The last two Sundays have seen me and the dogs adventuring for our morning walk in pastures new.
I decided to start walking in new neighbourhoods, along new roads, in new subdivisions, with the dogs on-leash, anywhere thats within a 15 minute drive.
Its been very therapeutic.
The dogs dont pull for one. They wait until I let them out and then walk pretty nicely actually for dogs in a new place.
I arrive with all my weekly "issues" and then by the time I get back to the car, all seems to be resolved with me.
I am at one with the world, my particular life and most importantly grateful.
I am grateful for my job, my family, my spot on the planet, the animals in our home, the horse in the barn, my riding, my friends, the view, the bird song, the weather (whatever its like), my past, my present, my plans....
I reset to notice everything around me. The birdsong, the sound of the woodpeckers, the breeze, the homes, the view, the trees, the smells, the sound of water, the gravel under my feet...
I get back in the car and arrive home to make Sunday brunch of bacon, eggs, homefries and fruit.
Its all good.
Monday, 29 April 2019
Sunday, 21 April 2019
Easter 2019
Its been the weirdest and strangely most awesome Easter ever.
Firstly we had Easter Sunday on Good Friday. This was necessary since our friend Steve was working on the Sunday and we all wanted dinner together. A tiny (teeny tiny) part of me battled momentarily with the notion of "supposed to be having fish on Friday" and then it was gone. I dont allow myself to be governed by Catholic rules on a daily basis so why start now? And if He really does exist then surely He would understand anyway, purely due to the concept of eating together. And besides, I am yet to be convinced that Catholic rules are any more important than any other faith.
So, we had Sunday dinner on Friday and it rocked, by far the most delicious I have had in a very long time.
Following dinner the teen and tweenage contingent moved in and the house was turned into an epic "all nighter" for Chloes birthday. We went to bed, they made a noise, and ate....
Saturday morning found me at the barn at 8.30am as I had calculated that due to the "all nighter" that actually likely meant they crashed by 4am, I safely had until about 11am until they rose and shone and went looking for breakfast. I had big plans for Chloes birthday breakfast that included bacon, eggs, homefries and cinammon rolls and wanted to be home. But I also wanted to ride, so 8.30am it was.
It was quiet in the barn and I had a lovely ride. Its a weird place, the barn.... I can drive there feeling exhausted and as I turn into the drive I am overcome with a new energy just to be there...
Breakfast went as planned and the friends left which meant we were headed for the mall so that Chloe could hit her favourite stores to support, yet again, the notion of "easy come, easy go" Two hours later and we had jeans and bath and body works soap and tops and shorts and a good time.
Sunday was chilled, the girls had Easter baskets, I walked the dogs in a new neighbourhood to shake it up a bit for us all and saw Ace for an afternoon fix. We then had pizza for supper which is an absolute first for Easter Sunday.
Tomorrow I am back to work and frankly, three day weekends should really be the new rule.. or would it remove the magic?
Firstly we had Easter Sunday on Good Friday. This was necessary since our friend Steve was working on the Sunday and we all wanted dinner together. A tiny (teeny tiny) part of me battled momentarily with the notion of "supposed to be having fish on Friday" and then it was gone. I dont allow myself to be governed by Catholic rules on a daily basis so why start now? And if He really does exist then surely He would understand anyway, purely due to the concept of eating together. And besides, I am yet to be convinced that Catholic rules are any more important than any other faith.
So, we had Sunday dinner on Friday and it rocked, by far the most delicious I have had in a very long time.
Following dinner the teen and tweenage contingent moved in and the house was turned into an epic "all nighter" for Chloes birthday. We went to bed, they made a noise, and ate....
Saturday morning found me at the barn at 8.30am as I had calculated that due to the "all nighter" that actually likely meant they crashed by 4am, I safely had until about 11am until they rose and shone and went looking for breakfast. I had big plans for Chloes birthday breakfast that included bacon, eggs, homefries and cinammon rolls and wanted to be home. But I also wanted to ride, so 8.30am it was.
It was quiet in the barn and I had a lovely ride. Its a weird place, the barn.... I can drive there feeling exhausted and as I turn into the drive I am overcome with a new energy just to be there...
