Making Progress - W/E 27th January 2024

This week started with my finally getting a day off after a very busy week at work. It felt so good not to have to go to work on Sunday. All I did need to do was to walk the dog, which wasn't a hardship. We had a nice chilled walk around a local disused golf course. It's one of our regular haunts.

Once home, I made myself a lovely big salad for lunch, which was much needed. To be honest, I didn't do a whole lot for the rest of the day, save for a bit of work on my current quilting project, as it was just nice to chill and not feel compelled to do anything. I was quite tired, if I'm honest, and just needed time to recover from the week at work. I'm quite a bit older than the majority of the staff at work, and working virtually full-time hours last week took it's toll. I even had a nap in the late afternoon on Sunday, something I haven't done in months. I felt a lot better for it though.

In the evening, we watched a bit of TV. I ended up staying up quite late catching up on a few YouTube videos, as I wasn't tired enough to go to bed on account of napping.

On Monday morning, I didn't need to be up too early, but when I did get up, I needed to take some photos and measurements as part of my fitness journey. I'd completely forgotten to do it last week and I like to keep a record of my progress. There wasn't anything startlingly different, just an inch lost around my waist, but it's all good.

When I went downstairs, I noticed that the fence to the side of the kitchen window had virtually blown down in the storm of the night before. Here's a picture:

OH propped it back up when he got back from the dog walk, but it probably needs replacing. We need to do so much work on our garden this year. It might have to be added to the list of jobs to be done.

As usual, it was weekly shop day. I took myself off and used my final £6 off a £60 spend voucher at Tesco, by doing most of the weekly shop there again. I bought quite a bit of yellow stickered meat to put in the freezer, so it should keep us going for a while. 

Next week's shop should be pretty minimal and mainly consist of fresh foods we use all the time. I will be doing virtually all of it at Lidl, as I will have a 10% off voucher to use there next week. The Tesco vouchers have caused me to buy more food than I would normally, but as a consequence, we are well stocked up at the moment, so it should make February a much cheaper month for food shopping. I didn't have to use the vouchers, but I like to, as it does amount to quite a bit of money.

I was relieved not to get a call from work asking me to go in, so I could enjoy my second work-free day. Annoyingly, however, my pedometer accidentally got switched off today, so I didn't track any of my steps. It's so annoying when that happens. I made a guess at what the total would be. Only a few thousand, due to walking around a huge supermarket and a couple of other shops.

On Tuesday, I needed to walk the dog before going to my usual class at the gym, but she was scratching at the front door at 6.15 am, which was way too early for me, as it was still dark outside, so OH took her. I got up later and got ready and headed off to the gym for my usual class.

When I got back, the dog wanted to go for another walk, so I had some lunch and then took her out for an hour. When we got home I had to quickly shower and get ready for work/the dentist. I was due at the dentist at 3.30pm, for a 6 month check up and clean. I'd paid half of the cost of the clean at my last appointment in July, so I just needed to pay the second half and the check up fee. It wasn't particularly cheap, but at least it's done for the next six months. 

I went straight to work from the dentist, but got caught in a bit of traffic. Work was okay, but it was a bit of a later finish, I think because we were understaffed. I was asked if I would work an additional shift on Wednesday night, which I agreed to.

On Wednesday morning, I decided to return to the free Soca class that had re-started last week. I needed to squeeze a bit more exercise in where I could, to help keep the scales moving in a downward direction. It felt nice to get back to what felt like my normal weekly exercise routine, for probably the first time since mid November. This class is very upbeat and fun and I have missed going along for the last month or two.

After a busy day the day before, it was nice to just chill in the afternoon and not really do a lot before getting ready for work in the evening. I headed off a little early, so that I could pop into an opticians near work and book an eye test for next week. Another small job done.

On Thursday, I didn't have anything planned for once, so I was able to get out for a nice long walk with the dog. I was working in the evening, but I had most of the day to do as I pleased, so I had a lovely pottering at home kind of day, putting away laundry, catching up with my finances, journalling, etc. It felt restful, but productive. I'm all about making small progressive steps at the moment.

On Friday, I had another nice long walk with the dog. I was looking forward to having a day off, but suspected I might be asked to work, which I was and did agree to, mainly because I know they are very short staffed at the moment and I didn't have anything planned. I got a call from the nurse at my GP surgery today, who told me my blood pressure/pulse tracking for the week was within normal parameters, which was good news.

