On a Chinese brush painting course I acquired this chop, or seal.

I like to use it as a finishing touch to drawings and some watercolour paintings as an accent and a kind of signature.

I chose it for its meaning. I am reliably informed that it means 'still learning' and I love that, and like to think of it as my motto.

I feel most alive when I am learning.


Do you have a motto?

I admit that when I first looked at the Fly Lady website I was really put off by the look of it. Not my style, I thought (a bit snobbishly!)

Then I realised that I had another, bigger reservation and it had nothing to do with the website. It was that I was embarassed that I should need such a website. I'm a grown up I thought, I'm not living in chaos, I should know how to run a home without any help.

But who taught me? No-one is the answer. I had to pick it up as I went along. I think we so undervalue the job of homemaker/housewife that it's simply taken for granted that women will grow up knowing how to manage what can be a very complicated life, multitasking, balancing a job, a home and a family and the huge responsibilities that entails - running a household requires so many management skills of quite a high order.

Looking back, I really could have done with some of Fly Lady's systems - it might all have been so much easier.

As a young child I had a stay at home Mum who managed everything perfectly - but I had no idea how she did it. It just happened while I was at school. Clean clothes appeared, meals appeared, library books were returned, holidays happened, presents arrived on birthdays. It all went so smoothly, but we never talked about how.

How did you learn to run a household?

Tell me do....

What do you do with all the greetings cards and postcards you receive?

I have years' and years' worth of them in chester..

Inspired by my new cookery book Polpo, but too lazy to make pizza dough from scratch, I've invented a new quick-quick pizzetta. Very lightly toast one side of a small tortilla wrap. Flip it over and scatter with some mozzarella, grapes cut in half, halved walnuts and a couple of slices of prosciutto, drizzle with a little olive oil and place under a hot grill for a couple of minutes till the walnuts are browning. Garnish with some rocket, pour a glass of nice red wine....lovely little lunch..

What a difference a day makes! The cold east wind changed to a warm westerly, and I sat outside in hot sunshine to eat this yesterday.

Leo Babatua of Zen Habits recently acknowledged his debt to Fly Lady as being an influence on his minimalist journey. Both are brilliant in their own way.

I'd never heard of Fly Lady and when I looked at the website I could see that many of Babatua's ideas were really straight from there. Fly Lady presents them as plain old common sense (and they are) and is clearly aimed at women, and perhaps particularly at women who are struggling to keep their heads above water. (CHAOS for example stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.) It has 500,000 followers.

What Babatua has cleverly done I think, is to make common sense cool, not boring. (The Fly Lady site is decidedly uncool.) He makes it look like a sophisticated modern philosophy (Minimalism), with a touch of eastern allure (Zen). He has also made his site attractive to and relevant for men, and the trendy young. He has 250,000 'crazy, sexy, cool' followers....

Though I don't subscribe to either, preferring to dip in when I want to, I like them both and have found helpful and occasionally inspiring stuff on both sites.

Have you?

Thoughts turn to home as winter seems to have come early, and I want the experience of being indoors to be a lovely one.

I'm still flying with Fly Lady - housework has never been easier! The site is like a modern day Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.

Why has it been so successful? Why do I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and confident that everything will get done? And what is more I feel totally relaxed about it.

I think it's because the system is long term and ongoing, so if a household task doesn't get done this time round it will get done next time round (next day, week, month). Because there is a next time round. Routine is the key. (To think I've resisted routine all my life! I thought it was boring....)

The weight of decision making is what has been taken off my shoulders - I go to the website, click on Today, and do what it says. How easy is that?

Barack Obama recently acknowledged the importance of 'routinizing' - he says he only wears grey suits or blue suits because that cuts down on the number of decisions he has to make, and he has a lot of decisions to make!

Decision making fatigue is the term - it's probably a syndrome - do you suffer from it too?

....the suitcase.

I know it's perfectly posssible to travel in sport or casual clothes, and at a push I could probably manage a long weekend away with just a back pack, but for me part of the fun of going away - especially if it is a city break, is wearing my very favourite things and dressing up just a little, so....

