These are a few of my favourite things... part the first

And from the "maximising content for lazy-ass bloggers" files, we bring you a photo series. Things that make me happy just to look at them. They're pretty,* and that's important, but that's not the only reason.



A well-organised address book, and a mostly empty diary.

The diary is a Moleskine weekly planner, and I can't tell you how happy I was to find it. It's the perfect size; it's softcover, so not too heavy despite the large format, and it has a nice elastic to hold it closed; it lies open comfortably on my desk, which I like for purposes of managing my to-do list and so on, but also slips easily into my handbag; and it has a whole big page for notes, *every week*, and just a few lines for each day's schedule! Perfect. (I'm not a meetings person.)

I like an empty diary because, well, I crazy busy. Looking at an empty, appointment-free page fills me with calm. This week I took off work, I flattened my freelance commitments right at the start, and I'm slowly working my way through my monster to-do list. Normally that list would be on the notes page, but right now it's too big and has been migrated to an A4 pad. (So that blank page isn't so good, really, but still.) It is my Firm Resolve to hack it down to at most a few lines, filed under "long-term projects", by the time I go back to work next Thursday.

Even the pencil is special. It's silver — my favourite colour. It's from One Aldwych, where I spent my incredibly fabulous 30th birthday weekend. And it bears kitty chew marks. I realise that might not be considered a good thing by everybody, but I like it. Maybe not on a custom made leather boot,** but on a souvenir pencil? Come, kitties, bring me your toothsome*** love.

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* In an ideal world I'd have proper pretty pictures that actually show off the prettiness. But I'm not so great with the camera. And the light in our front room is crap. Gotta love blaming the light.
** No, I don't actually have any custom made leather boots.
Dammit.
*** Before you tell me that's not what toothsome means, may I refer you to Humpty Dumpty?