Late Learner

Since I last had the spare minutes to write a blog - I am in fact busier now than when I was working full-time, I have started two business/enterprise courses. Both are funded and both run by an amazing company Tree Shepherd. A very appropriate name for me as all my interest at the moment is in fulfilling a dream about creating a garden nursery, peaceful space where I can have a workshop to grow my beloved Kokedama (www.kokedamalondon.com), a space above where said Kokedama can hang in all their splendour and where people can come along to see them up close and personal. It would not be too much to ask if then those people who see them and fall in love, as I did, would part with money and buy from me. I would thus be in that happy place where the thing that gives me the most pleasure earns me a living...........

The one thing I know I need to learn the most is how this social media platform works in a joined up way - this week I have been toying with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - I've spent time with the perfect person who enthused with me about how I might start a business using this amazing array of 'branding' stories on and across the social media solar system - I was away with the virtual highway social media fairies, totally immersed, hurtling along in fact and then I just tried to apply it, on my own, without a 'youngun' in sight - I just spent a few hours (where does that time go?), it's 02.59am......02.59AM!!!!!! I'm writing a blog at 3 in the MORNING.

How much of an impact on he world have I made - err?

Time to stop and go to sleep, I'll see how I got on tomorrow.

Christmas, Kokedama and Katakata Gallettes

Geranium, grass Kokedama

My Kokedama business has taken up a lot of my time lately, apart from the buying and selling for the Saturday stall at Tate Community Street Market.

This week I gave a one minute presentation at The Brix, to three judges, organised by Tree Shepherd. If accepted I may be eligible for the Back to Business support in January - attending 2 hours, one day a week for 8 weeks, in order to get help with setting up a small business and branding. I did make a website check it out here kokedamalondon.com

I am also selling Christmas plants, trees and goodies at the Tate Community Street Market - a very new enterprise on South Lambeth road/Wilcox Close - we want to try to help keep the library (Tate) open and to this end are planning on opening a regular street market, we are planning a launch day in a few weeks. It's hard work and volunteers at the moment are thin on the ground but if we can make it work it will be great for the area and for the future of the library.

I have to say that the consultation forms regarding both the Tate and Carnegie libraries are just awful - totally misleading and I am blown away by the amount of young people who use the Tate for study, young families on the weekends and the older community for social get togethers and learning - shame on the council for wanting to change any of that to make a gym (cleverly disguised in the documents as a 'well-being centre'). If those plans go ahead the library part of the LIBRARY will be a shelf of books and one computer!!!!

Rant over....as you were.

The other highlight of my week was on Sunday when my daughter took me to Katakata for lunch - O my gosh, that restaurant is so amazing, the space is beautiful, the smell is beautiful, the food so, so good. the coffee, the fresh juice, the plants, the books, the furniture. You know when a place gets it just right? This one did. O and as well as gallettes, they have a range of crepes on offer too.

Heaven - music is pretty good as well!