The road to my house is well-paved, let me tell you. Not that my house or family is in any way hellish, just that there are a myriad of good intentions and obligations waiting on my doorstep to smack me in the face as soon as I open the front door.

To sum up what’s out there:
1. Two workshops next weekend, each a full day
2. Some (but not all) of the prep for those two workshops (buying stuff, packaging stuff, rounding stuff up, writing stuff, reviewing my notes on scheduling, printing a few things off, etc.)
3. Until Saturday, there was a carseat clinic waving at me from the driveway, waiting to trip me up as I dashed for the car
4. Craft Fair – one month away
5. Stuff to be submitted to Devon House for Standards meeting on Wednesday.
6. Laundry, dishes, floors, dogs, children, birthdays, blogs, work for my gallery show, and five hundred other little household things

Now I’ve basically decided to dispense with #5 and to not bother having a new product this year. My justification is that the workshops, which I have not done in previous years, are more than compensating financially for not having something new and are frankly more important.

Shelley has said that she’ll help me to do soem of the prep for the workshops, which is great, but I still have to get stuff to her and have it organised enough for her to do. Not sure how much worry she’ll save me, but it’ll definitely cut down on time required to get everything together.

The carseat clinic was a millstone around my neck this month, as getting inspectors was more difficult than usual and I simply didn’t have extra time to give to it like I should have. I did contemplate bailing on this clinic myself and leaving them all to find a new organiser for October and November (and next year that’s what I’ll do, but well in advance), but I didn’t want to a)spend the time digging up and briefing a replacement for me or b) leave Shelley in the same position that inspectors who bail at the last minute for no good reason leave me.

In this case, it would have taken me more time and stress to teach a man to fish than to actually catch, gut, fillet and fry the clinic myself and time and mental wellbeing were of the essence. I’m definitely out for November, though. I’ll send out the emails, but someone else will have to do the actual clinic and phone people, if necessary.

Friday evening, my parents got their new puppy (Luke – pictured in this entry) and John and I flaked out. We can never seem to get work done on Friday evenings, so we no longer try.

Saturday was the carseat clinic, which is always exhausting. This time it was doubly so as I had six-month old Jasen, one of our inspectors’ children, on my hip for half the day. A wonderful boy, but he weight about seventeen pounds. My shoulders still haven’t forgotten him! I had forgotten what it’s like to have a child be entirely dependant upon you for everything, from mobility and food to entertainment.

Saturday evening we came home and did some stuff around the house that needed doing. Then we fell asleep.

Sunday I got some work done, thanks to John taking Katherine out to visit Nan-nan for the morning. It was during this period that I realised that I have caught a cold. In denial, but in the stupour that is a headcold, I soldiered on and got something done, I think.

Sunday evening was a trip to Tamar and Adam’s place. They’ve been trying to get us to come out for some time now and we’ve always been up to our ears. This time we went even though our ears are no longer visible about the surface of the chaos. They had no electricity and had not been able to call because their only phone was electric and the rain had been so torrential that Tamar was reluctant to venture out. Supper was sandwiches and salads, which was just fine, but we didn’t get Katherine home until after nine. She was exhausted. By the time we had dealt with her, the dogs, dogfood and dog exercise, it was bedtime.

On the plus side, when buying shoes for me and John on Saturday night, they only charged me for one pair. Smart me, I kept my trap shut and didn’t say anything. Normally I do, but when it comes to big chain stores, I figure I may as well not. Dishonest? No, just as cunning at getting a deal as they are at overcharging.
This weekend was empty on Thursday.