What You Focus On Grows

What You Focus On Grows!

This is the title of a great new song by my best English friend Stephen Russell ( the one with the jacket and pink guitar) aka Barefoot Doctor, and Leakster. You can see and hear “Get Spanky!” on Youtube, 

 

you can buy it on i-store, and you can utterly enjoy it: it’s really uplifting music that makes your heart happy, your eyes bright and your body moving!

As I have told you I “lost” my garden when we moved to Berlin - but I gained a wonderful city, so: no complaining about that, especially as our beautiful flat has a large balcony – where “Gardening in High Heels” is so much easier. :-)

We moved in the middle of November 2010, and you can imagine that I had other things to do than garnish my balcony.  But while unpacking many chests, I dreamed of spring and summer.

What you focus on grows.

At least: it hibernated.   On my balcony stood some refugees from Hamburg: five pots with roses, and   clematis, lavender, catmint and Cranesbills. In the cold, cold winter my fugitives shivered in ice and snow.  I protected them with that air-cushioned foil nervous people like to crush between their fingers – we had lots and lots of it from padding the moving chests.  

 

All winter I doodled plans of what I would plant on my balcony – till Husband reminded me gently that once in a while he wanted to sit on the balcony too, without using a machete to chop through the roses. I, sleeping beauty, refused to lend my ear.  But I threw out the over-dimensioned teak-table we had imported from our terrace in Hamburg.  I changed it by mere wishcraft:  I detected it in a shop-window of the KaDeWe: an unusual oblong white French table – “No, sorry, Love: this is not to be sold – it is decoration!”

So I focused on it – every time I passed the shop windows. And by chance (and courage and persistency) I got it: What you focus on grows!  

 

 

The first new plant on it was a pot of beautiful horned violets that Stephen bought me on the farmers market at the Winterfeldplatz. It was very early in March – but: What you focus on grows. 

 

And then the roses started to grow leaves, “Gertrude Jekyll”, “Abraham Darby”, “New Dawn” “Auguste Luise”, and a dark red Austin-rose just start to bloom!  

 

 

That proves it: What you focus on grows!

Getting Things Done

I simply LOVE organising. And, as you may guess, I love pink. Organising gives structure and makes me feel in control (haha). Everybody knows the effect of To-Do-Lists (I love to cross out a task that is done) - and I possess more than one Filofax (though I only use one now - otherwise it would get very complicated). Especially at the beginning of a new year I have the feeling to start afresh - though on a minor scale I get that virtuous feeling every Monday (not for me the song "Tell me why I do hate Mondays").
Nowadays I have my To-Do-List almost everytime in the same room where I am. Before that I had splendid ideas in the bath/kitchen or living room - and then I forgot them easily. 
A big item creating disorder are newspaper - Daily newspapers, and Good Housekeeping etc. Now I have started to read a newspaper or journal with a pen in my hand - I mark what I think is worth keeping, cut that article out AT ONCE or write the interesting web-address on an index card.
I don't know how long this system will be used by me - at the moment it works nicely.
One tip from a very old household book I really appreciate: they wrote that you should put on your make-up before starting to do housework (or paperwork).
I do - it makes me feel better ( as does making the bed in the morning) - and you never know: the postman always rings twice :-)