On Saturday, I headed to the gym in the morning and enjoyed the session. It helped to rejuvenate me a little after working a lot again this week. I just had one more night to work on Saturday.  I was pretty tired at work. Five consequetive nights on the same, quite demanding section, just took it out of me. I was so glad to go home and chill, knowing that I had two days off ahead of me. 

OH and I watched the last episode of the second series of The Traitors, then headed to bed.

Another busy week, but one in which progress was made towards my goals, so I'm happy.

ASOS Sample Sale Haul (December 2023)

Disclaimer: This post refers to items I bought in December, but didn't get around to posting about before Xmas. I have decided to still go ahead and publish it.

After seeing a video on YouTube, of a YouTuber's haul from an ASOS Sample sale, I became curious. I've often bought items from ASOS in the past and in the Sample Sale, most of the items cost £5 or £3, with some being a bit more expensive at £10. After seeing what this particular YouTuber bought for £5, I decided to sign up to be notified of the Sample sales. As a consequence, periodically, I receive an email when the sale drops and I enjoy looking through and ordering a few bits.

The last sale dropped a few weeks before Christmas and I found quite a few things that I couldn't resist buying. Here's a few pictures of what I bought:

The first item was this pair of Vagabond leather calf high platform boots in a beige colour they called Lark. They're a bit of a departure for me. I don't usually wear this length of boot, but they are lovely. Possibly a bit young for me, but I don't care. I love them and thought they should look good with both skirts and trousers. 

The only problem was that they sent the wrong size. I ordered a 7.5 UK size and received a size 6 UK. Luckily for me, I am a size 6, but always buy a bigger size in boots, in case I want to wear thick socks.  They are thus very slightly snug, but as they are leather they should stretch with wear. They're not uncomfortable though, so I'm not going to send them back. For just £10 they were a steal.

(I've worn them on a couple of occasions now and I'm happy to report that they did look great with a skirt and they were very comfortable)

The second item of footwear that I bought, was this pair of patent PU apple green platform loafers. I've had my eye on these for months. I'd even saved a picture of them in my Pinterest account.  

They reminded me of a pair of shoes that I had in my late teens/twenties, but which were white and made of patent leather. I wore them until they fell apart. I used to work part-time behind the bar in a pub and eventually the beer that got spilled on them rotted the leather. I loved those shoes though.  

These are a similar style, but a bit more platform and a much brighter colour. They are slightly large in a size 7 UK, but I've put some inner soles in them and they fit much better. These cost £5, but were originally £38. What a bargain.

In addition to the footwear, I bought a black twill cotton dress. It's button down with a collar and drop gathered skirt. It will be nice to wear in the summer, or possibly spring with a sweater over the top. I bought it in a size 16 on account of my weight loss and it fits fine. It cost £5. The only issue I have with it, is that it is maxi, not midi as I thought, which isn't ideal as I'm a bit short in stature, but I'll see what I can do to style it.

The last few items were all gym related. I bought two of the same style of Under Armour black vest top for £5 each. I've had my gym vests for over 10 years now and they need replacing. I am always on the look out for new ones, so hopefully these will be fine.  They are slightly cropped, which I didn't realise, but should still be okay. These fitted well and I'm very happy with them. They are usually worn under t-shirts anyway.

Finally, I bought two sport bra tops for the gym. They were to wear under the vests and I wanted some that weren't wired, as I find wired bras very uncomfortable these days. I bought them just to try them out for £3 and £5. One of them didn't fit too well, so I've given it to LB who is hoping to start using the gym in her Halls this year and the other is okay, but not super supportive. I may still wear it on days when I'm staying home pottering and I don't want to wear an underwired bra. For £3 it's okay.

So, for just over £40 with postage, I got quite a lot of new items for my wardrobe and the gym, which made me very happy. 

A Birthday Meal Out and A Lot of Work - W/E 20th January 2024

The week began on Sunday, with an afternoon shift at work. I don't often work on Sundays, but I quite like them. They are busy, but you finish at a normal time, so I enjoy going home and eating with OH, when I work these shifts.  In addition, they start at 2pm, so I have time to walk the dog and eat a proper lunch before heading out.

