My meandering mind

If you were to treat each and every day as if it were your last, would that mean you were living each day as if you were about to die? Would you be able to generate that much enthusiasm every morning when you wake up. How do you get excited about every day  unless you know how it feels to nearly have not woken up at all, and wouldn't that have made you miserable at some point in your life?

It would surely be a repetitive way to live, for doesn't a little misery go a long way to adding some variety to an otherwise tedious life.

And who wants to be Pollyanna anyway, constantly finding joy in everything you see, a positive where others see a negative. A little joy mingled with misery can only enhance our ability to appreciate the good in life.  For if we are permanently happy - we can never convey our joy when we've known what it is to be utterly miserable.

I cannot bear people who are permanently happy.

I prefer to be miserable and happy in equal parts..on a rota basis.

So I can appreciate both all the more. To wallow in both emotions leads to an appreciation of the various mental states.

“unbroken happiness is a bore: it should have ups and downs.”

Moliere 

Do you fear?

Do you fear what I fear?
Do you see what I see?
Do you like awake at night
Do you fear the light.

Can you feel my terror?
Can you feel my heart?
Are you really near me,
Somewhere in the dark.

The darkness, the light

The  darkness, the light, the darkness, the light.
I see through the neon glow of the imitation light.
There's plenty of scope to carry on talking,
No real need to to let the darkness consume you.

The darkness, the light, the darkness the light.
A little here, a little there, a little pink, a little green,
I am alone, I am not alone, I am here, I am there.
In the light, in the dark, in the glow of the light.

The darkness, the light, the darkness, the light
All you need to fear is the bright white light
It comes, when it does, to consume you all
That brilliant, bright, white, shining light.

The light was shining in my eyes 

It took away my vision - temporarily.

I looked for clarity, for lines and colours, 

All I could catch were pinpoints of light,

Flashes of shimmering gold and glistening glass.

The light was shining in my eyes 

And I couldn't see that far - temporarily.

The rainbow of colours danced before my eyes

And the slivers of silver danced in my face.

Those dazzling, horizontal lines,

They gave me hope, but took away my sight.

The light was shining in my eyes

And I hoped for vision's return - temporarily.

I watched the light grow stronger,

I watched the lights grow dim.

The light was shining in my eyes 

And it gave me hope, but only till it dimmed.

I'm having a bad day, a "Why am I doing this day?" which I've decided to wallow in. That may seem counterproductive - after all self pity can be such a destructive force.

However, I do believe that when things don't seem to be going your way, a regrouping, a regathering of arms and a period of reflection can do the power of good - as long as you don't spend too much time there.

I'm using this time to reevaluate my situation, what I could have done better, how I can do it better in the future. 

It's a time I'll use to blog, market and analyse the current state of play. I know that if I allow myself to go too far down the rabbit hole, I may not come up again, but if I use the time wisely, I may come out just that tiny bit more clearer on what my objectives should be.

I'll read, look for hints and clues, while I sort out current work in my timeline. I'll make myself a coffee, prepare a light lunch and, essentially, be kind to myself. I'll check my diary, my projects for the next few days or weeks and try to relax. Give myself an internal pep talk.

I need to reexamine my past work patterns. How much work am I doing, am I putting the hours in, is the quality of my work good enough - and if so, then how can I get even better?

Good is never enough, in order to succeed, I have to feel that I've given 110% and if that isn't bringing in the pennies, then what am I doing wrong - is it the marketing, does that need some revaluation?

I spent a short period of time as a teacher - and the emphasis was always on evaluation, think about what you'd done during lessons, what had gone well, what hadn't and how you could improve. How could you have done it even better? It was hard, but it really set a standard for me in terms of evaluating my work today.

And now I'm ready, to fight on, to write, to work, to get my act together. I'm battle ready and my armour is still intact.

So what do you do when you're having a "Why am I doing this day."?

Shut yourself away in a darkened room?

Carry on going, or do you do what I do, stop, regroup, reassemble and reevaluate?

Interior decor for furnished rented accommodation

You move into a new home, you're grateful it all worked out okay, you now have somewhere to call your own, but unfortunately that'll prove difficult when your new home looks like someone else's.

There's someone else's furniture, someone else's curtains, someone else's tables and chairs. There's nothing that points to your personality, nothing that gives a flavour of your tastes or interests. The whole place, in fact, looks and feels like someone else's altogether. There's even someone else's ornamentation, and someone else's picture frames.

What can you do?

