Blue Monday, Sunrise Friday

I am not sure how they class this as Blue Monday, I know its the day when most bills come and the wages are not in and being paid early at Christmas means its that bit longer to the money in, but we know this ahead of time, we should be prepared for it, we have it every year! Why then does this become a particularly Blue Monday? Maybe its another media generated thing, like black Friday which was traditional the Friday that people got paid and went to get their Christmas things, but that has changed and now its just a sale driven hyped up nothing of a day! So much of our lives seems driven by consumerism, the bad Christmas we got stuck up in Scotland and as we expected to be in the west country we had no food and no things for Christmas! so had to shop on Christmas eve and as we only got just enough for the next day or so we had to go in again on boxing day, to my shock the seasonal isle was being set up with Easter eggs! Boxing day!

I am the world worst with my amazon habit, and I am guilty of just ordering things I could get but can't be bother to get. Having said that I am aware that if I do not use my local shops they will not survive. But I have hit SABLE which is stash beyond life expectancy! So I am now trying to use the wonderful wool I have tucked into bags and boxes dotted round my house, I opened some boxes before Christmas and didn't even recognize the wool stashed inside! I am finishing things at the moment, as this seems a good time of year to do this! though I did start a Christmas treat to myself, I needed a new hand bag so I started a bag knitting which will take longer so I get it right, hate rushed items once I use them so more time taken works well.

The sun has decided to shine which is very pretty but a bit late! the sun only seems to shine when I am sitting with it in my face or when I am ready to drive!

What happened to my week! I am here sat peaceful for a Friday thinking where did the week go! we have had sunset and sunrises, lots of rain and non stop work.

I did finally finish my revaildation (spurred on by someone I know getting hers) The whole process was so painless! my only minor criticism would be the information which is presented as a podcast is hard to take notes from and impossible to go back and check things part way though so I ended up watching the podcast twice and making copious notes! this did work but I may send them my notes for others to download if they want via the Cilip site. The whole process was painless, and ran very well, if this is the future I have no fear doing this every year or so, and I have started my next CPD already.

I also saw a story this morning from the Cornwall county libraries. They plan to reduce hours across the board and worse still are talking of removing all mobiles! I know that we have to make cuts but libraries are the one resource that helps people keep up to date in their own skills and needs and to keep relevant. Libraries add to our lives, if you suggested cutting hospitals they would be in arms but libraries have a much bigger long term on the ground effect but are being cut! Study are study has shown better read people and those with better access to information are healthier and more likely to do well! This is such a retrograde step I just wish I could shout and shake people!

At least the sun is up for longer, the day is no longer started in the dark and finished in the dark! The sun rise and sets have been full of colour, I now have a chance to enjoy them and see some light, makes a big difference to my day, I doubt I could live any further north than this. Mind you any further north than this and I would be getting wet :-) I have been posting the best pictures to my Blipfoto if you want a look see. Ignore the cats :-) and any with really short descriptions tend to be mobile posts, which are new and fun!

In that area I may add I am designing an app, but I am stalled so will need the help of an expert, I will catch me a 2nd year next week to help me. The school has won awards for the apps that the children have designed so I am using their skills to make mine better :-). I have a sketch and a page plan but then my skills drop off the scale! I have been recommended appinventor2 which seems okay but now I want to make it snazzy and need help (here little 2nd year come help the librarian) so will be app helper hunting soon. My app I plan is a library skills app where they get a chance to try some skills in a gamification style. More to come.

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.