32 by 32: Marriage

I started thinking about approaching 30 and I started reflecting on my life, where it was going, what had happened so far and how did I see the next ten years panning out? I started thinking about this probably much too close to actually turning 30.

A couple of my friends and I were having a chat about all of this, and chatting about our thoughts on turning 30 - what it meant to us, how we felt and how achieved we were for this time in our lives. A couple of us decided to do a 30 things we wanted to do before 30 list. I wanted to extend mine out to 32, and do 32 things before I turn 32. Two reasons, the first being things I wanted to do I wasn't ever going to be able to do before 30 with having a wedding in the middle to pay for. And second, 32 has always been the age I thought of as the scary grown-up age.



One of the things that was on my list was to get married. As readers of this blog will know I have been very happily married coming up to two years now. D and I met each other as high school students and started dating when we were only 17 and 18. We got engaged at 26 and married at 28, and it is without a doubt one of the best things I have ever done with my life.

D and I have put a lot into our relationship, spending four years of it living in separate countries. As so many relationships facing long distance difficulties can do, we didn't grow apart but instead grew even closer together. We made a point of ensuring we were in touch and spending time together where we could. This laid the most solid ground for a wonderful marriage, which we have been lucky enough to enjoy now for two years nearly.

Marriage has always been an important step I wanted to take in my life, and I knew that when I married I wanted it to be a partnership, a friendship and the most valuable thing in my life, which it has become. I wanted a partner in all parts of my life, someone who really understood and accepted me for exactly who I am. Someone I could travel with, see the world with. Someone I can laugh with and joke with, and cry with, someone I can grow with. Someone to share my passions, and someone to hold my hand through everything. I found that, and so much more, in my husband. I am biased, but I'm also pretty sure he's the best man that has ever walked on this earth. AND.... he's pretty hot. Marriage means partnership, acceptance, fun, pure love, support, warmth, growth and happiness.

The first thing on my list was a success.

1. To get married.

Dream Destination: Food tour of India

India is one of those places that I imagine you can drink in the colours, smells, flavours, spices and sounds and get drunk on it all. It's a place that I have a very romantic image of in my head, and a place I would really, really like to visit.

However, there are a lot of reservations in visiting India. D is not very keen on visiting somewhere with such a bad track record on women's rights and with such social injustice and poverty. And I completely see his points. I have heard from people who have visited India that it is actually quite an upsetting place to visit, with lots of problems with begging and generally western tourists being a little ripped off by locals. And then there is Dehli belly....

However, with all that being said, I saw this trip on the Intrepid Travel website, which I thought looked really fun. I think if we did decide to visit India, it would be a trip like this we would take.

From Intrepid Travel

Why India?
In the same vein as Japan, as as China before that, India is appealing to me as it's somewhere so foreign - the like of which I have never visited in my life. Asia is vast and different, and this is just another face of Asia I would like to get to know.

Major cities/attractions:

• Delhi: This tour takes in Delhi, India's capital city. This trip affords visitors trips to the bustling Delhi markets, and visits to ancient mosques. 
• Taj Mahal: This white marble monument is high on my India list, adn this tour takes you there and affords you time to explore the English gardens.
• Goa: Time to visit the exotic beaches and gorgeous seafood restaurants.
• Mumbai: The crown in India's business crown, Mumbai is one of the bustling must-sees of this country.

Taj Mahal

Getting there?

Travelling in October from Dublin-Delhi, then from Goa back to Dublin will set you back about £500 per person.

Getting around?

This tour takes care of all the travel and getting from place to place, and covers internal flights, metro passes, private shuttles, taxi and train.

How long do you need?

This tour lasts 15 days, and has stops in eight locations, which is a busy trip but long enough to get to see all these places. 

When to visit?

Between October and March seems to be the best time to visit this country, though it is so vast that weather systems can be very different in different cities and at different times of the year. 

Non-negotiables?

Goa

Goa and Taj Mahal.

Reading Routine 2016

I spend a great portion of my spare time reading, it is definitely my number one hobby - as you can probably tell if you read this blog with any regularity! I love reading books of all kinds: fiction, non-fiction, history, biographies, all sorts. I also love reading magazines and have spoken previously about Readly - the Netflix of magazines! So fitting in all I want to read on a weekly basis can be a challenge. I will separate this out into books and magazines, to give you an idea of how I try to make sure I make enough time to read everything I want to.

