Special Sunday

Sundays are my favourite day of the week primarily because it is the only full day off I get and so I try to treat it with the reverence it deserves.
Hubby has every other Sunday off work which makes it even more special.
Today we decided to have breakfast at Morrisons which is our local supermarket and although this doesn't exactly fit in with my self improvement regime it does improve my quality of life so in a way I think it does help me move forward even if it is in a rather fattening self indulgent way.
We did however decide to go for a good walk in Potteric Carr which is part of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

I would love to paint this scene but wouldn't know where to begin

This is a beautiful part of our local countryside and a place where I feel most at home at the moment.  The weather was blustery and threatened rain on more than one occasion but it held out long enough for us to grab a good breath of fresh air.

I have decided that as part of my getting better promise I will also share a few more personal photographs of myself with my readers.

I love my winter coat and my handmade crocheted Road Trip Scarf

I absolutely hate my own photographs and struggle to get used to how I look at the moment.  I still imagine that I look like I did in my late twenties and it never fails to surprise me that I don't look young and slim anymore. It is my resolution to get used to the way I look and in time actually like myself again.

A very cold looking sky although it was unusually mild for the time of year

Just when you think everythings going your way!

It was too good to be true.  I had a great day yesterday, very relaxing, really smashing. Unfortunately my Mum was taken in to hospital last night and oh dear everything grinds to a nasty halt.  The doctors thought is was a stroke as she lost a lot of the use in her arms but it turns out to be a nasty chest infection.  I spoke to her last night before bedtime and apart from being tired she seems to be OK.  Thank goodness.  She is 92 years old and these scares really knock you for six.
Well it didn't put me off being good and I managed to prepare a really nice dinner of pork and vegetables.

The carrots and beetroot were harvested from our own garden and so the flavours were beautifully intense.

Mmm I'm feeling quite peckish just looking at those pictures.
Today started well with a good breakfast of porridge, Greek yogurt, honey and sliced banana with nuts and seeds for my snack.

I joined a gym back in June and surprisingly I have kept up my exercise routine although I missed last week due to feeling under the weather.  I managed to do a good workout today and am currently on 7,258 steps on my Mi Fit band. Obviously my goal is to reach 10,000 today and by the time I've rushed round later I should have achieved that without too much trouble.

Oh the above picture has just reminded me that I never showed you my completed Harmony blanket.

I started this back in August and it took about two months of solid work to finish it.  The pattern is over at Attic 24 and I enjoyed every minute of the making process.  I used exactly the same wool and colours that Lucy recommended and it turned out perfect.

At the moment it is on the sofa in the shop but will eventually have pride of place on our bed at home.

 Right well I better shoot off and get some lunch and I'll check in with you all very soon.

Give it a year - 365 days to a new me

For some time now I have been feeling less than great and it is not unusual to see me popping a couple of pain killers into my mouth before I have even surfaced from my bedroom.
I put this down to a number of factors namely

• Working a six day week - leaving the house at five to seven in the morning and returning at six forty five in the evening.
• Drinking far too much alcohol when I finally return home in an attempt to 'make the most of my evenings'.
• Eating a diet made up of carbs, fat and sugar with red meat thrown in for good measure!
• Very little fresh air.

There are other things too but I'm sure you've got the picture by now so I won't go on.

Anyway I have decided that I have to do something positive to try and bring some balance to my life before I lose the will to live altogether and to do this I am going to give myself a year (yes - it will take that long) to turn things around.
I intend to change everything in my life that isn't perfect and that includes my health, home life, life style, image, attitude, body, the success of my business -  you name it, I'm changing it - for the better I hope.

I'm sick of feeling rubbish and doing exactly the same thing everyday hoping that things will change - that's the definition of madness by the way.

I hope that you all get behind me during my time of transformation and I am determined to make you proud of me.

This is to show you how I look today - not a great picture but the best I have

I feel that I have got my mojo back and think that sharing with my readers will motivate me to get my finger out and actually put by intentions in to full swing.

 

Well first things first.  I've had a lovely soak in the bath and I painted my finger nails a lovely shade of pale grey.  This made me feel alot better.  Usually I just slap a colour on but for my first day at becoming better I soaked my nails before pushing back the cuticles and painting on a base coat.  Then came two coats of nail varnish.  I did forget to but a top coat on but Rome wasn't built in a day so cut me some slack here.
I also added a peach coloured toner to my hair just to give it a bit of a lift as I do feel that my bleached blond hair could do with toning down a little but my hair just went orange which isn't a good look for me.  Fortunately this was a wash in wash out kind so although I have a little tinge of the jaffa going on it isn't unbearable.  Note to self - do not buy coloured toners from the £1 shop even if they were by L'oreal.  They were in the £1 shop for a reason!

Lunch today consisted of cream crackers and cheese and although not as healthy as I would have wished I didn't want to go shopping on my day off - will try harder tomorrow - I promise.

I Absolutely adore olives and they are good for you as long as you don't eat too many.

Todays goals are:

• To eat a nutricious dinner with plenty of vegetables
• Drink some water
• Relax
• Get an outfit ready for tomorrow which is simple and stylish.

Have a great day and if you have any advice please leave a comment.