Masterplan, what masterplan?

Forgive me bloggers I have sinned - it's been 10 days since my last blog and in that time I've been guilty of sloth, gluttony, anger - in fact you name it, I'm guilty of it.

Something strange happened in my head after Friday's tutorial - it's like someone told me I was on holiday or something!

Anyway - now I've checked out the other blogs and see how hard everyone is working, thinking about Hadlow and researching ideas, I feel SO guilty. I will start tomorrow (got to go shopping today).

I have nothing further to offer you - no lovely images, no sketches from my sketch book. But take my word for it, my christmas tree looks beautiful, and I've been out to a Carol Service at Southwark Cathedral and a big Christmas Party at The Science Museum. So it only goes to prove that you can't do this course and enjoy yourself as well - it's one or the other.

I promise to say a few Hail Jamies and get straight back on the case.

Prevaricating

I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to actually do some work on the 3 options for Hadlow. I have tidied the room, put all my pencils in order of colour and size, straightened my desk, written a few christmas cards, stared out of the window, made tea, shuffled papers, flicked through Garden Design Journals, watched Gardeners World (well it's sort of work).

Now it's nearly 10pm and I'm no further forward.

In the words of the song "there may be trouble ahead".

I am not without hope - I'm sure once I get started, there will be a veritable landslide of ideas flooding from my head onto the page. I can feel them bubbling away just beneath the surface, and just out of reach. Let's hope that tomorrow will be slightly more productive and when Monday dawns I won't let myself down too badly.

Wish me luck - I think I'm going to need it!

I thought I'd have a go at putting some of my Hadlow photos on here - just to get me in the right frame of mind and concentrate my thoughts.

Strengths - the lovely River Bourne!





Weaknesses - the main entrance







Opportunities - the majestic plane trees

Threats - so many cars!

Well, it's a start I guess.

Frost pocket

It really is amazing you know.......I went to Hadlow today to mooch about and take some photos and have a look at the info in the library.... and I was happily driving down the M2o in the sunshine, window down, singing along to the Foo Fighters. And then I went down Seven Mile Lane and turned onto the A26 and the sign says "Hadlow 3 miles" and then, wham, suddenly, dense fog. Had to put my lights on and slow down to about 70.

You can read all the info and listen to Kemal going on about it, but on a day like today you could really experience what it means to be in a microclimate. As I came down the hill towards the A26 the temperature dropped palpably (is that a word? I hope so).

Anyway - the sun did come out at Hadlow in the end and I got some reasonable photos (to add to my collection of 3 million photos of Hadlow from every conceivable angle and in every sort of weather). But I guess if you actually live there, and never go anywhere else, you would think that the world is a very cold and misty place in early December.

On that profound note, I must leave you, I have wine to drink.

Monday again

Well, had a few comments about my last blog! Sorry, but I believe that diaries (design or otherwise) have to see you through the good times and the bad, and the run up to the last sketch design was one of the bad!

Anyway - it's all over now, and I'm feeling better. I thought the display of our work looked good on the wall in the corridor - I really liked Julie's, and I really liked Claire's. In fact, there was such a lot of good stuff that I got even more depressed and haven't felt like talking to my blog for over a week!

So, now we've got like a week to do what feels like a month's worth of work! Cancel the Christmas shopping, it's Hadlow for me, not Bluewater. Just my luck that I also have to do a presentation for Tom Turner next Monday. Don't expect much!

Well - I've got nothing in my sketchbook to share with you, so I thought I'd add a photo but it looks like it's my turn for the image uploader thingy to not work! Why is that? It's really frustrating!

Oh well - maybe next time!