Well, you can think accessorise, accessorise, accessorise, because this is where you have hundreds of choices and ideas to turn that house you've moved into, into your very own home sweet home. And it doesn't end there, with a little imagination you can personalise it into something that says so much about you and not your new landlords.

If at this point you're thinking that you've already spent enough on moving and the expense of it all has left you with nothing but loose change - don't be disheartened. You don't have to spend a fortune to personalise your home. In some cases you don't even need to spend any money at all.

Get creative

I love jars, so much so that I collect them. They're so on trend right now, you can even buy them as drinking glasses - but why go to so much trouble when you can customise your own. Get old jam jars,
pasta jars, anything that's jar shaped, remove the labels and lids and wash them out. You have some brand new jars of your own that can be used for just about anything. Vases, drinking glasses, you can fill them with sea shells and sand. You can fill them with sparkles and stars, you can use them to hang
up by attaching handles and place tea lights inside them. There's no need to buy the custom made ones.

There are some excellent ideas here  and here.

Cushions and throws

These are definitely something that can make a real difference to sofas and chairs,  and if you can't afford to spend much and you're handy with a sewing machine, then why not create your own?  You can match certain colours, or blend them with the rugs or curtains.

If you can't afford throws, then see if you know someone amongst your family or friends who may have an old eiderdown or unusually coloured fabric that you can use to throw casually over the sofa and chairs. There are some beautiful ones here. And if you're thinking how old fashioned they look, then think shabby chic for a truly inspiring vintage look. There are some beautiful fabrics out there, a particular favourite of mine is Toile de Jouy, a Georgian inspired pattern with repeating shapes on a white background, with greens and blues.

Rugs

A rug can add character to a room and add some serious colour to an otherwise boring internal landscape. There's nothing worse than wall-to-wall beige carpet so brighten it up with colourfully woven rugs. They don't have to be manufactured synthetic ones either. There are some gorgeous woven ones in fascinating weaves.

Finally, ask your landlords whether you can remove their pictures, paintings and ornamentation and 
replace them with your own. You can either hand them back to the landlords, or put them out of harms way until the end of your tenancy.

Replace them with your own special photographs, old seashells that remind you of special holidays, hand made, personally decorated jars and tea light plates and you have something that's chic and in keeping with your own personal style.

There may be many things you can't change in furnished accommodation, but it doesn't have to be boring, you really can turn that house into a home - your home.

On those beautiful libraries and their shelves of knowledge....

"Plunging into the ocean of words, roaming in the broad fields of the mind, climbing the mountains of the imagination...."

"That joy must not be sold. It must not be "privatised," made into another privilege for the privileged. A public library is a public trust.
And that freedom must not be compromised. It must be available to all who need it, and that's everyone, when they need it, and that's always."

The wave of the mind....
Talks and essays on the writer, the reader, and the imagination.
Ursula K. Le Guin
My Libraries

#libraries #books #reading

Interior decorating for rented property Part 2

Part 2

Bedrooms 

Bedrooms can be brightened up, with the bed being the main feature, with good quality bedding that matches the curtains or carpet. Again, rugs and accessories will make the room more personal and unique. Not everything has to be too matchy matchy. Pick out particular colours that stand out and choose things that complement each other. You may want warm, earthy colours for the autumn and winter and paler pastels and primary colours, for the spring and summer. 

Wardrobes

If you don’t have a sliding door interior wardrobe, then you’ll be choosing your own, choose something that’s a little slim line in order to give yourself some more floor space, and make sure there’s plenty of shelving. You don’t want to bombard the room with too much furniture. It needs to be a tranquil and relaxing place for the end of the day when you want to unwind. You don’t want to be tripping over furniture, or bags of clothes you can’t find room for. 

Stay individual

Finally try and add some individual touches. If you decide on a particular theme, try and add something that makes it more uniquely yours. If you decide on shabby chic or minimalism, then it can all too easily end up looking like a furniture shop window display without any personal touches at all It’s important to have it just as you’d like it, but something that tells the visitor about yourself, such as photographs, books, ornamentation – just adding your own personal little quirks. 

You may not be able to paint it in a colour of your choosing, you may not be able carpet it yourself or choose the flooring, but at least you can bring your own personality to it, so it looks more like your home – and not the landlords.

Interior design for rented property Part 1

How can you personalise your home if it’s rented?

(This week: - Unfurnished property)

Part 1:

When you read articles about interior design these days, the focus is always on those that own their own property. They talk about house extensions, and there are dramatic colour dynamics for the living room and bedroom with all sorts of interesting lighting ideas for the kitchen, or dining area.

