Weekly Roundup 29/09/19 – 05/10/19

• Reading

This past week I have been reading lots of different things about colour theory, the meaning of colour and how different colours can affect our moods.  I love colour and have been really interested in reading about why different colours are chosen for different things.

• Watching

The Apprentice is back on so I watched the first episode on iplayer the other night.  Alan Sugar set a really good first task but I can’t help wondering where some of the contestant’s common sense is…

• Listening to

I downloaded “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck” by Mark Manson to my Audible account and listened to that in work!  It was a really good listen, funny but with lots of tips and advice along the way!

• Eating

This week I have been eating tons of pasta, it’s quick to make, filling and can be eaten with so many different things!

• Drinking

I bought some really lovely ground coffee from Morrisons to make in my Bodum Travel Press which I have been enjoying in work each day!  It was pretty cheap compared with the coffee I usually buy and so far I have been plesantly surprised by it!

• Doing

I took my Mum to see a friends choir perform at the beginning of the week, it was a fab evening with a brass band performing too, we had a brilliant time.  I started Blogtober and also Inktober this week which has been really fun to start too!  I have got so many ideas running through my head from starting Inktober and am amazed at how the act of just sitting and sketching each day has started my creative thought processes off again.

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty tired all week and I can’t wait for Monday to roll around just so I can go to my physiotherapist and get my shoulder looked at, hopefully, they can suggest some exercises or something to ease the pain.  I’ve also had a dull headache of sorts this week too, though I think it is caused by the air pressure.  Aside from that, I’m feeling pretty good!

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

Weekly Roundup 15/09/19 – 21/09/19

• Reading

I feel like I have not made much progress this week with reading my book this week.  I have been reading a lot though, but it has been articles on the internet.  I have read a vast amount of articles covering so many different topics from art, design, skincare, fashion, computing, software, reviews, gardening and typography.

• Watching

I started to watch I-Land with my friend this week, its a new series on Netflix and so far seems pretty good.  10 people wake up on an island with no idea of who they are, how they got there or any recollection of their past.  They are all dressed in similar outfits and have an item found near where they wake which, so far is unexplained.  I won’t spoil it by saying too much more, but as the series goes along we find out more about each person and their lives before which have led to them being on the island.

• Listening to

More podcasts!  I’ve been listening to more of the same podcasts as last week (LogoGeek and The Deeply Graphic Designcast).  I have got a few new podcasts downloaded to listen to this week and am really looking forward to listening to Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast as I have heard some brilliant things about it!

• Eating

I haven’t really eaten anything interesting this week though I had been craving bananas and custard so treated myself to a bowl of custard with chopped bananas one evening!  It was soo good!  I’ve also been eating a lot of apples, they are so tasty and juicy right now!

• Drinking

I don’t very often drink fizzy drinks but really fancied some Coke-Cola this week which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It made a nice change from water and squash and the tea and coffee that I usually drink!  I only bought a small bottle and it lasted me a whole day.

• Doing

You may have noticed that my Saturday Shout Out didn’t happen yesterday, I had written it in the week and thought I had scheduled it but when I checked on Friday it was nowhere to be found.  I planned on re-writing it on Friday evening but had a few other things that zapped my energy.  I spent much of Friday afternoon and evening running between home and our local DIY store with the toilet cistern in pieces.  I have had problems with it leaking water into the overflow and the pipe constantly leaking which I thought would be an easy fix, all I needed to do was adjust the ballcock float surely?  Anyway, to cut a long story short, I needed to replace the whole cistern filler unit so I opted for a newer one that does away with the ballcock mechanism, instead, the float is built into the filler tube and moves up and down as the water is flushed/refills.  I had to remove the flush part of the cistern and turn it 180 degrees as there was not enough space for the new mechanism to fit beside it.  I needed to remove the whole cistern from the toilet, undo the washer that held the flush part in and turn it, then put the cistern back onto the toilet before re-connecting the water pipe and the overflow.  There were a few problems…I didn’t have the right sized spanner,  the huge nut that held the flush mechanism to the base of the cistern wouldn’t undo, then when I had got it all back together it was leaking.  Fixed the leaks then the cistern wouldn’t fill enough to flush.  Removed everything again to see what was going on.  Then realised (if I had read the instructions which came with the new ballcock mechanism ting) that all I needed to do was adjust the height of the fill unit in order to adjust the amount of water in the cistern, not take it apart.  Anyway, I managed, with the help of my friend who came to the rescue, to fix it and now I have a flushable, leak-free toilet!  We didn’t finish sorting it until nearly 12pm on Friday night and by then I was absolutely shattered and couldn’t think of anything other than climbing into bed.  Sometimes, as they say, “shit happens.”.