I did a little shop in the store before starting work. I wanted a muffin tin, so that I can try to make savoury muffins. I saw a recipe for egg breakfast muffins on a YouTuber's video, that looked really tasty and I'd love to try them out. Besides, I need to eat more protein, as I am tending to get hungry and end up overeating at the moment. I think more protein in my diet would help in this regard.

I also bought a few things in the clearance sale, one of which was some tissue paper for next Xmas. I used up all the tissue I had this year and I like to have some in the wrapping bag.  This tissue was £2.50 for 50 large sheets of three different designs.  It should keep me going for a while! 

I also bought some new kitchen towels. I promised myself when I got this job, that I would replace certain things in the house, that needed replacing and these are one thing that was on the list. I've only got a few more weeks on my contract, and I don't know if I'll be kept on, so I thought I'd get started on the list, using my staff discount, whilst I still have it.

Anyway, work was okay. I was working in my favourite section again, so I was happy. It was my last shift before having a couple of days off, so I was glad to get home and be able to chill and look forward to a couple of work free days.

On Monday, as always it was weekly shop day. Once again, I headed out of town. I just like the trip out if I'm honest and prefer the out of town Lidl store, as I find it easier and less stressful to shop in. I didn't need to get a whole lot of stuff this week, as I'd stocked up in previous weeks, but I did have another voucher for £6 off a £60 spend at Tesco, so I was in two minds whether to use it. 

In the end, I decided that I would use it, as I needed a few things from there, that I couldn't get from Lidl, so I did most of my shopping there this week. I had to be a little careful, as it's easy to pay more for things, cancelling out the benefit of the voucher, so I tend to stick to the clubcard deals where I can, so I know I'm getting things at a good price.  I still went to Lidl for some specific things we get regularly and really like from there.

On Monday evening, we had arranged to meet up with LB at the Barbican, in the City of London, to go for  a meal to celebrate her 21st birthday. We all arrived a bit early, so we headed to the Bar and Grill in the main building. The meal was nice and it was good to catch up with how LB's birthday celebrations had gone on the weekend and how she was getting on with her current Uni project.

We decided to go to the cinema at the Barbican after the meal and see the film Priscilla. A film from Priscilla Presley's viewpoint, of her marriage to Elvis Presley. It was good and very reasonable at just £6 per ticket. We hadn't visited the Barbican for probably 10 or 15 years, so it was nice to go back and enjoy spending some family time together there.

There was a free exhibition in the foyer, of the costumes from a current film called Poor Things, starring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. I loved taking a look at them. Here's a few photos:

I, personally, loved the big puffed up sleeves on the costumes. So well crafted. It was lovely to have another night out this week, especially a family one this time.

On Tuesday morning, I had to call my credit card company and cancel a card. I'd unfortunately fallen victim to a scam involving a fake website, when trying to purchase something online. I decided the safest thing to do was to cancel my card, in case they'd harvested my card details, to avoid possible further fraudulent purchases on it. Very annoying, but the sum involved wasn't a large one, so I'm happy to put it down to experience. There are so many scammers out there, taking people's hard earned money for nothing.

Anyway, I headed to my regular class at the gym later and then settled down to a bit of sewing when I got back, before getting a call from work asking me to go in. I'd had a call the previous day, but had declined on account of our evening plans, so I agreed to go in on Tuesday evening, to help out for a few hours. This meant that I was working on 6 days this week, which I wasn't thrilled about, but I think a lot of people are on leave, as they need to use up their annual leave before year end and it has left the store short of staff.

I managed to get quite a lot done before heading into work. I changed the bedding, put away some laundry, did some washing, made some supper, had a shower and got ready, so it felt like quite a productive afternoon. I also caught up with journalling, as I've been so busy, I just keep getting behind with it. I thought January would be quiet and steady, but it's turning out to be very busy, with hardly any spare time. I shouldn't complain, as the opportunity to earn more is a good thing really. I am, however, hoping things will calm down a little soon.

On Wednesday, it was my turn to walk the dog, so we headed out for a lovely long walk. My usual Soca class was restarting, but I decided not to go, as I would have to rush the dog walk and then later I was due to work until late, so I didn't want to overdo things. I decided to spend the afternoon sewing instead. Sewing, on this occasion with scraps, was a great way to relax and enjoy myself before heading off for a long shift at work. It was something just for me and gave me the creative outlet I needed, after working a lot lately. 

