A Return to Blogging?

Firstly… Happy New Year to you all! I know I’m a *bit* late with it, so apologies for that! How was everyone’s 2021? Mine was crazy and I have so much to share with you all in the next few weeks! And, yes, I said in the next few weeks which means I am planning blog content and returning to blogging after being gone for nearly a year!

what has bought about this change? Well, when the pandemic hit and we were going in and out of lockdowns, the rules changing all the time along with flexible working from home, as well as some personal stuff, blogging started to get a bit too much for me. In all honesty, I felt mentally drained a lot of the time. Everything is still changing and we don’t know what is happening from one day to the next regarding restrictions and rules but I’m getting used to it now and things seem to be easier to handle, my routine is more settled and I’m feeling less exhausted and seem to have a bit more time available to me. I’ve missed writing blogs and all the other bits that come along with it, especially interacting with you guys! I have been sneak reading your blogs too…keeping up with what you have been writing but I really miss the social side to blogging!

While I stepped away from the blog, I didn’t stop writing completely…. I have been writing articles for an online magazine called The Everyday Magazine (click the link and it should take you to the articles I have written!). I have also been writing a mental health blog for work (on our intranet site).

With all of this writing I have been doing away from the blog, it has made me realise just how much I love writing and blogging so this year I’m going to try and write more posts. I am not sure whether to return to the blogging format I have been so used to in the past or whether this blog will change and become something else in the future, for now though I am going to be sharing things that have happened in 2021, some posts about lifestyle, the house and some general ramblings about my life!

I hope you have all had a fab Christmas and New Year! Let me know how you spent the holidays and if you have any resolutions for this year in the comments! I’ve not made any (yet) but Id love to hear yours!

Update 03/10 – 11/10 2020

I am still struggling with motivation regarding my blog and where I am going with it. I am signed up to get e-mails from Pete McPherson who runs the “Do You Even Blog” podcast and had one at the beginning of October talking about how his motivation was down because of all the changes that have taken place during this pandemic and, reading it, I realised that most of my lack of motivation is down to the Coronavirus. At this moment in time, where I live is back on a local lockdown and it seems that one day we are able to do thigs then the next we can’t and no one really knows what we are supposed to, or not supposed to be doing. Its really tiring and is all leaving me a bit lacklustre and drained.

Last Saturday was the boys Birthday, he turned 40. We had planned to have a big party, a room was booked for the party, a band was booked, food was planned and the guests invited but because of all the different restrictions across Wales and the rest of the UK it couldn’t go ahead. The boy went for a walk with a couple of friends and went target practicing, had a fire and came home a bit cold and wet as the weather wasn’t that good. We had a few drinks but nothing special, he liked his day but it wasn’t as special as it could have been.

I’ve been in work all week, we are running on a skeleton staff as most people are now working from home. It has been quiet in work but really busy as we are finalising payments. Work have slowly been rolling out laptops to all staff so we can work from home , its a slow process as all the software used varies from office to office depending on what our job role requires us to have access to, we need vpn access and network access along with a ton of other things. I received my laptop on Tuesday and had it up and working fully by Wednesday so was able to work from home on Friday. I was a bit apprehensive about how working from home would be, especially as my motivation has been so low lately but I really liked it. I had my wax melt burner going and was able to listen to podcasts without my headphones on, there were no interruptions and I could concentrate on what I had to do. It was a really nice day!

Over the weekend we have been sorting the house out, since the boy moved in we have had loads of stuff to sort out, tidy up and things that we needed to get rid of. We have a tip not far from our house and I finally was able to book a visit slot to get rid of some stuff. Our tip, as part of the COVID restrictions has put measures in place that mean each visit needs to be prebooked, your car registration given and a time slot chosen, only one person can go, any others need to remain in the car and if you miss your time slot then you need to re-book. The system is pretty good though I was doubtful about getting a weekend slot so I was surprised to get one this weekend. The boy filled his car up and took the stuff down and got rid of it then we spent time sorting out the downstairs of our house. It feels loads better now and it’s starting to look much better than before! I wish I had taken some before photos, I’ll share an after photo soon!