Books
I have spoken about my approach to selecting titles before on this blog - I set a seasonal reading list well in advance. This means that I can take a look at the genres and lengths and fit them into a typical 13 week season. I like to make sure that I have a good range of genres and book types and lengths, this allows me to follow a heavy history book with some light chick lit, for example. So once I set my seasonal list, I put dates beside these based on how long I think it would take me to get through. These dates are then put into my planner and I aim to work with those dates to get through all the books I need, giving more time to heavier books, longer books or classics, and less time to more frivolous and shorter works.

I curl up at the weekend, Saturday afternoons usually on the sofa with a coffee and a blanket, and that's my favourite reading time. In comfy clothes in my own house. During the week, I get about 45 minutes - 1 hour of solid reading done each morning on the train. I always read my book on my morning commute with my coffee, I feel most energised and really enjoy the journey to work.

Magazines
This is a little more complex. This is where my inner planning nerd and my book worm personality meet and they have a huge geeky party, and nobody else is invited because nobody else wants to bloody go.

I have a good few magazines - both monthly subscriptions and weekly - that I have on my Readly app, as well as additional subscriptions the the weekly Economist magazine, its bi-monthly sister publication 1843 (previously Intelligent Life, but recently rebranded) and the monthly National Geographic magazine. I have a set list of magazines for each week, that usually looks something like this (I counted five weeks in my April planner, but this would be over four weeks in months with four, for example):

Week 1:
Weight Watchers magazine
Delicious magazine
Good Housekeeping
Paris Match
Hollywood Reporter
Economist

Week 2:
Olive magazine
National Geographic
Women's Health (UK)
Rolling Stone
Paris Match
Hollywood Reporter
Economist

Week 3:
1843 (half, as this is bi-monthly)
Lonely Planet magazine
BBC Good Food
Paris Match
Hollywood Reporter
Economist

Week 4: 
Total Film
BBC History
Ideal Home
Rolling Stone
Paris Match
Hollywood Reporter
Economist

Week 5:

Fast Company

Cosmo Deutsch

Wanderlust

Women's Running

Paris Match
Hollywood Reporter
Economist

I tend to read these with a flask of coffee on my commute home, and for an hour or two in the evenings during the week. It's the perfect time to read magazines, as you jump from article to article and it is great for the end of a long work day when your brain is a little frazzled. I also read magazines when I first get into bed, which is one of my favourite times of the day - when D and I cuddle together for 25 minutes and spend time winding down reading our own little things. It is the most relaxing time of the day, for sure. I sit at the start of the week and I will schedule when I will read each magazine in the week, to make sure I can fit them all in.

So there you go, that's my reading routine and how I try to make sure I fit it all in. How do you approach your reading lists? I would love to hear from you :)

Dream Destination: Mainland Japan

Tokyo

For those of you that have been following this blog recently, you will know that last month I started a new series called Dream Destinations, to allow me to explore locations for that next trip we might take! The next big escape we will plan (once we have our house stuff sorted, please refer to China post if this makes no sense!) will likely be Asia, as neither D nor I have been before and it is right at the top of our bucket list. Having visited lots of places in Europe and North America, it is time to visit somewhere that will be a lot more challenging to get around and a much bigger culture shock, depending on where we go.

Mainland Japan (which for the purposes of this blog post I will call 'Japan') is the next stop on this series, and as it's a little more manageable in size than China I am going to explore the cities right across Japan that can be hit up in one super-trip.

Why Japan?
As some of you might already know, I am a huge history buff and love anything to do with the world wars in particular. Japan's role in the second world war in particular is fascinating and I want to go there and explore what I can on the ground. Tokyo is a huge metropolis that I want to spend a few days getting lost in and Hiroshima is at the top of my list for a visit. I have visions of cherry blossom trees, tea ceremonies, mountains and lakes, bright lights, bullet trains, fast cars and great food.

Major cities/attractions?

Mt Fuji

• Tokyo Old meets new in Japan's capital city, home to over 13 million people.
• Hiroshima This one needs very little explaining, the sight of the devastating nuclear attack by American forces. I imagine it would be extremely surreal to stand in the very place the bomb fell and reflect on the devastation that humans can wreck on one another. 
• Mt Fuji There are a few towns that offer exceptional views of the iconic Mount Fuji, some nice spa hotels in and around there offer guests the chance to soak in natural hot springs with an uninterrupted view of this dormant volcano
• Kyoto Large swathes of this city are protected by UNESCO, as so many monuments and relics in the city have been spared demolition of war and foreign forces that other locations in the country have suffered. 

