Typecast

The Future Is Bright... The Future Is Orange! I was gathering together my planning 'equipment' for 2016 - just a few bits I had accumulated over the past couple of months; some review items that I had saved, a couple of pens that I wanted to start using, notebooks that I had already used and wanted to continue using and a few accessories that needed using up (first world problems for a stationery addict...). It wasn't until I flat laid all the items for an Instagram picture  that I realised I'd unintentionally created a colour theme and I was rather enjoying it. The Hobonichi Techo is going to be my main diary that I carry around with me (I'll explain why I have moved into a Hobonichi in a minute and I talk about it in more detail in the video). I've managed to switch to a smaller planner because I'm now in a job that I can leave at the office, i.e. no planning or updating at home (*phew*) and I have a desk diary that stays there. I'm stil...

I was just casually watching television on Sunday night - laptop on my knee as per usual, waiting for the final of The Apprentice to start when that tweet scrolled through my timeline (yes I follow James Jordan - feel free judge me because I deserve it - however, he does offer good commentary on Strictly Come Dancing). Anyway, I couldn't help but reply to him, wondering if it was a badly placed 'joke' to start off with but it so obviously wasn't.  Quite surprisingly, James replied to my aghastness so I expanded further, explaining that (a) he had a world famous search engine at his fingertips if he chose to leave his Twitter app for a couple of minutes and that (b) Eddie Izzard has done a huge amount to bring cross-dressing awareness to the mainstream. I believe you have had to have had your head in a box not to have even even had Eddie Izzard on your radar at some point.  I'm actually still waiting on another response from James but he continued bein...

I may have pestered Kate for a while to provide another Listography prompt (I love them so much - they give me the inspiration I need to get out of a writing funk most of the time) and then when she shared one I got all busy and put it to one side 'to do later'.  Anyway, this is my 'doing things later' moment. This Listography is all about songs that transport me to a particular time or place  which is very similar to my own Soundtrack To My Life series ( quick plug: this is starting again in 2016 so get your choices in if you want to be involved ). Music is a very evocative language to me; almost all my favourite tracks are connected to memories for one reason or another so to narrow it down to just five is nigh on impossible unless I choose a theme within a theme. So I've decided to select the tracks that send me back to my teenage years. Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now  A classic track from the late 1980's but, because of the 'dance...

Do you remember that time that I had my own quiz show on a community radio station? It all came to an abrupt end due to time constraints and recording logistics but it has always been on the back burner, waiting for a time to come to life again. Not so long back, one of the original team members and show producers asked if I'd like to be a part of a Christmas recording of his own radio show - Wit's End - and, if there was the opportunity, to record a one-off special of The Big Cheese.  So we sorted some dates out and some willing participates and got both recordings 'in the can' in November. For first time listeners, The Big Cheese is a regular cheesy quiz show with Christmas-related questions that aren't all that difficult (feel free to shout out the answers and let me know how you get on) and Wit's End is very much a satirical panel show. Both were huge fun to record and this was the first time that The Big Cheese had been recorded in front of a ...

Over the past few weeks I have been sourcing a few things that I thought would make great Christmas presents or stocking fillers.  Some of these items I've bought myself, some have been sent to me for review and some are things I've found whilst browsing on the internet and are very firmly on my own wish list. ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ Useful Gifts You Never Thought Of I was sent a beautiful Ted Baker (sun)glasses case. When not in use it folds completely flat but its triangular shape means that it is big enough to hold my spare glasses, a contact lens holder and my cheap-and-cheerful sunglasses.  I keep this in my handbag all the time now and it is  available from Qwerkity  for £24.99. I'm a huge fan of having calming scents wafting around the house so have an abundance of scented candles and my husband uses scented incense sticks however aromatherapy oils are my new go-to for diffusing and burning. I've been using a 14-piece set which comes with a 'recip...

We all know the internet is a powerful tool, in fact it is so powerful that it can be the catalyst for you to change your life. Whether you are looking to learn a new language, earn a little money or get in touch with people across the world, the internet has the power to make life so much simpler. Take a look at the infographic below to see how you could change your life online. This is a featured post For more details please view my disclosure policy

Back in September I was invited to a 'crochet along' Facebook group by Lesley from  Black Sheep Wools  (you may remember  I reviewed one of their pattern books  a while back which turned into a blanket project for my grandchildren) . I had no idea what a 'crochet along' was but it was exactly the right time for me to start a new project, especially one that would force me to complete it in small doses.   This pattern was designed by Sandra from  Cherry Heart  and the idea of a 'crochet along' is that the pattern is released in sections presumed to take an allotted amount of time (in this case, each section was released on a weekly basis). A couple of hours crochet time each evening, or a bit more at weekend, has kept me occupied and out of mischief for the past six weeks or so.  The whole project was released in six sections  - an introduction, four pattern sections, then the border and finishing instructio...