My suitcase is small, with wheels. It is hard and therefore a bit heavy and I'm looking for a lighter weight one. In it for a four day trip I had:
Pyjamas, thin cotton
Underwear
Favourite t shirts, long and short sleeved, self coloured, one for each day.
A pair of dressier shoes
Linen trousers pressed and carefully folded
Jacket likewise - hung up soon after I arrived at my destination
Chargers for camera and phone

I also took, and could have managed without: a hairdryer (borrow or have a hair style that doesn't need one), a towel (supplied most places), a small leather shoulder bag, an umbrella, socks, a cotton blouse and more scarves. None of these were heavy except for the hairdryer and on another trip I might need them....

Crinkle fabrics are tempting - but I go easy on them as I'm starting to look crinkly myself!

Another  tip to save weight - post gifts ahead, preferably so that they arrive while you are there.

So, not the last word on travelling light, but a basis for me to play variations on.

Here are some of my current favourite accessories..

Thank you so much for your comments and tips on travelling light. (Check out www.onyabags.co.uk - thank you Sarah.)

I do seem to have a lot to say on this topic, but my thinking is that if I really refine it and think it through thoroughly I won't have to tax my wee brain every time I travel! So, with that in mind the make-up bag and the sponge bag:

I went along to the Bobbi Brown stand in a department store when I found a voucher for their new range of long lasting make up (see post 18 April 2012). It was fun having my make up done - the first time I'd done that. It really does last all day so a few minutes in the morning and that's it....and my travel make up kit now consists of:
1 foundation/moisturiser/sunscreen all-in-one (I like Origins)
1 eye shadow in a neutral colour
1 brow powder and brush
1 eye liner pencil, sharpener and cotton bud to smudge
1 mascara
1 lipstick (another in backpack - I have one pinkish and one peachy)
tweezers

In the sponge bag are mini bottles of shampoo, make up remover, shower gel and body cream. I saved little empty bottles and decanted my favourites into them. Toothbrush and mini tube of toothpaste. (Boots do a range of travel sizes of lots of things - I'm looking for a mini deodorant without parabens). A facecloth, blister plasters just in case, medicines, cotton buds, nailfile, hairbrush. My favourite perfume is in a heavy glass bottle but I missed having it, so will ask nicely for a tiny bottle of it for Christmas....

Tomorrow the suitcase..

I'm still thinking about travelling lighter even though I am driving around with what amounts to a mobile art studio this weekend!

I'm working on carrying even less in my BAG when I'm not using the car.

I found that coins and the camera are the heaviest things in my bag (must figure out if it's worth having a travel card if I'm going to the city). A smart phone with a decent camera function would be good, or when the time comes for a new camera I will look for the lightest. A single paperback is OK, magazines are very heavy but can be left or given away at the end of the journey, and you can just tear out any pages you want to keep. A Kindle is obviously the thing if you want to read a lot. Food is heavy - I try to buy as I go - the easiest way to carry it is inside me! A bottle of water is very heavy. I've found a very small bottle and top it up when I can, or just buy a new one, or ask for a glass of tap water when I order a coffee and drink it then.

I've taken to using a little (child size) back pack. Canvas or nylon are lightest and I'm on the look out for a really nice one. I like having my hands free though with a back pack you must beware of pickpockets - zipped pockets well down inside of the bag are good.

Here's my list of what it contains for a few days away:

Purse with cash and cards (only the cards I expect to use - every little counts)
Keys, including key for padlock on suitcase
Tickets
Mobile (charger in suitcase)
Business cards
Pen and paper
Diary
Glasses/sunglasses
Camera (charger in suitcase)
Short sleeved t shirt or vest top (to substitute for the one I'm wearing if I'm too warm, to add underneath If I'm not warm enough
1 lipstick
Scarf, if I'm not wearing one
Tiny packet of wipes
Tissues
Book
Su doku or crossword cut from newspaper if it's a long journey

Do you have any other must haves in your bag?