Getting there?

To get from Dublin to Tokyo around October time will set you back £500 (approx) for each person. However, there are no direct flights so watch out for transfer times in airports as this can really make the journey lonnnng.

Getting around?

A Japan Rail Pass costs approximately £285 per person for two weeks, and it allows the user access to the network across the entire country. Alternatively, if the self-guided touring isn't your bag, there are some good tours including this 14 day trip from Intrepid Travel, which will set you back £2535 per person (excluding flights) and hits up some major headline locations, including Tokyo, Hiroshima and Kyoto.

How long do you need? 

I would anticipate a trip to mainland China would take at least 10-14 days to see it properly and at a relaxing pace. 

Autumn in Kyoto

When to visit?

The weather is kindest to tourists in Spring and Autumn, Spring being the time of year when you get to see the famous cherry blossom trees. 

Non-negotiables?

Hiroshima. 

Ground Zero at Hiroshima

Tips for getting back on track

1. List anything you feel went out of control. 
Seeing it on paper will help, and will allow you to look at this and take each hurdle individually, giving your mind clear space to start making solutions. List beside each 'problem' what actions you can take to make that 'problem' disappear.

2. Take 30 minutes to meal plan your next week.
This step is crucial if your diet is what's been let go. Take a look, with your planner, at any social commitments you have coming up in the next week and how this will affect your meals, and plan accordingly. This might mean batch cooking and timing things to be taken out of the freezer, or it might mean having to rejig your cooking time to make sure you have dinner ready earlier than you usually would. Whatever system you use, make sure you face the next week with a meal plan for each day (including snacks) and a grocery shop done to make sure you have what you need to get back on track.

3. Plan, plan, plan. 
Make your to-do list for the week, and slot these tasks into your planner, so you know what needs to be done each day. You will feel much better when you are on top of your to-do list.

4. Get back into a routine.
Your body works best when it's in a routine, so try to keep to the same bedtime and same getting up time as far as possible. It takes 21 days to make a habit, so let this be the month you get your body clock regulated.

5. Schedule in me-time.
This is so, so important. It is easy to get overwhelmed and to burn the candle at both ends. It is so important to schedule in time to look after yourself, mentally and physically. Take a look at your planner for the next week and make sure to schedule in physical and mental me-time. On a weekly basis, I block out certain time spots when I turn my phone on to airplane mode and make sure I cannot be disturbed. I will block off time to read, to have a bath, to do a face mask and a bit of meditation, to take my dog for a walk. Anything that relaxes you, keeps your interests up, and gives you time to reset. Also important is to schedule exercise, at which I am getting better. Block off an appointment with yourself, and show up.

6. Inspire yourself.
Google inspirational quotes. Pinterest some pictures of your goals, create a vision board. Every day, remember where you want to be and remember what you need to do to get there. Nothing is more important than making yourself happy and proud. Grow continually. Time is something you cannot save and cannot get back, so use it wisely to be the best you can be.

January Favourites

Favourite music:
It's happened. I am a mini Belieber. I have been listening to Love Yourself on repeat. I am not as crazy about the entire album as many others, so I wouldn't call myself a fully fledged Belieber...yet.

Favourite TV show:
D (my husband) and I have been obsessed with The Returned since we started watching the first series last year. We have been watching the second series this month, and it's not quite as ground-breaking as the first, but it's still the best TV show I have ever seen.

Favourite movie:
The Revenant most definitely. I will be doing a roundup review of all the movies I watched in January, but this was definitely the standout one. If Leo doesn't win the Oscar for this, I don't know what he can do to win one.

Favourite book:
Beasts of no Nation which I reviewed on the blog here. This was a really harrowing, clever, engaging read and I would really recommend it - but with the warning that what you will read will scar you for life.

Favourite article:
Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them in the January 2016 edition of National Geographic. This was an eye-opening piece on why it is so, so important to save the vultures that are being poisoned and targeted by poachers. They are being targeted at they hover over where dead animals have been killed by poachers, alerting authorities to their whereabouts. The poachers take what they need, and leave a poison in the animal, killing the birds. Also, vultures mate for life and never kill another animal - only do the clean up job for us. What's not to love?

