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2012–Looking Forwards

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If you have read my post regarding 2011 then you will know, most things turned out well and I managed to tick off most of the stuff I wanted to do.

So now we are into 2012 and it’s time to look ahead and set some goals.

Travel

Heading off as a family somewhere special

We did a lot of this in 2011 and want to carry this on as much as possible. Exploring a new city with a different culture as a family has been fun for all of us.

So far this year we have a trip to Budapest in Hungary booked and our summer holiday is going to take us into Europe once again although this year it might not be France.

In addition I am looking to get away with my camera for a couple of days although haven’t quite worked out where yet and we should be able to sneak a couple of weekends away.

As for business travel, it’s all a bit early and there isn’t anything in my diary but I am sure something will come along

Work

I need to get out of here

To be honest, work is frustrating me at the moment so 2012 is the year I have to fix it. I have been in my current role for the last 11 years and had thought I had seen it all but over the last 24 months, things have really turned for the worse.

The good news is that we have a new CEO (fresh blood) with a new vision. We get to find out what that is in February.

In the meantime I am looking at some of the companies out there that are way ahead of us both with vision and strategy and wondering if this is the time to move. Certainly this is not something I intend to rush into and I have to be mindful that 11 years service is significant but I have to look to the future for both me and my family so watch this space.

Either I am able to fix some of the things that are frustrating me where I am or I need to move which in turn (I hope) will address that whole work/life balance thing that has eluded me over the last few years.

Health & Lifestyle

2011 wasn’t good health wise. At times I wondered what was going to stop working or start hurting next and due to all the medication I was on, I always felt tired.

So the doctor has now halved the medication that was making me tired and I am already feeling a lot more alive and better about myself. In addition the diet I started last year is working. I gave it a rest over Christmas but am now fully committed again. Over the next few weeks, I will be picking up the exercise piece as well.

Finally I am trying to change from being a night time person to a morning person. Easier said than done and I am well on the way but those early Friday mornings still hurt.

Fun

Reliant Robin Racing At Norfolk Arena

Last year Sam and I had some great days out including the Reliant Robin and Caravan racing (yes really) at the Norfolk Arena and also the BTCC at Silverstone. We also had a number of days out and trips abroad so as a family I think we managed to do a lot more fun things with less trips to Ikea.

This year I already have the 2012 motorsport calendar on my desk so hopefully I will get to have some fun with Sam again and with some decent trips lined up and plenty of ideas for days out, I think we are looking good for 2012.

Changes

I have spent a lot of my adult life worrying about how my actions impact those of others and trying to put other peoples feelings in front of my own.

Nowhere is this more apparent that with our summer family holidays over the lest 3 years.

On 3 separate occasions, I have planned and booked our family break to accommodate friends and family and on 2 of those 3, we have been dumped upon from a great height causing upset and expense and on at least one of those occasions putting me and my family in a very serious danger.

Those people are no longer part of my life but it has taught me to start thinking about me and my family more and getting my priorities right. If you want to join in, you fit in with us not the other way around.

Wish me luck

So 2011 was great. I am looking to 2012 to be even better.

I will keep you posted throughout the year but in the meantime wish me luck.

Painting, Paintings, Painters & Impossimals

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So it’s been a busy few weeks but we are all done now but where to start?

Well our hall has been a wonderful shade of magnolia since the day we moved in. We have talked about having it this colour and that colour but with a 2 story high wall, 53 spindles to gloss and 12 doors, we have never managed to get round to it.

So eventually we have bitten the bullet, dipped into the savings account and decided to go for it.

So what to do.

Well as this is the room that gets the most traffic (all rooms run off it) we decided to put in a new floor as well. Always wanting hardwood but with a cat that like to scratch, we needed something else. The answer came in porcelain tiles that look like wood, feel like wood but cat proof.

Hall Floor

But what about all that magnolia?

We needed colour!

So for that big wall that runs from the top to the bottom of the house, I have seen enough DIY shows on the TV to know there was only one answer.

A feature wall!

Time to be brave. This is going to be a statement that we will have to live with for the next few years.

Feature Wall In Red

Red!

English Fire Red from Crown if you must know and lots and lots of it.

Feature Wall In Red

New Hall 019

All the other walls are a nice neutral hessian but together, now it’s done, the gamble has paid off.

It works and works well and as the light changes throughout the day, the whole feel of the room changes as with it.

New Hall 028

But there’s more to this because you may have noticed something a little special in these pictures.

Now it’s no secret I am a big fan of Peter Smith the artist. We already have a few of his pieces around the house including The Crying Game and Tails Of The Unexpected

Peter Smith - The Crying GamePeter Smith - Tails of the unexpected

But on the Friday before we were due to start on the hall, the brochure for Peter Smiths latest collection called “It’s A Stripe Thing” landed and I was smitten.

A quick call to a friend of a friend who happens to run an art gallery in Sheffield revealed not only that he had the picture in question in stock but that Peter Smith himself would be in the gallery on Sunday.

So off to Sheffield for the weekend.

Upon arrival at Castle Galleries in Meadowhall you could tell they were having a Peter Smith weekend.

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Loads of great pictures including some fantastic water colours that I had never seen before but strong as the temptation was, there was one piece that just belonged in our new hall.

Peter Smith - No Place Like Home

No Place Like Home.

We got the chance to chat with Peter and he took us through the story behind the picture and explained to us how it linked with other images in this collection and also with paintings he has released in the past. Indeed you can read the full story HERE on Peters blog but the bit about this picture reads

‘No Place Like Home’ is about how a couple can transform a house into a home and as they do the clouds above clear and the home grows, becomes taller, a beacon for all and a sanctuary to retreat to where you will always know you are welcome. This couple are picking up the love as they return to their home, the heart acting like a lighthouse showing them the way.

Peter then “dedicated” our new picture on the back in his own unique way.

New Hall 011

Apparently that is Teresa, Sam and Me on the back. Fantastic. Certainly makes this picture very very special.

But now it was Sams turn armed with his autograph book.

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Peter again gave him something really very special (do all artists carry a full compliment of markers in their back pocket at all times just in case). Sam had already been taken by the concept of a Stunt Bunny on the picture “Iceing With Death” so Sam got his very own Stunt Bunny.

IMG_0001

Wow!

As a final treat, we were also presented with an extra special limited edition print (again personally signed) limited only for those who bought a picture on the day

Keep Calm

So a fantastic day out and a chance to meet somebody whose work I admire very much indeed. Turns out he is a really nice guy with a real passion that can only be described as infectious.

So now the hall is complete and “No Place Like Home” is sitting slap bang in the middle of it all and every morning when I head out of my bedroom and down the stairs, it is there pride of place at the heart of our home.

Looks well doesn’t it?

New Hall 038

New Hall 040

PS

Just in case you were wondering, they are called Impossimals