On Thursday, I had an appointment with the nurse at my GP practice to have my blood pressure taken.  My BP was fine, but she was concerned that my pulse was slow at 55 bpm. I've now got to take measurements for a week to track it and if it remains low they may investigate further. I'm not really worried, as this is a pretty normal reading for me, but I suppose it's good that they are being cautious and conscientious.

After lunch, I went up to the sewing room to do some sewing, before getting ready for work again. Work was busy as the section I worked was quite untidy when I got there and I just had to do my best to get it in order.

Friday morning, I got a bit of a lie in. It felt like the first day in ages where I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything (apart from work in the evening). I enjoyed the day pottering around at home, doing a few weights, working on my current quilt, doing laundry, etc.

Work was super busy again in the section I was working. I was really feeling tired after working a lot this week. I did get home at a reasonable enough time to spend an hour watching the new series of the Traitors with OH though.

Saturday, I took myself off to the gym first thing as my New Age Games (over 50's) sessions started again this week. I really enjoy these gym sessions, as it's really relaxed in the gym we get to use for them. The machines aren't quite as high tech as the main gym area, and you don't have the ability to increase the weights, but I enjoy using them all the same. It's not always about progression and really pushing yourself. It's nice to take it steady and just keep mobile and active.

On my way back from the gym, I walked to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription, which added a few more steps to my daily total.

I was at work again in the evening. I was really looking forward to finishing my shifts for the week and having a couple of days off. It feels like it's been all about work this week.

A Week of Two Halves - W/E 13th January 2023

This week started with my shift on Sunday getting cancelled. I was secretly pleased after working 4 consequetive nights, as it meant that I could have a chilled day at home.

I was able to start the day with a lovely long dog walk. We covered a fair distance for my aging dog. She's still got a good walk in her and even chases the ball for a little while.

When I got back, I treated myself to another lovely lunch of poached eggs on toast. It's becoming my weekend favourite and when sprinkled with salt and pepper and a little smoked paprika, it's delicious.

The rest of the day I spent sewing, working on my current quilt project, whilst catching up on YouTube videos.  I did a bit of tidying in LB's room, now she's gone back to Uni and stripped the bed. I did a bit of my laundry too.

OH and I have started watching series 1 of The Traitors on iPlayer and we watched two episodes tonight, as it started to get interesting in episodes 3 & 4. We missed this programme when it was on the TV and there's already a second series ongoing, so we're playing catch up.

On Monday, I had quite a long lie in, as I felt really tired when I woke up. I eventually got up and after breakfast at 11.30am, I headed off to do the weekly shop. I went out of town today, as I needed to get some items from Home Bargains, so that was my first port of call. I couldn't believe it when the cashier said I'd spent over £40, but it was mostly on things I/we needed, so I can't grumble. I did double up on some toiletries and food items, so that we were stocked up on them and I shouldn't need to shop there again for a good few weeks.

Next stop, was a large retail park where I needed to get more toiletries from Superdrug, had a £2 off a £10 spend voucher to use at Poundland and I also had a good mooch in a huge charity shop, which has quickly become a favourite thrifting spot. I found a few things in there on this occasion. I bought a pair of gym leggings for £3, ones with pockets for my phone and which fitted well and a men's black waistcoat. I've been looking for one for a while. I will probably wear it for work, so that I can put my phone in the pockets. I was really pleased with the one I bought, as it's oversized and fits me in a way that I like and it only cost £2. I used to wear a men's waistcoat a lot many years ago and always enjoyed wearing it. I like the androgynous look of them.

I also bought a couple of books which were 2 for £1, that I look forward to reading, some black velcro, some lovely half-price Xmas cards to send next year and I managed to buy a small gift for LB's birthday later this week. It was a brand new crochet kit, to crochet a dream catcher. Crochet is her new hobby, so I hope she'll like it. It only cost £1. 