I’m not sure how this week is going to pa out and what the plans are, I’m not sure if I will be working from home at all this week yet. I am off on Friday though, I have a day’s annual leave booked as it is my Birthday. I plan to spend the day doing nothing, Lol! I might have a lie in and a lazy day with Roxy and potter about. I have a few art things to work on, I started Inktober though I am a bit behind, I may spend the day doodling for that. I have also been writing for The Everyday, an online magazine which is really worth checking out, there are so many good articles on there (especially ones by someone called Suzi Tench 😉 . I have an idea for another article that I want to write and may pitch the idea this week and make a start on writing the article on Friday if not before then.

Are any of you struggling with your motivation? How are you dealing with it? I’d love to hear your opinions on motivation and the Coronavirus in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 01/12/19 – 07/12/19

• Reading

The latest edition of Blogosphere magazine was delivered to me earlier this week and I have been enjoying snuggling up before bed and reading it.

• Watching

I have been watching the Apprentice and now they are down to the final 5 I can’t wait for the next episode on Wednesday!  I have also been getting back into watching Eastenders, which I watched for years but stopped earlier this year.

• Listening to

I downloaded a few different audiobooks to listen to in work but found that I wasn’t really in the mood for them so I have been bingeing on Crime Junkie podcast which is about real-life crimes.  I find that I can listen to these back to back and they keep me interested all the way through!

• Eating

This past week should be known as the week of the chip.  I’ve had chips nearly every day this week but I have enjoyed them!  I’ve had fish and chips, chips and cheese, chips and Indian and just plain chips.  I don’t even have any excuses but have really fancied chips each day.

• Drinking

I got given a filter coffee machine by my neighbor so I have been making filter coffee and taking it to work in a flask each morning to have at my desk.  I bought some ground coffee from Tesco which gives the perfect coffee from the machine!

• Doing

This week seems to have gone past really quickly and I have done quite a bit of stuff outside of work.  I did some housework in the week, had a few friends over for a catch-up, watched a few films with one friend on Netflix, did a few loads of clothes washing, got the Christmas decorations down and put the tree up!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty good this week even though my shoulder has been playing up badly.  I’m beginning to look forward to Christmas and can’t wait to spend some time with my family in a few week’s time!  I haven’t heard anything about the position I applied for last week and am hoping to hear something during this coming week, I’m feeling all sorts of things from being excited, anticipation, nervous, worry and all sorts of other things!

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup – 24/11/19 – 30/11/19

• Reading

I haven’t done any reading this week aside from catching up on blog posts and reading a few news articles online.  I really wanted to be able to finish the book The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes but I haven’t seemed to be able to make time to sit and read as I have had loads of other things to do (which I’ll tell you about later!).

• Watching

I have been watching (in the background while I have been doing other things) Unbelievable, a new show on Netflix which is about a girl who has been raped, reports it to the police but then retracts her statement as no one seems to believe her.  Along the way another police department deals with a similar case and it seems like the girl was telling the truth all along.  It is a really interesting show and I can see how so many women, either having been raped or abused, would retract their statements or not go to the police in the first instance because of fears of not being believed.

• Listening to

I’ve downloaded a new app which is linked to the library, called BorrowBox and have been listening to audiobooks through that.  So far I have listened to Sleeping Arrangements by Sophie Kinsella and have a few other books that I can’t wait to start listening to on Monday!

• Eating

My local Co-Op shop sells the loveliest cheese topped rolls which I have been able to get for 25p when they knock down the prices in the evening.  I have been enjoying these with fish fingers, spinach and a slice of cheese.  I have also just been putting spread and spinach in them with a tiny bit of balsamic dressing and eating them that way!

• Drinking

This week I have been drinking a lot of blackcurrant and apple squash, both hot and cold and occasionally with fizzy water.  It has been lovely to snuggle down of an evening and enjoy a hot mug of squash before bed.

• Doing

On Friday I saw a job that would be perfect for me, working in a communications team, for the same company that I already work for but in a different office.  I spoke to the manager of the communications team and asked about how it would work if I went for the position, would I need to do it as a redeployment, secondment or as a new employee, I had a few concerns about the position as there is funding available until the end of March, depending on funding, which could lead to me being unemployed after that period if funding couldn’t be secured, it was one of my biggest concerns around applying.  After speaking with him about these things he suggested that the best way forward would be to speak with my line manager and see what they suggest.  I spoke with my line manager after lunch and showed her the job I had been looking at, she knows what my interests and qualifications are and agreed that it sounded like the perfect job for me and my skill set and, along with the overall manager, it was decided that I should apply, and should I be successful (via application and interview) that I could be released from my current position and take up the new position as a secondment so that, come March, should there be no further funding, I had a job to return to.  Friday night, after work was spent applying for the position and getting the application submitted!

