2017: The Review

This review is becoming something of a yearly tradition....you can find the reviews for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 , 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 by clicking through. It's always nice to take stock at the end of a year and see what's happened over the last 12 months.

1. What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?

All sorts of little things - visited new places, met new people, but on the whole it's been quite a steady, serene year, life wise. There's plenty that I'm working on.

 2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?

For the most part, yes. I kept things remarkably simple, and bar a backslide on the iPhone in bed sitch over Christmas, I've built some good habits this year!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I'm a woman in her mid-thirties, so, yes! Oodles of babies.

5. What countries did you visit?

Scotland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Denmark & Germany.

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

A little more confidence in my own abilities and a dash more get-up-and-go. Mine sort of got-up-and-went at points various!

7. What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

None in particular. It's been a pleasant, steady year for the most part!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Working hard. Shrinking a little.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I let my blogging and writing slide a lot from October or so. I really want to fix this! I'm happier when I write.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Presents for people I love. And theatre/travel tickets.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

The kind, the warm, the friendly, the clever.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

I'm not in charge. But some people's ability to judge others has made me a little sad at points. We are all just trying our best, right?

14. Where did most of your money go?

Books, travel, wine, cheese.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Hamilton.

16. What song will always remind you of 2017?

Probably Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. as we travelled around Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany this summer it was everywhere.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?

A little happier, about 25 pounds thinner, and a little richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Sleeping. Spending time with friends. Reading.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worrying. Procrastinating. Comparing.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

At home with Matthew and the kits, days full of food and rest and laughter.

21. Did you meet anyone special in 2017?

My new colleagues are lovely, and Smudge-cat is the sweetest (and entirely unexpected) member of our household.

22. What was your favourite TV program?

Ooooh, tough call.  I loved The Marvelous Mrs Maizel. I'm still a massive fan of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. And Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is my catnip.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Not really. Hate is a poison, I try to avoid it.

24. What was the best book you read?

It's been an odd year for reading - I've only read about a dozen books. Of those The Power and The Underground Railroad were the two frontrunners - both excellent!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

90s playlists on spotify.

 26. What did you want and get?

Hugs, love, a new kitten.

27. What did you want and not get?

Eh, I'm not sure now I think of it! I'm a pretty lucky girl.

28. What was your favourite film of this year?

Probably Girls Trip. Funny, filthy, refreshing good fun.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 37, was granted a snowy birthday (pretty rare in London!) and celebrated with southern comfort food and karaoke at Lucky Voice with Matthew and two of my besties. Perfection.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More sleep, more travel.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Lots of blue, lots of stripes, lots of Boden!

32. What kept you sane?

Friends, cats, husband.

(I've retired question 33 too!)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Poverty. Something needs to happen.

35. Who was the best new person you met?

My little work crew. And Smudge (cats count, right?).

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017.

Same as last year: be kind. But also, keep growing, make time for what's important, dream big, and be the best cheerleader you can be for the people and things you love.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

None of the songs I've liked this year have lyrics that sum up my year - I'm not perfect, I can come to the phone, and my shoes aren't bloody.

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Life: Topsy Turvy

This time of year always feels a little busy, a little dizzy, a little up-and-down. The start of a new school year always feels like the real new year, the new start of things, and the shift from summer to autumn is always a big change.

I'm excited for my favourite part of the year, autumn and early winter. It's a time of year where I'm always learning, growing, changing, and this year I'm sure will prove to be no exception. I've got big plans, big ideas, and lots of fun planned too.

I'm excited to meet my new class. I'm excited to learn what 2018 might bring. I'm excited to keep going on my weight loss quest*. I'm excited for cooler temperatures, madder schedules, and good times with good folks. I'm excited for our continued house renovation and reorganisation project.

It may be topsy turvy around here, but that's no bad thing!

Happy September, you beautiful folk.







* Speaking of the quest, a quick update. Turns out my old scales were wrong, and my actual start weight was 290 pounds.

Flipping heck.

In less stressful news, this morning I tipped the scales at 260 pounds. 30 pounds down and one-fifth of the way to my ultimate goal. Onwards!

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January by the numbers, and my goals for February

Happy end of January, all. Hasn't this month felt long? Even though I like January, this has felt like a long old month. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the dark, maybe it's the political maelstrom, I just know it's been a long month and I'm quite looking forward to a new page on the calendar.

As this year I've made my new year's resolutions monthly targets, I figured I'd check in each month with an update on how they've gone, as well as given a few vital stats for the month just past. There are lots of plans and changes afoot in 2017, and I think it'll be fun to keep a record.

So, January by the numbers...

Blog events attended: A rather lacklustre 2. I have, however, had some lovely get-togethers with bloggy friends.

Brunching up a storm with Emma was a highlight!

Books read: A better 6 (The Dry, Relativity, Homegoing, How To Be A Grown Up, The Bear And The Nightingale, The One).