Favourite new recipe:
This month, I made my first ever attempt at making bread by hand. I used this BBC Good Food recipe to make rosemary and new potato foccacia. I will be doing a recipe post on the blog, so stay tuned :)

Favourite moment:
When D passed his exams that he's been working so hard on - stepping one bit closer to the new business venture he wants to set up :) Incredibly proud wife.

Most proud of this month:
Sticking with my blog, putting up regular content and joining Instagram and Twitter (both handles @sunnydayswithc - come join!)

Looking forward to in February:

Going to London to see my beautiful friend and celebrate her 30th birthday after what has been a really tough time for her. 

January's resolution review

So can you believe the first month of 2016 is hurtling towards the finish line? The end of January is the longest awaited end of any month in the year! Dark days, cold weather, with no twinkling Christmas lights to brighten the place up - let alone the fact that the last pay day was a thousand years ago. Alas, rejoice! For we are nearly *nearly* into spring. If you squint your eyes enough... you can nearly see it!

So I want to take one new resolution each month and build up each one, seeing how I am faring. I promise - even if it's not good - to give you an honest review of how I'm doing.

The first resolution I had in 2016 was to use my planner, that I had set up on google docs for myself. I have split this up into four tabs per week. First - an overview of my goals for the week, split into time management, financial goals, work goals, personal goals, weight loss goals, and rewards for meeting all of these. This is a really helpful page that keeps me accountable through the week about what I want to achieve and how I am going to get there. I do an overall page at the start of the month with three goals in the month that I really want to achieve, so these will all feed into these overall monthly goals in some way.

Second tab contains a breakdown of each day Fri-Thursday. I start my week on a Friday as this is my weigh in day. Each day starts with my meal plan, then my to do list for that day, followed by my main goal for this day. After this I have a checklist, loosely based on Keri Glassman's eight pillars, except I have nine. My pillars are: drink up, eat empowered, love more, nurture yourself, feed your brain, sleep deep, stress less, sweat often and daily time goals. By reviewing each of these for 5 minutes at the end of each day, it helps me feel accountable and reflect on a daily basis how I am managing all of these. There is also a space at the bottom to reflect on what was good and what I wasn't so keen on in the day.

The third tab is my daily time goals. Here I record roughly how much time I have spent doing all the things I want to make space for in my life. Things like reading my books, my magazine, walking my dog, exercising, sleeping, etc. This helps me on a weekly basis work out where I want to spend more time the following week, or what might not have got enough attention on the previous week.

The fourth tab for any given week is a reflection on the week gone past. Here I review (and give a score out of 5) whether I was bored - excited, unhappy - happy, tired - energetic, stressed - calm, unhealthy - healthy. Then there is text space with the following headers, where I make more journal-like notes: 'Good things about this week', 'Negative things about this week', 'Positive things about the negatives' and 'Things I will improve next week'.

So overall I think I have been doing a pretty good job. I am finding it hardest remembering to complete this before I go to sleep, so that is something I want to try to make more of a habit in February. So far, 2016, so good.

Christmas in Toronto - trip report

In the air

PRESENTS

It seems but a distant memory now, but only a few weeks ago I was preparing (with my bronchitis in tow) to head off to the cool and snowy climes of Toronto, Canada. My parents live there, as I have mentioned before, and I have visited a good few times before. Notably, once at Christmas in 2012 when the love of my life asked me to be his wife. Toronto is like a second home to me and I love going there so much.

It's such an energetic city, with a lot of heart and kindness, which sounds odd for a city. But, trust me. Go there and you will see. The people make it, and it helps that it's so pretty.

We flew direct with Air Canada Rouge from Dublin, which is great on one hand as we don't have to faff about in London, Amsterdam or Montreal (as we have in the past) and the flight is only 7 hours long. On the other hand, Air Canada Rouge is not the best airline to travel with, somewhere between Ryanair and Aer Lingus, but it is cheap. In all I think our flights cost £690 return (for the both of us). So I can't complain!

