Happy Birthday To Me!

Greetings from the not quite-so-snowy-yet Alps, where I am currently celebrating my 34th birthday.

Good grief! 34?! How on earth did the years pass so quick??

It's been a busy sort of week, in that I drove out last Saturday / Sunday, and went straight into training every day, 9-5, on Monday and the days go very quickly!




(Everything packed in the car ready to go)




(Beautiful autumnal fog as I passed Gloucester)




(Chilling out on the exceptionally quiet ferry as I waved farewell to the UK)

The journey itself went very smoothly, with a stop overnight in Reims, and I think I got most things done that I needed to before I left. It's so strange coming at it all again for the second time; so many things are familiar and others so different!

I got to see a few friends at home before I left, and spent a couple of days with my dad before the expected emotional farewell for 6 months. And then, quite suddenly, I'm back with friends from last winter and it's all heartfelt hellos!

I'm taking things much easier this year on training, so rather than being out every night and exhausted / hungover in training every day, I've had two big nights out, one relaxed night in the lodge bar where we're staying and two really early nights, which I've absolutely loved! I feel like I have nothing to prove this year so I can just sit back and enjoy the ride a bit more.

Weight-wise, I obviously didn't hit my targets before I left, but I did manage to drop 3lbs of my gain back off again. I've bought my scales and like last year I shall try and find the balance. Unlike last year, I have a flatmate this season who loves cooking and is keen to do some healthy eating too, so I might actually get some regular vegetables in my gob over the next couple of months - hoorah!

Looks like I just have to survive tonight, when everyone seems intent on having a massive night out and getting (me) hammered!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It's Nearly Time

It's 8am on a Thursday, and I'm wide awake in my old bed at my Dad's house. Yesterday I left the corporate world of my job behind and I have two days at home before I drive out to the Alps for the winter.

Two days in which I want to unwind and let the stress of the last couple of weeks go. Stop and stand still for just a second before I start packing a small part of life into the car to take to the mountains for the next 6 months.

I feel exhausted and pretty gross from eating too much bad food as I've gone through the whirlwind of saying goodbye to UK friends - not quite how I wanted to feel at the beginning of the winter season. Last year, I was so excited and I'd worked hard on my eating and fitness to feel pretty good about myself as I embarked on a new adventure. This year, not so much. However, I also feel calmer and less terrified, and I'm excited about returning to friends, rather than venturing into the complete unknown.

And of course, rather than being on sabbatical, I've jacked in my job completely to see where life takes me.

It's time to close one door and open another.




(My empty flat - home for the summer)

It's the same again, but also different: Winter Season no. 2.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

All Systems Go

Hiiiiiiiiiii.

It's never a good sign when someone disappears for a while is it?

I shall get it out the way and 'fess it up straight away. I did indeed gain last week, as expected. 4lbs. Did I get back on the derailed train at that point and get back to work? Nope. I had another hectic week with not enough caring and added another 2lbs to that.

Soooo glad I worked so hard then for the autumn and undid it all in two weeks.

Sigh.

So pretty much back where I started the summer and too busy to care enough to do much about it. Another sigh.

Somewhere in the midst of that, work's quiet period came and went (a whole week! Lucky me!) and everybody seems to either have a birthday that needs celebrating or want to see me before I leave. Oh, and the flat needs packing up and moving backs to Dad's again.

I'm getting there slowly and tomorrow is the do-or-die day where I have a van for just 8 hours to get everything loaded and 70 miles away and the van back again.

I might find some energy to start caring again about my diet, but not just yet it seems.

There's been some of this:




And this:




And then some of this:




And all whilst living in this condition at home as I try and pack.




(From top to bottom: sticky jerk ribs at Turtle Bay, the wonderful Indiana at Thekla, pizza and gin at The Stable and ... a mess in my room)


T - 8 days until departure to the continent.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad