Quirky and 30: Late Night Excursions

Star Gazing

During my camping holiday this year, my boyfriend and I decided to do a bit of stargazing. 

We left our campsite when it started to get dark and drove to a nearby dark sky spot with some marshmallows and our camping chairs.  The sun took a while to set but once it did we began look up at all the stars in the sky.  I've obviously seen stars in my 30 years on the planet but never so clearly or so many at once so it was a really cool moment! 

Also marshmallows and strawberry laces by the side of the road taste amazing! 

Sunset Walk

Another evening, we left the campsite again to go for a walk and this time James picked a nice cliff top walk above a beach just as a the sun was setting. 

Looking back it was lovely, at the time I was a tiny bit freaked out by the overgrown walkway to the cliff top and the nosy cows (literal cows, I'm not being derogatory)in the field we passed by deciding to walk in our direction.

We got some lovely pictures of the sunset and then headed back to the campsite. 

Both of these were different experiences for me, normally at 10pm I'm thinking about pjs, netflix and sleep not sticking on my shoes and hoodie for an excursion! 

30 Things Total: 8

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Quirky and 30: Kayaking

It's no secret that I'm fairly inactive, I'm not very outdoorsy or sporty but when I went camping last week I decided to indulge my boyfriend in his request to do something active.  We opted for kayaking and despite being apprehensive I ended up loving it!

I struggled for the first 5 minutes or so, crashed into James' kayak quite a few times and couldn't quite get the hang of how I was supposed to hold the oar, after a quick lesson from James (despite the centre we went to already giving me instructions) I began to get the hang of it!

We probably did about an hour and a half and for someone who does very little voluntary exercise besides walking I coped pretty well, I could feel it in my arms and my butt but other than that I wasn't completely dying!

I may even explore the possibility of doing it again closer to home.

If you've never tried kayaking I'd thoroughly recommend it. 

Rachie's Tips for a Fellow Novice

Wear clothes and shoes you don't mind getting wet
Bring a change of clothes for after

If it's a sunny day - wear sunscreen.
I got a bit of sunburn because I'm an idiot and forgot!

Take your time, enjoy, and don't worry if it takes a bit of getting used to!

30 Things Total: 6

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Quirky and 30: Vintage Makeover

Although I'm into all things quirky, when it comes to my hair and I'm fairy low maintenance. 

I do get my hair dyed in quirky colours from time to time but for the most part I let it grow out until I can be bothered getting my roots done.  I'm not great at styling so I straighten it now and again for a treat. 

For my 30th birthday a few months ago, my friend Nicole decided to take me to a Vintage salon she'd visited as part of a Hen Day as she thought I'd love it. 

She was right, we arrived at the beautiful Pin Ups Salon in Glasgow on a Saturday afternoon and I was transformed into a different area as the stylist began taking me from Rachel to Marilyn. 

I'd chosen a 50s style as it aligns quite well with my shape and my taste in clothes. 

I'm not really into make up do I didn't bother with that but I was so happy with my hair and received loads of compliments. 

I'd thoroughly recommend the experience to anyone else. I'm so grateful my friend suggested it as it's not something I would have chosen to do for myself but something I really enjoyed. 

We made a day of it by going for unicorn lattes and then dinner post makeover! 

30 Things Total: 5

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Quirky and 30: Paris, Disney & Rollercoasters

In one of my previous blog posts, I mentioned that I'm turning 30 this year. I also mentioned that a few years ago I made a list of 28 things I wanted to do by the time I was 28 and tried to achieve them all in about 8 weeks. 

This year I decided that I wanted to revisit that idea but spread out 30 new achievements, new adventures and new skills across the year rather than try to squash them all in....solid logic considering my birthday is just over two weeks away! 

I'm crap at uploading blogs regularly so since the last time, I've added a few things to the list. It's a work in progress list rather than a tick off list, although the ones below were pre-planned.

Disneyland Paris

A few weeks ago, James and I went to Disneyland Paris. It was pretty amazing. I went to Disney in Florida once when I was a kid and loved it but there was something about going as an adult that made me soak in every second just that little bit more. 

I loved seeing everything from the Castle, to Mickey Mouse, to the rides. Even though my knee eventually started complaining about how much walking I was doing, there wasn't one moment I didn't enjoy.
I even managed to find a quirky skirt!