Breakfast went as planned and the friends left which meant we were headed for the mall so that Chloe could hit her favourite stores to support, yet again, the notion of "easy come, easy go" Two hours later and we had jeans and bath and body works soap and tops and shorts and a good time.
Sunday was chilled, the girls had Easter baskets, I walked the dogs in a new neighbourhood to shake it up a bit for us all and saw Ace for an afternoon fix. We then had pizza for supper which is an absolute first for Easter Sunday.
Tomorrow I am back to work and frankly, three day weekends should really be the new rule.. or would it remove the magic?
Friday, 12 April 2019
at the end of 21DFX
Still doing it. I am still rising with the dawn (and it really is dawn light now as we travel towards summer - except for that 25cm of snow we had last week! - reasonably quickly)
I am now at the end of 21DFX which is 21 Day fix Extreme which I loathed so much when it was first introduced to me and now rather love.
I am now consistently down below another line on the scales and staying down, although I still have at least 20 pounds to go. Non scale victories are the return of my abs and a reduction in under arm additional me, thats leaving :-)
I get up without fail at 5.15am every day except Sunday and kick my own butt in my workout. I still feel accomplished and am pleased, I dont love it particularly but I cant imagine not doing it now, like I couldnt go to work without cleaning my teeth (or bed for that matter).
I can now run the flights of stairs at work and sometimes not feel the burn. I can do 6 burpees now and about 5 very pathetic push ups. The rest I am winning at more.
I still hate burpees and hate push ups.
Last week hubs finally had his gall bladder removed. This was after 5 days of continuous pain that started with a scope and a trip to emerg. It ended in another hospital, on an IV and with a distinctly yellow hue. Hes now healing from an apparently tricky gall bladder removal. I, after spending time at the hospital, am now back at work and also doing all laundry, walking dogs, cleaning cat litter, making meals, cleaning the house, bringing wood around, making the fire and cleaning snow from the driveway. I have also now had the tires changed on two cars (yes I am keen that its the end of winter, it HAS to be!)
Its been tough. I had no idea how much he did until now.
Vacation -wise : The Westjet app on my phone has a veru handy countdown feature that I rather love telling us the number of days until England and Orlando. I look at it daily.
So... I think I will do another round of 21DFX and see where it takes me... I have a number of clothes I want to wear again....
I am now at the end of 21DFX which is 21 Day fix Extreme which I loathed so much when it was first introduced to me and now rather love.
I am now consistently down below another line on the scales and staying down, although I still have at least 20 pounds to go. Non scale victories are the return of my abs and a reduction in under arm additional me, thats leaving :-)
I get up without fail at 5.15am every day except Sunday and kick my own butt in my workout. I still feel accomplished and am pleased, I dont love it particularly but I cant imagine not doing it now, like I couldnt go to work without cleaning my teeth (or bed for that matter).
I can now run the flights of stairs at work and sometimes not feel the burn. I can do 6 burpees now and about 5 very pathetic push ups. The rest I am winning at more.
I still hate burpees and hate push ups.
Last week hubs finally had his gall bladder removed. This was after 5 days of continuous pain that started with a scope and a trip to emerg. It ended in another hospital, on an IV and with a distinctly yellow hue. Hes now healing from an apparently tricky gall bladder removal. I, after spending time at the hospital, am now back at work and also doing all laundry, walking dogs, cleaning cat litter, making meals, cleaning the house, bringing wood around, making the fire and cleaning snow from the driveway. I have also now had the tires changed on two cars (yes I am keen that its the end of winter, it HAS to be!)
Its been tough. I had no idea how much he did until now.
Vacation -wise : The Westjet app on my phone has a veru handy countdown feature that I rather love telling us the number of days until England and Orlando. I look at it daily.
So... I think I will do another round of 21DFX and see where it takes me... I have a number of clothes I want to wear again....
Monday, 25 March 2019
restaurants dreaming
Is it too soon to be googling restaurants in Marathon?
I still have MONTHS to wait.
meh
I still have MONTHS to wait.
meh
Sunday, 24 March 2019
20 years
This time 20 years ago I was looking forward to moving back into my flat, staying at my dads place for a couple of months and listening to Lenny Kravitz "fly away" every time I was in the car. Spring was springing in the UK and I was in countdown mode to my very first Florida trip.