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling ok this week, just tired still.  Friday was a bit stressful as every time I needed to do something I found I couldn’t as I didn’t have the right tools (who knew you would need so many different sized spanners?) and I spent a lot of time driving back and fore to the DIY store, partly annoyed with myself for not looking to see what was needed and partly just annoyed in general, the youtube videos I had watched made it all look so easy!  My shoulder is still playing up and I’m still taking painkillers for it, I think that is impacting on my sleep and making me tired.

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

Weekly Roundup 08/09/19 – 14/09/19

• Reading

This week I have been getting back into reading on my Kindle and have been continuing to read Into The Darkness by Sibel Hodge.  I’m now around halfway through and enjoying the book a lot.

• Watching

I’ve been watching a LOT of YouTube videos about toilet cisterns and fixing them…I have a problem with the cistern filling too much and then leaking through the overflow pipe and onto my outside steps.  I am pretty freaked out by toilet cisterns and really, really don’t like them, well, the whole looking in them and all that, they are ok if the cistern lid is on so this has been a huge ordeal for me.  I have managed to remove the cistern lid and adjust the ballcock (even writing this is making me feel all weird…) but the water is still coming out of the toilet.  I think, after watching further videos, that I need to adjust the water pressure which should stop the water coming out of the little fill-up spout when the toilet isn’t being flushed though I can see no way of doing this.  It’s a bit annoying now.

• Listening to

I have been listening to lots of different podcasts in work, I found one by Ian Paget who runs LogoGeek which is so interesting!  Another one I have been loving is The Deeply Graphic Designcast which I have found to have lots of really useful advice on.  I have found some blog podcasts too which I will be listening to this week coming!

• Eating

Pizza.  Need I say more?  Pizza is one of those foodstuffs which I love and is a go-to food when I can’t be bothered to cook.  My friend came over in the week and treated me to a pizza in celebration of a milestone that I had hit.  Celebration pizza is even better than normal pizza in my opinion, and sharing it with someone makes it even better!

• Drinking

This week I fancied a change from drinking squash, which I drink an absolute ton of, seriously, I go through around 2 bottles a week, it’s crazy!  I decided that I was getting a bit bored of squash and that I needed to up my Vitamin C intake before cold and flu season really hits us, so I have been enjoying the water with freshly squeezed lemon juice added to it.  Lemon water has made a nice change, it’s not sweet or to sour, is refreshing, healthy, hydrating and I have been able to get cold season ready!

• Doing

I’ve been working on some logo designs this week both on my laptop and in a sketchbook.  I usually do all of my planning and playing around on the computer but decided that I would like to see a flow of ideas which I can always come back to and work on further whenever I choose.  It has made a difference to some of the outcomes of my designs and the whole process feels a lot more organic.  I’m pretty excited to see where the sketchbook will take me!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling really tired this week, so much so that I have either had a nap when I have gotten home from my day job or I have been going to bed around 9:00pm.  I’m wondering whether I need to have a few blood tests, I have an underactive thyroid which I control with medication, to see if the medication needs adjusting.  I’ve also been feeling a bit frustrated with myself, my shoulder is still bad and I am getting annoyed with the amount of stuff I can, or can’t do in the house.  I did manage to wash my hair though which felt soo good even though I could only use one hand!

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

Weekly Roundup 01/09/19 – 07/09/19

• Reading

I’ve been slowly making my way through my October issue of Blogosphere magazine.  There is so much contained in this magazine which is really useful, interesting and well written that I really love to take my time reading it.  I sit with a coffee, snuggled up with Roxy and have a read of a few pages at a time, devouring it slowly like it is fine chocolate!

• Watching

Man Vs Food has been on my tv a lot this week along with Rachel Khoo’s Swedish Kitchen, both are on Food Network (Channel 41 on Freeview!).  I’ve found that the Food Network is the perfect thing to have on when I’m working on my blog and business, it’s interesting but not overly distracting, plus the food is amazing!

• Listening to

This week I have listened to another audiobook from Audible, The Dark Side of the Mind by Kerry Daynes, narrated by Sara Poyzer.  I really enjoyed listening to this, it was really interesting to hear about the mind and the stories about patients with mental health issues from a psychologist’s perspective.  What was really nice was that Kerry Daynes didn’t at all seem judgemental of her clients and there was an understanding of her client’s health and a look into what the causes behind the motives of her clients were.  It was really refreshing to listen to someone that had a full understanding of mental health and how different circumstances can exasperate behaviours.