On the last night before we headed for our train to the airport, we stayed to watch the illuminations and I cried. Yep, nearly 30 and cried at the animations projected on the castle/music. You're never too old for Disney to hit you right in the feels!

Paris

We took one day out from the Park(well early morning to late afternoon) to head into Paris and did some sightseeing.
We had a lovely breakfast in a cafe that I'm annoyed I've forgotten the name of! 

It was raining pretty heavy so we paid for one of the tour busses and got a ticket where we were able to just hop on and off at the sights we wanted/had time to see. We started with Notre Dame which is an exquisite building to walk around - I did resist the urge to bring out my best Esmerelda wander around singing God Help The Outcasts, as much as I'd have loved it, it may have been a little invasive to everyone else's morning.

The Eiffel Tower was bigger than I even imagined and a little surreal to see up close.  The Arc De Triomphe is in the middle of a super busy road so we just stood across the road and took some pictures! 

Rollercoasters

I'm pretty militant at never going anything that scares the crap out of me just a little bit but I figured I couldn't really spend the week looking in shops and hoping to bump into characters so I'm put on brave face and got in line for the rollercoasters! I'd say my favourite was Indiana Jones Temple of Doom, it was outdoors and I could see all of the twists and turns coming. The other ones I went on were indoors and while I was perfectly safe, I didn't like being in the dark. I made a point of trying not to say no to any of the rides, so I was pretty proud of myself for feeling the fear and doing it anyway. 

30 Things Total: 4

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Quirky Reads: The Joy of No

It might be February already but I said I wanted to read more books this year than I did last year so here is my musings on the first book I've finished reading this year! 

Quick Review

Genre(s): Self Help/Motivation 

Who Wrote It: Summerdale Publishers

Did I Dig It?: Heck yeah!

2 Second Summary: Some sound advice on saying no.

Quirky Queen Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑 

5 out of 5 Crowns from me on this occasion.
Every once in a while I need a reminder that saying no is not only acceptable, but necessary. 

I also read it while my neighbour was having carpets fitted and it distracted me from the loud hammering!

Extended Musings

I think I've mentioned before that I struggle when it comes to saying no.  I'm aware of the word's existence and can use it, I just don't like doing it. 

While reading through some of the advice in this book, I found myself nodding along at alot of the section titles because I struggle saying no in those situations. 

My biggest problem is I get 'decliner's remorse' I'm not sure if that's even a thing or if I've just stolen someone else's term but I'm gonna roll with it! Every time I say no or consider saying no, the pangs of guilt are never far away, I worry people won't like me, I worry I'll be letting them down, I worry that if something goes wrong or they have a miserable time - it will be my fault.  In reality, I really need to get over myself.  Someone might be mildly put out that I said no, but they'll move on pretty quickly and find someone else to go see that film I won't enjoy or help them do that thing I'd be terrible at helping with. They might not even give it a second thought. 

Politeness, Firmness and Honesty were recurring words I found throughout this book. I reckon these are positive intentions to have in mind when it comes to saying no.
Be polite about it, be honest about it but also be firm with it.

I'm a terrible one for getting myself stuck in a Vicky Pollard trap of 'No but yes but no but yes' - I start with the intention of saying no but I dance around in a circle not wanting to be unkind and end up either committed to something I don't want to do or committed to something else as a result. As long as I'm not being rude, saying no really shouldn't be the big deal I turn it into.

I'm going to try and keep this book in my mind in situations where I feel myself about to execute a yes when I want to say no. I'll also try and change my view on no being a completely negative thing. 

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Quirkmas/Bakemas - Homemade Ferroro Rocher

I know I said I wasn't going to post everyday and I'm fairly certain I won't but my lovely dad found the mini cake cases I was searching for and I decided to post up my second Quirkmas post! 
I also thought about calling it bakemas - I'm just winging it now. 

Someone I know took this recipe from pinterest and I messed
It's a totally customisable recipe and there are plenty of variations online if you don't fancy the ingredients in this one.

Homemade Ferrero Rocher

I'll get straight to the ingredients because it really annoys me when I have to scroll through endless paragraphs to get to the ingredients......

1 Bar of Cooking Chocolate (Melted)

- I opted for dark chocolate because it contained no dairy, use any kind you fancy. You could also use chocolate spread.

