Angel Jem's City Cottage

I love my birthday present. I ordered it off Etsy, from a shop called Strawberry Notebook. I saw it on This Bug's Life, where Janet waxed lyrical about the service and the communication and the kindness of Diane, the shop owner. It's all true, Diane is lovely and she does keep you informed as to what and where she's up to, but it was the concept that got me. Because I thought with this in my bag then maybe, just maybe, with the right pair of shoes I could be just a little like a middle-aged (and slightly over weight) version of her.... No, not Amy..... her... River Song! The product is called River Song's Journal . It's handmade in Florida by Diane, and based on the Midori Travelers Notebook elastic system, the system where you use elastic bands to keep a few notebooks together to organise your life. People use them as planners, or journals, some even use them as wallets, but I haven't tried to yet! I have moved into the system instead of my Filofax ...

What am I reading this week? Poldark , by Winston Graham. I picked it up (virtually speaking) this weekend and I have been enjoying it ever since. I'm looking forward to watching the series when it starts on Sunday.  I've also been reading The Way of the Happy Woman by Sara Avant Stover. It's a book about honouring my femininity and working in rhythm with the seasons, my life cycle and nature to achieve balance and harmony. It's heavy on Yoga and Buddhist tenets of meditation, but that's no bad thing in the modern world. If I can align myself a little more with the natural cycles of life (apparently I may be entering my perimenopausal phase and need to honour the passing of fertility and the approach of wisdom. I'll let you know if I have any wisdom at all when I find out) then  I may be a better and happier person. I'm enjoying reading it, and I have to say the chapter on periods was interesting. We so often feel obliged to rampage on with life ...

It comes wrapped up in gift wrap, with items nestled amongst tissue paper and covered in confetti. You unwrap it slowly, piece by piece if you are alone. But if your daughter is there you fight to slow her down as she asks, "What next? What next?" It's like a dear friend has chosen items just for you and had a lot of fun wrapping them and sending them to brighten your day. And the best thing? You could be Billy No Mates and  send this to yourself. Brilliant. The Linky stationery box is available to order here. It costs £15 for the monthly box, but you can order one or more and don't need to subscribe for a fixed period. You have to choose the size of Filofax you use, and suggest some of your favourite hobbies. I really enjoyed opening it, and have placed an order for a September box which I selfishly hope arrives when the Princess is out.

Summer comes every year, right? And every year I get my bag of choice for the summer out and fill it with the stuff of summer. The wet wipes in a small packet for cleaning the inevitable mess. The sun cream that will spill over the inside of the bag and empty the mini wet wipes quicker than a bad smell empties a full lift. And the umbrella for the inevitable wet day. This is England. And usually my back creaks with the effort of carrying all that and my beautiful (love it still) Matt Malden.  And all the time I worry that the sun cream will spill on him, or the wet wipes will bleach out his colour. I do love my leather Filofax, and I know a battered Filofax is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but just occasionally I don't want to batter it more than is necessary. So I gave in to temptation and got me a plastic Filofax. A Patent Pocket size in Duck Egg Blue. It's a very pretty shade of blue; more subdued and delicate than baby blue, but de...

I'm still mad busy with applications. No interviews, no chances. I am not doing well at getting full time work. But I keep trying. I'm back in my favourite Matt Malden. I have been through Mr Chameleon and Antonio my red hot Chilli Cuban,  but I always keep coming back to Matt. I keep on trying, but he is the One.  And I did give Antonio a good go; he is set up beautifully.  Here is the eye candy to prove.  Look at the washi tape;  look at the top tabs,  just look  look  look. *sigh* Perhaps if I had full time work and a larger bag everyday I would........ but A5 is just too big for day to day use. I keep on trying. I keep on trying.

I have never made a video, never listened to myself, if I can help it, never felt the urge until I actually started watching Filofax videos. Yes, I know, who knew? People actually make videos where they show you the pages of their Filofaxes, what sections they have, what dividers they use or make or..... well, it's unbelievable, really, until you watch them and suddenly you find yourself thinking, "Oh, I like that divider" or "That pen loop would be good in teal" or "Blue Finchley is such a lovely seaside colour" and the next thing you know you have subscribed to the best ( My Purpley Life , Tracy Reinhard t, KatLeNoi r and Ju La are among my faves) and you wait for the webs and videos updates on Tuesday and Saturday from Philofax y to see what good ideas, mad inspiration or bizarre things you can see this week. And then you have a day when there is not a lot happening (ie a day when you have told yourself that the house needs a little tender care)...

Week three; Easter break with my three and not that much to do. We had days out planned and visits to my Mum who is due to have her gall bladder removed this Friday. You can see my muji stamp came; the ink colour is called toffee and is beautifully pale but visible against the black ink. Colour coordination system set up, too, with different highlights for different areas of my life. I use the pens to mark off what I’ve done. The post-it is, sadly, a bright fluorescent square from Staples, but my cute ones came from Amazon so next week I’m hoping even they will have a smiley effect on me. You can see a slight glare on the right page from my dashboard, where the post-it is stuck and a sticker sits, an instant win from McDonalds Monopoly game for 50 free prints from Snapfish. I will be using that one for sure!

I have so admired other Filofax pages, with their colour and organisation, that this week I decided to join in. A pretty (girlie word but I like it) and practical diary makes getting and staying organised enjoyable. Life is too short not to enjoy scheduling. That's my March resolution. The theme this week is red. Red and black, power combination. Love it. The diary stickers are from rikyandnina on ebay... I love these so much I have more coming for Easter! .... and the washi tape was from Amazon. Thank you to all the inspirers out there who have made me envy planners of beauty. Hope you like this peep inside mine!

I have been using the same Filofax set up for about 6 months now. Bar occasional tidying up and clearing out, I haven't made any big changes. Until this week, when I felt the need to rejig  a little.  I still have my family flyleaf and the front pockets full of cards, stickers and stuff.  This plain sheet is a tri-fold A4 trimmed to make my brain dump page. Cheap, easy and disposable of with very little guilt.  A shopping list is always necessary, isn't it? The zip envelope is a place for receipts and tags that I want to keep safe when I'm out. These all go after the first page protector but before the first labelled divider.  Dashboard.... I'm looking for a cute pad to put on the other side for notes etc. And you can see the diary top tab here. I like top tabs just for the side space they give. Room for extra pens, innit?  The diary is going to undergo a change. I have been using week to a page with a lined sheet opposite for menu, notes ...