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What's In My Bag? (Winter Edition)

I've always loved these kinds of posts, but have never got around to doing my own. My innate nosiness means I'm always intrigued to see which items people tote around for their average day in the city, or out and about, and I hope if like me you enjoy learning about this sort of thing that this satisfies the very human instinct to see what others are up to!

I'm often out in the city for hours on end, and when I am I like to make sure I'm prepared (those years of being a Brownie and a Girl Guide, and the offspring of military folk, come in very handy). There's nothing worse than being caught short and discovering that you're miles from home without water/a tissue/lip balm!

Please enjoy the early morning realness of these snaps. January is not the one for photo gorgeousness at 6am/9pm...

This is my current winter bag. It's a grey slouchy pleather (for want of a better description!) bag from Accessorise, which I picked up in the early autumn before our US and Canada trip. I wanted a roomy, useful bag, with zippered sections to keep things secure as we dashed between flights, buses, taxis and boats, but with roomy sections which were easy to get into when you just wanted to grab a bottle of water, a pair of sunglasses or a scarf. This bag turned out to be perfect for purpose and was really a trooper throughout our travels, and it's now my go-to bag for the winter in London. It's big enough to carry all the bits and bobs I need out in town (teachers always carry a *tonne* of stuff, I find) but small enough to carry without injuring oneself or taking people out on the tube.

In my bag I always tend to have:

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Ten Things

It's been a busy wee fortnight here, full of fun. And work. And stress. And excitement. And relaxation. Isn't life grand.

*starts humming Circle of Life*

As is my wont, I thought I'd do a quick little round up of a few of the things that have been keeping me occupied.  Here we go!

1. The great study project continues. We are now at the OH MY GOODNESS THERE IS SO MUCH STUFF EVERYWHERE stage. All caps required, for sure!

2. On Saturday Katy and I are off to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I am beyond excited, and all ready to rock my Hufflepuff teeshirt with pride! Huge thanks to the babe that is Ashleigh-Jayne for helping to sort our tickets.

3. Last weekend I got to attend not one, but two musical events. I won VIP tickets to Capital's Summertime Ball on the Saturday, and Kaz and I had a marvellous time bopping along to Flo Rida, Craig David, Jess Glynne, Tinie Tempah and many more. On the Sunday, Erica and I went along to Field Day in East London, where we were kindly hosted by I Heart Wines (great company name, right?). Full post of musical adventures (and wine) to follow.

4. My competition to win a copy of The World of The Happy Pear* came to a close and I'm looking forward to mailing out the package to the winner, Tracy, in the next few days. I'm loving the cookbook!

5. I am getting very in to my social media, and loving learning more about the platforms and how I want to use them. Twitter is for chatting and sharing; facebook is for comment, crowdsourcing and kitty/puppy videos; instagram is for beautiful images and inspiration; pinterest is for collecting ideas and planning meals/holidays/presents; and snapchat? Well that's like my own little mini-vlog. I'm cmclaire12 over there if you'd like to follow along!

6. On Wednesday of last week Matthew and I went along to Royal Ascot as guests of Appletiser. We had a lovely day out together (even if the rain did try to dampen spirits!) and it was the perfect taster before we return to the course next month with the in-laws.

7. Speaking of Katy (see point 2), this weekend just past I had the most fun with her in Brighton. She was kindly invited to town by Ibis for a break by the sea, and a big screen viewing of Dirty Dancing, and I was thrilled to be her plus-one. Full post to follow, of course, but the whole visit made me so smiley it had to make this list.

8. This mad weather has really had me guessing, and I've got drenched at least twice, and sunburned once. Pick a route, British weather!

9. For the past almost year or so, Matthew and I have been watching the boxset of Parks and Recreation, and last week we finished the final, seventh season. How am I going to cope without my Knope?

10. After the weeks and months of discussions, on Thursday it's time to vote on whether we leave the EU or not. Whatever the nation decides there will be bumps in the road ahead, but whatever decision we wake up to on June 24th I hope we can band together to support the majority's choice, however hard that may be to swallow. As I write this most polls have the two campaigns exactly level, so I think whichever way the referendum goes we are in for choppy seas ahead. However you feel about it, I hope you'll be voting - it's a pretty momentous choice.

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Life Lately

Today, we are back to life with a bump.

After the fever pitch intensity of the last fortnight of wedding planning, then the busy-ness of the big day itself, and the delicious lull of the tailend of last week, now we are back to reality!  Matthew is back to work, and all this week I'm in school prepping for back to school.  The boys return September 3rd, training commences September 1st, so this week I'm in for two full days and two half-days to get my room in order.  I've been so frenetic with all the nuptual based activities and things to organise, it will be lovely in a way to return to the tried and true rhythm of September, as tiring as it always is.

