Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Little Blue Book


It's never too early to start planning for the summer, or for the rest of your life for that matter.  Hence the birth of the Blue Book.  Our Blue Book is also Green, in that it's been repurposed from its original raison d'etre (I don't really know what that was as it was Michael's book but let's not worry about that right now, perhaps Michael will add a comment to this post and let us know what the original purpose of the Blue Book was). (ooooh, maybe it was his little black book!!) Obviously, it didn't get used up for that purpose (whatever that was) because he removed just a few pages with an Xacto knife and voila - new Blue Book!

We are using the Blue Book to help us plan for our trip east to PEI & Crofters Lane this summer. It now contains (after rifling through all of my mess of papers from last summer's two trips) phone numbers of those folks we may need to get in touch with like the driveway guy who also repairs and replaces septic systems, things we need to take with us like bedding and towels, things we need to purchase like an ax and a bed, a prioritized (eventually) list of things we want to change and add to our property, everything from an outdoor shower to a labyrinth & gazebo in the forest. 


Places we want to visit, decorating ideas, utility companies, neighbours names and phone numbers, stuff to list on kijiji to raise $$ for our trip, name and phone number of the plumber and electrician, where to buy a lobster pot, how to rig up a spit over the firepit and on and on. We have so many ideas we can't keep them all in our heads. So as a wise man once said to me "on paper, off mind".  


Who was that wise man??

21 comments:

  1. I am a planner by nature. So I, of course, love this idea.
    I feel like things have a better chance of getting completed if it is written down.

    Good luck with your little blue book.

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  2. I'm so jealous! I wanna spend the summer on an island! well not Galveston though that's the closest to me!
    Are you staying the entire summer?!

    Susanna

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  3. What a lovely book :) I was looking at the calendar today and realized that in 65 days we'll be heading out east :) We'll be leaving here on July 1 and have to be back home by the 13th not quite 2 weeks but it will be enough time to see and do and visit. When do you guys plan on leaving for PEI?
    Hugs

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  4. I love lists and anything to do with lists. I even save my old lists. I need help. I keep the Thanksgiving food list and haven't had to rewrite it for years. Trip lists, food lists, chore lists.......I could do this for day.
    Please keep me posted!

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  5. This is a great idea!! I keep a folder in my tote of different decorating and landscape ideas. And the outside shower, we have one at this house and we love it!! I can't wait to build one at the new house.

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  6. Niki: I'm with you - if I don't write it down it doesn't get done 'cause I forget about it.(The older you get the worse your memory gets too!)

    Susanna: it's not exactly a tropical island, it's BETTER! You can come visit - we'll be there from July 1st to mid August.

    Johanna: we're leaving the same day, that is if I'm ready. I work right til June 30th this year. However that's what the book is for - to remind me what to take and what to pack! Let's meet up somewhere! I'm thinking we should have a meeting of the bloggers!

    SonyaAnn: I'm a list person too. Right now on my desk I see...NINE lists of various kinds. Like you some I keep and some I don't.

    Lisa: that is so cool. We'll be asking you for some handy tips when we are ready to make ours!

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  7. thanks Jane but I just remembered that HUGE bridge you had a while back..don't think I wanna go over that thing! eeks! It looks pretty - I'm not big on sand and sun anyways - I hate summers period though winter here isn't anywhere near what ya'll have up there!

    they dont' have schools there where you could teach and go ahead and move out there?

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  8. Who's that wise man? I want some cool advice like that! Can I "friend" him somewhere?
    Great idea and I may copy you if you don't mind. I mean, I'm not going to the Island but you know what I mean.
    Happy Day!
    m.

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  9. Jane: only 1 book? You should see my files..a yellow folder from the previous owner, a folder I started when I went out in Nov. and Caron gave me a pink folder she made for me and I've since started a decorating one and one for hydro, one for lawyer and on and on it goes..folder "heaven"..now I need to color code some tabs or something..then there's got to be a gardening folder...yikes..it's all exciting..love L.Dee

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  10. Okay I have a self professed list addiction and yet SonyaAnn beats me completely. I LOVE the idea of saving the shopping list from year to year. My holiday meal never changes yet I can never remember what I need when I get to the store. This is a great book Jane as I'm sure there are many things to do and fix in the time before you do the final move and this way you'll have everything nicely sorted before that comes.

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  11. Jane, a meeting of bloggers sounds like a good idea. I heard that some PF bloggers are meeting in the US for networking and strategizing ways to make more money from their blogs. I'd be more interested in having a good cup of coffee with new friends, lol!
    Will you be posting while you are in PEI?

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  12. Susanna: yes there is the bridge issue but there's also an airport and the ferry and in the winter you can probably walk across on the ice lol!

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  13. Mark: I have my very own wise man (life coach) though being coached sometimes 24/7 can be a bit much so then I have to have a tantrum or something just to keep it REAL! (for me!) At least I don't have to pay his hourly rates or I really be in debt right now! Seriously? He's amazing!

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  14. Lannie: oh I have lots of folders, a whole big metal box full of them, my blue book is for the coming trip and subsequent trips after that of things we want to accomplish this summer, sort of a checklist, plus ideas, wishlist, goals etc.

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  15. Marguerite - a few things I've written in my blue book come from your posts, such as checking the health of my hedgerow, checking for vole damage, care of my couple of apple trees and so on. No doubt more will be added re plants/trees/garden as time goes by:)

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  16. Auntie Eboo: you bet I'll be posting from PEI! And re bloggers meetup, it would be fun to do one for London and area too!

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  17. I love this! It's this sort of thing that keeps our 'eyes on the prize'!

    We have a simialar size moleskine which we fill with holiday reminders..ticket stubbs etc..you've inspired me to do a post on it...and as for Portugal planning..I have one of those BIG planning pads...I have notebook issues!!

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  18. Jane, I might be able to hook you up with some contacts for plumbing and such. No promises. I work for a cousin in PEI who does print and I do many jobs for plumbers, electricians, and all kinds of folk - plus, he's been living there for a number of years and might be able to give some good contacts. Let me know if you need some help in that area. I just did some work for an electrician who's growing and then there's a guy who does decks and shower installs, etc. - he hails from Australia. You know how to reach me. I can only give you contacts but maybe a good thing??

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  19. Laura - you and I have similar goals and perhaps that's why we've both resorted to notebooks to keep everything on track. If I don't then there are bits and pieces all over the house. I'm not the most organized person in the world so I need my little books!

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  20. Beansgood: thankyou!! it's so wonderful to know some people who know some people as you never know who to trust. I will be in touch should we need a name or two. Bear mind we aren't doing any MAJOR stuff til we live there for keeps (about 3 years, give or take.)

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  21. How did I miss this post? What a great idea. I love everything in one place that you can access. Too many papers...too much confusion. GREAT idea Jane, as usual!

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