I was feeling very free. For the first time since I was 15 I was young, free and single. Enjoying a good job and doing stuff like eating grapes in bed in the morning, just because. The notion of choosing my own options at the weekend without any discussion with a significant other was new and a real treat.
I have strong memories of that first Florida trip that I documented here in my 1999 trip to Florida
This year marks 20 years of that year. Both Lily and I especially have struggled with not being in Florida this year and I searched the calendar and Expedia for options to go at some point at the end of the year. The want to be back in the Keys especially for me is a daily thought. The girls want Bahama Bay, which given that they learnt to swim in the hot tub there, doesnt surprise me.
Thankfully due to early bird cheap deals and Airmiles reward miles I have found a way and booked a trip for us all towards the end of this year, this 20th anniversary year for me. So now, I am back in a countdown mode of sorts.
I cant wait to see these views again
Eat here again
Run here again at dawn
Between now and then we have the girls birthdays, our early summer trip to the UK to see family, summer time in Nova Scotia and Halloween. All good times to "get through".
I was feeling very free. For the first time since I was 15 I was young, free and single. Enjoying a good job and doing stuff like eating grapes in bed in the morning, just because. The notion of choosing my own options at the weekend without any discussion with a significant other was new and a real treat.
I have strong memories of that first Florida trip that I documented here in my 1999 trip to Florida
This year marks 20 years of that year. Both Lily and I especially have struggled with not being in Florida this year and I searched the calendar and Expedia for options to go at some point at the end of the year. The want to be back in the Keys especially for me is a daily thought. The girls want Bahama Bay, which given that they learnt to swim in the hot tub there, doesnt surprise me.
Thankfully due to early bird cheap deals and Airmiles reward miles I have found a way and booked a trip for us all towards the end of this year, this 20th anniversary year for me. So now, I am back in a countdown mode of sorts.
Between now and then we have the girls birthdays, our early summer trip to the UK to see family, summer time in Nova Scotia and Halloween. All good times to "get through".
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
The commencement of my 44th year
This March we hit (as we do each and every year now) two key dates - my birthday and our Canniversary.
I am now 44 years old and ever aware of it. Our Canniversary this year is for 8 years in Nova Scotia.
To "celebrate" this 44th year I decided to do some research on how to be more active and therefore more healthy. I have extensive plans for us when we retire and those plans require us to be fit and healthy. Hubs has taken this on with much energy and is seeing real results with his personal trainer. I, on the other hand, needed something else.
I needed a workout option that didn't steal time from my other activities or "chances of activity". I used to do my workouts at 8pm and for a while that worked until I started occasionally to ride in the evening, or want to walk the dogs at that time, or we went out, or had friends round, or I didn't sleep properly the night before, or I was exhausted or it was Monday, or Friday.
So the 8pm thing wasnt really working for me and I fell off the wagon, constantly.
Someone in my workout group answered my post asking how others scheduled in their workouts with a comment that went "I get up at 5am and look forward to my workout then".
Look forward to.....
Who looks forward to that at 5am????
I decided, on further inspection, that 5.15am wasnt that much earlier than the 5.45am I was often waking up at. I decided to commit to 3 weeks of 5.15am and follow the 21 Day Fix, religiously.
So we are almost 3 weeks in and its working for me. My alarm goes off with a rousing melody at 5.15am, I gather my thoughts and then my "organized the night before" workout gear and down I go.
And I look forward to it. Every day, even the weekend.
The sense of accomplishment is real and there are days when I ride the horse and walk the dogs too. Those days are increasing as the temps go up, so I am really starting to move alot and I can feel it. I can now run up the three flights of stairs at work, complete with purse, coat and laptop bag, without losing my breath. Yes, the burn is still there in my legs but at least I can do it. Maybe the burn will fade... I cant wait to find out.
The downside is that I am in bed falling asleep at 9.30pm but thats ok too.... it means I am not snacking or thinking about snacking or arguing with myself about snacking. Its a true "dinner and done" feat every night.
And I can sit, after dinner, without guilt and just watch Netflix. The guiltfree-ness of it all is tremendous.
So, whats next? On Monday we start the next round, this is 21DF extreme. Finally my annual online subscription to Beachbody is paying off and being used. Bring it!
I am now 44 years old and ever aware of it. Our Canniversary this year is for 8 years in Nova Scotia.
