes, Prime Minister and while Geoff caught some Zs after his night shift.

Not glamourous, but really very lovely

Actually, despite the fact that I am plague ridden, it has been a reasonable week. There was the rare treasure of a night at home to spend as I pleased, a murder mystery evening and I’ve got back on track with Sarah Rooftops’ Why Don’t You? challenge. This week was a straightforward task – paint your toenails. I am not a terribly girly girl, but the toenails are usually carrying varnish of some description…

My horribly dirty, but still polished, feet at Charnwood Guide/Scout camp over the summer.

Today’s polish of choice – Rimmel’s ‘Green with envy’ in case you wondering