It is a glorious sunny morning and I'm off to the Boathouse (see here) for COS - Cowal Open Studios weekend (see here).

If you are near enough I hope you will come. So much to see!

I'm about to fill the car with everything but the kitchen sink - travelling light is not an option today!

More later....

Later:

I stopped to take this photgraph on the way to Caol Ruadh today. I think I may have one of the loveliest commutes in the country....

I'm planning on travelling lighter still and here are my notes on what to wear, culled from my recent four day trip (see yesterday's post).

For travel I wear simple clothes in mostly natural fibres. I like these to be nice quality. Good quality ones can be worn for several days and still look great. Cotton trousers, a long sleeved self coloured cotton t shirt, shiny flats which are comfortable. Patent can look dressy or casual (mine are a little worn looking but comfort matters more, and I can have a smarter pair in my case if I think I may be going somewhere dressy).  I spent a long time looking for the  perfect coat. The lightweight one I have is poly-something-or-other, a slightly crinkly showerproof fabric which keeps the wind out, with a hood (avoiding the need for an umbrella). It can roll up small and fit in my bag.

None of these items have any decoration or trim on them - no logos, flowers, stripes, spots, tabs, buckles, belts or even buttons in the case of the coat. All the colours go with one another and suit me (a whole other story but a fun one, for another blog post). On my recent trip I had light grey, bright pink, lime green and a neutral I love - the colour of the froth on a cappuchino.

According to the season and the weather the t shirt can be long or short sleeved, thick or thin. A thin vest top underneath can be a top if it gets really warm or an additional layer if it gets cold and can be rolled up tiny and put in your bag when not needed. The shoes can be sturdier or lighter, or boots can be substituted, a jacket or a sweater can be worn under the roomy coat, tights or socks can add warmth....but basically it is still the same four items.

The fun bit is accessories - scarves and jewellery for me. I like bold necklaces - 'statement' jewellery I suppose you might call it, in bright colours, and big scarves - linen from Hobbs especially. I got a beautiful lime green one for £9 in their sale last year. Four necklaces and four scarves - two linen and two light cotton ones - don't take up much room or weigh much and create in effect a different outfit for every day. Also at the end of the day if you feel a bit crumpled and worn just putting a fresh scarf around your neck or shoulders with a pair of gorgeous earrings and a squish of perfume....can make you feel and look a million dollars again. Well, I exaggerate, but you know what I mean....

Any travel light tips most welcome....

Not Greece, but the British Museum London - wonderful!

My word for 2012 is lighter. (What was your word again?)

When I travel with the car I take lots of stuff without thinking about it too much, but when I'm carrying my own luggage I like to plan carefully and travel fairly light. After a lovely four day trip to London I've decided I want to travel even more lightly. So I tried, when unpacking, putting everything I had taken and not used to one side and made lists of everything else.

These lists will form my new Travel Light list for those occasions when I have to carry my own bags.

I took a long hard look at everything asking Did I really need it? and Can I find a lighter or smaller version?

My lists are Wear, Bag, Suitcase, Spongebag, and Make Up bag.

Tomorrow - my notes on what I like to wear when travelling....

The banner picture is the view from The Boathouse the other day..

Another blog holiday coming up, so I thought I'd leave you with some images of the Scottish Sculpture Park at Caol Ruadh where I've been artist in residence for a few weeks now.  I'm going to be at The Boathouse the weekend of Cowal Open Studios 21 -24 September, showing my paintings with Tighnabruaich Gallery, including some new ones done while I've been there, and I'm planning to teach Drawing For Non Artists there as a five day intensive course next summer. (Details soon.)

Isn't it beautiful? I've loved my time here.

Though I hardly ever cook, I do like cookbooks.

I sent for a copy of Polpo (see yesterday's post) and was dismayed to find Amazon had sent me a damaged copy with no cover on the spine. I sighed and resignedly printed out the returns label and parcelled it up to take to the post office, then I happened to look a the photograph on Cornflower and saw that Karen's copy didn't seem to have a spine either. It seemed too much of a coincidence and, only half joking, I asked her if this was deliberate..

