Warming Up Time

The weekend was sunny and the weather has been warming up (being in the UK I'm sure it won't last) only minus 2 this morning when my poor car had to be defrosted! My new car (still counted in weeks of age) was washed yesterday and I found chips in the body work already! I won't let this one go the same way the last one did, so polished them with wax cut and will be getting a touch up pen for the colour asap. I got some garden jobs done and was helping run a wonderful UFO day on Saturday.

Now don't misunderstand me UFO's have nothing to do with aliens or outer space, it was an Un-Finished Objects day. The idea is you bring some craft you need time, help or just peace to do and get it finished while sat in a nice hall with under floor heating and surrounded by history displays and good company. Coffee on tap, fruit and salad to nibble, space to make a mess or just to sit and read. One lady sewed up a set of curtains that at home she wouldn't have space for, another started blocking out a quilt for her grandson. I manage  to get 4 jobs finished that had been ongoing, I wound some fab wool from ripples crafts, I got to use a swift and a ball winder for the first time and both worked well and so quick! I finished some squares for a blanket and sorted out some felting, but I didn't start wet felting with only an hour to go so just finished by knitting my scarf that is on very fine needles and in lace weight from the yarn yard.

Work has been equally busy, never any time to stop and reflect! I am starting a new book with the hope that I can get my world in one place (even if it limited by time) and get things sorted! I have organised a chartership event to happen in Inverness on April the 3rd at 10 am at the Centre for Health Sciences, Micheal Martin is coming up from London and many others too. This has not happened in Inverness before to my knowledge and I do hope it goes well, I keep swinging between 'we won't have enough space' to 'will any one come?'

I am Enjoying a new blog this week from wordpress through a website called Northern Editorial by a very talented lady up here in the far north. I like promoting good things and while I have many friends I wouldn't promote them just because. I like to think my blog posts have things in that may make you go and have a look and may add to your own pool of knowledge and this blog has few posts yet but each one has made me follow links and find out more.

I am also having a book of the week post, I haven't finished it so can't put it in my 'readarama' (which is a bit behind I will try to get two up next week) and is very library orientated, but oh so much fun so far. It is from The Wikiman who is Ned Potter, and is The Library Marketing Toolkit. It is a neat size and fits in my handbag (yes I have a decent sized handbag!) for when I get a few minutes to read a bit more. The language is clear and he doesn't make you have to work out what he's saying, just what he wants you to know. I am currently dipping in and out but at Easter I shall sit down and see how much I can use and what I can share ideas about further a field. But I would highly recommend it and if your a Cilip member you get £10 off (Which I missed :-( sadly, due to not doing all my home work!) There is also more about the book on the website linked to The Wikiman.




Last week was an amazing week for my blog, viewing numbers were very high which was very strange. I did check back and found my blog had been promoted by German website blog called Super Affiliate Handbuch which made for some wonderful figures, so thank you very much :-) I got 182 hits for the week, when I usually get around 130 hits a month on average. All in all a very interesting week last week.

Better Balanced

Two posts in one week, this has been an odd one :-) and not even the end of the week yet...

I am knitting a Flat Footed Floogie for a gift for a new baby and having so much fun, I am dragging out the finishing as I don't have any excuse not to part with it when finished! but it is lovely and I will take a pic when I finish as a memory. I have made the Lamb but have wool for the rabbit too! may make that one for me but SHHH don't tell any one, I am far to old for a Lovey.

Blog post that I must mention is Letters to a young Librarian, which I find raises interesting issues that don't get covered in library school and often until you face it you never even hear about it! so more power to this blog. This weeks is about office supplies and if you should just lend/give out your stuff to be used and abused by the students on hand, The comments add to the whole debate.