Finally, I headed to Lidl to do the food shopping. I got a few free items using the Lidl plus app, including a lovely chocolate iced doughnut from the bakery. I hadn't had much for lunch, as I'd just taken a bagel and a bag of crisps with me, so the doughnut helped to keep hunger pangs at bay. It was probably the lowest calorie bakery item there was at 224 calories, so I allowed myself to just enjoy it as a treat.

I had a lovely afternoon out and it snowed lightly the whole time, which was exciting. I spent a bit too much money, but I didn't go overboard on anything and found some inexpensive things that I really needed and will definitely use on a regular basis. Don't you just love shopping trips like that.

On Tuesday morning, I was back to my usual class at the gym. My weight is almost back to where it was pre-Christmas, so I'm looking forward to the numbers on the scales coming down some more over the next few weeks. It's been a slow process getting back to normal eating after Xmas, as I've been wanting to eat more, but I've gradually got down to a calorie deficit again.

On Tuesday evening, OH and I had been invited to a Menswear Fashion show. I was quite excited at the prospect. The designer was a friend that OH cycles with and the show was taking place in a church in the City of London.

We were there a bit early, so we did a little exploring of the area, which was around Smithfields Meat Market and St Bartholomew's Hospital. It's a lovely old part of the city, with lots of little nooks and crannies to explore. I used to frequent this area a lot when I first moved to London as a student 27 years ago, so it was quite nostalgic for me. The church itself, was beautiful. Here's a couple of pictures:

We enjoyed the fashion show. Another of OH's fellow cyclists was also modelling in it. I'd never been to a fashion show before, so I found it super exciting. The clothes were beautifully made and the collection was very interesting. The setting for the show, i.e. the church, was very atmospheric. It was a lovely evening out.

On Wednesday, I was up quite early and out with the dog. It was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies, albeit a little cold. We went somewhere we hadn't walked in ages, as I had to pick up the car from where we'd left it the night before and I then drove her to a place that we used to walk in, before she found really long walks too tiring. We both enjoyed the change of scenery and had a lovely walk.

The rest of the day, I spent pottering around the house doing a few jobs, sewing and cleaning a few kitchen cupboards, before getting ready for work in the evening.

The second half of this week was all about work really. On Wednesday, I was asked to work an extra shift in the afternoon, which then turned into a full 8 hour shift and I was then working both Friday and Saturday evening. The latter two evenings I was put on the job I did for the first few weeks of working in this job, which I really enjoyed. Saturday, was slightly less enjoyable, as it was really busy, but then that's a good thing for business.

I did manage to get to the gym on Thursday morning, have a nice walk with the dog on Friday, do some bits of sewing here and there and get some jobs around the house done during the days, but there was nothing really exciting happening.

Saturday was LB's 21st birthday. She hadn't arranged to come home, as she was spending it with her friends, as I would expect. I spoke to her on the phone though. We're planning to take her out for a meal next week for a family celebration.

It's been another pretty good week, with a bit more happening this week. It's been a bit spendy though, despite wanting to spend less, but I find this is often the case in January, when you can buy things at good prices in the tail end of the sales.

How was your week?

A Charity Shop Haul To Start the New Year

I'm trying to get control of my spending this year, so I'm trying to have a relatively low spend year. In spite of this, I decided to visit my local charity shop on the way home from the gym the other day. I hadn't been for probably a month, so I just fancied a mooch.

It was a very successful visit on this particular occasion. Sometimes I go and buy virtually nothing and other times I go and find lots of things I want to buy. This visit was one of the latter. So here goes.

The first thing I decided to buy was this lovely high necked sweater. I love sweaters like this and my current ones are looking a bit worse for wear, so I decided to treat myself to a new one, as I'm sure we will get more cold weather in which to wear it. Unfortunately, the labels have all been cut out of it, so I have no idea of the wool content, if any, washing instructions, or the brand, but it feels very good quality. I will need to be careful when I wash it and put it on a low temperature cycle, but as it's quite oversized, if it does shrink on the first wash, it should still be okay. It cost £8.

I then spotted these Vans skater shoes. This is my favourite style of Vans shoes and I've wanted another pair since my last pair virtually fell apart after being worn so much. The leopard print, wouldn't be my colour of choice, but I'll go with it for the £10 price tag. I think they've only been worn once, as there is very little wear, so these were an absolute steal. I can't wait to wear these when the weather warms up.

