Day 334. Planners take note.

This is the most wonderful use of a disused petrol station. No wire fences. No tumble weed. No weeds in general. Just a well maintained site and three barns filled with antiques and collectibles. If you live near Northwold, drop in, the owner is extremely helpful and it's fast becoming a favourite shop when we need something for the house. Perhaps we're in tune with the shabby reference...

Day 333. Quirky or just plain weird?

After very little sleep I awoke to this.

There are lots of welcome touches in this hotel - a fabulous walk-in shower, over sized bed and sockets next to the bed - helpful for charging my ever present phone. As with most hotels there are numerous lighting options and I was intrigued to see what 'mood lighting' looked like. Basically the lamp above went from that... to this...

Feeling that? Maybe it's more 'put you in a mood' rather than 'put you in the mood'. Think I'll stick with the overhead light. Some would say I'm moody enough.

Day 332. The devil is in the detail.

Or rather the space invader is in the decal.

Tonight was the client event I've been working on for several months and it really is the little things that help to make it special.

I've spent the evening dressed '80s style, dancing to Springsteen, Prince and Duran Duran, all while making sure the customers that joined us had the time of their lives - oh yes you bet Bill Medley and Jennifer Warne was played. Finally hit my bed at 2am happy with the result and more than a little relieved that it went without a hitch.

Great team. I'm a lucky girl.

Day 331. NFN: Don't be a'llama'd.

Sometimes you see something out of the corner of your eye and your brain immediately tells you it's not what you think, just your imagination. The first time I spotted one of these faces peering at me through the hedgerow in our village I thought just that. I must have imagined it. There are so many horses near us I figured it was just the angle and the foliage. Then we stopped on the way home from school and there they were; two llamas, for real.

Living in Norfolk you begin to believe anything is possible. NFN. Hell yeah, just how we like it.

Day 330. Start them young.

Bea ever keen to earn a little money is helping Will's company make these signs which will be attached to electricity poles across the country. It's amazing how quickly she can work on something when there's the promise of a financial reward.

Day 329. Restraint is hard sometimes.

So hard not to shout BOO as indoor bowls comes to Lynn Sport, on a small scale at least. A bit like sitting on your hands when you know you'll only ask a stupid question, or keeping your lips firmly sealed when a vicar asks 'if anyone knows of any just cause....'. I picked up my cup of tea, headed past the bowlers and all without uttering a single word. I'm fairly sure I looked like a total nutter though.

Day 328. What's for dinner?

A day spent cooking. Bliss. And this slow roasted lamb filled the house with the most delicious smell for four hours and was then devoured in about four minutes. A slow day. A happy day.

Day 327. Tonight's the night.

It was a sad day for me when David Tennant uttered those now famous words "I don't want to go" and his time as the Doctor came to an end. But tonight, for one night only, he was back, joining Matt Smith and John Hurt for The Day of the Doctor and boy was it worth the wait.

Dare I say it though, as entertaining as this 50th anniversary episode was The Five(ish) Doctors, a 15 minute comedy written and directed by Peter Davison. If you didn't see it I whole heartedly recommend you track it down. Featuring Tennant, Matt Smith, John Barrowman and so many other darlings of the UK acting circuit this was the icing on the cake on this doctastic day.

Knock, knock....

Day 326. All wrapped up.

Bea has wrapped all of her Christmas presents. Not sure whether to be impressed or worried but at least that's one less thing to think about next month. My list on the other hand is looking decidedly long which is unlike me. What's that saying? 'If your life goes up in smoke it's time for a promotion.' As a self employed consultant that seems very achievable.

Day 325. 100,000 on the clock.

My little car clocked 100,000 miles today. I could see the big number approaching and hoped I'd be able to pull over as it ticked over from 99,999. The photo a day gods were clearly smiling down on me. Not special to look at but it's been a trusty vehicle all the same. I wonder how many more miles we'll travel together?

Day 324. Notes from a small isle.