Much of the rest of the week (Monday – Thursday) had been spent doing housework, tidying and cleaning, for my Mind Crafternoon which I held yesterday!  I had to go out on Saturday in the day to pick up a few bits and pieces for it and totally forgot about the Black Friday sales event.  I managed to park pretty quickly so assumed that town was not overly busy but I was wrong, everywhere was packed and it was a bit stressful but I got everything I needed and got home around 2 hours later.

My Crafternoon event went really well, there were 4 of us in total and we had a fab time!  I will be writing a blog post about it soon, sharing photos and what we made!

I was asked by Mind if I would like to write a blog post for them so spent some time in the week writing that and getting it all signed off for them!  It went live on the Mind website yesterday which I am really proud of!  If you want to read my post for them CLICK HERE!

I am still collecting funds for Mind, and have a JustGiving page set up so if you would like to donate to this brilliant cause and help me to hit my target please head over to JustGiving by clicking here!

• Feeling

I have had a really brilliant week and have been feeling super excited for the future and for what is to come!  I had a bit of anxiety and stress when out in town yesterday and about how my Crafternoon event would go, and I also got stressed when filling out my application form for the position in work.  I think that I was so stressed and anxious as I really wanted everything to turn out well for my Crafternoon and I really, really want this job that I have applied for!  In the end, the Crafternoon went really well and we all had lots of fun.  On the application front, I am a bit excited and hope that I do get the job but I will have to wait and see!

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 17/11/19 – 23/11/19

• Reading

I don’t feel like I have spent much time reading this week but when I checked to see how far along I was in my current read – Jojo Moyes The One Plus One, I realised I was nearly 3/4 of the way through!  I have been enjoying reading this book so much and will be sad to finish it.

• Watching

I finally got around to watching the “new” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as it was on the tv yesterday.  I’m not really sure what to make of it if I am honest.  When I was a kid I quite liked the original film though there were parts that scared me (like when they get in the boat and go through the tunnels…) but this new version just felt a little creepy and dark.  The acting didn’t seem particularly good and the changes that were made to the story to modernise it was a bit of a let down so I don’t think it is a film I will be in any rush to watch again in the future.

• Listening to

I downloaded a new Audible book called How The Pill Changes Everything: Your Body On Birth Control written by Sarah E Hill and narrated by Nan McNamara.  I have wanted to listen to this for a while now after it got suggested to me on the Audible app.  I have not quite finished listening to it yet but have been amazed to find out how birth control can affect stress and anxiety as well as other things too.  I would recommend this book to any woman taking birth control as it is an interesting listen/read and covers some important topics.

• Eating

Cheese on toast with baked beans on top has been my go-to this week, it is cheap and quick to make, filling and just yummy!  I don’t know whether this happens with anyone else, but when all the Christmas food adverts come out on the tv I immediately start craving more and more simple food.  Maybe it’s so I can save myself for the big day?

• Drinking

I’ve been really enjoying rose tea this week and have been alternating between rose tea and echinacea tea in work.  I have been trying to cut down on the amount of coffee that I drink while being healthy, rather than substituting my coffee for something sweet or carbonated I have been enjoying both of these types of tea.

• Doing

I’ve been working on Christmas presents and making a few things to give as gifts, working out what else I need to get or make.  I have also been setting up things for my Mind Crafternoon which will be taking place next weekend!  I’ve been in contact with a friend from school and it has been lovely to catch up on messenger, hopefully, I will be able to go and visit her soon!  I also went out with another friend to see Hells Bells, an Ac/Dc tribute band on Friday night!  We had a really good time and the band and supporting act were brilliant!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling ok this week though my shoulder is still playing up, so much so that I had Friday off from work as I was in a lot of pain.  I had a really good week aside from that, it has been nice to catch up with friends and get some things sorted for my craft event.  I’m looking forward to the day now but there is still a lot to get sorted (clean the house, tidy up, get the Christmas decorations out and everything set up for the day!) but I am excited to get started!