We landed to unseasonably warm weather on the 23rd December, the day before Christmas Eve. My parents live downtown, and we got there around mid-afternoon. My brother and his fiancée arrived the evening before us, and were there to greet us as well. It was a lovely day spent catching up, laughing, settling in, going for a swim in the building's pool and a dip in the hot tub, before a lovely wine and dine and an early night ready for Christmas Eve - only my favourite day of the year.

Brookfield Place

We started the day, as is now tradition in our family when we are in TO, with breakfast at Marché in Brookfield Place on Bay Street. We love this place, not purely for the novelty either! The set up inside is amazing - each station is like its own separate market stall, selling its wares. Each diner in the party gets a card, which is swiped when they add an item from that stall. The food is also really good - and particularly the breakfast offerings, though I would definitely advise trying to get there before 10.30am. Christmas Eve was the most magical day. We went to the city Christmas carol service which is held annually at City Hall, before wandering around the shops, visiting the infamous Bay Window and stocking up on mince pies and mulled wine to bring home for the evening. When we got home, we chilled out all afternoon, I had a bath and a read, and headed up for our traditional Christmas Eve supper of Spaghetti Bolognese. (What else?) Dad has a little vegetable patch in the city, and he made his own sauce with tomatoes he had grown there, and Christmas pasta I had brought over for the occasion. We played party games, ate gorgeous food and drank gorgeous wine, before we all changed into our PJs, made mulled wine, laid out all our Christmas snacks and stuck on Elf. It really was the perfect Christmas Eve.

Happy Christmas

Christmas day was a marathon present opening session, and a marathon eating and drinking day. We had all the traditional bits: turkey, ham, three types of stuffing... the dinner of champions, and the one you look forward to all year! We napped, took a nice walk, and did all the traditional Christmas Day things with the family. It was a lovely day.

The rest of the week we spent relaxing, visiting some nice restaurants and bars. We had a great meal at Wurst, which is a German restaurant in the city. They specialise in sausages and beer - so it's obviously amazing. But the star of the show was definitely the duck fat fries on offer, DO NOT PASS THESE UP. Far.too.good.

I love this city, and will definitely be back. We have lovely memories of Christmas 2015.

Toronto on Christmas evening

Toronto on Christmas evening

October Favourites 2015

So October is upon us, it has visited, frozen us, scared us, entertained us, thrown us back in time by one hour and departed. Here's all the things I was loving in October:

Primed and ready

Favourite beauty product: 
I recently purchased this primer from Max Factor and I have really been loving it. It gives a really smooth finish to the skin before foundation. I tend to do my makeup on the train on weekday mornings, and this has firmly come as part of my morning routine. I put this on first thing as soon as I get on the train, then take 5 mins to scroll through Instagram and let it all settle in.

Favourite music:
I found a band I could really fall in love with this month. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats released their self-titled album back in August, but it didn't come on my radar til this month. It is phenomenal. Nathaniel (I'm guessing that is the lead singer's name) has an amazing, husky, rusky voice with so much soul. The album is a perfect blend of new and old styles, and has a couple of great, catchy tunes. S.O.B is the first single to be released from the album, while my favourite is the first track I Need Never Get Old.

Favourite TV show:
This month we have been getting back into The Americans, watching the second season. We watched the first season a few months back, and really loved it. It is fast-paced and gripping, and I love me some historical fiction. I would recommend a lot!

Favourite movie:
The Martian, for sure. Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, space. Has it all. See my review posted earlier in the month.

Favourite book:
Shock of the Fall - I enjoyed this unsettling book quite a lot, review to follow - stay tuned.

Favourite article:
I read a great article in National Geographic this month, which talked about the recent discovery of a new species of human ancestor - which has been named Homo naledi. I found it fascinating that the discovery of these bones in South Africa has changed the face of human evolution once again, reminding us how far we have come and how small we are.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150910-human-evolution-change/

Favourite new recipe:
The rugby world cup featured heavily in our house this month. Poor Ireland. But during one of their Sunday games, I had family over and made this epic Guinness stew. We won that day. I am not saying we won because I made the stew, but when I didn't make it we lost, so...

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-and-ale-stew/#xmYX5E80dDViFwBV.97

Favourite moment:
Getting unexpected praise for a good job on an article at work. When you work hard and it's noticed, there is no better feeling.

Favourite random thing:
Autumn walks have delivered this month, keeping me and my pup very happy, in nice scenery, wrapped up and dry. Plenty of colourful changes. Love this month.

