Things I Love Thursday

Days off - I have a couple of days off work and although I do have a big job list to work through I'm trying not to overdo it. It was great to wake up this morning and realise that not only did I not have leap out of bed for work but that I didn't have anything else pressing to do either. Now if the weather could just get it's act together.

Decluttering - One of the tasks I will be undertaking during my time off is a clear out of our utility room. We finished puttung cupboards in it 2 years ago but it's never been properly organised. I'm slo looking at other bits around the house and embarking on another round of general clearing out.

My cooking mojo - This is really another take on decluttering but much inspired to cook stuff at present and use up things in the pantry and freezer. So chick peas are soaking, popcorn will be made, and another chunk has been hacked off the monster block of spinach pesto in the freezer. Plus I made vegan croissants at the weekend from scratch.

Other stuff - making adavance plans for gift free christmas (let's focus on the company and the food), wunderlist, stripy socks, cool stuff on the South Bank, toenails painted different shades of green.

Enjoy today and embrace the moment!

Monday evening slump

It happened again last night. It’s the second Monday in a row I’ve gotten home and just slumped. On both occasions I’ve powered my way through the day ticking items off my job and then as I’ve parked my car I’ve felt done for the day.

Except on Monday’s I’m not done. I’ve got to dash inside, have a speedy cup of tea and a snack, get changed, get back in the car and go to my belly dance class.

And I haven’t wanted to for the past two Mondays. All I’ve felt like doing is slumping on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea with a view that at some far distant point I will go prepare some food.

I do think that part of the issue might be that my band practices every Tuesday evening. What was once a possible night for practice has now become fixed. So That means that between rolling out of bed on Monday morning and diving under the duvet on Tuesday night I seem to be on the go. Which isn’t a bad thing and does mean it’s half way through the week before I know it.

But maybe this is my mind telling me that I need to take things a bit easier. That I shouldn’t rush around all weekend trying to get ahead of myself. That I should consider leaving work a little bit earlier on a Monday night so I’ve got time to relax a bit before my class.

Or I could look for some other class to take on a different night. I enjoy belly dancing. I’ve got some vegan dance shoes that still have lots of wear in them. However I’m wonder in if an hour of throwing myself around to music in a different style on another night of the week would work better for me.

How do you know when it’s time to move on? How do you know when you need to make a change?

Phrase of the week

Breaking distances at least double in the wet

It's been raining a lot this week and I thought that I was getting a good idea of what driving in wet conditions was like. Until Tuesday evening, when just a few miles from home a sudden torrential rain storm turned what had been a dry road with traffic moving at around 70 mph to something much scarier. Suddenly it was like trying to drive through a swimming pool. Visability dropped. The window screen wipers struggled to make a difference. Speeds massively reduced. The road was inches deeep in water. All you could do was look at the tail lights of the car in front, keep moving slowly and hope it stopped soon.

You can't get past nature. You either have to live with or suffer through it.

Things I Love Thursday

Playing bass - I don't know if it's because I'm getting to grips with my job and driving or because it seems like the band is really cooking together but playing bass is so enjoyable at present. I always enjoy playing but I feel really in the zone and so eager to play.

Home cooked food made from fresh ingredients - I seem to have slipped into rather bad habits when eating recently. Fruit and vegetables have been rather lower on the list than they should be and I've been indulging in lots of vegan cheese and processed stuff. Monday night I did pasta, quinoa and peas and topped it with slices of aubergine coated in herby breadcrumbs and shallow fried (inspiration from Vegan with a Vengeance). It tasted awesome. Leftovers have worked well for lunch and I feel so much better.

Melissa shoes - I love my 4 pairs of Melissa shoes and they are proving to be a mainstay of my summer wardrobe. they are comfortable, look great and are ideal for both hot days and rain storms! Anyone else find that if they wear them with socks (I know plastic shoes and socks sound wrong) the socks won't stay up?


Other stuff - feeling the fear and doing it anyway, learning to love fifth gear, Wunderlist, cups of tea, being inspired, wandering around charity shops.

Phrase of the week

Nothing is forever

Uttered frequently as I realise that I've been in a new job for over a year, an auntie for over year and playing the bass for two and half. When you are in the middle of things you believe that they will go on forever in a completely unchanged manner but tend to forget how utterly things have changed from how they were before. Your band breaks up. You start a new one. Your job changes. You discover new annoyances and pleasures from the role. Your routine changes but you still complain about having to get out of bed so early.

In some ways that nothing is forever means that you need to worry about it less because you don't know what it will become or how it will turn out but know that it will be different to now.

Things I Love Thursday

Changes in routine - particularly when they include lovely company and cocktails. Monday I left the car at home so I could break with my usual Monday evening and have a couple of drinks with girlfriend. Two cocktail and a very special coffee later we left off from planning our burlesque debut and headed to our respective homes. I felt relaxed and refreshed the next day.

Lunchtimes in the park - It's good to be outside with my lunch and a book. I like looking at the people in the park and the occasional duck on the river. Whether it's hot or cooler the weather makes a change from my icebox office.

Other stuff - playing bass, feeling strangely calm, List making, home made pizza vegan cheese.

Phrase of the week

"I'll stick it on my list"

Such is my obsession with Wunderlist and the way it links up between my phone and various computers I use (although it doesn't like IE6 very much) that I utter this abut every ten seconds.

Plus inspired by Raptitude I've been reading Getting Things Done by David Allen. I must confess that I've been working through it in small easily digested chunks. there are loads of thing int his book that have really made me thing but the main one is that if I've added it to my list then I don't have to worry about it (as long as I empty my collection buckets regularly).