Ok - you know those obstacles I mentioned? Why are they actually obstacles? So why are your obstacles actually obstacles, and what can you do to turnthem from obstacles into things you can do work around?

Right now I'm trying to write and hubby stands behind me talking with my eldest son. The discussion is on sandpaper, paint work on bikes and the need to get it finished. I'm doing my best to tune it out. My daughter is making a cuppa. I am tuned into those sounds. The ting, ting, ting of the spoon on the rim, the resettling of the kettle, the clump, slump of her feet dragging along in slippers as she finally rests the mug on my coaster. Then there's that bubbling hot first sip. Ah, nothing like it.

I can't find the piece I wrote on obstacles. What did I say about them? It's gone from me for now. I do recall something about lack of concentration. Mmm, it is an obstacle because I need to get into the flow of writing. It matters little if the writing is serious, fun or just tapping the keys and little else as far as inspiration goes. I first need to be able to concentrate on what I'm doing.

It must've been something I said, but they're all gone, left me to the words and the screen and the hot black coffee.

I do know how to work around the obstacle of concentration, but it requires I remind the kids, and hubby, exactly that I need to be left uninterrupted for spaces of time. This is something I feel guilty about. I already ask a lot of my family. They cook and clean and do a bunch of other things. In the evenings they like to be with me, just hang out, chat, make sounds, laugh and whatever families do when they're home. My daughter often has study; she's in her final year of school. My son has his bike to work on. But hubby has TV. I don't know if I want to go there.

Put it this way; I am a non-TV person. I find it insulting to my intelligence at worst and a time waster at best. Don't get me going. I'll bore you to tears, with a passion, on my hatred of TV. But for hubby it's another story. He finds it helps him wind down after a long day, or night, of work or homework, as the case might be lately.

I require no babbling voices, no bits and slashes of music and no flashing lights on the screen to reach my creative potential. I prefer music, be it classical, Joni Mitchell or Led Zeppelin. That or complete and utter silence. It's for this reason I cannot write with the radio on, either.

But back to Kai and the way to work around these obstacles - okay, there's ear plugs. I could invest in some. But I know the most effective way is to get them on my side on this. I'm just tired of the whole having to let them know my needs thing. I don't expect them to be psychic, but I get to the point where I wonder how many times I need to tell them just what it is I need, especially when it feels I specialise in meeting theirs. I know their favourite colours, foods, clothing and just about anything else you can name. But do they know mine? I think they've finally figured out my favourite colour is purple, but that's about as deep as it goes.

Anyway, the only other obstacle I recall is the one of hubby's course. We worked on some of his oral presentation tonight, but it's the last item he has to present. I won't need to help out with any more of this stuff from tomorrow Thursday night onward. That will be one more obstacle out of my way. So, there's not really anything left to say, for now. Besides, my time is up.