• Eating

I’ve really not been eating very well this week, in part due to the pain in my shoulder.  I find that when I am in pain I don’t think about eating so much, I get put off from eating by the pain if that makes sense?  I have been eating chips rather a lot, more out of necessity to eat something than anything else.  I have also had beans on toast which I rather enjoyed, especially as it is getting colder.  There is something emotional about beans on toast as my Mum used to either give us soup and toast or beans on toast when we were not feeling well as kids, so I suppose there is an element of comfort eating involved this week.

• Drinking

Rose tea!  I love Yogi brand Rose Tea which is sold in Holland and Barrett.  I had run out a while ago and my local store hasn’t had any in stock for the past few weeks so when I saw they had it back in I grabbed 2 boxes of it and have been drinking it most days this week.  Sadly, I have half a box left but am thinking of placing a (large) order online so I don’t run out again!

• Doing

I’ve spent much of this week getting my business ready to launch, doing checks on my website and tweaking a few things that I wasn’t fully happy with.  I have had a trip to the Dr’s because my shoulder was really painful and was given some super strong painkillers.  I have to take one 3x a day and was taking them first thing in the morning, lunchtime and just before bed.  They work but the bedtime one meant that I was not feeling anything when I was asleep which then led to me being in even more pain in the morning as I had slept awkwardly or something.  Thursday and Friday were spent at home not really doing much.

• Feeling

My feelings have been up and down this week, I’ve been excited, nervous, anxious, and worried that I am not prepared for my business launch.  I have also been in pain and not able to wash or brush my hair or do much housework which has led to me feeling a bit sorry for myself.  On the flip side, I have been really proud of myself in what I have been able to achieve with some of the smaller things being abe to get done and ticked off of my to-do list.

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

Weekly Roundup 25/08/19 – 31/08/19

• Reading

I’ve been a bit slow with reading my book this week, I seem to have been reading lots, just not my book.  I have been reading blogs and some interesting articles in the Lifestyle section of the Guardian along with some research material linked to my new business.

• Watching

I feel like I’ve not really watched anything much this past week either, though I have watched a few episodes of Dr Foster on Netflix.  Also, for the first time in nearly a year, I caught an episode of Eastenders.

• Listening to

While I may not have been reading much, I have been able to listen to a book on Audible thanks to being able to wear headphones in work.  I chose Unnatural Causes which is by and read by Dr Richard Shepheard.  While the subject is a bit morbid, it’s about death and autopsies, I found it really fascinating to listen to.  I think I made a good choice with this audiobook!

• Drinking

While I am a massive lover of coffee, sometimes I fancy getting my caffeine fix from other places.  I saw some Monster Energy cans on offer in my local Tesco, in a flavour called “The Doctor” and fancied giving them a try.  I find that a lot of energy drinks are overly sweet and stick but these were really nice.  The taste was similar to Lilt (which I used to love).  I bought 4 cans and have 2 left in work to have when I fancy something cold.

• Doing

I’ve been working towards getting my business ready for the launch which has meant a lot of time on the internet, researching and working on my site coupled with a lot of thinking and note-taking, testing and trying things out!  I also visited my parents last Sunday, my brother was down from London so I got to spend some time with him too, Mum cooked a lovely dinner and we had a really nice time just being together.

• Feeling

I’m feeling pretty excited about how well all my ideas are coming together and that I am soon able to launch my business.  I am also feeling a bit nervous and have a bit of anxiety around it, worried about whether people will like what I am offering and how well I will do and whether it will succeed.  I guess I will just 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 18/08/19 – 24/08/19

• Reading

I started reading Into The Darkness by Sibel Hodge this week, I’m only a few chapters in but I am itching to read more of this book!  The start has been a bit slow-moving but is adding a lot of detail to the characters, building the start of the story and laying the foundations for what is to come.  So far, so good!

• Watching

I recently discovered Mystery Diners on the tv, it is a show about a group of undercover diners, hired by restaurant owners who go into the restaurant posing as employees and diners to catch staff that are up to no good.  I can’t believe what employees think they can get away with when their boss’ back is turned!

• Listening to

We have now been given permission to wear headphones and listen to things in work so I have been listening to podcasts by Logo Geek – Ian Paget.  Ian interviews different graphic designers on each of his shows and I have loved listening to them!  I really like listening to podcasts rather than music in the office as I can still hear things going on around me (like the phone ringing) while still being able to concentrate on my work.  If you have any suggestions for any podcasts then let me know in the comments and I’ll check them out!

