(Petrol pump attendant on a Paris street)

We have a bit of new technology that allows us to pick movies or TV shows or documentaries and watch them anytime on the television. A bit like renting a DVD, except we pay once a month and watch as much as we like. I’m hoping it will make me more discerning because I have to choose what to watch. When I turn it on there’s nothing already playing that might captivate me and pass an hour in oblivion. There’s just a menu, and I have to choose something to watch… or turn it off!

(Something to do with gas?)

We’ve taken the bold move to cancel the satellite connection, so very shortly I will not be able to watch the BBC at all and only the following day internet RTE. I will not be able to turn on a news program at one o’clock, six o’clock and nine o’clock (or at any other time) during the day. Instead anytime the humour takes me I can connect via the internet. (If anything important happens, could you let me know, please?)

(Fairy lights)

Now, I will be watching interesting documentaries and episodes of my chosen TV show – all of them in one sitting if I want! There are no ad breaks, no promos for future shows, no competitions to win a holiday, no weather reports. It’s a different way of life but I’m willing to embrace it….. for now.

My choice, Mairead.

PS our satellite company has already rung to offer us a fifty percent reduction in our monthly charges if we come back….

(Self-Driving cars?)

This might not be your problem… yet… Just left Denis’ office, he’s engrossed in a Youtube video about some guy who made his car self-driving…..

Earlier he called me in, very excited, to tell me about a free on-line course to convert your car so that it could drive itself! I watched while the guy on the screen pressed a button in his car and the car started and began travelling around a car park. The driver was chatting to the camera and his hands were not even near the steering wheel, his feet were not on the pedals and he was not looking at the road.

(And trucks?)

Ok, maybe not a problem for me, if he stays in that car park which seems to be in America… But we have the same make of car as the one in the video and Denis has that “this will be great!” look in his eye……..

I’ll keep you posted and let you know if you need to keep off the roads, Mairead.

(The inspiring book)

Usually I write the Monday morning blog on a Sunday but I took the weekend off and didn’t touch the computer until this morning. Except…. for a Skype call to the daughter on Sunday night. This last minute writing puts a bit of pressure on me which generally doesn’t work but I wanted to give the free weekend a try too.

(The inspiring quilt)

For years I’ve been inspired by a picture in one of my many craft books. The book is called Crazy Patchwork by Janet Haigh. The picture is of a cream wool blanket quilt with squares of different embroidery stitches. A couple of years ago I got as far as cutting up a blanket to make my own quilt. But I got no further because it seemed like such a huge task. It would need so much time, so many new stitches to learn, it might never be finished.

(My first steps)

This weekend I took the first step… I drew the square grid onto the blanket. Then I took the next step… I began stitching the border. Like the old joke… How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Every little and big thing I do is made up of steps and I can only take one step at a time.

Taking one step at a time, Mairead.

(Healthy)

I’m reading a book at the moment about a guy who had two wives… accidentally. It’s set in the 1890’s in England, New Zealand and California. Lots going on and I’m riveted, can’t turn off the light at night to sleep because I want to find out what’s going to happen next.

(The garden is sleeping)

It’s called The Wives of Henry Oades. It was a surprise find at the recycling centre. Remember the one where I put all the same coloured bottles in the one bottle bank? On that day I was recycling books also (the declutter continues…) and noticed this one. Usually I don’t take a book when I’m already leaving some, but that was a day of firsts.

(Not McDonalds, the Metro)

The idea for the book came from a newspaper cutting about a real Henry Oades and his wives. The author’s mother had originally wanted to write about it but she was too busy bringing up five children. Maybe if there had been another wife, she’d have had the time!

In search of creative solutions in time management, Mairead.

(More beads….. sigh)

I’m still doing the accounts…. Of all the things I do they bring up the most lessons… or so it seems at the moment. You see, something always goes wrong! Well to be honest there are so many numbers and so many little processes that of course something always goes wrong and you have to deal with it. Or to be precise I have to deal with it 🙂

(Light and Dark)

At the moment I’m taking a break because I realise I did not run a major part of the process four months ago! I definitely meant to. I printed the reports and paid the bill… but I did not run it on the computer system. Just do it now I hear you say….. Too fast. These little things that go wrong usually cannot be solved in a quick way. They require slow, calm, methodical solutions…. at a time when all I want to do is shout Why didn’t you (me) just do it four months ago?

(Trees, close-up… calm)

No answer to that…. so the acceptance begins. I accept it wasn’t done and when I become calm I will be able to solve it or put a plaster on it. Why can’t….? questions are just not helpful. Nope no use. First I have to accept things the way they are and then I can deal with them.

From a table covered in number-filled sheets of white A4 paper, Mairead.

PS the reason I didn’t run the process four months ago was because I was afraid I was doing something wrong… but by not doing it I was doing something wrong! Maybe it’s more useful to do the thing and get it wrong than to not do it at all and get it wrong…..

(Sweet Bead shop in Paris)

On Friday I was at my chiropractor. Well not my chiropractor… she’s in New Zealand so until she gets back I have another chiropractor, he’s originally from New Zealand himself. He’s very good but just not the same. For one thing I get the idea that he wouldn’t be too comfortable if I was in a lot of pain. (For your information… there is usually some pain and I have a very low pain threshold, but funny thing: I always forget about the pain until I walk in his door the next time – a bit like childbirth?)

(Christmas Mince Pies… yum)

Whereas my chiropractor is completely comfortable with my pain… in a good way! It’s one of the reasons I like her… no matter what she does (well… probably not too far past my little pain threshold!) I’ll still be her friend….

(Potatoes….)

Ok, so today I was on the plinth and we were chatting about Christmas and I mentioned the hot whiskeys (they were medicinal!) I’d had. Usually he types my details at the end of a session but today as soon as I mentioned the whiskey he left my side and went straight to the keyboard. He was typing for a long time.

Might be just my imagination but now I think he sees me in a totally new way, Mairead.

(Happy Birthday, Ciara!)

Many years ago a baby was born and everything changed as two tried to cope with the three. If they had had a book with hints and tips and what not to do with a baby the parents might have known how many mistakes they made. They knew nothing…

They trudged on unknowing and the baby grew and as is the way of these things the baby taught the parents. And the lessons of the baby were not about sleeping and eating, they were about acceptance and presence. Time passed and the lessons of the child were not about reading and writing, they were about being and joy.

And when the child grew to maturity the parents realised they had done nothing to add or subtract from the essence of this person who had arrived as a baby whole and complete into their lives. But to their credit they had provided a safe place for her to wait until it was time to go.

With much love, the parents.

(Spring_)

I’ve been doing accounts all day today and I’ll be doing them every day for the next week. There’s a four month backlog because I was doing other things for the last four months. Like my assignments….  and a little bit of procrastination. You may remember how much I dislike doing accounts, so you could assume it was a horrible day with more horrible days to come.

(Wooden Door)

Well… it wasn’t….. something has changed and it’s not so horrible any more. And rather than increasing the difficult, the four month backlog makes the whole thing easier. Having that much data to work on makes it possible to set up an efficient process and stick to it…. surprise, surprise!

(Patterns..)

Here’s another rule I can break… the rule about it being wrong to leave things until the last minute. If it wasn’t for the last-minute-panic that accompanies leaving things to the last minute my life would probably be perfect.

Maybe I could just let go of the last minute panic, Mairead.