So, it’s been a while. With that in mind I thought I’d write a general ‘catch up’ post.

At the beginning of this year I took an extended break from my regular online activities (including Jaiku, a rarity for me!). I went over a month without checking RSS feeds, micro-blogging, checking Facebook etc. It really did me a favour too, gave me time to step back and take stock a little. Anyone who knows me will realise how much of a ‘web 2.0′ addict I’ve become, and while I still find those things fun I’ve slowed down a lot.

There are changes coming in my life – my daughter will be 15 this year which means that being a full time mother isn’t quite so full time as it was these days. By that I mean in the sense of she is relying on me less and less. Which also means that soon she’ll be pretty much gone altogether, before I know it she’ll be packing herself off to uni, and I need to prepare for that and have something constructive to do with my time. Preferably involving money! Not that I’m expecting or even wanting to earn fortunes, but I need something. I have two choices in mind and I can’t quite decide between them, one of which is going to depend a lot on personal circumstances as it will take some initial capital to get up and running. At this moment in time said capital is nowhere on the horizon, but things may change in the next 6 months or so.

The other big change is a house move. Not a move we’re making by choice but rather one that finances have forced us into it. Carl has struggled to get work at the start of this year and it’s really effected our finances. Unfortunately the world of contracting can sometimes be a gamble, and this time we lost. However, the move will also mean a fresh start and the release of one hell of a lot of stress for both of us, so now that I’ve resigned myself to it I’m actually kind of looking forward to moving. New house, new beginning. Of course that also means that I’ll be really busy over the next month or two packing, then unpacking, then probably decorating and getting settled in.

So, those are the major things. Mostly anyway, there is one other, but I’ll save that for the next post. Wouldn’t want to bore you all too much with the details of my life, I might scare away the few people who still actually come here in the hope of seeing a new post. :)

On a lighter note, I have plans for at least one other blog in a specific area, possibly two. Yeah, I know my blogging hasn’t been that regular here, but that’s mostly because it’s a personal blog and really, my life isn’t that exciting! So I thought a blog with a more concentrated subject area will make me focus more. That’s the theory anyway, we’ll have to see how it goes in practice. I’ll announce here when it’s up and running, though it might be a while yet as I’m trying out various bits of software to see which suits the most (i.e. I’m having fun playing with new toys!).

If you’ve read this, thanks for reading! And if you’ve been here before and are wondering where I spend most of my online time these days, you might want to check my Jaiku profile. I’m addicted to the place, and have made some wonderful friends there (the community is fantastic, there’s far more interaction than I’ve found on Twitter). If you want to get in on the Jaiku action, you could always request an invite from Jaiku Invites – since Google bought Jaiku out it’s been in closed beta as is the way of all things Google.

And that, as they say, is all about it. For now at least.