For a while I've been on the peripheral of social media, just observing and taking it all in. Social media is a HUGE part of being a blogger. You know you can share a link across various media outlets to your latest musings and any number of people will come and read it; they may even share their own thoughts about what you wrote and then tell their own online network too. These ripples are different sizes for different people and for different reasons. I've blogged here in this little corner of the internet since 2002. Blog posts from 2002-2009 were deleted (it's a long story, much regretted and I've written about it before) but if you go back through the existing archives, I like to think that I'm still blogging about the same things and in the same way: my thoughts, my words, my ideas. Moving some ramblings over to other blogs has worked however they are not updated as regularly or as competently as they should be or could be.  The whole blogging (and no...

Ok... so here we go with everything that I learnt in October. Feel free to share your own learning experiences in the comments. If you share a lovely upbeat and slightly funny video on Facebook  then one of your childhood heroes (in this instance it was Doris Pearson from Five Star) might 'like' it and comment on it . Those posts you wrote about Back To The Future five years ago [ BTTF1 | BTTF2 ] will come in useful one day. That day happened to be #futureday - 21st October 2015.  Still no bloody hoverboard though... If you stay true to yourself and your blog  you could get  noticed and mentioned  alongside a bunch of much younger, cleverer and more successful bloggers (and very famous vloggers). And that's lovely and gives you a much needed boost. Choosing Christmas presents  for those "difficult to buy for" people just got a whole lot easier with  magazine.co.uk  and their subscription service, You might want to  chec...

Last year I was gifted a pile of vintage postcards , all of which depicted the sights of London. I came across them again last week when tidying my office space before taking photos and remembered that I'd never shared the mystery found within the vintage postcards.  When first looking through them, I turned each one over to read the description and tourist information, trying to find a print date (none available) and was really surprised to see that one was handwritten, stamped and postmarked.  It had actually been sent to someone.   Postmarked Wimbledon, 9.45am, 17 JLY 1962, SW19 (and a stamp that was 2½ pence) I was really sorry to hear the news on your P.C. Tried to phone you last night but no reply. How is the job going? and how about popping in one night (not Thurs or Sat). Do give me a ring. Love Audrey Sent to Miss V. G. Hawtin 54 Leopold Road Wimbledon SW19 Doesn't it sound remarkable that someone would send a postcard to anoth...

I'd like you to meet Vicky who is sharing her Soundtrack To My Life  today.  I've followed her for some time, marvelling at the way she embraces her disability and life in a wheelchair crossed with her interest in beauty and fashion, alongside being a very busy mum! I don't know how she does it!! I love all the tracks that Vicky has chosen and the story behind each of her selections is very personal. So, for now, it's over to Vicky... ¨¨°º©©º°¨¨ DJ Sammy - Heaven For my daughter. Although I love the Bryan Adams version, this version was out when my daughter was born nearly 13 years ago. I was listening to the radio and holding her when it came on the radio and the lyrics made me shed tears of joy. Snow Patrol - Run This song reminds me of a very important time in my life when I finally worked up the courage to leave my abusive ex husband. It was the start of a whole new life for me. Alanis Morissette - Ironic The soundtrack ...

Regular readers will know I'm a bit of a notebook addict; there's  my BOAT (Book Of All Things)  for a start and then my recent obsession with pocket notebooks and Midori-style planning systems. All this probably stems from high school when were were provided with two types of planners to use throughout the year. The first was a Homework Diary that was  forged by me  signed by my mum each week to verify that I'd completed all tasks set for that week. The second was our "jotter" which was an exercise book that was used to take notes during lessons. We were allowed a new jotter when it was full but if it was "lost" (or you'd fallen out of love with the boy who's name you'd doodled all over the front of it) you were allowed to buy a new one for 10p from the school librarian. So now I'm a bit of a notebook obsessive. There's always a reason to have a notebook, whether it be for a bullet journal, a craft planner, a sketch book, and so...

If you follow me on Twitter , you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing and I provide a running commentary every Saturday night. It's like stepping inside my head for the duration of the show. If you're a true super-fan like me you'll be able to remember each of the winners and will, of course, have your favourite dances.  For me, you can't beat a good Argentine Tango but the Rumba is always a bit embarrassing to watch. it's always interesting to see who is shining though and who really does have no rhythm whatsoever. Knowing how much I love the show, Great British Bingo sent me this fantastic infographic which displays the " History of Strictly " and is full of really interesting little factioids from the past eleven series. Once you've browsed it you can tell me... who  has been your favourite couple EVER and who do you think is going to win this year? This is a sponsored post. For more inform...

Ok, I warn you now, this is going to be a move away from my normal style of blog post and it's going to be very picture heavy.  I've been meaning to do a tour of my home office for a while  but just never got round to it. I commandeered the guest bedroom a while back so that I had a space to work in when I was building my digital consultancy service last year. I also wanted to have a desk to leave stuff on so that I could go back to it. Most of the time, having this space works perfectly. I don't clutter the rest of the house up with my knick-knacks and I have plenty of room to keep all my stationery, my craft stuff and my handbags (don't ask...) and I've now acquired a sewing machine, keeping it up here means that I don't have to drag it onto the kitchen table when I want to use it. The decor in the office/guest bedroom was kept fairly neutral but I have tried to inject colour into it in various ways. I'm no Anna Ryder-Richardson so no...