2 Bars of Weetabix (Crushed)
Blanched Hazelnuts (Dipped in Chocolate)
- If you cannot have nuts, the hazelnuts aren't essential, I just added them for experimentation. 

My ingredients are also essentially the instructions!

1. Crush the weetabix in a bowl - I used a wooden spoon to crush it, feel free to use the utensil of your choice!

2. Melt the chocolate - I opted for melting on the stove with a low heat, feel free to use the microwave!

3. Add the melted chocolate to the crushed weetabix bowl and mix until all of the weetabix is covered.

 
If using hazelnuts,Leave a small amount of melted chocolate behind.

No Hazelnuts

4. If you are not using hazelnuts, take a spoonful of your mixture and place it into your small cake cases and repeat this process until your mixture/supply of cake cases is complete! 

Using Hazelnuts

5. Dip a hazelnut into the leftover melted chocolate and then begin to assemble your chocolte and weetabix mix around your hazelnut. When you are happy with your assembled piece, place it in one of your small cake cases. 

6. Repeat this process until your mixture/supply of cake cases is complete. 

When you have finished

7. Place your small cake cases on a tray and place the tray in the fridge.

8. Leave your Ferroro Rocher in the fridge until set - mine took about 20 minutes to set, it may vary for others.

9. Enjoy!

My batch certanly do not look elegant and they probably aren't a patch on the real thing but they are very tasty!
The hardest part was the concentration it took to assemble them without dropping them! 

Judges Verdict

Me: "A bit rich but yummy!"

Mum: "A success story!"
Aunt Lynda: "They are lovely, bring some on Christmas Day"I may add other judges as I share them out! 😂

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Quirky Faves: Autumn 2018

The first time I typed the title of this blog I typed Summer 2017, I'm off to a great start!

I love Autumn. Nature starts charging it's batteries and takes a bit of time out to rejuvinate before bursting to life again in Spring.
That's a really healthy reminder sometimes, to take some time to recharge and not to burn out.

I'm probably rubbish as favourites posts, I think I've made two lacklustre attempts but I thought I'd give it another go, maybe seasonally. Which would work well, as I'm also terrible at having an upload schedule.

Here's some of my quirky faves this Autumn.
I'm not sponsored by any companies, authors or locations I have mentioned below.

Books

  

Yes, I am a 29 year old woman and yes there are two unicorn books in this section. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I dig unicorns.

This Summer/Autumn some of my favourite reads have been

Be More Unicorn: How to Find Your Inner Sparkle by Joanna Gray
When The Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher 
The Little Book of Unicorns: Unicornucopia by Caitlin Doyle

You can find all of my Quirky Reads posts here

Monki Midi Skirts

I've built up a steady collection of these since I first discovered Monki last autumn.
I fall in love each time a new quirky pattern is released - I don't buy every one I see but I've been reaching into my wardrobe for these again and again. 

Shoes

Another Monki purchase, I don't normally wear mustard but when I saw these I knew they belonged on my feet.
I don't wear alot of corduroy either but I love these.
They are super comfy and they fit like they were designed for my feet.
Great for walking through crunchy leaves! Not so much on a rainy day but there are other shoes for those days! 

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I don't actually like coffee and I have a dairy intolerance but thankfully this can be customised!
I discovered I enjoy lattes when I can't taste the coffee so I've been having them with soya or coconut milk and the occasional shot of caramel or vanilla.  I discovered a few weeks ago that Pumpkin Spice Latte's are amazing! Another reason for Autumn to be my favourite season!

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Quirky Reads: Be More Unicorn - How To Find Your Inner Sparkle.

Having recently been made redundant and finding myself back in the routine of job searching, I've experienced a dip in my internal and external sparkle.

Be More Unicorn: How To Find Your Inner Sparkle by Joanna Gray was just what I needed to remind myself that the best way to find magic is to believe in myself and create it.

When my mother handed me the book, she knew it didn't need a hard sell. I dig unicorns. Maybe it's because I'm Scottish and the unicorn is our national animal?

Some parts of the book were a useful reminder embrace opportunities to be magical, fabulous and playful but other parts taught me the importance of digging a bit deeper into who I am both on the inside and the outside to become more graceful, enigmatic, fierce and fulfilled.

I'm a firm believer in following the advice of my Unicorn Decision Making Pen which quite often encourages me to Chase a Rainbow but often I fail to spot the rainbow or even look for it because I think I know better.

