Tom and Blanket Farm (by sarah)

For her birthday Jean got a blanket that is part of a series of stories I've written for her called Blanket Farm. A friend knitted the main blanket and then I have been adding all the 'picture' bits too it - now I didn't get a chance to finish it completely before Jean's birthday but gave it too her anyway.

Yesturday I stole it back to do some more work on it - like filling in the cottage which is just an outline currently and stuff like that! But I put it down and when I turned round Tom was on it! And every time I've looked at the thing its had either a cat or child in or on it and I even used it for my nap this afternoon! It's the popular blanket we've ever had - I'm a bit perplexed as to how I'm going to get round to finishing it off!

The Way I Concentrate (by sarah)

I have worked out that part of the problem with house work, bills, contracts etc... is the way I concentrate - I focus and focus deep generally on one project and even when I'm not actively doing that project I am still mentally chugging away at it.

This means that I don't always notice 'interuptions' and end up with like a pile of post and dirty dishes - this is one of the reasons I like people visiting as means I'll notice the dishes!

Now with Jean at school I've been trying a varient on my pacing methods for the pain - the 10 mins just was not working becuase I just get into something and have to change - so I experiemented to see if I could get my tolerance level up to 20 mins - most of the time this works well - though afternoons are a complete write-off with this system.

It seems to be working though - I am starting to get on top of the house work and am writing and drawing alot - being more productive than I have been for most of this year!

Basically I get Jean off to school and then pace - 20 sitting reading, writing, drawing and 20 minutes doing household or gardening stuff - I have even managed to tackle a hedgerow harvest in this way this year!

The plus side is that the house work is not mounting up and 20 mins stints at it isn't leaving me flaked in the way trying to do a solid hour of it was and because it is manual work my brain is free to mull over the next thing I'm going to write - and I have found I due generally only want to work on one project a day - maybe even for several days in a row!

This is actually a revolution for me 🙂

Of course when Jean's about pacing goes out the window but thats fine too 🙂

Desolate was the Playground (by sarah)

I awoke and me and dad got Jean ready for school - there were books to find and lunches to make and teeth to brushed and Jean's to be shouted at when they flop and make dressing them hard and so on and so forth.

It was dark when I got up and I thought - hmmm bout time those clocks change.

And we struggled our way to school.

And it was deserted the playground desolate and forlorn - empty of childs hurtling around it was a grey expanse of tarmac with a dreary fence. Where was everyone?

No cars in the staff parking - no lights in the windows - cold and empty - I look at Dad 'When do the clocks change?'

'Not yet'

'Surelly its soon?'

'Your mother didn't say anything about it and I would have expected a sign in the playground'

'Hmm well they must have changed - there's no one here'

So we come home again and I look up daylight saving and find out the clocks change this weekend - so then I'm panicking - have I missed some school trip? Were they all supposed to be at some train station somewhere or something?

No - its half term - yesturday was the last day - Mew 🙁

So then Dad's annoyed cos he could have still been sleeping and Jean's annoyed becuase she doesn't want a holiday - she wants to go to school and play with her friends!

And I ment to talk to some of the mothers about the half baked plans for them to visit during half term :/

Sigh - I just can't manage with the amount of stuff I have to remember for school - and yet I know that other people manage this stuff perfectly well :/

Fortunatly I had got in lots of craft stuff and that to do with Jean and Co during half term anyway- she is currently happily colouring a dinosaur sticker and colouring book and has a spooky ghost one waiting for her attention 🙂

I also have wooden skulls for decorating - and skull bags to sew and ghosts to glitter! I love pound shops and the like 🙂 (Plus I cut alot of the stuff out myself from my craft paper collection!)

I've got cooking activities and everything lined up for Jean but am sad to be two days shorter on sorting house out time 🙁

Sheds – stress (by sarah)

Barbara came back from holiday yesturday and I excitedly showed her the shed - but I got this sinking feeling that she doesn't remember the two or three conversations we had about putting a shed in early this year 🙁

I am now awaiting her getting really upset about the fact that it appeared whilst she was on holiday.

Chaos, Pandamonium and all the other trappins of the Snell-Pym Household (by sarah)

I awake and lo!

A cat was not turfed and instead of mewing to be let out had erm... gone in the corner of the KITCHEN!

So I turfted the Ginger One who shall remain nameless and in disgrace and cleaned it up using up the last of the disinfected in the kitchen.

This took up a big chunk of the getting Jean ready for school time and then I remember - eek she's supposed to have lunch and I start making it whilst Dad panics about her being late.

We get to the school fine and she goes in - then somehow a certain Ginger Rogue has got back into the house and relieved himself again in a HUGE sandy coloured puddle this time in front of the Fridge.

Somehow dad misses this blot on the landscape of my kitchen and walks to the fridge for milk and back to the kettle makes his coffee and walks into the living room and sits down on the setee.

I walk into the kitchen looking for the laundary basket to get the washing in and have... well kittens!

So after having to make a trip upstairs for more disinfectant I clean it all up - putting the tea towel that was too near in the washing machine for a boil wash - I shout at dad and this disrupts a certain Black Cat who jumps onto the coffee table and there by knocks my lunch plate down breaking it in half.

I am just a bit cheesed off shall we say :/