Fluttering around

As we welcome in a new year, I welcome in a new blog template. I would like to do more than just flutter around this year. I’m trying the tack of reverse psychology here. I quite often find myself literally fluttering around the house like a butterfly not really achieving anything.

Here’s my old blog banner.

The new banner uses some Encre Photoshop brushes. The possibilities are almost endless with Photoshop brushes and my use of them is very basic, but I have fun doing it.

Having said above that I find myself sometimes not achieving very much, when I look back over 2006 I think I have achieved a fair amount.

My son turned 5 and started primary school. It was a big change for both of us and brought up issues that I never envisaged, ones we’re working through still and will continue to work through in 2007.

I turned 40 in 2006. I guess that’s an achievement in itself, lasting that long without any major mishap in my life. I managed to organise a 40th birthday party which was great fun for me and confirmed that I do have a bunch of great friends who will help me out, and come along to yet another party the third week in a row.

In November I posted to this blog every day for the whole month for NaBloPoMo – the whole excruciating 30 days. Goodness knows why. Perhaps because I like a challenge. Perhaps because I’ve got nothing better to do? Hmmm.

I organised my house around it being painted on most of the inside. This was a mammoth task and one that’s still not quite finished. I still haven’t had the garage sale of the things I don’t want and/or need any more. I have to have it before the end of January though, when my 16 year old nephew comes to board with me while he goes to school in Adelaide.

I joined an online readers’ group – the challenge being to read a Patrick White book – The Vivisector. I’d never been in any sort of readers’ group and I’d never read Patrick White. I found it tough going as you can see here, here and here.

Not being content with just having one blog, I turned a website that I started in 2004 into a blog. This meant I had to teach myself how to install and run WordPress. Since I released it in November I’ve managed to update it once a week – with a bit of a lapse in the last couple of weeks over Christmas.

At work I filled in for my boss twice while she was on long service leave – about four months in total. That gave me some extra stress, stress I could have done without the second time, but I managed it without too many stuff ups.

I haven’t made definite plans for 2007. Truthfully, I haven’t made any plans. I still can’t decide whether I want to try and change jobs as I’ve been in mine for nearly four years and while I quite like it it might be time for a change. But at the moment, with my son only having recently started school and with my nephew boarding here for potentially the next two years, I think one day at a time will suffice for now.