Well hello there...
I hope you're all feeling refreshed after that extra hour in bed?  I can't really say that I am, but that's got more to do with the three-day-decorating-marathon I just completed with my dad than a sleep shortage.  Yep, that's right - I have another room under my belt.  Here's a photo of it one coat in - and keep an eye on Twitter for the finished article once I've got it straight again...
When I haven't been preoccupied with my pad this week I've been working on an application for an internship.  Okay, so I might look a bit old for work experience, but this one is designed for us slightly more "experienced" folk who want to try something new.  I showed my first draft to my mate Vicky.  After politely nodding at my gushing prose on how much I loved the company and why  I was suited to it, she suggested that I should instead tell them my story.
"Eh?"  Even as a writer, the concept baffled me.
"It's at a magazine, so they'll want someone who has been on a journey that they can share with their readers."
I nodded as I made notes.  Now, not only did I need to convince them that I wouldn't be a complete waste of space, I wanted to make myself sound worthy of such an opportunity.  So I went for it.  And, whilst I don't know whether spending the last 13 years trying to make other people's lives better will impress them or not, I hope that admitting that it is only in my 30's that I feel able to pursue the dreams I've had since I was a teenager will resonate with someone on the shortlisting panel.
And, if it doesn't, I won't give up.  If I do, I know I'll live to regret it - not because I might miss my chance, but because I don't want to live my life thinking "what if?"  Besides, as the little plaque my mum once bought me says;
"Reach for the moon.  If you don't make it, you'll still be among the stars."
Okay, so as a statement it might be factually incorrect, but as a proverb it is one that I'm living by.  I recommend you give it a go too.

Ay-up!
Yes!  It's me!  On a Saturday afternoon rather than a Sunday evening!  I'd like to say that my slightly-earlier-than-usual blog has some significance and, to be fair, it does.  It signifies... procrastination.
You see, I have two hours before I head out to my mate's 30th birthday do but, quite honestly, everything on my to-do list is filling me with something other than enthusiasm.  I've made a start on my decorating task for the weekend, but I've run out of paint.  Of course, I could spend an hour prepping the rest of the woodwork in the hall but, quite honestly, I don't really fancy it.  It's physically tiring, gets dust everywhere and is really quite boring.  The other options are to ring npower and try to sort out a dispute about my electricity supplier (read:  major headache) or to make a start on re-writing the first few chapters of my latest writing project - a project I'm very excited about, but I feel exhausted  even thinking about the task in hand.  Uff!
So here I am, blogging away.  And I'm running out of things to say.  Which means I probably need to stop typing and go do something else.  Suddenly scrubbing the toilet and tackling the washing up seem very appealing...

Well hello my pretties...
I trust your weekend has treated you well?  I have to admit I've been feeling a bit under the weather (bloody tonsils) but I've refused to let my sniffles and general lack of energy get the better of me.  Oh, no.  Instead, I've been doing what us frugal Northerners do best - indulging in a bit of a bargain hunt - and boy has it given me a boost!  This week I've been...

FREECYCLING!
Or rather, spending my Wednesday evening putting together a desk I picked up gratis from the website with my mate - in exchange for food and wine, of course.  And, believe you me, sans instructions, it proved more challenging than the Crystal Maze.  You see - free entertainment with your free furniture.  What's not to like?

UPCYCLING!
Oh yes... and I finally finished my funky book case!  WOOO HOOO!

CAR BOOTING!
I've flexed my bargain-hunting muscles a tad further today and picked up a couple of bar stools from a car boot in Wimbledon for the princely sum of £1.50.  For the pair.  Yes, REALLY.  The sad thing is, if the market had been closer to home, I could have got myself four dining table chairs for a tenner, but the taxi home would have negated any cash saved on such a price.  But that doesn't mean I can't keep my eyes peeled for boot sales in Walthy...

So yes, I am feeling rather pleased with myself.  But don't get me wrong - such frugality comes at a price.  I dread to think how many hours went into that bookcase, and getting my desk together took a lot of perseverance - and tea.  As for the bar stools?  Well, they need a lick of paint and a bit of upholstering, but after all the funny looks I got as I transported them across London via train, tube and bus, that is the least of my worries.  But I can't wait to see my latest bargain once it's been tarted up - and the faces of my guests when I tell them the stool they are perched on cost all of 75p...

Evening!
Well you can all give yourselves a pat on the back - you got through Monday!  Hurrah!  I admit I had a relatively easy one, in that I was off work and at my parents after spending the weekend lunching and window-shopping with my mum and walking (for 12 miles!) with my dad - not unusual activities when with Mama and Papa Berry.  Today, however, I spent my last day back home visiting their solicitor to get my will sorted out and mooching over to the local NHS walk-in centre with ANOTHER dose of tonsillitis.  Which means that tomorrow I will be making an appointment to see my GP so I can bully him into whipping them out...