Um... I've been sick - that's why I haven't been posting. Yep. That's what it is. No, I didn't get the sore throat, but I've definitely had Januaryitis. Never mind Ms 15 with her glandular fever. When they develop a blood test for my condition, maybe I'll get as much sympathy and concern as she's been getting.

I seem to get it each summer when we spend the school holidays at home. My circadian rhythms slew off course. I fall into the stupid, stupid, stupid pattern of sleeping in, then going to bed late. Over and over and over. That causes more lethargy, and so by the time the kids are back at school, I'm really struggling.

Throw in your typical late summer heat and humidity, and then the occasional stupidly early morning (for our Saturday morning community bike ride), and I'm totally cactus. While Ms 15 is bouncing back from what appears to be a fairly mild dose of Glandular Fever, right now I'm the one who feels inexplicably fatigued. (Though yesterday the chiropractor attacked my adrenal glands, and I feel a bit more sane today.)

In my defence, I haven't actually been achieving nothing in all this time - even though my natural tendency is to focus on what I haven't done, rather than what I have.

Our Tassie bike trip is looming fast, and I have spent many days agitating, via email, for all the participants to respond and to help make decisions on who is bringing what, where we are meeting, what we are eating, the route, etc etc. I'm also trying to coordinate what we, as a family, need to take - and what else I might need to buy. Tick, tick, tick. Now entering the STRESS zone over it all, as it is now just under 2 weeks till blast off.

I've done netball meetings, netball newsletters, sourced and organised new netball uniforms for the association, updated the website with rego details, and worried about when I'm going to find the time to do a website makeover.

I've done a BUG (Bicycle User Group) meeting, and I've been trying to coordinate organising a club jersey (and resisting the urge to scream at people who reckon we should go with x or y company 'cos their stuff is cheap, never mind that their size range is unsuitable for the non-athletic types we are encouraging to get on bikes with the BUG) and also worried about when I'm going to find the time to do a complete website makeover.

I have been worrying about Ms 15 - trying to suss out whether she just feels unfit from lack of activity, or whether some of it is still the GF, and whether she will be ok for Tassie. (She is not feeling the need for lots and lots of sleep, so we suspect it has just been fitness.) Given her reversion to her normal habit of staying up late, despite my pleas for her to look after herself, I'm pretty much ready to pronounce her totally recovered. (And having escaped lightly.)

We have been trying to get a bit of tandem and triple riding in, in preparation for the Tassie trip - easing Ms 15 into it gradually. But despite riding last weekend, and doing swim squad on Monday, somehow I've done no exercise the rest of this week, and so am quite disgusted with myself.

I am back to taxi driving my kids hither and thither after school, and wondering how I'm going to fit in my exercise with all their stuff and a husband who plays Touch three nights a week. (There's this thing called DINNER you see...)

I have enrolled in my TAFE course [Cert IV Information Technology (Websites)], and it starts on Monday. Eek!

I spent a day last week timekeeping at Ms 10's school swimming carnival, and being very proud of her going in every event, even the 100m freestyle, and the 200m medley, and so ending up being age champion again - despite the fact that the sports teacher announced it incorrectly at the school assembly the following day. (The results sheet that came home had her down as 11yrs champion, and the points add up.) She is SO a convert to the 'got to be in it to win it' attitude now. (The only 11yrs girl to go in every event. Did I mention I am so very very proud of her?!)

I've not had the headspace for blogging (ie. I've felt too guilty about the time it takes me to compose a blog post) and I am feeling like this blog might have had its day. I think it has just about served its purpose for me. I started it to practise my writing, and I do think that I have improved over the 2 or so years that I have been doing it. Alongside my web design course, I intend to pursue my writing as well, with a grand plan to get stuff published - magazine/feature writing of course - I don't have an imaginitive bone in my body - and 2009 is shaping up to be the year to reinvent myself. A new blog, a new look. A new me. With my usual time management issues (which is code for 'procrastination over housework') I need to focus on getting my act together - a challenge with the whole Januaryitis thing on top of everything else.

(And while I'm about it, lose the dumb weight I put on over Christmas and January.)

So, posting here will be sporadic for a while, until I set myself up somewhere new. Of course, I can't help myself - I do seem to have an unhealthy addiction to maintaining an online presence. (Hey world, this is ME. Oi! ) But I'll be making do with Twitter, and Facebook (which I finally joined, but use merely as a quick and easy diary/journal, not all the other rubbish.) Right now it's the more appropriate course for a time-poor procrastinator.

I'll still find time, of course, to keep reading my fav' blogs... so I'll continue to buzz around like an annoying mosquito and I'll post here occasionally.. maybe more photos than anything else...

If you want to keep up with me, there's always the dreaded Facebook (link to the right), and I'll try and keep Twittering as well (which doubles up on Facebook.) I promise I don't participate in the typical Facebook crap (much like I don't indiscriminately forward chain emails) My "wall" is my diary, and not a mindless joining or clicking on causes.

Wish me luck in my 'recovery' eh?