• Eating

I’ve been eating a lot of fruit in different forms this week, from bananas with my breakfast to smoothies and dried fruits.  I’ve also been enjoying tomatoes, at this time of the year they taste so good, not too sweet or sharp and really juicy and flavourful!

• Drinking

Is it bad that wine featured a lot this week?  I don’t really drink much week to week but this week I have had 2 bottles of wine and really enjoyed them.  I also had some Brewdog Punk IPA cans which I enjoyed too.  (I didn’t drink both bottles of wine in the same night, they lasted me for 3 days, and I have half a bottle left, nor did I drink all my cans in one go, I had 2 one evening and the other 2 I had on other nights!)

• Doing

The highlight of the week was a trip to Cardiff on Wednesday with my friend.  There was an exhibition taking place in the National Museum of works by David Nash.  I have been inspired by David Nash since secondary school and wrote many an essay about him and the work he creates for my GCSE’s and into my time at University a few years ago.  If you have a chance, I really recommend going to see his art!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty tired this week and seem to have had a nap every day after I have got home from work.  I think it must be something to do with the weather (or maybe it is mid-year burnout as this Guardian report suggests…hmmm…)  Aside from that, I seem to have misplaced my enthusiasm for housework this week though I have damaged my shoulder and am limited in what I am able to do housework wise right now.  Overall I have been feeling fairly content and happy with what I have done and achieved this week, I’ve realised that there are some things you can not change no matter how hard you try but you can create other things that could work better long term and it is better to channel any anger or frustration into something that could turn out well than to brood and fight something that will just zap you of all of your energy in the long run.

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

 

Weekly Roundup 11/08/19 – 17/08/19

• Reading

This week I have been reading The Friend by Teresa Driscoll and managed to finish it by Wednesday.  It took me a week to read and I have really enjoyed not only the book but generally getting back into reading in general!  I have also been reading Creating A Brand Identity by Catharine Slade-Brooking which is a really interesting read for anyone who wants to create their own brand identity.  I have, so far, only read the first chapter but I have gained so much from it and have so many things to think about!

• Watching

This week I watched Sextuplets on Netflix which I really enjoyed!  It is a film about a man who decides to trace his birth mother and in doing so, discovers that he is part of a group of sextuplets.  The film was really funny and worth a watch!

• Listening to

This week I have been listening to a New Age music CD called Stonehenge by Runestone.  I have had this CD for years, previously owning the tape which I wore out!  I find that this CD is really relaxing and the music is perfect for background music when working, eating or relaxing.  I have been lighting incense and just sitting, practising mindfulness meditation which has been lovely.

• Eating

It has been a week for comfort eating, though it has been too warm for jacket potatoes and hot food so I have been tucking into Marmite sandwiches which have reminded me of being little, packed lunches and school trips.

• Drinking

This week I have been drinking a lot of water.  I have also been enjoying freshly brewed coffe, Hot Lava Java, in work thanks to my Bodum Travel Press.  I use the Travel Press for both loose tea and for ground coffee, depending on which I fancy, I add a spoon of either to the mug and put the mug back together, then in the afternoon I will fill it with hot water and let it work its magic before enjoying a hot tea or coffee!

• Doing

This last week I have been working on my blog schedule for next year.  I have a few things that I want to add in as well as changing a few things around so I wanted to have a play around with the schedule in advance so I can move things around and get things how I want before we hit 2020!  I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turning out though I have a long way to go before I’m totally happy with it!  I have also been making progress on my project and, with a few more tweaks it should be ready to launch soon, I am thinking that September may be better to launch though rather than next week!

• Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty ok this week, aside from feeling a bit isolated in work though by the end of the week I was feeling a bit better.  One positive of it all is that I have got all my work done and my desk cleared each day which has been a good feeling!  The other positive to come from it all is that I have taken that motivation from completing my work, bought it home and been able to continue with working on my own projects, and am even more determined than before to get my projects working to the best they can.

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

Weekly Roundup 04/08/19 – 10/08/19

• Reading

I finished reading Lisa Jewell’s The Girls early in the week and have now started a book called The Friend by Teresa Driscoll which I had downloaded to my Kindle a while ago and had forgotten about!  So far I am really enjoying it and am about 1/3 of the way through!  I also received August’s edition of Blogosphere Magazine which I have been dipping into over the past week.

