16 for 2016 November

Here are the targets I set myself for 2016, inspired by Cathy at Nanacathy

16 WALKS (of more than an hour)

15 done, 1 to go

Walk 14. Bere Regis

Walk15. Lewesdon Hill

15 HANDMADE GREETINGS CARDS

12 done, 3 to go

14 NEW ITEMS IN MY ETSY SHOP

9 done, 5 to go

Added a hot pink flick wig

13 SWIMS

11 done, 2 to go.

12 GARDEN POSTS

6 done, 6 to go.

The garden has had to take more of a back seat than I would have liked.

11 HAND MADE TOTE BAGS

Zero

I’m really surprised about not having made even one bag! I knew 11 was ambitious but…….

10 TYPES OF HANDMADE BEADS

7 done, 3 to go

Several attempts this month at some You Tube demos, but nothing that produced usable beads.

9 PIECES OF TEXTILE ART (started)

6 started, 3 to go

My goal is to create a textile book for each of my grandchildren and one for me. I have been using some African prints to create covers and pages for my 3 grandsons. I am loving this textile project as anything goes and I can try out all sorts of ideas. Lots of components have been made and I’m excited to see where this will take me in 2017.

8 MORNINGS of SORTING and STORING

6 done, 2 to go.

Trying to sort out all my different craft projects into some sort of order is an impossible job. As fast as I sort one area another becomes chaotic – I give in!

7 PAINTINGS (or other pieces of art)

5 done, 2 to go

Collected from the Thames foreshore, the pieces are fixed with Sugru – it works I’m so delighted!

6 BUS RIDES using my Bus Pass

2 done, 4 to go

I’m so disappointed I didn’t get to do these rides, I had such plans.

5 NEW TYPES OF EXERCISE TRIED

4 done, 1 to go

No new ones this month. So far I have tried Pilates, Belly Dancing, a Dance Class, a Zumba-like class. I enjoyed Belly Dancing the most.

4 NEW PATTERNS for my ETSY SHOP

1 done 3 to go

At last! I have put a pattern on Etsy (and Ravelry and Craftsy)

3 MASSAGES

1 done, 2 to go

2 WAYS TO HELP REFUGEES

My darling daughter, as a birthday present to me made a donation to one of the charities I support – I was SO thrilled with that present.  It so perfectly hit the spot! ❤

I also collected items of clothing and blankets to be sent to Syria, loaded up my car, one dark and stormy morning,and took them to a lovely woman an hour away who sorts, boxes, weighs and labels items ready for them to be loaded on containers for Syria.

It is not as much as I would like to do but it is something.

1 NOVEL READ

DONE!

Hurray! ‘Enchanted August’ by Brenda Bowen got me there.

0 BEADS BOUGHT

Zero

~

In September the year seemed to stretch ahead, now suddenly it’s December and I know I will miss many of my targets – however it has remained a great motivator and a way of checking in with what I really do want to do.

I feel truly blessed to have 3 children (with partners), 8 grandchildren, 2 siblings, 5 nieces and nephews, and an 88 year old Mum and this takes up more time than I account for in my expectations of myself and what I want to achieve in my own personal arena. My family take precedence and other things fit round them, I wouldn’t have it any other way. However there is a need to keep this in good balance. As I get older, and so does everyone else, the tableau of priorities changes on a daily basis, flexibility is the key – life happens.

I’m thinking carefully about 17 for 2017!

To recharge my batteries I will be taking a month’s retreat soon and so will not be reviewing 16 for 16 at the end of December. Blog posts will be at a minimum until late January as I go into hibernation in the quiet of the year.