How hard can it be? .............

Inside Happisburgh lighthouse

Whilst I have never been a subscriber of the “ what’s the worst that can happen" camp (possibly because I’ve lived with a catastrophiser for 30 years so know on a regular basis 🙄), I have come to realize that I _am_ a follower of the “ it can’t be that hard” brigade.

This has seen me embark on any number of projects over time - most of which would never have been started had I known how hard the reality would be - not a bad thing perhaps? But certainly naive. There’s the time I decided that cutting hair can’t be that hard, upholstering a chair, designing an online masters programme, playing the accordion...... I could go on.

Anyhow - marry that with an inherited approach of “it’ll do” ( thanks Dad) and there you have a recipe for not exactly disaster - but certainly for unexpected outcomes.

So once again I embark on a new project with the same mix of naivete and pragmatism. Having been watching ( for watching read obsessed by) many YouTube channels for the last year - most specifically The Chateau Diaries, Doing it Ourselves, Rosie Henshaw and LiZiqi - I have decided how hard can it be?

Who would have thought that spending time watching as others engaged in their lives would be so fascinating, interesting and - to be honest - consuming. I have found that (whilst not quite an advertiser's dream) I am quite susceptible to being influenced by what I watch.

Take, for instance Outlander - an obsession of mine both of the books and the TV series, I knitted a lot of gauntlets and cowl scarves, started growing herbs for medicinal purposes and have a longing to go to Scotland (perhaps to go through the stones and meet Jamie !!).

Downton Abbey sees me wanting to mooch around in tassled chiffon and partake of afternoon tea.

Likewise, The Chateau Diaries has made me collect vintage china and enabled me to utilise special things I own - because what's the point of living in a museum? I have also never bought so many dresses as I have this last year (it panders to my dream of wafting around wearing laura ashley frocks in flower meadows). I've even done a make-over on my picnic basket with china and with linen napkins - and I don't think I've been on a picnic for about 5 years! 

Rosie (and a few more like her) just make me want to buy up the whole of Home Bargains and Poundland and showcase my haul. Finally, my short stint watching Mrs Hinch found my house to be cleaner that it ever has been with minky's , zoflora and Lenor sprays -however I soon gave up watching - too much even for me!

So, as I mention, how hard can it be? I have decided to start my own You Tube chanel, I have filmed my first vlog for release next week and lessons have been learned:

# 1: Brush your hair

#2: make sure you do not have a stain on your t-shirt that cannot be seen by the naked eye but the camera can pick out every tiny detail.

#3: Know that your voice will never be as you think it sounds - nothing I can do about that

# 4: Look at the camera - it's hard not to be distracted by seeing yourself on screen and eyes tend to drift across. This has the effect for the audience that you are not interested in them (I am - need to get better at that).

 I am giving myself a crash course in editing using imovie, filming everything that moves and trying to think of things that may be of interest and will help me find my "voice". I think my focus will hopefully marry my skills as an occupational therapist, and as a facilitator along with my diverse interests. My life is really not that exciting and certainly no match for Stephanie at the Chateau or Li-Ziqi (please go take a look if you have never seen them, I would love to know what you think). but I hope that you may find something of interest and if nothing else, it will be a diary for me to capture my retirement and maybe the first year of how this goes.

My You tube Channel - Ichabod's Day will officially launch next week - I will hope to have a vlog posted each week in the first instance and see where it goes from there. Please feel free to take a look, subscribe and press the notifications so you will be alerted with each post. Thanks for your support:

Here is the link to my channel: Ichabods Day