Pet Fostering

We have just started pet fostering and it is amazing. We have fostered a dog for a few weeks while her owner is unwell and unable to take care of her. Not many people seem to know about this service provided by a charity. The owner provides enough food (or cost of) for the duration along with the pets belongings and a carer will take care of them (the owner is also expected to cover any vet bills). This isn't a re-homing service, the pet goes back to the owner once the fostering period is over. The owner has no access to the foster carer, but can keep in touch via the area manager.

The dog we have at the moment is quite well trained and is no problem to have in the house or to take out for walks. She took to us very quickly and it's like having a dog of our own, albeit for a short while. It must be a relief for a person who is ill or going into hospital, to know that their pet is being well taken care of.

Maybe this is something that you or someone you know may like to do. Please look into it, there may be a similar service near you.

Talk soon

love & hugs
Angela xxx

PS: The wee dog has gone to a re-homing service as the owner couldn't take her back. I'm heartbroken that she can't go home and that we can't keep her. I'm sure that Dogs Trust will find her a forever home, because she deserves a lot of love and hugs.

PPS: Checked the Dogs Trust website. Candy has been reserved, yay. Hopefully the checks all go through and she will have a loving new home. So happy for her :)

29 March: Candy is no longer on the rehoming website, so my wee girl has her forever home.

Just waiting for our next foster pet.
Talk soon
Love & hugs
Angela xxx

My Filofax

Yes, even though I make notebooks, I still use a filofax. Weird, I know. I have an A5 size Domino in brown snake. It's ideal for planning my work week and making lists and notes for the notebook I am working on and ideas for the future.

At the front I have the diary. I create and print my own diary, On the left side is a week to a page with 3 lines making 4 spaces for writing. The right side is my notes side. It has a weekly tasks section, a calls section and a full length To Do list section. The To Do list can be split into various other section if needed. I find that this layout works really well for me and if I do change my mind, I can easily go into the laptop and change the format and print it off.

Next I have the admin section. This is where I make general notes about the business. Lists of craft fairs and what to take to them. Excerpts from meetings with contacts, the whys, wheres and whens (these come in very handy as reminders of discussions) and notes from any courses I've been on. I use my Moleskine cahiers to actually take the notes on. I also keep a timeline of everything I do concerning the business, like notebook specs, when I've submitted tax forms to HMRC, updated my Sage programme with purchases and sales, sent out brochures/ flyers and had contact with clients, etc.

There are small sections next. My Ideas section is just that. Anything that comes to mind, no matter how silly the idea, goes in here. Silly ideas can be adapted to great ideas later on when I'm in a different frame of mind. I also have drawings and photos of things I like that can become an inspiration for a new notebook. I have a section for website and blog. Domain and blog details are kept here, in case I forget. Then the finance section. Since most of the financial info is on my laptop, the notebook just has finance codes, etc. as a backup.

I really have to go through the Filofax again and reorganise it. I feel that I'm not getting the best use out of it. Need some ideas here

Do you have a business Filofax? Tell me about your layout.

Talk soon

Love & hugs
Angela xxx