In the spirit of Being More Unicorn, I'm going to chase more rainbows when they present themselves.  In the meantime, I may embrace the magic around me by taking in a sunset or two, gazing at some stars or taking a walk in the rain - if this uncharacteristically tropical weather ever breaks.

Be More Unicorn: How to Find Your Inner Sparkle is a short but gorgeous read offering a healthy dose of escapism and encouragement with all the glitter and enthusiasm you need to sparkle and shine. 

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Mental Decluttering

I believe Lorelai Gilmore - my resident go to guru for anything in life really - said it best when she said: 

‘My Brain is a wild jungle full of scary gibberish’  

I can relate! I often end up with a foggy burned out brain because I’m trying to make it do or remember too much at once.

Here are a few things I’ve been doing recently to ‘Mentally Declutter’ that I’ve found really helpful. 

Colour Coordinated Apps

I changed my phone background from a brightly coloured picture of Beaker from The Muppets (sorry Beaker, I love you) to a photo of a rainbow above a loch that I took on a recent trip. It’s much calmer and makes for a great backdrop. I’ve colour coordinated all of the apps on the phone so that all the same or similar colours are grouped together and everything sits on two screens rather than four or five. Colours that don’t match anything else are grouped together in folders.
It sounds silly but it makes looking at my phone less distracting and I’m less likely to get consumed in nonsense on the way to whatever task I originally planned to do.

At The Very Least Lists
I can’t remember where I originally read this idea, I think it was someone else’s blog, when I remember or find it I’ll come back to this post and credit them! Rather than To Do lists I’ve started keeping at the very least lists and it’s made me much more productive. I tend to find on To Do lists I aim to high because I’m throwing on literally everything I need to do. With an At The Very Least list, I break things down into smaller more manageable chunks and stop myself from trying to do 80 things at once.

Delete or file old emails
I’ve semi managed this on my personal emails but I occasionally let that lapse. I’ve really focused on doing it with my work emails though. A few weeks ago I went through and either filed or deleted anything that hadn’t already been filed or deleted right from my first day to the present day so that only things that are outstanding or new remain.  It’s been a massive declutter for my brain as well as my inbox and has helped me be more relaxed and responsive as I navigate my way through the day.
 

Personal Task Management
I’ve always used some sort of task management tool for work or study related tasks but I can quite often let personal things slip because I haven’t kept track of them in a structured way. I’ve now put a task management app on my phone and have three boards, Creative Projects (primarily blog ideas, story ideas, thoughts to develop into something creative) Working on myself (haircuts, medical & dental appointments, thank you messages to relatives after Birthdays and Christmases, things to be paid) and Doing Things For Others (voluntary commitments, things I’ve offered to do). I’m forgetting important things less and getting better at following up. With a bit of luck I’ll get better at keeping to a blog schedule and not end up posting once every three months!

I forget sometimes that my brain is my biggest place of work and creativity and needs to be kept fresh and tidy otherwise it will just get clogged up with junk and lose sight of what should be consuming my brain space and what can float on by. 

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Morning Brew Review

*This is not a sponsored post, I just really enjoyed the tea and wanted to write about it*

I've always been a bit picky when it comes to hot drinks although I've recently discovered that I'm quite into quirky tea!

I was doing a bit of shopping on my way to meet a friend on a freezing cold day - to give her a two month late birthday present, I digress - and wandered into T2. 

I'd been in before about year or so before, bought some fruity tea that didn't really float my boat and never really ventured back in, but on this freezing cold day I wandered in and the friendly staff member encouraged me to have a small cuppa while I browsed - I poured myself some Green Rose and began to look around, I knew there were a lot of flavours but I'd never realised just how many!

I spotted the explorer flasks and after a chat with another friendly member of staff I decided to go for one - I've since bought a teamaker too and both are amazing.

I bought a few flavours to go with the flask and the person serving me asked me if I wanted some tea to drink in my flask - given how cold it was, I said yes and asked for some more green rose. 

I've been trying to get myself into the habit of taking something hot in my flask with me with I leave in the morning for work and decided to do a little Morning Brew Review.

Flavour: Banana Bake

Smells like: A local bakery preparing bread and cakes for the day (with a hint of banana)
Tasted like: Freshly baked banana bread.
Transported me to: A quirky coffee shop in my day dreams, I've possibly read too many books about characters who own coffee shops. 