That's Bill Bryson. I was lucky enough to get tickets to hear him talk about life in general and his new book One Summer in the glorious surroundings of Ely Cathedral. My friend Jane, as usual, pulled a blinder and found us front row seats also placing us directly in front of the book signing table.

If you're a Bryson fan you can imagine he's as charming and funny when he speaks as when he writes. I'll forever remember listening to the audio book of Notes from a Small Island as I drove home to Liverpool. At the end of the M62, I pulled up at the lights just as the narrator read "I arrived in Liverpool to find they were holding a festival of litter." Glancing right there were indeed a number of crisp packets and sweet wrappers dancing in the wind. I smiled, home is home and us Scousers learn at an early age to smile and wave at the criticism.

Bill had been asked to add an extra dimension to his talk by introducing some slides but after 10 minutes of frustrated clicking he admitted defeat and did what he does best; engaged the audience.

We were first in the queue to have our books signed and I even had my photo taken (fan girl). Top night and not a piece of litter in sight.

Day 323. St Paul and David.

Frantic day making last minute preparations for a client event. The venue is near St Paul's which is always a joy especially as the evening draws in. Then a late train home with the lovely David for company on iPlayer. Swoon.*

*There's no gin in that orange. I suspect I'm overtired. But he is a beaut. Again, swoon.

Day 322. Battered or flattered?

At the gym tonight, one of the TAs from Bea's pre-school was on the treadmill next to me. I smiled. She smiled politely. I smiled again and she looked properly then finally said hello. Later on when neither of us were sweating our way through another workout I went over to say hi properly and she admitted that she hadn't recognised me immediately and thought maybe I was someone she was at school with. Given the fact she's at least 10 if not 15 years younger than me, I'll take that as a compliment! I think most days I look battered, today though I'm feeling pretty flattered. Is it ok to eat a bag of chips now?

Day 321. In a flash.

There she goes. Another Sunday, another cross country race. Quicker than her last race but still tears at the end. Gotta admire her fighting spirit and her desire to improve but we need some perspective. Time for a Team Honeybone pep talk I think. If I can catch her.

Day 320. If you can't beat 'em.

Ely Cathedral knows how to host a Christmas market. Beautiful stalls, exquisite decorations and choral music. Heavenly. Even managed to join Bea and buy quite a few Christmas presents: silk scarves, beautiful hand made coasters and several items that are for me...

The only thing missing was a glass of mulled wine but I was driving. Also it was the middle of the day. Oh, and it's only November. I've been sucked in. It's not Christmas yet!!!

Check it out next year if you're in the area.

Day 319. 'Tis the season... hold on, not yet.

And so it begins.

November marks the start of the Christmas season here in West Norfolk, filling me with dread not joy. It's time for our school's annual German Christmas market. It starts with the story of St Martin (after whom the school is named) and descends from there on in to an evening of kids flying around the classrooms to look at numerous stalls selling everything from sweets to Christmas trinkets. I agreed to go for an hour with B and after a few short conversations with other parents, generally feeling sorry for ourselves, we headed home; B armed with most of her Christmas presents. Organised or what!? Must take after me.

Day 318. Snips and snails, no puppy dogs' tails though.

The fish may have died but the tank lives on for the sake of two snails. Heating, lighting, feeding, cleaning and generally spending money week in, week out for two tiny snails that may have contributed to the death of four fish. They may not not have too which is why they haven't been sent to animal farm. You know, the place where animals go when they get a little old?

Costly.

Day 317. Deep blue something.

Sneaked out for a cheeky pizza with the little one. It's easy to convince myself this is a relatively cultured trip when we have to pass this beautiful church in Kings Lynn. That is until five minutes later when we're wearing stick on moustaches while we wait for our dough balls...

Day 316. Attention to detail.

Attention to detail is the key when organising events. It's the little things that make it special. That's not to say the food, venue, theme and invitation process are insignificant. Screw these up and an event will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. But add those extra special touches and a great party becomes an exceptional party. I love these button badges. Inexpensive. Simple. Effective.