Last week was charming.  After the wedding we were lucky enough to have several of the players still around, and it was great to do lunches, dinners, and drinks.  Throughout the wedding experience Matthew and I were just blown away by the phenomenal amount of support and the huge outpouring of love in our general direction.  Our friends and family are just the best!

Our little minimoon to Matlock was super too, just the ideal respite from it all.  Aunty Kaz very kindly looked after the katzen, leaving us free to enjoy the break.  Originally we had been forecast rain, rain, rain, but instead our time in Derbyshire was sunny, cool and delicious.  On Thursday we arrived and shared a 'chippy tea' (always a treat for northern types!) before conquering a few of the local hills (never trust a road called 'Steep Turnpike' - the clue is definitely in the name!) then finding a cute local pub with a good range of real ales.

Friday dawned clear and crisp.  The forecast was for rain, so we set off straight after a yummy breakfast for a walk.  We walked a few miles in a loop to the nearby beauty spot of Matlock Bar and had a great time snooping and playing on the 2p machines.  Then we stretched our legs some more and had some delicious tea and scones by the Riverside.  The rest of the afternoon was filled with strolling and reading.  We then found a cute little cocktail bar and a super Italian restaurant before retiring early.  Fresh air makes me sleepy!

Saturday we found ourselves stuck with our bags as our B&B had no storage.  Matthew's team, Blyth Spartans, were down to play a match against Matlock FC (our minimoon location being no accident.  Check out my wife-points!), so he met up with the boys and I curled up and enjoyed copious cups of tea!  I would have loved to attend the match but the suitcase was an encumbrance.  An afternoon of reading and writing was a very pleasant way to spend some time instead!

On Sunday we enjoyed the first of what I hope are many 'Super Secret Sundays'.  More on that in the next post!

Then yesterday was a day of cleaning, tidying, writing notes and ironing.

Because today, life gets real!

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End of the holidays...

...and what a lovely holiday it has been.  As well as Christmas and New Year's there have been visits aplenty, good chats with dear friends, more kitty snuggles than you can shake a stick at, home improvements, plans made and naps had.  And now we are taking the last of the decorations down, tackling the ironing pile, and getting ready for a new school term.  I popped into school on Friday so I'm on point oganisationally, but the fist week back (and the first week of 5/5.30am starts) is always a shock.  So I'll get back to the organising and close with a few pics from recent adventures.

Don't you just love comfort food when the weather is foul?

Going to the darts with Matthew was *such* fun - I think it may well become a yearly fixture!

I am going to miss this sweet girl & Leela & Fry so much when I go back to 50 hour weeks... I love my job, I just wish I could take the cats with me!

The last sunset of 2013.

And a cloudy start to 2014.

Wishing you all a relaxing and lovely Sunday and a super week to come!

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Catching up

It feels like it has been a good long while since I sat down to write a blog post.  Life, work, health and wedding planning, as well as the usual social loveliness, all conspired to keep me busy.  It's often the way, I think - the busier I am the less time I have to write about things!  Now feels like a good point to catch up and to get back into the groove of blogging, even if the pace is a little slower than it has been beforehand.  So, here's how things are!

Life...is good!  I'm such a lucky duck to have so much that interests me and keeps me busy and challenges me.  Whether it's a chill day in my jammies with the cats, a jaunt out of town for tea and cakes, or a mad fourteen hour workday, there's always fun to be found.

Work...is going well, and I am grateful and happy to have reached half-term break! My form are super lovely and my classes enthusiastic and I'm so enjoying devising lessons and activities for them.  I'm excited for when we return next week - now we are all settled in and know how everyone works we can hit the academic 'meat' of the year well-rested (I always think November-April is the academic powerhouse of the year!).  Plus, it's the half-term heading down to Christmas.  Awesome.

Health...is a little wobbly.  I haven't really mentioned it here, but now seems like the time to mention it as the impact over the next month will be tangible.  Over the summer holidays I found a large lump in my abdomen, and through a battery of tests the news and the prognosis was found to be very good – for all its size it is utterly benign, and hopefully easy to remove.  I am feeling pretty well most of the time, but on occasion I am experiencing stomach/back pain and a lots of tiredness – both common side effects of the condition and a definite downer!  I'm having an operation to remove the lump (which I have named Geffen...I like naming things) October 31st - I win on the Hallowe'en gore-o-meter this year.

Wedding planning...is going swimmingly!  Turns out being someone who likes planning makes it much more fun.  Matthew has also been a rockstar - he's so much help!  We have lots of things booked in now (I've bought my dress!) and are so looking forward to the big day next year.  More soon, I have no doubt

Everything else....lots of time with lovely folk; flying visits past to Bristol and Edinburgh, jaunts ahead to Newcastle, Glasgow, Hitchin and Forres; books and TV and cooking; little projects around the house; fun times with Matthew; cuddles with the kits; Junior League adventures; and plenty of autumnal hibernation. 

Hope this finds you all happy and well.  More soon.

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