The November G.E.D. Month to do list! And if anyone wants to come round and give me a hand, shout out encouragement, etc, you're very welcome to do so. I'll be adding to the list, I dare say...

House

Kitchen - put a heavier curtain over the back door / take the catflap out of the back door and board up the hole and repaint the board / get a top shelvey bit for the sideboard or put up some shelves (shelves bought and put up 8/11/08) / repaint the kitchen / replace the cupboard doors / measure up and replace the drawer runners if possible
Living room - polyfiller the hole in the ceiling / put film over the windows to keep the draft out / do a whole pile of tidying up - started (8/11/08) / rearrange the furniture so I can get to the wall heater and/or get ravenlas to move the tv that's in front of the fire / move some more of the books out to the shed / clear space to use the wii / fix the door of the display cabinet / read the gas and electric meters and phone the power company / catch up on paper shredding - started (8/11/08)
Hallway - go through the bag of stuff at the bottom of the stairs and file or bin it / polyfiller the holes in the wall and drill new ones, put the bannister back up (3/11/08) / get rid of the bag of clothes to ebay or give away - (started 10/11/08) / find some place to put away my box of clothes / put up a curtain rail & curtain over the front door - bought rail (8/11/08), put up 9/11/08 / put a letter cage over the letter box / put a draught excluder over the letter box - bought (6/11/08), put up (8/11/08) / put up a high shelf for hats - bought (8/11/08), put up (9/11/08)
Bathroom - put up the skirting board, put down beading / check the bath sealant / put up a shaving mirror (not for me!) (3/11/08)
Spare room - go through the clothes and shoes in the wardrobe and get rid of or trunk anything that doesn't fit or I don't wear any more - started (6/11/08), finished (10/11/08) (and get ravenlas to do the same) / go through the boxes and get rid of piles of stuff - started (6/11/08) / get legs for the table and put it up (8/11/08) / get ravenlas to put the spare telly on the wall in here / replace the chests of drawers - new chests of drawers bought (8/11/08), put up 1 (10/11/08) / put up some shelves
Attic stairs - repaint / stick down the paper around the velux / clean the velux / put away the decorating stuff at the bottom of the stairs / go through the boxes at the bottom of the stairs
General - get house rewired / replastered / central heating / new windows (or at least new hinges) / remodel downstairs / get conservatory built

Garden

Put the tomato plants on the compost heap - likewise, the courgettes / cut the grass / clean the patio / weed / take out the bamboo / weed the front garden / put edging stones along the front bed / plant a few more plants between the primulas / clip the long grass around the 'grassy knoll' / turn the pond into a bog garden? / replace the pond liner? / relay the stones around the edge of the pond? / spraypaint all the woodwork / get the house repointed / get the guttering cleaned and resealed / get the dormer woodwork treated and the flat roof checked / replace security light at the back / add a security light at the front / rotivate lawn & add more topsoil and sand for drainage / edge all flower beds / add more bark chippings & cardboard to the bottom of the garden / replace front drainpipe

Writing

1 6k short story (asap) - started! (800 words, 3/11/08) / Squirrels - finish editing - submit to agents / Thunder Moon - finish writing / Tie Me To The Mast (But Do Not Stop My Ears) - to finish writing / Desperate Measures - write a sequel (4/11/08) / Shed World - edit story

Crafts

Shawl for Mum - to finish knitting - done more on (4/11/08) / Stripey Socks - to finish knitting / Purple cardigan - to finish knitting / medieval kit - to design - to cut out - to sew / viking kit - to design - to cut out - to sew / '50s housecoat - to make / Frock coat - to make / mittens for Sue - to naalbind / make curtains for the whole house

Online

Get my website up and running (finally) / clear out Hub's slushpile / clear out Pseudopod's slushpile - started! (3/11/08) / clear out my email inbox - started! (down to 67 3/11/08) / list things for sale on Amazon and Ebay /

People

Phone round the family (started 3/11/08 - Anne, Kate, Mum & Dad) / email Emma, Audrey, Cat, Paul / Phone Sue, Sarah

Other

Give blood / change bike brake pads / wash the car / take India and Emilio climbing / make a gastroenterology appointment 27/11/08 / phone 3 and ask for pac code 27/11/08

The conference was really good. I didn't run off with $DiscoStu (shudder) or $BobHoskins (a really nice guy who said to tell Jerry he's a very lucky man). I didn't disgrace myself or embarrass the company. I did go swimming in my pirate bikini. The after-dinner speaker was Dominick Holland who seemed a tad bemused by his IT audience.

I am back. Today is deadline day. The help file is nearly finished. Which means....

Real Life should be resumed shortly! By dinnertime, no less! Hurrah.

Then all I have to do is open the post, find and sign the remortgage documents (and hope the offer's still valid), clean and tidy the entire house, make medieval outfits for 4 people, charge through a slushpile, finish 2 short stories and finish editing a novel, and the weekend's a good 'un!

Well, maybe I'll save some of it for, yanno, the evenings I'll actually have free when this help file is done.

Several random things...

1. Lincoln was lovely. It was rather special to be able to camp in the grounds of the castle, and I really enjoyed bimbling around in my medieval outfit, making stuff and chatting and relaxing.

2. Must make a List for packing, and also acquire a TARDIS or a larger car. Packing is Not Fun^TM.

3. Nice to see folks at the Theatre Royal sale. I bought all their remaining fox furs and a couple of pieces of silk. And a blouse.

4. When running round like a loony, doing mad frantic last-minute sewing and having just written a clean, postable 32,000 word fanfic novella in 2 weeks, and being in the middle of hoiking stuff out to pack into a Fiesta to go away for my first ever reenactment event, that's the time my oomph will vanish out from under me, and I will fall into the Slough of Despond AND the Pit of Despair. I love writing, but the come-down's a bitch. Also, alasdair1076 is wonderful and I'm extremely glad he's my best friend.

5. ravenlas is a truly amazing man, and is very, very hot in a doublet and hose. *fans self* Truly I am a very lucky woman! No, I have no photos. This time. Next time, though... *grin* And he is wonderful with Aspergic kids.

6. Got a lot of work to get through this week. Posting this (and Correspondence Course over on the_proofreader) is not getting it done. So. I may be slow to reply to comments, emails etc.

7. RIP Audrey Chapman, a very brave and fierce woman. She had a hard life, and I hope now she has some peace. I'll miss her.

8. There is no number 8. Oh well. Tumty-tumty-something... nope. Gone. *shrug*

So I shall go too. Tea break's over. Back on my head.

Do any of you fancy a night out in Leeds tomorrow?

It is, apparently, a 'city of light' type open event thingummy where they're celebrating numpty-hundred years of being a chartered city. Lots of places will be open.

My friend Dawn is after people to wander round in period costume (thanks to an agency cock-up). If you don't have any, she should be able to supply it. It involves simply going and having a cuppa in Starbucks, in costume, or going to the pub, in costume. Just generally wandering around Leeds city centre in costume.

There's a burlesque show that you can go to as part of the event, and there's a small budget for aforementioned pubbage. Plus there's a party afterwards.

Any takers? I need to know asap, pretty please.

( Goodbye Easter, farewell Pesach: )

My old friend Rob Nightingale has a gig on tonight at William's Bar (opposite Oxfam on Goodramgate) from about 7:30 iirc. Anyone fancy it? He's very good, and rather funny, and it's in a good cause (something involving sick children). So no writing group tonight, probably.

I know a bunch of my friends are celebrating various festivals around now, so best wishes for your holy days.

( Weekend update: )

A big hello to lady_mortia, who has joined us on Livejournal. Yay!