Wednesday, September 03, 2008

TIF September, first thoughts



I decided to post early this month before things get too hectic, as they usually do around here. Sharon's theme this month is Lists, who makes them and uses them.

I've been making lists for years. In my teenage years it was lists of possible future careers. I can remember some of them - window dresser, fashion designer, book illustrator, greeting card designer, you can see the pattern here. Problem was the Careers Advisor thought I was more suited to Librarian or Teacher. Well I think she'd be pleased to know that I'm currently doing a little bit of all of those careers at the moment, although not as paid work!!

Then when I married I tried to write shopping lists. Haha, I left the list on the kitchen table on my way to the shops more often than not. A shopping list did come into its own though when my 2nd and subsequent children were born. I always shopped in the same small supermarket, so I could write a shopping list for DH in the correct aisle order! All he had to do was push the trolley down the aisle, look right and left and grab the groceries. He was far better than me though in coming home with a few "extras" not on the list!!

I've tried to write TO DO lists but they seem to be never ending, as soon as one item is crossed off another appears. Sometimes the paper gets worn out before the list is half finished. These days I use a white board on the fridge to write short lists, and I think with the list visible to everyone they realise how much I do each day / week. I maintain a small handbag appointment diary, and that's full of lists as well. Then there's the little purple spiral notebook I carry around my bag, with its matching purple pen, to write lists to myself. Life seems to be governed by lists at the moment. I have to keep several. Lists of things I should do by the end of the day, the end of the week, the month. Then there's special lists, like the status of a particular project. I'm about 2/3rd the way through refurbishing a 4 poster bed for an historic house at the moment. We are meeting next week to generate a list of things yet to be done and tick off those already completed.

I'm sure I'm not the only person carrying lists around in their head either. I mentally tick things off, then sometimes commit the list to paper. Isn't it interesting that in this technological revolution we still list things on paper? They're far more portable that way than on a PC, unless you have a Blackberry or such toy. Give me the spiral notebook and pen any day !!

The photo above is of just another thing crossed of the list of things to do this week. I was commissioned to produce 2 identical embroidery embellished convict bonnets for Christina Henri's "Roses from the Heart" project. This is one of the pieces completed for her exhibiton Bonnets and Boats at Parramatta Artists Studios. I wish I'd had more time, but as usual something higher up on my list had priority, and now the deadline has arrived. I'm delivering this one tomorrow, and the other will follow in a few days.

I'd like to produce a finished piece for TIF this month, fingers crossed it doesn't get bumped too far down the list of things to do for September.

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