Simplifying Life - Mark II

ceridwen

Hi there Mary and welcome back Rosieben (not "seen" you for a whiles).

Been doing a bit of catch-up after other things took over for a whiles. My turn of year present to myself being a page a day desk diary - so I shall be using one of them each year from here on in (as per my stated intention earlier on) - for maintenance type stuff:
- list of spending on food
- list of spending on other things
- making notes of what I'm growing out back (including - if I can manage it :cool: - notes on how much I've "harvested")
- record of medical dates to remember (dentist et al)
- "appointments" with myself for springcleaning type cleaning

Keep myself more organised in the future - thats the intention anyway. So - rather than my standard handbag diary getting cluttered up with all sorts of notes and reminders - that will be kept just for events and appointments.

That will help with my personal idea of decluttering - ie freeing up "headspace" from the minutiae of daily life - so its available for more important and/or enjoyable things.

Right - must put an advert out in the LETS Scheme for clutter to me/treasure to others stuff in my attic (will help bring my debit balance down a bit too if someone wants it:D ) - have that a bit clearer for surplus garden produce I am hoping I will have - so as to keep myself going throughout the year for food.

Hmmmm.....goes off pondering whether it might be an idea to put meal plans (if I can ever get round to being that organised) in my desk diary - would save me thinking about it in busy periods - as I could just look back and see what I did in a quieter month......will have a think about that one.

rosieben

Hi Ceridwen

I started keeping a paper diary at work after a power cut meant that neither my boss nor I could log on to the electronic diary :eek: I always used a page a day and made a couple of ‘pockets’ inside front and back covers using a piece of card or plastic and sellotaping it in on 2 sides so the opening faced the spine of the diary and the (slanted) top was also open. I kept info that I regularly needed but could be updated on pc and printed off, ie dept codes, internal tel nos. etc.

I did the page a day diary for home a few years ago and it worked really well so I’ve already bought one for next year and been planning how to use it. I’m thinking I’ll make pockets in my home one and in one pocket I’ll keep a copy of my meal list and my storecupboard inventory. In the other I'll keep a list of frequently used phone numbers, Dr, pharmacy etc. I tend to type everything up on the pc so its easy to amend and reprint. I go a bit overboard with files and folders and that’s another thing I’m trying to simplify plus I’m trying to get away from being so pc dependent so the diary is a major part of that plan. I love writing and I’ve been treating myself to some new inks and some dip pens to encourage me away from qwerty :cool:

ceridwen

And it wouldnt be a ceridwen thread would it now without a bit of "deep thinking"?

So - thoughts for the day:

I've had my latest email through from the "Great Turning Times" - www.GreatTurningTimes.org - and this intermittent newsletter is going from strength to strength and basically operates from the belief that "Yes we can - change our world for the better" to sum up very briefly.

Pickouts from this:

1. The Permaculture Magazine is offering a free copy to anyone wanting to:

http://www.exacteditions.com/shop/409/460
for a digital edition or to get a paper one instead email:

[EMAIL="tony@permaculture.co.uk"]tony@permaculture.co.uk[/EMAIL]
giving your name and address.

I personally find this a very interesting magazine and its the only one I currently buy - so the chance of a free one has got to be a good one to take.

2. There is a very inspirational video (16 minutes) put on YouTube for free viewing:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6jCpChUxOw

3. For those with rather more "stamina" Joanny Macy is now giving out her video to watch for free on t'Internet (I say stamina - as its 4 hours worth) and its about The Work That Reconnects:

www.turntowardlife.tv/joanna_macy_workshop_video/about.htm

(NB: Charis - think you might be interested in this one.)

mardatha

oh Rosieben, what do you mean by"dip pens "? can you still get the old fashioned ones you have to dip in ink ?? I would love them..

rosieben

mardatha wrote: »

oh Rosieben, what do you mean by"dip pens "? can you still get the old fashioned ones you have to dip in ink ?? I would love them..

yes, you can get them from lots of places; I got my wooden pen holders from here but I bought a couple of mixed lots of second hand nibs from ebay. I bought loads of different coloured ink too. I love using them for my journalling and for a couple of other projects I'm working on.