Aside from these large items, I bought a couple of books for OH's birthday in May, which cost £3, a birthday card for a friend for 50p, and two books for me. 

One, was a hardback Charlotte Bronte novel that I haven't read, called Villette, which cost £3, and the second, was a Muriel Spark novel called The Girls of Slender Means, which cost £1. I love Muriel Spark. I love her sharp wit. I'm looking forward to reading these this year, as I read very little last year.

Finally, I bought some cutlery for LB, for a project at Uni. We bought her a dinner service when we were up in Yorkshire before Christmas, but she still needed cutlery and I found some that was perfect for only 10p per item, which was fantastic and will save her scouring the charity shops when she gets back to Uni. I felt so lucky to find these and we both returned to the shop later, to buy some crystal glasses that they were also selling, which cost £15. This was probably a lot of money for a Uni project, but she could have spent that much bussing herself around London to find some that suited and they had the right look for her brief. She may get reimbursed for some of the cost by her University.

So, it was a very serendipitous shop for me and for LB and a great frugal start to the New Year. Have you found any great things in charity shops lately?

A Good Start to the Year

The first week of 2024 has been a good but busy one. On New Years Day, OH and I headed off to a cycle cross event in South London. We took the dog with us and myself and the dog sat in the stands watching and getting very cold, whilst OH competed in a race. It was a nice day out though. We picked up LB from her Uni halls on the way home, where she'd spent NYE celebrating with her friends.  She came back home for a few more days, before the start of the new University term.

Tuesday, I returned to my usual class at the gym which was good, and then late, in the afternoon, I headed off of do the weekly shop. I used a £9 off a £60 spend voucher at Tesco, so I was able to stock up on a lot of things that we use regularly and this should keep us going for a good while. It felt good to re-stock and get back to normal eating after the festive season.

I returned to work on Wednesday evening. I was working four consequetive nights this week, from 5pm to 9.30pm.  The slightly earlier finish times suit me better, in terms of eating after work. It's still a bit late, but not as bad as eating after 10pm. It was quite eventful at work on a couple of the nights, although I can't really go into the reason for this, so I got straight back into the swing of it. It was quite nice to be back at work and to be busy, especially with LB returning to Uni later in the week, as it kept me occupied and stopped me getting sad about her going back.

On Thursday, I had booked a gym session and then on the way home, I dropped into my favourite local charity shop for a mooch. I ended up finding quite a few things to buy, although I didn't spend a massive amount. (More about this in another post, my first thrift shop haul of 2024)

On Friday, LB packed herself up and we took her back to her Uni halls in South London. I managed to take down the Christmas decorations in the morning before we set off, as I knew I wouldn't have much time when we got back, as I had to get ready for work. It was actually nice to take them down and for the house to feel a little less cluttered. 

The journey there and back wasn't too bad and we managed to fit in a Lidl shop for LB whilst there, to stock her up with food.  We got back home earlier than I expected, so I sat in the living room for an hour before getting ready for work and finished watching a limited series on Netflix about a health experiment carried out on identical twins, where one twin was given a vegan diet and one an omnivore diet. It was an interesting series.

I didn't have any plans for Saturday, save going to work later, so after getting out with the dog, I spent a chill day at home making a nice lunch and then pottering and making some homemade dog food, before the offal I'd bought went out of date.  OH took all of the outside Christmas lights down today, which was sad. I've enjoyed seeing them twinkling every evening. I now feel like I'm back into a regular routine and it feels good. I'm looking forward to the year ahead.

Next week, I'm hoping to get the house in order post-Christmas and there's the one or two things we've got planned, which may be interesting. I'll keep you posted. 

I hope you've had a good start to the year.

A New Year Begins

I have to be honest. I'm more than happy to move forward into a New Year. I'm essentially a forward looking person, although I do like to look back too, to reflect and help motivate me. It's not that the past year has been particularly bad in any respect. I've had lots of freedom in many ways, but probably the most difficult thing about it, has been spending 6 months of it looking for a job; constantly scrolling job adverts on my phone/computer, constantly applying for jobs and filling in application forms, and then going for interviews on the few occasions I was offered them. It really was all consuming and sometimes very demoralising, especially when I didn't get offered a job or even get offered an interview. It's honestly been a relief to have actually been working this last 6 weeks or so and not to have to look for a job for a little while. It's given me a rest from the search. I don't know how much longer I'll have this job, but I am very grateful for it going forward and if I need to look for a job again in the near future, I will just have to get back onto it, with renewed optimism.

