Day 361

31st December

Those detective novels

I have now read four of the Donna Leon Guido Brunette novels.

By it's Cover,

 

A Noble Radiance ,

Friends in High Places,

and the Jewels of Paradise.

They are not deep books but light reading perfect for the holidays.  She does give some wonderful insights into the culture of Venice.  I must say Venice isn't my most favourite destination.  Too many tourists.  When I have visited it lacked that lived in feel that you get from other cities.  But people do live there, including the author, and she manages to show that it is a city that is still alive not just a museum.  I can see that I will probably go on to read all of her novels.  They will fill that time when you don't know what else to read or you don't want to be challenged by what you read, rather entertained.

On the computer front, this computer still works great except for iphoto.  I nearly got it all back the other night, all 9,000 photos, but it froze before I had finished.  I don't want to buy a new computer until our new home is finished so the solution will be to put all my photos on my laptop and upload them from there. (sigh)

The biggest drawback of living on an island is getting things on and off.  I need to take Charlie to the Vet but my daughter has borrowed my mainland car and I don't have any transport.  Buses and taxi's don't take dogs.  She has hurt her paw and is limping badly so I took her swimming in the sea to see if that would help.  It did temporarily but she is back to limping badly again.  I am going to have to wait until after new year to get to that Vet.  Why do these things always happen at holiday times?

Day 360

30th December

I think it is the end.....

The end of this computer I mean.  It is 7 years old and has been in constant use over that time.  I have been trying to get into my photos but it says they are dead, all 8,000 of them.  Everything else seems to be working alright except the photos, I just can't get into them.

This image I copied off my phone.  I am hoping that there is a problem up in the cloud and that it will all resolve itself overnight.  I am going to have to get my laptop back off my daughter and I may need a new computer.  Now that would be nice for the New Year.

 

 

Things achieved and not

So it is time to take out that list I wrote last year and look at what I was able to achieve and what wasn't.

The list read:

1. To walk everyday possible -   I did that.                                                  

2. Complete 12 UFO's from the audit.   - 5 completed, 3 more nearly there and 4 not looked at.    
3. Complete 60 Hishizashi patterns  -     I did that and more.
4. A minimum of 5 blog posts each week. -  I did that and more.
5. Make an easter gift for each of my quilting friends  - I did that
6. Take time to be calm and centred. - I could have done this more frequently.

This year 2014, has been one filled with major life changes and I am really surprised at what I have achieved.  I cut back on the list of things I wanted to do to be more realistic but maybe I under-challenged myself?  But then again no.  I was just a bit more grounded about what the year would be like.  Not one I want to go through again.  What had to be done was done but it wasn't a enjoyable experience. 

So now I have a few days to think about the year ahead.  I haven't allowed myself to think about what that will be like or what I might want to do with my time.  Perhaps I will add some 'me' things to the list?  That UFO list has been reduced and then there was a few pieces added to it.

The hardest thing to deal with this past year was leaving my home.  The most unexpected pleasures were rediscovering my grandmother's old home in Queenbyan and my trip to Tasmania.  The most surprising was to be diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum.  It was also very enlightening to realise there is a logical reason for why I have so many accidents,  I have poor coordination.  That goes with the territory.  I look back now and it explains so many things but I have also overcome many of the limiting attributes and built on the good ones.  Would I have wanted to know this earlier?  I don't think so.

All the Christmas fuss of loads of visitors has past.  I have a few days to just be in my new home and get to know it.  I have my daughter with me for this time as well before she flys off again.  She tells me she will return in a few weeks time during which my husband will be in hospital having a hip replacement. And then?  Well that's the future and I don't have a crystal ball to divine that.

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