Getting to know you, getting to feel free and easy...

So my Personal Songbird Filo has been following me around for the last 3 weeks, and I thought I'd write up about how we're getting on.

It's taking a little while to really get to know each other. We hit it off straight away in our first week together at University, with the diary pages being useful for reminders as I revised for some exams, and the to do pages immediately making themselves useful.

Week 2 together saw me start a placement working with a vet close to home so the diary pages became a sort of mini journal of notable events during the day. I can't really include pictures of week 2 notes because I've written farm and animal names so sorry but it's client confidentiality!
It was after it became obvious that Filo wasn't keen on having her diary pages beyond Jan 2011 that I think we started to get cozy during week 2, mostly reading the Philofaxy blog together over a cup of tea: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/
We shared vet contacts in the address section - it's much handier to have all of these with the diary, and I even trusted Filo to look after my debit card so it's always to hand.

Week 3 has zipped past with my Filo gently but insistently reminding me to send my rent, and that I was going to see Cirque du Soleil on Thursday, as well as continuing to be a little journal of my placement. Filo also helpfully and instantly provided me with a pen, note paper, and proved herself to be trustworthy with my debit card when I had to call Apple to get a new MBP charger after mine died.
It's during this last week that we've really started to bond. I have added a goals section - writing a bucket list and starting my 101 goals in 1001 days list, and a list of books to read this summer.
The colourful pages included have become home to a sort of 'creative' section, where I've jotted a few quotes that I've come across, and ideas for little projects. This is a sort of commonplace book section inspired by GeorgieR on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/funfilledgeorgie/191042981/
and Silver_Elixir: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25983610@N07/2983766862/
After reading Gala Darling (http://galadarling.com/article/a-filofax-love-affair) together, we've realised there is much more potential and week 4 hopefully will see a few more additions and modifications especially at the front. Eventually I hope opening my filo will be as much fun for me as it must be for NHgrrl! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nhgrrl/4752694768/)

So this is how Filo looks now: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edrinkall/sets/72157624293715851/
Filo seems to be telling me she wants some photo/picture/sketch additions to the section dividers, and I think that's only fair given all the work she's put into our relationship so far!

What more can I say? I've not looked back since my Moleskine developed a terminal case of "Planner fail" (see Plannerisms blog : http://www.plannerisms.com/2010/02/countdown-to-fail.html) and we seem to be getting along nicely.

PS: Don't tell me it's not normal to have a relationship with my filofax. I know. I can't help it.