It's been a while...

It's been a while since I blogged (about 4 months to be exact, whoops). I had a busy end to the year last year and couldn't quite fit blogging into my day/week/month, but I'm returning to it a changed woman (well...does a recently qualified pilates teacher count?!).

Up north

A cold weekend up north. Amazing beach. Fish and chips.

Perfect!

Finisterre

I am the proud owner of a new coat. A practical coat for my holiday, not your latest fashion piece from Top Shop. This coat does in fact tick all the boxes - warm, light, fitted, and of course stylish (well as stylish as it can be for an outdoorsy coat!). The coat comes from Cornwall based  Finisterre who are an award winning outdoor clothing company who produce practical, outdoor clothing which is ethically manufactured and fashionable, yes you heard it. 

Proof is in the pudding mind you, and I've got one week to wait until I put the coat to the test in the wind/rain/snow in Snowdonia, Wales. Wish me luck and let's hope I don't get blown away up on those hills.

All the leaves are brown...

image via flickr

... and the sky is grey. I went for a walk on a winters day.

Okay so it's not winter but it's well and truly autumn and I think I might go for a walk on Sunday to clear the cobwebs, and according to a source it's going to be sunny.

I'm on a mission to cram in those 5-a-day to avoid any flu-like symptoms so I think some warm hearty soup is on the menu this weekend. I'll post which recipe I end up going with. This is a great website for checking out what food/vegetables are in season at the moment.

Happy weekend!

A place to relax

images via living etc

I'm in need of a place to relax. A place where I can read a book. A place where I can stop, think, close my eyes. A place where I can have a snooze. A place where I can plan. A comfortable place, with natural light and maybe a view. Okay living room, you're getting a revamp this weekend.

October's challenge

 

I've just heard on the radio that summer is officially over. I'm not going to mourn for too long as Autumn is pretty much here and even though I can't wait to stay indoors on those dark nights, curling up on the sofa eating homemade stews, I'm equally ready to put a spring back in my step and get active. Sod the gym, I've never liked those soul-less places where you stare at a wall/tv whilst running on the spot for 30 minutes. I'm ready to embrace those brisk weekend runs in the park and will be practicsing more pilates that I can shake a stick at. You see I'm near the end of my course and I think it's time to up my game and be full to the brim of 'core stability' knowledge and to also look the part before I'm let loose on the general public. 

I'm currently admiring Sweaty Betty's new collection.

Goals for October include: eat breakfast. listen to more music. bake bread. buy weekly veggies from local fruit and veg man. make more time for friends. get more fresh air. find time to read a book. cook a new recipe each week.

That will do for now.

A confidence booster

The weekend is nearly here and I can't wait to escape London tomorrow to go up to Suffolk for my friends wedding, and it's going to be a sunny day, yeah! I'm hoping that I find time (after the hangover subsides on Sunday probably) to complete coursework and plan the new change that is ahead of me. Careershifters (a great website/blog that a friend of mine set up with her friends back in 2004) has been a true life-saver. It came to the rescue last year when I was made redundant, wandering around aimlessly thinking about what I was going to with my life.  Anyway, there's a great post on their blog about keeping up your spirits during the process of changing career. It's something that I've been trying to do throughout this crazy year and I think I need to go back to basics. Here are a few tips for those of you out there who like me need to focus on the (exciting) future ahead:

No 1.  Surround yourself with positive, can-do folk
There's nothing like hanging out with people who smile, laugh, offer positive support and generally see the glass half full. I try to catch up with friends who have made big changes in their life, listen to their story and hear that it was the best decision they made.

No 2. Be clear about your focus
And try and look on the upside. Challenge any negative comments from people and keep focused on the end goal.

No 3. Create your own positivity 
This could be relaxing reading a book (must try and find some time do this one!), exercising, hanging out with friends, dancing around the kitchen to your favorite tune. Something that makes you feel good about yourself.  I am the classic case of putting too much pressure on myself so I try and go for a jog at the weekend, a chance to clear my head and focus on the good stuff that's happening.

Right I'd better find my dancing shoes for tomorrow's wedding party!