What Sarah Kate Says

My name is Sarah and I am a planner addict. Feels good to say it out loud at last! First step to recovery is acknowledging the problem right?  I cannot say where this long term love began or why, but I am fully aware that it is here to stay. Plum Paper Planner 2015/16 I have to confess that I get a genuine high from starting a new planner, always with high hopes that it will finally allow me to be the calm, organised woman I long to me. Tell me I am not the only one!  I'm always convinced that the next planner will be the answer I have been searching for all my life.  Erin Condren Monthly Planner 2017 I genuinely desire one perfect planning solution, one whose appeal does not fade once a couple of months are complete, one who will have such a positive impact on my life I cannot do without it, etc. I have tried a few different planners now, even blogged about a couple (linked at the end of this post), but am still looking for the b...

Summer has arrived and we are finally getting the chance to enjoy the garden. Sitting out with a cup of coffee I started to notice areas that were just a bit shabby looking, needed attention and just needed to be made more interesting to look at. It's been a while since I spent any real money on the garden so I was happy to invest less than £100 to bring in a bit of cheer. Hopefully what I've done may give you some inspiration for your own green space. About the space - it's a small back yard, no grass, mainly concrete, with one large planting bed. Where nothing but weeds thrive: There is an annoying patch in the garden bed where plants just don't seem to stick, plus our lovely dog seems to like lying in the mud here. So to combat muddy dog bellies, and keep weeds at bay, we laid a single slab to support a new small trough planter. The french lavender looks amazing against the grey and stands out beautifully amongst the greenery that surrounds it. I...

In this post I list some key questions to ask yourself if you are preparing for surgery. This is based on my personal experience as, two weeks ago as I type this, I had to undergo a bit of surgery myself. I thought it may be useful to share here my experience of how I prepared for it - in case it helps anyone else facing surgery. I found burying myself in the practicalities really helped me feel less anxious about the surgery itself, so listed below are some questions you need to think about when preparing for your own surgery. Hospital: How will you get to the hospital on the day? Who will be contacted about you when the operation is complete? How long is your stay in hospital likely to be? What entertainment will you take?  I packed magazines, books and my iPad, but I found my ability to concentrate on any one thing was really poor, so I couldn't focus on a book. Instead I flicked through the magazines, but mainly streamed catch up TV to pass the time. How will y...