In many ways, 2023 was a good year. I did work in a few different jobs, managing to earn enough money to get by and get through the expensive Christmas period. I didn't always enjoy what I was doing, but it's always nice to meet new people and to feel productive.  Sometimes, earning money takes priority and when you know it's only a temporary or short term job, doing something that you don't particularly enjoy is bearable. I've learned a lot about what I want to do and what I really don't want to do long term and I've been grateful to have had opportunites to earn money and reflect on this.

Probably partly as a consequence of my demoralising experience of job hunting, I decided to start my fitness/weight loss journey mid way through 2023. I decided that if I couldn't find a job, that I would start to put serious effort and time into looking after myself. No one else is going to do it for me and I had no excuse, as I did have the time to do it, so I made a promise to myself that I would invest in me and it has definitely paid off. I have now lost two stone in weight and I am the lightest I've been in a long time, probably 6 or more years. I feel a lot better in myself and I feel like maybe it's actually not too late to become the person that I'd like to be. Maybe there's hope for me yet and for this reason, I'm going to carry on doing my best, to be the best version of me that I can be. I can't go back, I owe it to myself not to and there are so many inspiring people out there, particularly on Instagram, showing me the way. A few favourites on instagram include trainwithjoan, khopatthegym, cassiatierney, jadeslildiscovery, louisesjourney, scaseyfitness and bethanyydobson, plus many more that I don't actually follow regularly.

Having said this, I have to admit, that I have put on a few pounds in the last couple of weeks, not so much over Christmas, but in the days since I've come back to London. With no exercise classes, no shifts at work and lots of snacks and food gifts left over from Christmas, it's been way too easy to overeat on a daily basis, but as the snacks and chocolates have steadily been consumed, my eating has started to get back to normal and I'm hoping to be back where I was before Christmas in a week or two and then start making progress again. (Wish me luck!)

In 2024, I've formulated a few (not set in stone) plans, to help boost my weight loss/fitness journey. I've re-downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone and I fully intend to give it another go. I gave up after just a few weeks the last time I tried it 18 months ago, but now, carrying a couple of stone less in weight, I'm hoping it might be a little easier and I might get a bit further with it. I'm not putting pressure on myself though and if I find it doesn't work for me, then I'll probably stop again. I only intend to maybe add in one run/walk per week initially and see how it goes. I'll still be continuing with the exercise I've been doing for the past 6 months, but I would like to add another string to my bow, so to speak, if possible.

In the hope that it goes well, I have signed up for the Park Run scheme. We have a Park Run locally and I'm tempted to give it a go. OH has done a few different Park Runs, in various parts of the country, both locally and when we've been away for the weekend, and they look like a lot of fun. It would be a big leap forward for me, to attempt to run with other people, so that is also potentially on my fitness bucket list this year, but maybe further down the list. Even if I walked most of the way round, I'd feel I'd accomplished something and the best thing is, that it's free to join up and you can go along and join in with any Park Run anywhere, or even volunteer to help marshall, which I think I might enjoy too. It would be a priviledge to encourage others to run and help facilitate them becoming their best selves. It would feel like a really positive thing for me to do with my time.

The final item on my fitness bucket list for 2024, is my intention to Walk 1000 Miles this year. It's an idea I got from a YouTuber I watch. Ideally, you should walk a thousand miles in addition to the everyday mileage you do, but I'm initially just going to aim to walk 1000 miles including my daily mileage. I calculated, using the pedometer on my phone, that between the beginning of June last year (when I started my fitness journey) and the end of 2023, I walked/stepped 584 miles in total, so I will need to walk as much, if not a bit more in the coming year, to reach the 1000 miles. This mileage may come from running or actually heading out on solo walks (without the dog, as she needs far less walking as she gets older and sadly, I now don't take her out everyday anymore).

So, I've got some loose fitness plans that I can work towards in 2024. There's enough there to hold my interest, without too much pressure, which suits me perfectly. I'll keep you posted on progress, if there is any. Have you got any plans for 2024, in any area of your life? I'd be very interested to hear about them.