• Watching

I have been watching a series on Netflix called Safe which I have just finished!  I am now watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  I have recently rediscovered my love for “Four in a Bed” and have been watching that occasionally in the evening.

• Listening to

There is a playlist on Spotify called 90’s Indie by Filtr UK which has got so many brilliant tracks on it which I have been listening to this week!

• Eating

This week I have been enjoying salads and sandwiches at lunchtimes and overnight oats with fruit for breakfast but with the weather changing, I have also enjoyed a couple of bowls of pasta with mixed vegetables and nooch (nutritional yeast flakes) on top of an evening.

• Drinking

I’ve been drinking lots of water this week though sometimes I feel like making it more interesting.  I have been adding Apple and Mango squash or Twinings Cold Infuse tea bags to my water.  I have also been enjoying Tetley Vanilla Redbush tea.

• Doing

I have been spending a lot of my time, (when not working), researching and reading up about my new project.  I have also been setting up a new website to showcase my ideas (more details will be revealed soon!!!).  I have also been playing around with my bullet journal and blog schedule for the next few months.

• Feeling

I’ve been having weird headaches on and off for the first part of the week, I couldn’t decide if they were because of my sinuses, hayfever, air pressure or if it wasn’t a real headache and was caused by toothache.  I eventually found the cause…I had given up all sugars (except natural sugars) which was a massive chunk to just ditch in one go.  My body went into withdrawal and the headaches were caused by that.  I have since re-introduced some sugars into my diet and am going to wean myself off the sugars slowly rather than do it in one go.  Other than the headaches, I have been feeling pretty good, a lot of my plans and ideas are falling into place which has been a relief and also really exciting!  I have been able to have a few early nights too which has helped me to feel calm and rested the next day.

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

Weekly Roundup 28/07/19 – 03/08/19

I’ve decided to change the format of my weekly roundup and instead of sharing a day to day break down of my week I am going to be sharing what I have done and enjoyed in the week in a different format!  I’d love to hear your thoughts on the changes I have made so let me know what you think of the “New and Improved” Weekly Roundup segment in the comments!

This week I have been

• Reading

I have recently started to read a book called “The Girls” by Lisa Jewell which I got given by a friend after I said how much I had enjoyed a few of Lisa’s other books.  This book is proving to be a really good read so far and has kept me interested since the first page!

• Watching

I finished watching My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix and was skimming through the suggestions that Netflix offers you after you have watched something and found a series called “You” which sounded interesting.  There are some familiar faces in it – Joe Goldberg, the main character is played by Penn Badgley who was in Gossip Girl (Dan Humphrey) and Peach Sallinger, played by Pretty Little Liars actor Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields in PLL).  I’m a few episodes in so far and it is pretty creepy but gripping!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

• Listening to

The Cure – Wild Mood Swings I only really listen to CD’s and music when I’m driving and was getting a bit fed up of the CD which I had been listening to.  I dug out my favourite Cure CD and have been listening to that on my drive to and from work and when I am running errands!

• Eating

I have been making a conscious effort to improve what I eat and this week I have been enjoying vegetable pasta, salads and veggie rice.  I have also been eating overnight oats for breakfast (made with water) and mix in dried fruits and seeds (sultanas, apricots, sunflower and pumpkin seeds).

• Drinking

I’ve been enjoying breakfast smoothies this week.  I have had them for breakfast on alternate days instead of overnight oats!  I have also been drinking a lot of green tea!  I picked up a tin of Tea Rebels IdealiTea in TKMaxx, which is made from sencha green tea, raisins, rosebuds, sunflower petals and wild mallow flower, it has been the perfect evening drink!

• Doing

I worked 4 days this week after having Monday off.  I hadn’t slept on Sunday night due to a car or shop alarm going off and keeping me awake and spent Monday being really lazy and sleeping.  I have been working on my blog pretty much every day and have a few new things in the pipeline!  I have been working on an idea for a business that is becoming more and more likely to go ahead and go live soon!  I have also spent time working on my bullet journal for 2020 – all the things that I want and need to include while wondering whether to have a full year in one bullet journal or split it all between 2.

• Feeling

The start of the week I was super tired and because I slept a lot during Monday I wasn’t tired in the night which made me worry about how drained I would be for work the following day but it wasn’t too bad.  Mostly I have been feeling ok, I did feel a bit frustrated and annoyed with myself as I lacked motivation for the first part of the week though I think that was because I was still a bit tired from Sunday night.  I seem to have picked up now and am looking forward to seeing how my ideas pan out!  The week has felt long and drawn out but overall it has been a good one!

What have you been doing this week?