To "celebrate" this 44th year I decided to do some research on how to be more active and therefore more healthy. I have extensive plans for us when we retire and those plans require us to be fit and healthy. Hubs has taken this on with much energy and is seeing real results with his personal trainer. I, on the other hand, needed something else.
I needed a workout option that didn't steal time from my other activities or "chances of activity". I used to do my workouts at 8pm and for a while that worked until I started occasionally to ride in the evening, or want to walk the dogs at that time, or we went out, or had friends round, or I didn't sleep properly the night before, or I was exhausted or it was Monday, or Friday.
So the 8pm thing wasnt really working for me and I fell off the wagon, constantly.
Someone in my workout group answered my post asking how others scheduled in their workouts with a comment that went "I get up at 5am and look forward to my workout then".
Look forward to.....
Who looks forward to that at 5am????
I decided, on further inspection, that 5.15am wasnt that much earlier than the 5.45am I was often waking up at. I decided to commit to 3 weeks of 5.15am and follow the 21 Day Fix, religiously.
So we are almost 3 weeks in and its working for me. My alarm goes off with a rousing melody at 5.15am, I gather my thoughts and then my "organized the night before" workout gear and down I go.
And I look forward to it. Every day, even the weekend.
The sense of accomplishment is real and there are days when I ride the horse and walk the dogs too. Those days are increasing as the temps go up, so I am really starting to move alot and I can feel it. I can now run up the three flights of stairs at work, complete with purse, coat and laptop bag, without losing my breath. Yes, the burn is still there in my legs but at least I can do it. Maybe the burn will fade... I cant wait to find out.
The downside is that I am in bed falling asleep at 9.30pm but thats ok too.... it means I am not snacking or thinking about snacking or arguing with myself about snacking. Its a true "dinner and done" feat every night.
And I can sit, after dinner, without guilt and just watch Netflix. The guiltfree-ness of it all is tremendous.
So, whats next? On Monday we start the next round, this is 21DF extreme. Finally my annual online subscription to Beachbody is paying off and being used. Bring it!
Saturday, 2 March 2019
Morning light
I am a fan of early mornings. This of course has a downside, meaning I am typically asleep or at least napping at 10.30pm on any given day, even the weekend, but the magic of the early morning never escapes me.
It started when I had babies, who of course woke me at the crack of dawn and morphed into a way to study when they were small, when I would get up at 5am, creep downstairs, makes a silent cup of Roiboos tea ( I MUST get more of that) and get at least one question under my belt before the house woke up and then work called.
I used to also walk up and down the garden path on those summer study mornings looking for a Virgin Atlantic flight coming into land that you could see, pretty much, from wherever you lived in Horley.
My babies of course grew into toddles, children and now teens, and the exams are long gone (thank goodness!) but the early morning lark has remained. I loved that time to myself when they were little and now I just love it.
As the winter is moving along to Spring, now its dawn when I wake, and I find the light at that time of day (along with twilight light) has a magical quality. I find myself wondering around looking out of all the windows as the the light grows stronger.
Dawn breaking over our back garden:
The pink sky I adore from our front windows
The early morning golden light starts to come through the blinds
Light on snow, 8am on a drive into work
The brightness of the day on a non stormy Saturday winters morning
It started when I had babies, who of course woke me at the crack of dawn and morphed into a way to study when they were small, when I would get up at 5am, creep downstairs, makes a silent cup of Roiboos tea ( I MUST get more of that) and get at least one question under my belt before the house woke up and then work called.
I used to also walk up and down the garden path on those summer study mornings looking for a Virgin Atlantic flight coming into land that you could see, pretty much, from wherever you lived in Horley.
My babies of course grew into toddles, children and now teens, and the exams are long gone (thank goodness!) but the early morning lark has remained. I loved that time to myself when they were little and now I just love it.
As the winter is moving along to Spring, now its dawn when I wake, and I find the light at that time of day (along with twilight light) has a magical quality. I find myself wondering around looking out of all the windows as the the light grows stronger.
Dawn breaking over our back garden:
The pink sky I adore from our front windows
The early morning golden light starts to come through the blinds
Light on snow, 8am on a drive into work
The brightness of the day on a non stormy Saturday winters morning
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