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 09/11/19 – 16/11/19

• Reading

I’ve continued reading “The One Plus One” by Jojo Moyes, which I started a few weeks ago, it has been really nice to come home from work, make a coffee and sit and read for an hour each evening.  I’m trying to find new ways to wind down after work and this has been perfect so far.

• Watching

I have been watching “The Great Interior Design Challenge” on Netflix where designers go head to head in design challenges, each week there is a winner who then goes through to the next round.  It has been really interesting to watch and see what the designers come up with based on a brief.

• Listening to

This week I have been listening to lots of different podcasts while at work.  I have been enjoying the “Do You Even Blog?” podcast as well as “Casefile” and “Crime Junkie“.  I really like listening to true crime shows, it is bizarre how many crimes have been committed and how much people have gotten away with before being caught.

• Eating

Pasta has been my go-to meal this week.  I have been eating it with lots of different additions, from veg to cheese sauce, and it has been perfect to take to work for lunch the following day too.

• Drinking

I’ve been drinking a lot of squash again this week and have found the perfect apple squash which has been tasty hot and cold.

• Doing

I had physio on Tuesday morning, my physio and I chatted about different options that were available to me as well as the pros and cons of each treatment.  one of the options was to continue with the exercises and physio sessions or have a steroid injection into my shoulder and continue with physio and exercises and the third option was a guided steroid injection using ultrasound scanning as the injection was made and then continuing with the physio.  I have opted for the steroid injection and more physio as there is only a 4-week wait for an appointment compared with up to 6 months wait for the guided injection.  On Wednesday I travelled to Cardiff to the HPMA Awards where I was asked to be the photographer for the day.  I had so much fun there, the day was really interesting and there were talks given by some really interesting people.  The conference was all about Respect and Resolution in the Workplace and fitted in really well with the anti-bullying week.  Other things that I have been doing are editing photos and getting the images I took ready to be sent off!  I have also been spending some time setting up my Facebook pages in a better way (I had to delete the one I had and then re-set it up as I was having a few teething problems…)  You can find me on Facebook here (my blog page) or here (my personal page).

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling quite good this week, I don’t know if it is because I have been sleeping a bit better or if the Vitamin D tablets I am now taking have started to work properly or if it was because I was doing something I enjoy this week (photography).  I am feeling a lot more positive, upbeat and motivated to get things done.  I always find it really funny how such small things can change my whole outlook on life.

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 03/11/19 – 09/11/19

• Reading

I’ve started reading a new book called “The One Plus One” by Jojo Moyes, which I started reading earlier this week after finishing reading “Who Is Tom Ditto?” by Danny Wallace.  I’m only a few chapters in but I am really enjoying it so far.

• Watching

I’ve been watching The Apprentice and The Apprentice – You’re Fired which has been really good.  I’m not particularly keen on Lottie and hope she leaves soon!  I haven’t got a favorite yet which is a bit weird for me as usually this far in I have already got a favorite that I want to win!

• Listening to

I’ve been listening to a podcast called “Do You Even Blog?” which has been helping me to get back on track with blogging after my burnout from October.  It has been really positive to listen to someone who is so enthusiastic about blogging and shares loads of tips, advice, and help, and from that, I have learned so many things.  I really recommend this podcast to anyone who blogs or wants to start blogging.

• Eating

I’ve been eating a lot of jacket potatoes with beans this past week or so, and lots of soup too.  It has been really cold and miserable weather-wise and this has been filling and warming too.

• Drinking

I’ve been getting back into drinking more tea recently and my go-to tea of choice has been Vanilla Redbush Tea by Tetley which smells as lovely as it tastes!

• Doing

I’ve been given some stretchy exercise bands at my last physio session and have been using them to do some load-bearing exercises to try and improve my shoulder, I really wish I could say that that the exercises have been helping but at the moment I feel like the pain is getting worse.  I have set up my desk and pc in my spare room/office space and I have also painted one of the walls (opposite the small bit I had done previously).  All I need now are some shelves to be put up and I think that the room will be finished!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling guilty that I have neglected the blog for the past few weeks and then I also felt a bit worried because it meant I was behind on my schedule which then led to me feeling even worse about not blogging.  Sitting down with my schedule and looking at what I had missed out writing, and moving things about has helped me to get back on track, and hopefully, this post will be the first in a long run of future posts!

