NaBloPoNO - A Little Ode to Blogger Burnout

So, I've been a little off grid recently, I'm sorry!  I hope this post goes some way to explain why.  When I decided to take on the #NaBloPoMo challenge, throughout November, I was excited to see if it would reignite some fresh ideas and exciting challenges for Life is Peachy.  Bloggers across the world enjoy taking part in a month long challenge of posting a blog everyday - aided by set prompts or using their own ideas.  Why not join in the fun?  So thought I...

In truth, I am in awe of anyone who can post on their blog every day!  I set about scheduling posts, following prompts and eager to write new and exciting posts about me.  I hope you've enjoyed reading little tidbits about my life, my past and my Bucket List!  But, whilst I think the spirit of the challenge is wonderful - I don't feel I can carry it on.

I'm writing this at the end of a very difficult week.  There have been very late nights, very early mornings, lots of knitting deadlines and a case of mild conjunctivitis for Little D which, as any parent will know, is most distressing.  So, perhaps, it wasn't really great timing to be throwing myself into posting every day - but then again, when is there ever a good time to do it?  I'm forever trying to catch up with emails, research, crafts, #CraftBlogClub, orders, Little D, Mr Peachy and, somewhere in there, a little bit of 'me' time.

Then again, I think perhaps partaking in this challenge has made me accept the very real existence of Blogger Burnout.  It is real, it is out there and I've finally had to accept that no person is capable of running a blog 365 days a year.  

I'm a list maker, an organiser, a forward-planner and I get incredibly excited about new ideas and projects to start.  It's been a real eye-opener of a year, having to adjust to the wondrous unpredictability of a baby; so dealing with day to day tasks can be somewhat testing. And when I didn't quite get that scheduled daily post out on time, or didn't have something planned for the following day - I started to panic.  Which took the fun out of my blog.  I worried that people would stop reading, I worried that my content wasn't as engaging as it should be, muted amongst other topics that I wouldn't perhaps have chosen to write about.  Then I worried that my worrying was coming across on my blog.  Then I stopped and had a sudden epiphany - who and what was I really writing this blog for??

For those of you who have read my blog from the start, Life is Peachy was originally set up to encourage and inspire new parents with finding their identities.  I feel so strongly about this and have forged my way into my new role as 'Mummy' whilst keeping an alarming amount of my own personality intact (alarming, only, as I was assured this wouldn't happen)!  But, it seems, in the 6 short months that I've been religiously writing this blog, it has grown and developed at such a pace, that I almost feel it is time to acknowledge a new direction and re-vamp my entire little web space to accommodate for something new.

I'm positive, always, but I'm also a worrier.  I worry that I don't craft enough right now to warrant running #CraftBlogClub, I worry that I'm running out of ideas and I worry that I have so little time to dedicate to each of my little projects at the moment that I am, sadly, suffering from an incredible case of burnout.  I have spent the last few days catching up with my gnomes, staying with my parents and nursing D back to fighting fit, but I can't ignore the constant whirring in my mind - when will I post this?  What will become of Life is Peachy?  Do I need to migrate to something newer, a clearer direction?  The answer to that last one is, yes.  I need to.  And I want everyone who enjoys reading my blog to continue following me as I am about to undertake some big changes and focus, A LOT MORE on my Frugally Fabulous Year Challenge.

I hope you don't mind, I'm breaking all the sacred blogging rules, I'm taking a little break - just 2 weeks, to get things straight and plan ahead for Christmas and beyond.  I wanted you to be the first to know this.  I'll be back, brimming and beaming again - but right now I need to think, research, be brave and be innovative.  And I guess, despite its difficulties, I have the wonder of #NaBloPoMo to thank for bringing it all to my attention!

Life is Peachy will return.....I look forward to seeing you then!

E x

Happy Halloween: The Inquisitive Spirit

I'm not usually one to post on a Thursday, but this month I've decided to give my LIP readers an extra spooky little treat!  As some of you know, I write fiction and have plans to publish my work in the future.  I have, however, never written about my own experiences in story form - other than on the blog of course!  So I thought I would take the opportunity, this Hallow's Eve, to recall a truly terrifying tale.  Truly terrifying...because it is TRUE and it happened to ME! 

