This might be more of an occasional thing, but I thought it might be nice to do something more cheerful than my usual eating related adventures / doom and gloom. So here’s what’s been floating my boat this week!
1. Micro adventures
Last weekend my friend Lynsey and I jumped in the car and decided on the spot where to go. It ended up being Clevedon which is a little town on the coast near us. We drove along country lanes in the sun, walked along the sea front and wandered on to the coast path for a while, and then found a cafe for a hot chocolate with marshmallows in the sun. We do these quite often – pick a place or thing and whoever’s free and just pootle off and see somewhere different. Sometimes there’s walks, there’s nearly always cute cafes or funky looking restaurants for refreshments. The best thing is these little breakaways require zero planning and can be whatever we make them, but they’re a fun thing to do on the weekend or sunny evenings.
2. Work socials
I accepted an invite for this ages ago, and when it rolled round this Wednesday all I wanted to do was hermit in the evening. Because that’s how I roll at the moment. Instead, I forced myself to cheer the eff up and go, and whaddaya know? It’s was FUN. My work team had a couple of teams entered for a treasure hunt around Bristol (‘s pubs) and it was hilarious. We charged around the harbourside area of town, trying to find all the clues and collectibles, drinking gin and blatantly cheating by trying to steal answers from other teams whilst protecting our own. A brilliant use of an evening, even if we were all a bit jaded in the office the following day!
3. How To Get Away With Murder
On Wednesday of the previous week, my friend Krissy and I had a movie night. There was pizza, crisps and hummus, wine and all the good things. We watched Thor because we’re totally basic and Chris Hemsworth is hot, and then there was that awkward dilemma of “we want to watch something else, but we’re old and need to get bed at reasonable times” so we perused Netflix until we came across this. It’s on both out watch lists, but neither of us had started it yet, so we went for it. Oh good god. I was fascinated, and simultaneously not quite sure what was going on ... it’s one of those shows where the main storyline is interspersed with flash-forwards and flash-backs, so you’re never quite seeing the whole time-line in order, but it’s good. Episode 2 was similarly good this week, so was 3 and I’m looking forwards to the next one when I get 50 mins spare.
4. EOS lip balm
It’s entirely possible that I’m the last person in the world to try these babies, but apparently Boots are finally selling them and my friends have been raving about them for ages. I love that the ingredients list is pretty much all natural and lacking entirely in the usual petroleum-based chemicals, and also that it’s cute and round and pink. I still love my Carmex (also great for sore noses when you have a stinking cold!), but this is all nice and shiny and new.
5. Bank Holiday weekends
Frankly, who doesn’t love a Bank Holiday?? An extra day off work, the giddy possibility of sun, and barbeques and gin whilst sitting outside! Bank Holidays are basically as British as British can be. Whether it’s wise or not, I’m taking a risk and going camping in North Devon this weekend for a bit of surfing and socialising. Which means it will probably rain non-stop and blow a hoolie, but that’s the good ol’ UK weather for you. I’ll see you on the other side with tales of drowning in the mud most likely.
6. Notebooks and getting organised
Organisation is 100% not my strong point. Not. At. All.
I am sadly, hilariously disorganised; notoriously late for everything (although I personally think that’s a separate issue more related to my hopeless optimism), and frequently guilty of either forgetting things completely or somehow mysteriously committing to multiple things at the same time. It’s something that stresses me out and makes me feel like less of an adult.
However, over the last week or so, I’ve taken to carrying a little notebook with me and I feel like it’s changed my life. I love a list, and write them frequently to try and combat my failure to organise – packing lists, to do lists, etc – but then leave them behind and well .... that doesn’t help. So my trusty little notebook stays with me all day, on my desk at work, in my handbag and around the flat, and I scribble in it when I think of something. It has all the lists in one place, and genuinely despite the last week being busy, it’s been mysteriously stress-free. The car got MOT’d and serviced, the weekend with my schoolfriends got organised, the packing for this weekend got done and in the car before work this morning ... it’s scary how well it’s gone (which secretly feels like I’ve forgotten something blindingly obvious).
Somehow the most simple tactic has changed the game, and I fully like the newly organised me.
7. Eat Pray Love
I saw the film of this years ago, but never read the book and when I was looking for books to read back when I was off work in December, this was recommended by my flatmate. It took me until 3 or 4 weeks ago to get through the list of other books to it, but I started reading this on my flight to France at the end of last month and I love it. I’m being horribly slow with reading at the moment, but I love that it’s part travel guide, part spiritual / religious thesis, part biography and full of charm and self-deprecating humour. I’m near the end now (got the Kindle packed for this weekend’s downtime!) and don’t really want it to end.
8. Game Of Thrones
Series 6 – ahhhhhhhh – you’re so good! I LOVE GoT, and have been impatiently waiting since last year for the next series and FINALLY watched the first episode on Monday. Yup – still got it. Series 6 is going to be ace – I feel it in my bones.
9. Running with friends
It was so nice to run with the girls on the Downs on Monday night. Good chats, pretty scenery and the motivation that comes with running in a group. This might be the thing that helps me fall in love with running again. We can but hope. I don’t need to be running any more half marathons or anything, but would love to be able to comfortably run a 5 miler when I fancy it again – that makes me feel strong and invincible, like a normal healthy person.
If you have any recommendations for what you’re loving at the moment – send them my way! Hope you all have wonderful weekends , whatever you’re up to, and feel fabulously rested by Tuesday.
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