After the weekends rattle and getting things sorted to replace the lost work possibly I am now much better balanced than Monday, the world is not falling over any more and the light heading my way, may not be an oncoming train! There are people dealing with so much more traumatic events that mine was just more of a ho hum moment. Last night there was a program about trains that had a lady talking about her job, she had come to work after her husband had died and was keeping a hold of her self well when a woman came up and lost it over the train being 3 minutes early/late The lady said she stood there thinking if only all I had to worry about was the trains being 3 minutes out! Makes you stop and think, and its true, a big problem for one person is not for another, so with some perspective this post should be much better balanced :-D.

I am looking forward to the Umbrella Conference in July, I had the good fortune to go to the last one and enjoyed myself so much! I can highly recommend it, my biggest problem was choosing what to go to each time and I am still referring back to things I did and got then. I also made so many contacts and found so many new ideas, my room is booked, my early bird ticket is ordered. I can't wait.

Left Field

I always loved those Holly Hobby images that said 'love is... ' then some twee saying that could have come from a fortune cookie! Nothing too challenging, nothing too complicated, and infinitely repeatable. and a variation was Life is... which I used to make my own versions up!

This weekend showed that my favorite from then was still in force. Life is what happens while your planning other things. My husbands work which has never been solid and we were expecting him to be told the work has finished in Easter time got a call late Friday to say they didn't want him in Monday! Ouch. Spent part of weekend in shock, its a bit like a relationship where you planned on breaking it off gently in a few weeks only to be dumped now! Expect odd comments about job hunting to appear!

I had such a busy week past week and did so much, but now have to deal with all the stuff waiting on me, I have a fierce to do list with very short deadlines on things and no time to do them! :-) so life is normal once I stopped wallowing  I have successfully managed to set up a Cilip course in Inverness more info to follow once I have the last details ironed out (on the to do list) so watch this space!

I have had the joy of loads of unread blog posts to catch up with after such a busy week and I found myself saving some to read as the treat at the end of the chore! so I have chosen one of these to share today. The Hack School Library is based in america and helps, looks at issues for a library student, I like the wide range of topics, and the fresh eye that gets applied. It has made me stop and think, sit back and cogitate, and generally challenges my 'comfortable' way of thinking! I realise I did very little thinking at University  I did what I was told and turned in the work needed but seem to have missed a whole other side to student life, I know it existed as fellow student spent ages discussing and arguing things but I didn't seem to be aware of them as much. So even now I find out new things from the blog which makes me think more.

I week of meetings last week was good but I have one more to do, so tomorrow I am off to Farr, which isn't far! well not for me :-) to a meeting, and to drop in on the Bettyhill Library. It is a strange but cosy affair, The community has both this and the local library van once every three weeks, so should be some of the best read community's around. The best bit for me though will be the views driving  there and back, cold crisp day I hope, with snow in the hills and sheltered areas, wild life and horizons to die for. The pic is from last Easter when the snows had gone, but what a view!

And finally just to cheer me up, one of my kittens being very perched! and yes her tail really is that long that it sticks out and round her front feet when sat down! This is Midnight who was black at birth and very sweet, but has grown up to be bigger than mum and sisters and can be very pushy, but is so pretty!

Break Ahoy

I sit at my desk, keeping my mind focused on the thought of half term. I am not a holiday watcher normally but this term has felt very hard work. I am supposed to have time off but I will be working as there are not enough hours in the week just now to juggle all I have to do!

The weather which figures in my blog more often in winter has been cold and storm showers flying through. I have had a weather warning for next Wednesday as I need to be elsewhere by then and will have been since the day before! I am now worried about getting home! Added to that we have a very important bridge being worked on starting Monday that limits access south from the Far north to Inverness! So travel next week just got a lot harder.

The sun is shining just to make my worries seem daft! but we get what the east coast of america has about 3 to 5 days later! Snow alert! So far this winter for all that has hit Britain we have had it fairly mild for us up here, only minus 7 and an inch or so which didn't last of snow, my cats will not be happy if more falls!

They look bad enough when it rains :-) as you can see by the picture of one very wet cat and her much drier mother eating next to her. Yes they have a box to sit on, we get them with our groceries, they sit on it, claw it and chew it, my sofa never gets touched! When it falls to pieces we just get a new box, that way if one decides to claim it and keep the others off it only lasts until we get a new box.

I am blogging ahead of next week as Monday I plan to be asleep for many hours more than normal! Tuesday is travel and meetings, Wednesday is meetings and more meetings then home, Thursday is hmm oh yes meetings all day and then for a change on Friday I have a meeting but that will be in my own library.

My blog of note is a local artist who has the most amazing way of looking at life, she leads workshops up here and throws out ideas and support. I love following what she has planned as it is never boring or still. She is Joanne B Karr and she has just finished a museum collection for Caithness Horizons. The last one of those is a wonderful place to visit if you ever get as far as Thurso, nice layout, covers loads of local history and geography, and great Cafe!

Keep well and safe over the next week or so as winter tries a comeback.

Changeable Weather

Well after last weeks clean and clear days we have had some yucky weather so far, yesterday couldn't make up it mind for snow rain or wind, and sometimes all three! The day got so dark at times and we had over and inch of snow at one point! but nothing stopped. The waves in the local bay where amazing, breaking over harbor sides and in the Islands there are pictures of waves twice the height of the houses its breaking over!

Trying to organise or get organised a Cilip meeting in Inverness and have found I am not alone! not sure what next so am just waiting on replies! changeable as I said, the date changed late last night the venue is now in doubt, as are the guests, I will post when I have dates and times and when all is settled!

I am still enjoying the readarama, which is week two! and I read the wonderful book 'The Last Minute' by Eleanor Updale. Finished it late last night and then spent a while I lay in bed thinking about it, and first thing this morning I had it open to reread! I can't say much about the story line beyond it is the last minute leading up to an explosion, why you need to read, how again you need to read it. It is written in seconds, 60 seconds to the blast, who is where doing what and in some cases why, but overall you get drawn in and I found myself rushing through to the end, but didn't want it to happen! Very good book I can recommend it. The Blog post about it is here but the book is down towards the bottom.

I also got given a donation of books for my library which I am very pleased with, from Mrs A Coghill, which she won and donated to the school, a lot more arrived in the boxes but the departments got them first, which is annoying but it all goes to the school. I spent most of yesterday afternoon writing in the fronts  and will plan to get them covered and in the system by the end of today and out by the end of the week.

and my Blog of the week this week is the Censored Genius which is titled as not a blog! :-) it has made me laugh, made my day and lightened my whole view of the world.

Clean and clear!

February has arrived with a clean and clear day, blue sky and clear roads. The snow that threatened never fell, the leaves from winter have been blown away, the sun is crisp and chilly.
The end of the month was full of tasks and things that had to be done, I have been very busy all week and just as I thought I had my head above water yesterday I got given a load of books and then had to open my mouth and volunteer at a meeting! so I am still busy and will be for a few more days at least!
I moan but I like busy, it better than not busy! and I learn so much about the world and myself! I also find my days are full and challenging, but just sometimes I wish for my lazy, idle days of the past when I could get away with not 'doing' anything for a week, just the odd book away or checking the catalogue. I know those were wasted days but just sometimes...

I have decided after avoiding committing myself to any January ideas that I would join the 'readarama' by Penguin, a book a week sounds doable, esp as I have some fab ones waiting for time (ha as if) This may be what I need to get the wonderful but as yet unread books in my Kindle finished (still haven't read overcoming procrastination, oddly its hard to get round to it)

I am enjoying Savage Chickens! which is a cartoon done on post it notes! and it celebrated its 8th year earlier this week! I particularly liked this one from a school point of view!

I also have another blog to recommend, this is one of my fave places to get ideas for what book to buy for the kids, it is daily and always has why and more info! Books YA Love covers all sorts from supernatural to historical etc I just wish my budget allowed me to get each book as it would save me a lot of hassle :-).
I know this weeks blog is late but I spent most of last week in bed ill so have been running to catch up to myself, and now have made more work for myself! never mind I do enjoy it, now I am off to work and in my lunch break I shall read Margery Allingham's More work for the Undertaker.