I have always been fascinated with the paranormal, from a morbidly young age!  I could write about lots of experiences I've had through the years, from ghost hunts to angels, spooky photos from a school sleepover to baffling dreams about someone I've never met, but I have only ever seen one 'apparition' and it was in the most unlikely of circumstances.  I hope you enjoy....

 " The Inquisitive Spirit"

November had fallen in 2007.  The last days of bright sun were upon us, as it battled against a chill wind and threats of winter storms.  I had woken up that morning, full of cold.  My eyes were puffed and my throat swollen, this was not going to be a fun journey, driving from Bath to Aldershot in my then-boyfriend's near-dead Fiesta.  Little did I know, at the time, our waning relationship would be over in less than two months.  But, we had decided, that weekend, that we would pay a visit to his cousin and cousin's fiancee, for a change of scenery and a chance to spend some time with his family.

The drive there was long and boring, I was snuffling my way through half-conversations and insisted on playing the most annoying CDs I had in my collection.  It was nearing dark when we arrived at the house we would be staying in, owned by the parents of 'The Fiancee', who were away at the time.  The house was a beautiful building that stood on a corner in a leafy residential suburb.  Not being very apt with my architectural knowledge, I would perhaps have dated it back fifty years, but it had had a fair amount of extension work done.  We were greeted by 'The Cousin' and 'The Fiancee' and a lovely, bounding labrador.

The interiors were stunning too, a gorgeous traditional kitchen and spacious lounge, though I was surprised when we were led to a ground-floor bedroom winding back to the front of the house, with an en-suite bathroom.  This was to be our bedroom for the weekend, it was small in size, beautifully decorated with floral patterns and a huge wall of built-in mirrored wardrobes faced a double bed.  It reminded me of an traditional guestroom, cosy and comfortable for our stay.

The night continued to draw in as we had dinner and caught up around the table.  The Couple were due to get married the following year abroad, so much of the evening was spent talking wedding plans.  We retired to watch a film in the lounge, my cold had started to clear, but I was feeling tired from the long journey.  Much of the later evening remains hazy in my mind, but I do remember catching a glimpse of the news.  The tragic, horrific murder of Meredith Kurcher had just been released to British press and there was talk of her roommates being implemented in the murder.  It was an unsettling story to go to bed thinking about but, around midnight, we said our goodnights and headed to the cosy guestroom.

I don't think I actually fell asleep between then and the disturbance that ensued.  I think I just dozed against the backdrop of my then-boyfriend's snoring and the quiet of a strange street in a strange place.  Not even the dog barked.

My eyes adjusted to the room in the pitch black, the dense reflection from the mirrored wardrobes, the fabrics and colours now all draped in shadow.  As my eyes moved round to the small, curtained, bay window, on my side of the bed, I saw something.  A shape, incomprehensible at first but, what looked like something poking out from behind the curtains.

I had woken up before, countless times, and had mistaken a misplaced dressing gown for a slumped intruder, or a hanging dress for a supernatural visitor.  My rational mind came into play and I closed my eyes and opened them again.  The shape was still there. It had begun to take the form of a head, peeping in at us and, as I continued to fight with my imposed logic and the scene being placed in front of me, the figure stepped out from behind the curtain.  

I could only make out the shadow of a man, no features, no face, just a shadow with short lighter hair.  Perhaps an older man, I couldn't be sure, but I knew there was somebody in the room with us and I was frozen to the spot, paralysed with fear.  Had someone broken in?  Was this figure an intruder?  Should I scream?  These thoughts were racing through my mind as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing.  I could tell the figure was watching me and, as I tried to nudge my boyfriend awake, with the tiniest nudges of my left hand, the figure began to move across the room.  Not so much a stride, a walk, nothing human, a silent glide across the bottom of the bed.

Still, I tried to wake up my boyfriend to warn him of our silent intruder, unable to speak.  Feeling unseen eyes staring at us, I finally managed to nudge my boyfriend awake, aware of the figure's presence at the end of the bed, his silence was almost deafening, a spectral onlooker - this time opposite my boyfriend.  He gave a grudging, 'what?' Before I whispered 'there's somebody in the room.'