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 20/10/19 – 26/10/19

• Reading

I’m still reading Who Is Tom Ditto by Danny Wallace.  I have been taking it a bit slow despite wanting to find out what happens as I really don’t want the story to end!  I had a mammoth reading session in the bath a few days ago which was a really lovely way to spend a rainy evening when I had backache as well as shoulder pain.

• Watching

I’ve not really watched anything this week, I have had the television on at times but more as background noise rather than watching anything.

• Listening to

My Audible subscription renewed the other day and I downloaded “This Is Going To Hurt” written and read by Adam Kay and have been listening to that in work.  It was really interesting to hear things from a doctors perspective and was really funny at the same time, I can’t count the number of times I had to suppress a chuckle as I was in work!

• Eating

This week has seen me eat a lot of rice-based dishes, mostly rice with some kind of veg mixed in, or risotto.  I make them so that they are vegan and have been really enjoying how simple, quick, filling and cheap they are to make.

• Drinking

I bought some lovely white tea from The English Tea Shop at the beginning of the week and have been enjoying making my way through the selection that I bought (white tea, white tea and blueberry, white tea and cranberry, white tea and citrus).  I’ve not had white tea in years and it has been really nice to start getting back into drinking it.

• Doing

This week has seen me doing lots of little things from my physio appointment on Monday, collecting my prescription, changing the bedding over, doing the laundry, working on a few little projects and making plans for the next few weeks.  I feel like I’ve not done much but seem to have been busy most of my waking hours.

• Feeling

This week has been a real rollercoaster of emotions from feeling anxious and worried about my physio appointment, to feeling pleased that I did the logo for work and emailed it (and my presentation off), to feeling tired and grumpy then feeling relief that the weekend was near and not feeling motivated to do anything much because the weather has been really rainy, cold and dark.  I did buy myself some Vitamin D tablets which I have been taking for 4 days now and am hoping to see an improvement in my feeling tired all the time, once I have got that bit fixed then I think everything else will get better.

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 13/10/19 – 19/10/19

• Reading

I started reading Who Is Tom Ditto by Danny Wallace last week and have been reading it at lunchtimes in work.  I am now halfway through it and can’t wait to see what happens next!

• Watching

I discovered that there is a series called Rabbids Invasion on Netflix!  I loved the Rabbids games on the Wii and have been loving watching the show!  It’s really funny!

• Listening to

I don’t know if I have mentioned a podcast I have been listening to called They Walk Among Us, it is a podcast that goes into detail about murder cases and is really interesting.  I’ve been listening to a lot of these podcasts in work.

• Eating

I’ve been eating a lot of cake and other Birthday treats this week as it was my birthday on Wednesday.  I’ve seriously consumed more sugar and calories this week than I normally do in a month! Lol!

• Drinking

I used to love apple Tango but haven’t bought any in years but recently, I discovered that Morrisons Apple Squash mixed with fizzy water tastes exactly like I remember apple Tango tasting so this has been my beverage of the week!

• Doing

Most of the week was fairly normal and I just went to work and came home again but Wednesday was my Birthday and I was off from work so I’m going to tell you about that instead!  I woke up in the morning, came downstairs and made myself a coffee, then I sat and opened my presents and cards from my brother, sister, niece and nephew.  I got dressed and went to the local pet shop to spend my birthday voucher.  I got some stuff for the tank my friend had bought me.  I came back home and spent a few hours setting up my tank.  My Mum and Dad came up and bought cake, cards and a few presents!  While they were here Dad had a look at the toilet repairs I had done and was pretty impressed with what I had done.  My lovely neighbour called in so we all had a cuppa and chat.  Mum and Dad stayed for a while which was nice.  After they had gone home I had a little nap then woke up and watched The Apprentice before going to bed!  It was a lovely day!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty positive this week despite having a few days where I had a bit of a bad day and felt angry and annoyed and upset.  But overall, I have been feeling pretty calm and happy.  The things that have made me angry, annoyed and upset are things that I can’t change and are more a reaction to others actions and just show how some people can not and will not listen or care and it’s not really a reflection of myself, but more about them and their lack of understanding.  So, I have decided that even though I am affected by certain situations there isn’t much I can do (at the moment anyway…).

How has your week been?  What have you been up to?  I’d love to hear in the comments!