Lists to think about........

Yes. Rain. Wetness. But, Hallelujah, no wind today.

 For Christmas a couple of years ago, I gave Glynis a One Line a Day Diary. She is so like me in that she wants to record her life in one crafty way or another - and I thought she would love it. She did/does. So, because I was not going to spend the money and because I wanted to do this too, this year I bought a notebook and started listing the days and making space for the years. Half way though the year, and I am doing fine. However, keeping one's daily entry to one line is slightly difficult. Impossible.

I was discussing the woefully wet and windblown (love the alliteration!) state of my garden with a friend over the weekend, and decided to go back here and see what last year and the year before and the year before that looked like, and 2 days later, after many happy hours reading about my life in past years, and remembering all the bits I didn't put into the blog, the light bulb started flashing in my brain. 

I don't need a One Line a Day Diary. I already have something approximating that right here. Admittedly, it is not every day of every year, but it is close enough. And I already have over 6 years recorded here, with some photos too. 

Do you ever think about that? Yes, of course, I evolved into a recorder of days/dreams/life/memories over time. At the start, it was just a way to stay in touch. Now, however, it is so much more, and when the muse takes a hike, and I cannot for the life of me think of what to write, I will remember the One Line a Day idea. I will carry on doing the notebook, though, because maybe that will act as a prompt when I can't think of what to talk about. And I like the notebook. AND it is lighter than a laptop, and carrying a laptop about the countryside is not for the weak and feeble. Not that I am in any way weak and feeble, of course, and I am trundling off at yet another tangent right now, but you know what I mean. That is why an iPad has such appeal at this precise moment. Another tangent. 

But the notebook will slip into my bag, and it will do fine. 

The weekend seems to have flown by so fast - there was a little sun, and a Saturday of no rain, so I spent most of it in and out of the garden taking out the dead and cutting back the broken after our Traidcraft Coffee morning. The wind did the most damage by blowing the young plants about and then creating holes in the soil around the roots and allowing them to be exposed to the less than tropical temps, I think. Anyway, the garden bin is filling up. There were many sighs of resignation, but my garden will keep growing I hope, and the gaps will be filled. 

Yesterday, Jean and I were on coffee duty, so we hauled our numerous bags and carriers of cakes and goodies (mainly Jean's efforts) to church and afterwards, I went to her home for lunch and my first glimpse of her Nepalese photos. I want to see every single one. We are almost halfway through now and it looks absolutely stunning. Everest? Breathtaking. 

Last night, I went to have supper with Peter, because he was following a recipe for cannelloni for the first time, and he did a wonderful job. It was delicious. I suspect there will be more recipe following in the days to come, and Glynis would have been totally impressed. She is slowly coming on. One step forward and 2 back at times, but we all remember the last time or 2 and this is the pattern of healing from a stomach op. In a way it is a pity she is down in London, because I can't pop in and see her, but in another, she gets very tired, so just having her family around her is all she can cope with at the moment. We all just want her to be healed and home and happy and healthy. Good grief. The alliteration bug is on a roll today. 

The rain is falling, but there is no wind. The foul weather is set to stay for the rest of June apparently, but I try to ignore that little bit of information and rely on the state of the sky when I get up each day. Today it is wet. Very wet. 

My friend, Crystal, is doing a "Lists of 2012" thing once a week on her blog. Lists can be so fascinating, and they show so much of who we are. I am not doing it, quite obviously, here at RCR, but I am doing it in another notebook. I love notebooks. The physical writing down of stuff is a real delight at times. Otherwise we will lose the use of the fingers and our handwriting skills will start to resemble those of a toddler. Hmmm. I could go off on another tangent here too. 

So just think of some of these prompts - 

• Favourite things to do when I am alone 
• Least favourite smells 
• Courses I'd like to take 
• Things to do when it is raining outside 
• 10 children's books I love 
• Things I miss 
• Places I have lived 
• and on and on. 

In fact, each prompt could be the title of a really interesting post. I love lists. I make them all the time, and am well known for leaving the shopping list at home when I go shopping. So, when I was wandering about the halls of Amazon browsing, one cold, wet and windy night, I found a section of Listography journals, and ordered one, based on the reviews. It is designed for the young, I admit, but I can work around that. 

Lists include:

• The most memorable friends
• Fun things you have done in your town
• The ways you have changed since your teens
• Your past jobs
• Most embarrassing moments
• Favourite songs
• Live bands you have seen (I thought that was for the young until I started remembering. I saw the Seekers when I was very young, and Francoise Hardy - does anyone remember them???) 

Again, things to make you think, record, and then perhaps to write about. I think lists are fun. Have any of you ever bought a book of lists, or considered starting one? Apart from Crystal, of course!

Ah well, enough of the chattering. I have some trousers to shorten for a friend's grandmother. And another crochet project to work on, and Glynis's dogs to look after and coffee to make and......