mary43

Bought a lovely 'organiser' type book half way through the year and intend to start using that in an effort to get more 'organised' moneywise, clutter(or rather de-clutter) etc. Well can but try.
I've also bought a cheapo notebook and covered it with nice paper - that'll be my diary/journal on daily occurences.......how I cope, feel about them etc,
Other years I've started doing this and then nothing has happened worth writing about so I stopped.........the years I haven't done them have been the most eventful - this being one of them !
So it might be a case of several blank days or who knows, I might need two books.....................lol

Managed to find a verse for mum that gave me the guidelines to re-create it and make it more personal so thats her sorted out.
Bird feeder we ordered has now been put together by OH...........what a carry on that was...........still, best to do it now rather than when we get to mums. Least I can see what it looks like -not bad for the price. Just need some ivy plants and a bit of compost to fill the base of it, bit of bird seed and thats sorted.
Oldest lad came in with the news that he's off to London till after Christmas -been offered work down there with his friends Dad............met the chap so know he'll be ok.
This means we'll have christmas on our own !!!!!:T No music (well, noise!), endless knocking at the door by other teenagers in and out like yo yos..........we can do exactly what we want for a change.............eat when and what we want.............oh you've no idea what bliss it will be...........:rotfl:

EssexHebridean

Some good progress today. We gave our balcony its annual tidy up this morning - managed to throw a good number of old broken pots, empty compost bags and other bits and pieces away. Emptied the pots from this year which had nothing left alive in them and stacked them away safe from frost, and tidied the furniture back against the wall. The christmas tree is now sitting there acclimatising to a slightly more sheltered environment prior to being brought indoors.

This afternoon we made a return to the decorating in the spare room - progress is slow but steady and I now have another full bag for the charity shop and two black sacks of rubbish to go out. There is also an old Bookcase which will go into the hallway at the front of our flats to take the books that go outside for our block's book exchange. (We have traditionally swapped bits of furniture etc that way too - in fact our current electric fire in the front room was gained that way!)

Having got my new laptop on Friday I need to sort out getting files transferred across from the old one - once that's done the old one will go to my Mum as part of her birthday/christmas present.

Next goal is to inventory our storecupboard I think - which should enable better use of the contents therein and less risk of over-buying.

mardatha

Fitting in with the pen & ink theme - I think maybe you're complicating things needlessly ladies I use just one big A4 notebook, with book marks in for different sections. Menus/things to be done/shopping. Everything, all in one place. Is the obly way I can stay organised..
I will go and lookat these pens now.
Plus I have a full-sized floor to ceiling cupboard FULL of books that I need to tidy up and sort out...that can wait till a better day

Charis

ceridwen wrote: »

3. For those with rather more "stamina" Joanny Macy is now giving out her video to watch for free on t'Internet (I say stamina - as its 4 hours worth) and its about The Work That Reconnects:

www.turntowardlife.tv/joanna_macy_workshop_video/about.htm

(NB: Charis - think you might be interested in this one.)

Thanks, Ceridwen. I've watched a couple and they are very interesting. At least the four hours is divided into manageable chunks :rotfl:

Seriously though, I think she captures the thing that is going to turn the tide if anything will, the idea of being responsible for ourselves and how we personally affect all that goes on.

We seem to have lost that concept. On the one hand we swallow all the rubbish about buying a better life by buying this or that product. On the other we have lost confidence in our own ability to do so many things for ourselves. Even simple things like sewing and cooking. We have, effectively, given our power away to those who sell us useless products to make us feel that we are 'worth it'. It might be less serious if we were not damaging our own health and that of the Earth in the process. Time to take back our lives, I think.

rosieben

mary43 wrote: »

...
I've also bought a cheapo notebook and covered it with nice paper - that'll be my diary/journal on daily occurences.......how I cope, feel about them etc,
Other years I've started doing this and then nothing has happened worth writing about so I stopped.........the years I haven't done them have been the most eventful - this being one of them !
So it might be a case of several blank days or who knows, I might need two books.....................lol ...

Mary, I think its important to write about the little things in life too. I'm working on my family history - I remember you were doing this too? - and I know I would give my eye teeth for a notebook from my grandmother or my mother where they had recorded the everyday details of their lives.

I tend to start of with a sentence or two about the weather, or something in the news and then other things come to mind.