'WHAT?' he had heard me.

I didn't know what else to do, so I just said, panicked, 'there's somebody in the room' over and over again until he sat up and switched the light on.

The figure had gone, the room was as we had left it, even the curtains were closed.  But he had been there.  I knew I had seen a third person in the bedroom.  I told my boyfriend about what had happened and we sat up for a few hours, trying to calm down, before drifting back to sleep.

I welcomed the bright morning sunshine, still shaken from the night before and the appearance of the figure at the bay window.  I asked my boyfriend to keep quiet about the experience; I didn't really know his Cousin (lovely as they were) and, didn't want to upset them.  Obviously, he went to them straight away to tell them the story over breakfast.

In the end I was glad he did, The Cousin regaled us with a similar story that had happened to him a few months before.  Not only that, it seemed we were staying at the family home on the anniversary of The Cousin's Fiancee's Grandfather's death and he had made several appearances to other guests staying in the house.  It seemed to trigger a visit from him, when there were strangers staying in the house.  He liked to make his presence known and find out a little bit about them!  The Cousin's Fiancee made a joke about her Grandfather visiting me and not her, safe to say I was still quite shaken to have considered it an honour!

That was the first and only full apparition I've seen, my relationship ended soon after that, so I never ventured back to Aldershot.  The experience has stayed with me and, at the time, reignited my interest in the paranormal.  So I suppose, for that, I'm very thankful the inquisitive spirit made his presence known to me!

Have you had any scary experiences?  I would absolutely love to hear from you!  

 

A Not-So Creative Friday!

Well, if someone would like to tell me where they hid October, I would be entirely grateful!  Seriously, where has this month gone?  It only seems like yesterday I was moaning about an 'official Indian Summer' and basking in the aftermath of my anniversary with Mr Peachy!  Now, Halloween is fast approaching, I've got about three days to do my challenge project for #CraftBlogClub and I have been forced to accept that Christmas really is just around the corner!

My tutorials and Creative Fridays have been a little quiet of late - not intentionally, of course, I've just been so busy with EVERYTHING!  I'm currently sat in bed with the laptop, enveloped in a very welcome quiet, whilst my poorly little girl sleeps her sore throat off next door - bless her!  Sometimes, for everyone, things just get a little too much and you need to take stock of what you are doing and HOW you are getting it done!  I spoke to one of my absolute favourite people in the world today and she said 'I don't know how you do it all.'  The trouble is, neither do I!

This month has been a whirlwind of knitting up some lovely gnome orders for some lovely people and deciding on the best way to package them!  These dudes are coming along nicely and, rest assured, I've been working my little behind off to finish them all - I can't wait to get them sent out to their new homes for Christmas, once they are all ready, of course!

I've also set myself the task of learning to crochet, ready for Tuesday's BIG CHALLENGE REVEAL at #CraftBlogClub - I can't wait to post the results (unless it all goes horribly wrong) as I've had this idea since I launched the challenge.  I'm really excited to see everyone's finished results - judging from last month, the standard will be spectacular, I'm sure!

I've taken to the kitchen again and created a wonderfully indulgent winter recipe, which will be published in the coming days over on Yahoo - I can't wait to share it with you guys, here's a sneaky pic to whet the appetite!

I was also really lucky to spend a little bit of time back at home, with my Mum, after a short bout of illness and a little bit of teething pain with Miss Daisy.  Home comforts are just what you need when you're feeling a little weak and, as my parents live all the way down in Somerset, I don't get to see them as much as I would like!  But it was lovely to have a short break and I can't wait to spend Christmas down South again this year!

So What Now??

Well...I mentioned I would do my first Handmade Giveaway, when I reached 100 followers on Bloglovin'...and I've since crept up to 126 followers, so a HUGE thank you to my followers new and old.  I'm currently designing a special little something to make and giveaway and this will be up on the site as soon as possible!  Don't worry - I'll tweet the hell out of it so you won't miss a chance to enter!