Events. Just one part of my job but one that I love.

Day 315. Feed the cake.

It may seem early but a Christmas cake tastes even better if it has time to mature. And time to be fed. With brandy.

So today I spent time in the kitchen, making a cake. It was a sensory overload and although it will be many weeks until we get to taste it, let's hope it tastes as good as it smells.

Day 314. Autumnal joy.

If you're feeling a bit low I totally recommend a walk around Oxbrugh Hall with an 8 year old. Well, I walked, she ran, everywhere. I can still remember running for the hell of it. And skipping. Hopping. Humming. Singing. If I could bottle that feeling I guarantee the black dog would need to be rehomed. Just running. Just because.

Day 313. *Beeping* scan.

I visited the new Tesco store to do my shopping today. I was persuaded to use the self-scanner and for the first 15 minutes it was relatively enjoyable. Pick, scan, place in bag. Pick, scan, place in bag. Then the novelty wore off. Pick, scan, rearrange packing to stop things getting crushed. Pick, weigh, scales not working, can't scan. My usual 30 minute shop took over an hour. The scanner was mocking me with its persistent beep: You don't know where the soft drinks are. Eggs? Now? Before you buy tins and bottles?

My 8 year old loved it. I would enjoy it more if the store was smaller. Or if I had more time on my hands. Who am I kidding? I hate shopping at the best of times. Add a store guide and then maybe I'll become tolerant. But don't bank on it.

Day 312. Lady Perdita of Huntingdon.

Over a decade ago we visited a Cambridgeshire farm to buy a cat. The only one left was the runt of the litter, smelly and mucky and living in a pig sty. I'd never owned a cat, we're dog people, but work lives meant if we wanted to have a substitute child, I mean pet, then a cat was the better option. In truth I was actually allergic to cats and the condition of getting one was that it must be short haired. But how could we leave her? She's timid and slightly feral. And we love her. On the mend after her corneal ulcer she's ruling the roost once more and that's fine with me. She's my other baby. With less attitude (but only just).

* a friend nicknamed her Lady Perdita of Huntingdon when we lived there as she's incredibly haughty.

Day 311. Baby it's cold outside.

Escaping North of the border for the day but there wasn't much time to take in this beautiful view, of a golf course. Today I have sat in a car, then an airport, then a plane, then a car, then an office, then a car, another airport and finally a car, but I did take just a few minutes to stop and take it all in. Ok, this may not be the most stunning view but after a day of being 'inside' I was happy with any outside space, despite the cold.

Day 310. Devious distractions.

Perhaps not sensible to pick up these before I started work this morning. From Moran's caustic wit, and Vogue's aspirational grandeur, to Christmassy wonderments, they have called to me all day. Eventually I had to give in. For the sake of work. I'd never have got anything done otherwise.

Day 309. Whiteboards? Where's the fireworks?

A day of planning in GPS HQ today. All good plans start with a 'write-on-the-wall' activity and this one was no exception. No fireworks. Just a team keen to develop a 2014 strategy that focuses on excellence and where we constantly push ourselves to try new and different approaches.

Day 308. Keep breathing.

Ticking off items on a to do list. Updating spreadsheets. Working on a large client event. Desperately trying to keep my head above water at home. I think it's time to invest in some breathing apparatus.

Day 307. Patiently waiting.

A belated Halloween get together with friends. Bea waits, patiently, at the window. This serene scene was transformed several minutes later.

Day 306. Meet Shimmer.

The latest addition to our family. He's a Siamese Fighting Fish and adds a touch of glamour to our sorry looking fish tank. We also picked up two snails that have already begun cleaning the tank from top to bottom, or rather, bottom to top.

And 'Shimmer'? That's what you get when you let an 8 year old name your pets. Shimmer!

Day 305. Couch potatoes.

After four days with friends a 1.2 mile run was just the job for clearing away poor weather cobwebs. Not for me. There are however plans afoot to change that very soon.