Filo still on the go!

Okay so I hit Uni and clearly abandoned the blog. Sorry!

It's ok though, Filo has been with me throughout this time, at least keeping the rest of my life in order!
She looks quite alot worse for wear now though, life hasn't been all that easy for her, bless. In hindsight the more substantial outlay for a leather (preferably Kendal) binder might have been sensible!

If only Filofax would pair up with Millican to create the ultimate binder!

Logic finds a job

Ok so I wrote about how a few intersting things had happened in my last post, and the best has to finding a job for Logic to do.

I'm currently using my logic as a 'fitness filofax' recording runs, routes, exercise as well as plans for workouts, events etc.

Photo's and details to follow at the weekend.
In the meantime if your interested in the reason behind my new found fitness motivation and what I'm doing, you can check out http://wholeheartedrun.blogspot.com/http://wholeheartedrun.blogspot.com/

Fabric filofax disaster averted

Apologies for the significant absence of blog posts lately... You wait for something interesting to write about and then 3 turn up at once.

So today I toddled off into Uni with my filo in my bag, insulated mug of tea in hand. On the way back I'd finished my tea and stashed the mug in my bag with filo. Big mistake!
The orange print of the company logo on my freebie thermos had rubbed onto the fabric of Filo! Horrid orange blur on the front cover, over my little song birds!
Filo was starting to get a little tatty around the ages but I couldn't have this...
Resourceful student thinking set in and I tentatively pulled up a Johnson's make up remover face wipe... With some gentle prelimminary dabs to see what might happen, and then a bit of cautious rubbing I removed most of the orange.
You can still see a faded orange shade on the white bits, but no where near as bad as it was!

So fabric filofax fans, Johnson's face wipes are one to remember!

Filofax update.

Soooo it's been a hectic week!
Moved out of one house at Uni, and into another, had to go back to clean the old one, including the carpets, and had to resit an exam to keep me in Vet School.
Luckily my filo kept me sane and organised and severly reduced stress by giving me a list of cleaning jobs, times cleaning equipment was rented and needed to be returned, memory jogging notes, and of course essential exam details from our online system. - Very handy for the paranoid student who NEEDS to check when and where the exam is, about 10 times a day for the 3 days prior to the exam.

I did find a grey Urban mini, A5 graphics in red and black in TK maxx recently at hugely reduced prices - so have a look if you're after a new filo. I personally resisted. (student budget and bigger plans)

I've also changed my opinion of the Butterfly. It's no longer my dream filo. I saw both the pewter and the red in Paperchase in Nottingham and it's just missing something.... The detailing and the way the butterflies are done looks quite different in real life to the product photo's on FIlofax UK website. Hmmmm Finsbury perhaps.

So for the plans:
I still need to find a job for Logic, and with a trip to London on the cards, a visit to the Filofax shop might just give the inspiration I need.... Although I am currently trying to resist the charms of the aqua and purple finsbury.....
I also want to try using more colour, but I really don't want to use one of the four colour bic roller balls. A trip to paperchase and a cute slim pencil case maybe in order....

And that's about all for now folks!

Millican field test

What better place to test my new pack 'Dave' than the area of the Lake District I call 'Millican country' Rosthwaite, Castle Crag, Grange Fell, High Spy, etc. The place where Millican Dalton lived seemed like a fitting field!

Out and about with Dave I noticed a few things:

1. Shoulder straps are very comfy. They don't contour to my body like my old tog24 pack, but it isn't a problem and it's a nicer pack to wear.

2. Despite the hip belt's appearance it's also comfy, easy to adjust on the move, and the 'tails' have handy clips to stow them out of your way

3. The interior side pocket was actually made to an OS map perfectly

4. The exterior side pockets will fit a Wainwright in them, with the last hole on the first popper.

5. The organic cotton is robust, and pretty weather proof in it'self without the cover on!

6. The pack may seem heavy when picked up, compared to some but I didn't notice it on the hill. And at least this bag is built to last!

Now my absoloute favourite thing about Dave is the side pocket opening into the interior. It's just so flipping handy! I place my Nikon in it's lowe pro holster, open on the floor of the pack, facing the side pocket, with a lens case alongside if I want. I tramp about safe in the knowledge that my camera is warm and snug in my pack, when suddenly I see a shot. (The sheep photo I posted earlier) I whip off one shoulder strap, slide Dave round my body undo the zip and 'Voila!' camera in hand!

The same scenario could be applied to other situations - sudden need for a hat or fleece or waterproof or..... you get the picture. It's pretty much as versatile as your packing!

So initial field tests are excellent. I'll have to get out for some more adventures soon, and upload a few pics of Dave as a camera pack!
I've also created a flickr group for 'Millicanites' if you're interested wander over to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1445563@N25/

Butterfly Dreams

Have you seen the Butterfly?
If I could have bought any filofax it would have been this one. Suits my personality down to the ground, and just a little more mature with a touch more class than the Songbird.
It's gorgeous, available in pocket or personal, red or pewter, with a lovely butterfly motif over the leather.
It's also gorgeously out of my student price range with the personal retailing at £73.

Now the fresco could be a low cost alternative to the Songbird....

And some finances sheets might help me budget towards a Butterfly....

A girl can dream... or rather plan!

Filofax family

Well Filo has easily integrated into my daily life, a now much more organised life. So I thought who better to share the joy with than my immediate family.

Now we all know that Mum's teach us the most important things in life.
My Mum is amazing, and I love her to pieces, but being organised has never been high on her agenda. Which is odd, being as she runs all the paperwork for our family's tourism business with 18 holiday lets to sort!
So whilst we shopped in that large chain of stationary store named after the metal fixative for paper, I tempted my Mum into purchasing a pocket sized Indie, on sale.
It's taken quite a bit to get her to actually write in it though! She finally has and I think she quite likes it.
She has a diary week to 2 pages, which she mostly uses to record what classes she's been to at the gym, to make sure she gets her money's worth every month.
There's also some notes on the vocabulary she's learning in her taekwondo classes in one section, scribbled shopping lists on the notepad in the back corner and a page of ideas for my Dad's birthday.
Interestingly, shopping lists take her some persuading to write, and then actually take with her, and I've found it impossible to persuade her to plan meals like I do at Uni in the interests of saving money. The address pages are also conspicuously empty.

Next up was my younger sister. She's 20, studying Sport Science at Loughborough University, only 9 miles from the Vet School campus, is amazing at gymnastics, and one of the kindest people you could ever meet.
So I found and gave her one of the old Metropol style, Breast Cancer editions of a pocket, still with the stickers, and additional info sheets. It's smooth cover is pink, so I had to get her a matching pink filofax pen of course, even the note sheets, ruler and tabs inside it are pink!
She loves it and unlike my Mum has been chomping at the bit to get writing in it, but has had to wait until July 26th to do so (thats when the diary refill I got for starts). She was so excited she even bounced downstairs and asked me "Do you know what today is?" I had been out calving a cow until midnight so a little dazed and confused I just gave her a blank look. "Filofax day!" she declared happily.
I'm not sure how she's using it now, but I helped her set up her sections with to do sheets, addresses and notes. If she gives me a peak I'll let you know!

I found a similar post on Philofaxy, http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2010/07/does-your-partner-also-use-filofax.html asking readers if their partners also use a filofax.

So that's the females in my family all converted. So what about my Dad? Well I remember he had an old red leather filo in pocket size when I was very little (~6) when he was running his own building company. It was his indispensable guide to phone numbers addresses and a record of what work had been completed every day, as well as hours worked by each man on the job. I can also remember it had a hard life and did die a death eventually, to be replaced by a more robust Kendal. What has happened to this filo since my family moved into tourism I don't know.
I think I might try and float the idea with him running up to Christmas...
It'd be a great gift for a man who want's 'Practical presents'!