Yes, it's to reflect the pared back style of the recipes and of Polpo restaurants, and it lies flat when you are using a recipe! (I have just found a little film on their website explaining this - click here.)

I'm not sure I like it. Don't you think it looks a bit odd on the bookshelf? And it may lie flat but it will also pick up all the crumbs which won't wipe off so easily....I wonder how many have already been sent back?

And if Amazon are fed up paying for return postage.

Will this be a new trend? Spineless books?

Warning. This post jumps about.

I was once called a grasshopper brain. (I decided to take it as a compliment.)

I get excited about things like the Stendhal Syndrome.

Have you heard of it? No? Neither had I until I read this recent post at one of my favourite blogs - Cornflower. Karen was recommending Polpo. A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts) a delightful book, the kind of cookbook I like, a bit of a travelogue. In the introduction which you can read here the author Russell Norman describes beautifully how he felt as a young man seeing Venice for the first time,  and described the Stendhal Syndrome as being overwhelmed by beauty.

Have you ever experienced this?

I feel lucky to have had many such experiences. (Not to the extent of fainting though!)

One of them was in Venice.

I was studying there, and got up very early to explore before lectures began and found myself in the market as the barges were bringing in the day's fruit and vegetables. The stall-holders were setting out the most dazzling displays, and singing snatches of operatic arias to each other across the marketplace! I couldn't believe my ears and looked around to see if there were cameras. Was I on a film set? It certainly wasn't for tourists (it was 5am). It was absolutely thrilling.

What about you? Have you ever been overwhelmed by beauty?

Do share....

From a catalogue called The Organised Home, Clever Ideas for a Simpler, Easier Life.
 
With 54 ties?

Only £34.95.

Plus the cost of about 49 new ties in our case....well, can you imagine how sad it would look going round and round with it's little automatic light shining down on only 5 ties?

Actually it looks as if it might bite your hand off.

Not quite what I mean by simple....but good for a wee laugh before it goes in the recycle bin!

I just re-read my own posts under Simply Routine. I still love my 'Onceover' described 26 Oct 2010 but plan to add a few more ideas from Fly Lady.
 
Here are some of the things she says that make sense to me and will make me check out her site every day for a while (I'll pass on signing up/joining/forums/chats/TV/journalmaking etc - I'm aiming for simpler.)

Take baby steps.
Don't obsess - set your timer then quit.
It didn't get junked up in a day and it won't get cleaned up in a day either.
You are not behind! Don't try to catch up, just start a new habit.
Don't be a perfectionist.
The routine helps you from having to think what to do next.
Housework done incorrectly still blesses your family. (Now isn't that a comforting thought?)

Focussing on the housework, I realise it's not the organised home I want per se, but the clear mind - and one seems to lead to the other in a very simple way.

So Fly Lady to my aid again - and How Two Minutes Can Make a Difference:

I did feel pretty silly taking the kitchen timer around the house and setting it for two minutes.

I did think 'How can two minutes make a difference to anything, never mind the worst bits (the hotspots)?  Well, it did.

The difference was that I now know what I'm dealing with. The indiscriminate heap of clothes is now a folded pile, ready to have decisions made about it in the next two minute session....and my mind is clearer.

You get the idea? You can't be overwhelmed in two minutes.....

Who'd have thought it?

Not me. If you're someone who is not so easily whelmed over as I am when it comes to housework, indulge me. Smile kindly, and come back when I change the subject (have you heard of the Stendhal Syndrome? Coming soon!)

But if you are like me you'll get over to Fly Lady by clicking here....

Do you read Zen Habits?

I am always struck by the clarity of it, and of Leo Babatua's writing. It seems to exude peace and calm and simplicity, and I'm intrigued that, to me anyway, he never sounds 'preachy'. I haven't figured out quite how he does that!

After reading his post yesterday - see here - I checked out Fly Lady - a site he said influenced him a lot on his minimalism journey.