Learned this month:
Losing your way, giving up on any goal nomatter how small, makes you feel pretty shitty.

Most proud of this month:
The start of the month, I was very very focused on everything.

Looking forward to most next month:
Visiting Oxford and seeing my brother :)

World Smile Day :D

Today is World Smile Day - so I thought it would be a good time to talk about the things that make us smile. Everyday I am incredibly grateful for my little family and the safety and warmth and love in my wee home. They make me smile constantly. But here's some more off-the-wall things that really make me beam.

A well-made bed.

Coffee.

Old movies.

Crisp autumn weather.

Catchups with friends.

Marshmallows.

Friday evenings.

Saturday mornings.

My pup snoring.

Airports.

Youtube.

Books, books, books, magazines, and more books.

Book shops.

Coffee shops IN book shops.

Any body of water - from a bath to an ocean.

Hot, hot bubble baths.

Long pamerping sessions.

Gel manicures.

Autumn.

The Galgorm Resort and Spa.

Disney.

Wine.

Cocktails.

Travelling.

Planning.

Planning travelling.

The pictures.

What makes you smile?

September Favourites 2015

The month of September flew past in a blur. I cannot BELIEVE we are now coming into October 2015. Time is going faster, right?! This month went at a rate that definitely wasn't normal.

September is a favourite all on its own for me - my birthday falls in this month and we start to come into autumn, hands down my favourite season. So here are a list of little bite and pieces that got me through this month with a smile on my face.

Favourite beauty product: 

This month I was really into this amazing hair mask product I found - of all places - in our hotel gift shop on holiday in Portaventura. I freaking love this hair mask. It makes your hair incredibly soft and manageable. I have never really tried hair masks before, so it has opened that door and I may be on the hunt for more through October.

Favourite music:

It's no secret that my music taste is pretty eclectic. I would pretty much listen to anything, with the exception of hardcore dance and drum and bass! This month I have really been into a new artist for me, Kacey Musgraves and her album Pageant Material. There are some songs that are a little too cheesy-country for me, but I have really been loving the tracks Pageant Material, Fine, This Town, Late to the Party and Are You Sure (a duet with Willie Nelson).

Favourite TV show:

My hubby and I try to make time for a 'boxset' night once a week and we watch a few episodes with a glass of wine. It's become a little ritual that we both really look forward to, and it means that we actually make sure we take time to spend relax together. This month we have been really enjoying season 4 of Parks and Recreation (late to the party). It is definitely my favourite comedy of all time. I don't say that lightly, and depending on when I watch Father Ted again, it might be relegated to a (very close) second. For now though, Leslie Knope, you win.

Favourite movie:

An old favourite

Hubby was gone for the weekend, watching Ireland v Canada play rugby. So I had a very nice Sunday to myself. After a lonely lunch of SW meatballs, I put the heating on, lit my new Yankee Candle (Sweet Apple), cuddled with my pup under a soft throw and put on Meet Me in St. Louis, one of my all-time favourite films. I love old Hollywood, old musicals and Judy Garland. A heavenly way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday.

Favourite book:

Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Hands down. Review posted on the blog earlier in the month.

Favourite article:

I read quite the number of articles in the month, what with all my commuting. I read a particularly interesting one in Rolling Stone with Donald Trump (Trump Seriously: On the Trail With the GOP's Tough Guy). I have a distant and inquisitive interest in American politics and boy, Trump does not disappoint. An absolutely deluded man, this article perfectly sums up ever reason why he should never be allowed to run any race, let alone a presidential one.

Favourite new recipe:

Really enjoyed making the Pesto Chicken Roast recipe I posted earlier in the month. A really good addition was the Parmesan cheese at the end!

Favourite moment:

A toss up between getting on the plane for Barcelona at the start of our holiday and watching my dear friend appear at the bottom of the aisle with her father.

Blackberries

Favourite random thing:

Finding blackberries on a Sunday morning walk recently, which means autumn is here :)

Learned this month:

I have the ability to take control of my weight loss, I just need the determination to go with it, and I'm slowly getting there.

Most proud of this month:

Organising a MacMillan coffee morning (and managing to stay away from all the lovely buns) and in the process raising over £585 for the charity.

Looking forward to most next month:

A quiet month with no plans, and a chance to give Slimming World a really good run!