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.

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16 for 2016 update 1

I am so grateful to Cathy  for inspiring this list, it has been surprisingly motivating, and prompted some interesting conversations with family and friends. The original post can be found here.

Time for a progress report:

16 walks 

Zero

I have been on a few walks but none for more than an hour yet. The incessant wind and rain has not helped.

15 handmade cards

Zero

14 items in my Etsy shop

One

My first item: a white wig

I was trying out a new pattern and this one came up a little big for anyone wanting to where it as a Chemo Cap, so I am selling it a bit cheaper than it will be sold when I have the pattern created to perfection.

It would be fine on a head with hair, or on a man who wanted to wear it for fancy dress – the ghost of a Jane Austen character perhaps?!

13 different types of bead

Zero

I am going to swap this with 10 swims as I have now joined a Leisure Club so swims should be easier. And 13 different types of beads was always going to be a bit of a stretch

I have tried one sort of bead as seen on You Tube using plastic bottles, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01x5SKNMPpg

but sadly it didn’t work for me, maybe it would work with thinner plastic – more experimenting needed.

12 garden posts

One

I just squeaked it in yesterday, click here to see it.

11 bags

Zero

I have not made one myself but I am very proud to show you a bag that I helped Miss E to make as a Christmas present. She chose all the fabrics and made all the design decisions. I was her studio assistant, helping with a few techniques. We both learnt a lot. She became very confident on the sewing machine and I am now able to leave her to get on with machine stitching by herself.

 

10 swims  

Five

I am upgrading the Swim total to the 13 slot as now that I have joined Highlands End Leisure Club I know it is going to be very achievable.

The wonderful spin-off is that I can take guests and so these swims have become social events as well.

9 pieces of textile art

Zero

I’m excited and nervous about this. I will be using some precious vintage material given to me many years ago. I have booked into a 3 day textile art workshop in March, hopefully this will give me the inspiration and courage I need.

8 mornings sorting and storing

One

I have decided that a morning is 4 hours – say 9am til 1pm

After a couple of false starts I have managed one morning.

7 paintings

Zero

Elusive Trope suggested I put some dates in the diary for painting – a great idea.

So I have booked myself on a Lino Cut workshop with friend and artist Hugh Dunford Wood in February in Lyme Regis. It’s easier to fix something away from home – so often other things crop up if I try to set aside time here. I know Lino-Cuts are not exactly paintings, but I’m thinking I can stretch my ‘7’ to include any form of picture I make. In my mind I will create a collage which will include painting and lino-cut prints – we’ll see where the inspiration of the workshop takes me.

6 bus rides

Zero

I have downloaded the local bus timetables, and wait for clearer weather.

5 new forms of exercise

Four

I’m most thrilled, excited and proud of this one!

a) I have joined a Belly Dancing class on Thursday evenings HaHaHaHahahaha!!!!!! Hilarious! My grandchildren giggled uncontrollably when I told them and went around the room doing what they thought bellydancing might look like shouting out “A belly dancing Granny????!!!!!!” and then rolling on the floor laughing. 

b) I tried a session of Pilates. I’m sure it did me good coz – oh! the aches next day!

c) One session of Dance a Day. I found this regular group on a Dorset Dance website. I did enjoy the session, but it was more about stretching and moving quite slowly. I want more of a workout.

d) A 5 minute walk away in our village hall, there is a one hour class every Monday that mixes dance, zumba, aerobics and pilates. Perfect way to start my week! Love it! 

So already I have tried 4 out of 5 new forms of exercise. Well done me!

4 new patterns

Zero

A pattern for bobble hats is likely to be the first.

3 massages

Zero

I need one every morning after belly dancing! It really seems to worry my lower back with all that circling and thrusting! I love it though, it is such a laugh.

I’ve booked a massage in February – oh how I am looking forward to it.

2 ways to help refugees

Zero

I have been doing some research and linked in with Bridport Unitarian Chapel, who took a group to Calais for 3 days this January.

I have also been in touch with Lee Godwin who takes blankets to refugees and we are looking at dates to see if I can go with her on one of her trips – I’ll keep you posted.

1 novel

Zero

I have had ‘Meet me under the Ombu Tree’ by Santa Montefiore sitting on my bookshelf for a few years. I’ve read and liked her books before. Just can’t find the right time for reading it though – maybe I will have to wait until I go on holiday. I think my reading time nowadays is spent reading blogs – which I love!

Do you know about http://www.librivox.org.

I heard about it on a BBC Radio4 programme, it is a free app, volunteers read all sorts of books, really there is a massive selection – I might try that.

0 beads bought 

Zero

I drove past a new bead shop in my local town without stopping! Gosh that was hard!

~

Lots of ZEROs, but I feel I have made a good start.

It’s not too late to make a list – What would you have as your number 16?