I have also decided to sign up for November's Blog A Day challenge - where I shall be posting a blog each day!! I've decided to use some of the set prompts, but have also come up with a few of my own, with the help from a few Twitter friends!  I see November as a real chance to write about a few more personal things - as well as the usual concoction of #CraftBlogClub, recipe, crafty goodness there will be a few more unusual posts thrown in.  Is there anything you would like to ask me?? Go ahead...I might just write about it in November!

Things are also going great with the Frugally Fabulous Year and I'm so excited that so many people want to take part - button to follow guys (remember I'm practically a technophobe, aside from typing)!  I've spent the last week thinking about posts and things I want to try and discuss - frugal is our name, sustainability and saving are our game! 

I'VE DUSTED OFF MY NOVEL!

That's right, my little novel has been sat, half finished, for about two years and, after dreaming about it, I have decided now is the time to set to work finishing this piece!  I am keeping it all under wraps for now - but I'm so excited to be writing it again!  This book is my (other) baby - I hope to be able to share it with you all in the not-so-distant future!

And Finally...

I am very excited to reveal I have been nominated for Blogger of the Month over at the wonderful site, Vintage Shopper.  I have been nominated for my post about searching for a vintage-inspired post-pregnancy wardrobe and I NEED YOUR VOTES!

I would absolutely love it, if you could pop over and VOTE HERE for me if you have a spare minute!  I loved writing this post and Vintage Shopper is such a great site to be affiliated with!  Thank you so much!

Well, I think that's about it from me...I'm off to plan, dream and hopefully CROCHET!

Stay Crafty! x

Ashes To Ashes: A Review of James Herbert's 'Ash'

Fan? Much? My cluttered bookshelf

Earlier this year, one of my favourite author's James Herbert, one of the most well-renowned horror writers, passed away.  He was 69 years old, no cause of death was published and, in my opinion, he has left a gaping hole in the world of horror fiction.

'Ash' was Herbert's last, and potentially his most controversial, novel to date.  A mammoth paperback at nearly 700 pages long, Just this fact alone set it apart from his usual quick-scare paperbacks.  The artwork was a mark of Herbert's usual foreboding, ghoulish imagery, but the tone of the book immediately felt slower paced, easing you in with several character introductions.  All this from a man who, in 'The Dark' (my first descent into Herbert-madness), shocked his reader with a particularly nasty killing by a 4 year-old, just 5 pages in.

Herbert chose to re-visit one of his familiar characters, skeptical and moody psychic investigator David Ash,for this story.  Those familiar with his character, will no doubt remember the traumas he suffered in 'Ghosts of Sleath' and 'Haunted', yet his indifference and quest to find rational explanations for strange goings-on remains un-perturbed.  Ash is hired by a mysterious group of people who run the equally mysterious 'Comraich Castle', a secret home from home for the both very rich and very disturbed, when a terrible and seemingly supernatural murder occurs within the grounds.  Cue exposed secrets, reams of 'dead' celebrity psychopaths, some particularly nasty and bloodthirsty wildcats and the suggestion of a secret royal son residing in the grounds, as the reader is taken on a twisted journey with Ash and his sudden sidekick, psychologist Delphine.

All in all, Herbert's last masterpiece is everything you would both want and expect from a horror story.  Herbert manages to provide his usual mix of grisly murders and intrigue throughout even if, at times it felt as though some of the most important characters and plot points were glossed over in favour of love scenes.  There were still plenty of shocks, gore and scares to carry me through the pages, though I didn't stay as gripped as I had done his other books, The Magic Cottage still being an unbeaten favourite.

I don't know if I felt this because I read this book post Herbert's death, but there was something chillingly finite about this book.  The controversy of the inclusion of such characters as Lord Lucan and other notable murderers from history, alongside Herbert's own dig at his previous works such as The Rats, suggest to me that he may even have known his time on this earth was limited, hence giving himself the freedom to push even more boundaries.  Either way, the lagging pace at certain points didn't make this book any less than enjoyable than the others and if Herbert wanted you to ponder the blurred line between fact and fiction ever after, he succeeded in doing so, in his unique, horrific way. 

Coming soon: A review of Jeanette Winterson's 'Why Be Happy, When You Could Be Normal?' 

Do you have book you would like me to review?  email missemmaberry@gmail.com