The Fly Lady website is about as different to look at from Zen Habits as could be. I became interested and to my surprise (I was feeling stressed and a bit down) I found myself sailing CALMLY and effortlessly through several hours cleaning my kitchen sink, my bathroom sink, the kitchen floor, the cooker, pulling it out from the wall to clean the sides and back ....I spent two minutes on each of the four hotspots I identified, five minutes on the room that needs most doing, and could hardly wait for tomorrow to clean out the car and my bags!

The calm effect lasted all day....how strange is that?

Fly Lady has just moved to the top of my favourites list!   See it here.

Fin gets the last word on autumn: It delivers.

How true. You know it is going to get duller, windier, wetter and colder and almost everything in the garden is going to die - and that is exactly what you get! It delivers.

Now I'm going to stop whingeing and take a photograph every day of something beautifully autumnal.

And don't you love Lynne's idea of making a 'ta-da' list instead of a 'to-do' list? (Comments yesterday's post.)

Excuse me, I'm off to do it now.

Can you hear the trumpets?

PS  Humble apologies from me to Sawdays. It was my fault the link on  the post a few days ago didn't work - I missed a hyphen from the address.....oh dear..

I've been thinking about why I am feeling particularly reluctant to accept that summer is over this year. I thought it could be just that here in UK it's been the wettest since records began in 1912, but have decided it's really because I haven't got half the things done which I had planned to do this summer.

I do live with a totally unrealistic mental 'to-do' list I have come to realise..

Had hardly any picnics, I didn't clear out the shed, or make the new gate, or get the chimney stack repaired, or the handrail on the back steps renewed or sell the boat (or even get out in it) or..or..take a trip on the Waverley!

..

If you can..

I know that summer is over when the Waverley has made her last trip of the season round the Kyles of Bute, reluctant though I am to acknowledge it. I am always trying to hang on to the summer feeling - I don't want the sadness of autumn just yet. I've not had enough sun!

I know many people find this their favourite time of year, but to me it is always tinged with melancholy, and winters seem so long....

Do you relish the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness?

They say printing in bold is the equivalent of shouting, so I'm sorry I shouted yesterday! I still can't figure out how to make this link work....

Let's see if Alistair Sawday's site is playing today....the other special place we stayed at in Suffolk is a B&B called Church House - click to view. Run by Richard and Sally (architect and designer) it is delightful, full of interesting artworks, spotless, delicious home made bread for breakfasts, handy for the pretty town of Woodbridge - we loved them and it. Stay with them if you get the chance!
 
We're thinking of doing B&B and if we could do it as well as this I'd be very pleased....

We have used Alistair Sawday's Special Places to Stay guides in the past and have almost always found the places to be our idea of special. Some are too expensive for us, but this self catering studio was both special and inexpensive at £50 a night. Very quiet and rural, with interesting eco credentials, it is owned by artist Virginia Neild. See it here.  Sorry to see Sawday's website is not playing - the page is 'lost' - a merry quip about the fun of lostness is not going down well with me!! I shall try to find another way to show you this lovely place - tomorrow!

With flowers and fruit awaiting us, and an invitation to pick vegetables from the garden (we had beans, tomatoes, lettuce and carrots - delicious!) we felt very welcomed. Quiet villages, ancient churches and attractive pubs abound and a day in Cambridge was an easy drive (recommend using Park and Ride).

www.sawdays.co.uk

Apologies to Sawdays from me - it was my mistake with the web address!!
 
How do find good places to stay for holidays?

We were so lucky that the weather for our eight days in Suffolk was beautiful. I intended taking lots of photographs of the colours of Suffolk (see new banner photograph), the medieval churches, Sutton Hoo, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the reedbeds, estuary, boardwalks and shops at Snape Maltings, the butterflies and wild flowers so different from home, the beach at Aldbrough and Maggie Hambling's Scallop sculpture, the purple of Dunwich Heath....but I hardly used the camera, left the laptop at home, didn't listen to the news and got sleepier as the week went on and the weather got hotter. We're not used to it! (But there are pics and info if you click on the pale words - it's just that they're not mine....)


Tomorrow - lovely places to stay..