Yes, it's boring, but you can make it more interesting

However, if you rent, then many of those options are simply unfeasible, and with so many people being in a position where they CAN’T afford to buy their own property, then there are bound be restrictions on how far you can go in terms of interior décor.

For whatever reason, you may be renting, if this is the case, then you may be feeling frustrated by the fact that you can do very little to individualise the interiors of your property because your landlords won’t allow it.

Your landlords could be either an estate agent, or the landlords themselves, who rent it out directly to earn a little extra income.

Your home is your castle…

Although you’re grateful to have a roof over your head in such hard times, sometimes you’d like to be able to give it that unique touch that says it’s yours, to add your very own idiosyncratic touches that make it instantly recognizable, your own personal “gaff,” a place where people you know feel instinctively relaxed and comfortable.

Unfurnished property

If your home is unfurnished there’s room for manoeuvre, because although you have the expense of furnishing it, you can at least add a degree of personal choice. If it isn’t, then you’re slightly hampered by the fact that the furniture isn’t in keeping with your personal tastes.

This week, we’re going to take a look at ways you can turn your home into a tranquil haven that says so much about you and less about your landlords. In this first part, its focus will be on those in unfurnished property. All you need is a little imagination and a creative way of thinking and you really can personalise it in an original way.

If you’ve just moved into your property and you’re wilting at the sight of magnolia walls and beige wall to wall carpets, or the ubiquitous imitation wood-flooring linoleum then don’t despair. Yes, it is quite neutral, bland and unimaginative, but for landlords and estate agents, it’s an easy and cheap way to maintain the property, and once you move out, they can quickly paint over it without having to worry about an undercoat. The flooring is easily replaced with cheap plain carpet or linoleum.

What’s important is how you decorate and furnish it in order to give it an original touch and make the whole place your own.

Of course you will be restricted by how many pictures you can put up, whether you’re allowed to use nails and how your landlords feel about blue tack. Don’t forget that if you use tape, that when you take your pictures and wall hangings down, you may take down half the paper down with you, so be aware. If there are already nails in the wall then there shouldn’t be a problem in you using them in order to hang something up. If there aren’t, then ask permission before you start putting things up, you want it to look original and there’s nothing worse than a bare wall.

Walls

You could put up a series of pictures of your family at various stages in their lives. A row of black and white photographs would look simple and classy against a bare wall. If there’s a picture rail then even better, you can balance pictures along it (depending on its thickness). You could also consider wall tapestries that can be hung up, not only will they hide a bare wall, and a dirty looking wall after a few months of wear, it’ll add colour, as well as matching colours in your furnishings.

Hang up inspirational quotes as picture hangings rather than stickers

What’s on trend?

Inspirational sayings that can be stuck to the wall are quite popular right now, but beware, they’ll be hell to pull off, and you may be saddled with a bill for replacing the paint/paper. Also bang on trend are wall hangings that are brass, silver or gold with  flowers, geometric shapes, flowers, or plants with gemstones and coloured beads. By all means hang those on any pre-existing nails or put some up if you’ve had permission.

 

Wall hangings can add colour to a room and conceal bare walls

If you have a favourite local artist whose landscapes you admire then why not see if they’re prepared to offer a discount if you buy a 3 part series or a couple of pictures, rather than one? They’ll draw attention away from the walls and on to the paintings.

Curtains and blinds

Curtains can be chosen to match the cushions and sofas/chairs, they don’t have to be identical, they can simply have one or two colours that bring out a colour in a set of cushions, or the colour of the sofa’s fabric.

You may have blinds, in which case you’ll have to stick with them and you probably won’t be able to change them. However, if there’s a curtain rail you could perhaps hang curtains up, so they can be drawn at night.

Woods

If you’re going with woods then try and stick to one e.g. dark or light, pine, oak, or mahogany. That’s book cabinets, coffee tables, corner tables and if you don’t have your TV mounted to the wall, then a cabinet to sit the TV and DVD player.

A unique feature for your coffee table could be a vintage suitcase or chest that could be used for coffee and magazines. They can be sourced in online antique stores and shabby chic interior stores.

Either brand new or second hand, a chest can really add a unique touch to a room

Rugs

Purchasing a rug will not only save on wear and tear to your carpets, it’ll also brighten the room and offer a soft and much warmer tread for your feet. Pick something that matches something in the room, perhaps a colour or two in the furnishings or woodwork.

Rugs can brighten a room too and their softer on your feet

Rugs can add colour as well as wall hangings -