Flavour: Toasty Nougat

Smells like: Toasting marshmallows over a campfire
Tasted like: Somewhere between a toasted marshmallow and s'mores.
Transported me to: An adventure into the woods, with a crackling fire, someone in the background playing guitar and gazing up at the stars.


Flavour: Green Rose

Smells Like: A warm day with nature doing its thing. 
Tasted Like: Tropical fruit
Transported me to: A park or a beach, catching rays of sunshine, very welcome on a cold day!


Flavour: Creme Brulee

Smells Like: Hazelnuts

Tasted Like: A plate of fresh hazelnut cookies
Transported me to: My kitchen, well the kitchen of my day dreams, where I'm an epic baker who could whip up a plate of cookies with ease - reality not quite as impressive. 

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Snowy Day Musings: A Collection of Random Thoughts.

I've been working from home over the last few days - something I'm very fortunate to be able to do, I know that lots of people have been stranded on motorways, in work, in airports etc. 

Alongside working from home, all of the things I do outside of work were cancelled and I’ve been spending a lot of time indoors. Although I can be a bit of a homebody, I do actually thrive on getting out and about.
I'm not really complaining, I'm very lucky to have had the warmth and comfort of my home to work in, a luxury that not everyone has had access to. 

My mind does wander a little more at home though and I thought it would be funny to record and share my thought process across the last few days. 

Wednesday

7.16am

Confirmation received from work that the snow is too cray-cray to be venturing out in the direction of the office.  

7.17am

I go back to bed and enjoy the lie in afforded to me by a lack of need to travel or put on clean underwear. 

8.30am 

I’ve been awake for a while; I chow down on my breakfast and switch on the computer. 

10.30am

I’ve got this working from home lark nailed, I can totally handle this.

12.15pm

I should really get out of my pyjamas, put on some clean underwear and wash.

13.39pm

I am a functioning adult; I have gotten dressed, and simultaneously worked and listened to The Spice Girls back catalogue. I had a brief childhood recollection of wanting to be Sporty whenever we played ‘Spice Girls’ but the general consensus being that my curly hair was much more suited to Scary. I did get to be Posh in a talent show on holiday when I was about 9 so there’s always that.  

I don’t have a Sporty bone in my body; I’d probably be Quirky Spice today. 

3.30pm

Now that my evening engagements have been cancelled on account of snow, I can focus on finishing out the working day and doing something productive like tidying or writing a blog post.

6.57pm

Begin watching Les Miserables on Netflix, singing aloud obnoxiously.
I’m all for love at first sight, but if my boyfriend had gone Marius and Cosette on me on our first ever conversation, I’d have gotten on my metaphorical bike and pedalled fast and far. Different strokes for different folks. 

Maybe I'm too much the other way; I made poor James wait about 4 months before I felt trusting enough to hold his hand in public.  Remind me to think about sticking a medal in with his 30th birthday presents. 

9.31pm

Begin watching Mean Girls. I do love Tina Fey. What even is toaster strudel? It sounds amazing. I have pop tarts; I'm gonna be all about the pop tarts tomorrow morning.
 There’s something comforting about watching Mean Girls, until I remember it came out in 2004 and I am a whole 14 years older and will be 29 in just over a months’ time. 

Thursday

7.37am

Confirmation from work received that it’s another work from home day.  Official word from the people who do weather things for a living is that travelling would be dumb. Who am I to argue?
I did want to say 24601. 

7.57am

My bladder has decided that I’m properly awake now. None of this lie in nonsense from yesterday.  

8.30am 

I simultaneously stick on the computer and some strawberry pop tarts, it’s one of the few flavours my digestive system harmonises with. I hear good things about Brown Sugar Cinnamon; I just have to find it.

10.30am

Right, none of this laziness, unhygienic nonsense from yesterday, I’m clean and dressed. Sure I’m wearing yesterday’s jeans but everything else is fresh.

11.30am 

I could totally listen to a 90s playlist while I work, it’ll be super fun.  90s is my era. I’m shouting next at Alexa a lot but that’s because she’s picking all the rubbish ones! Maybe I’m a late 90s girl. 

12.26pm

Ahhhhh crap I stuck my potato in the microwave for 6 minutes, 20 minutes ago.  It might be edible. It cooks the longer you leave it, right?  Am I even still hungry? Yes, I am.

1.47pm

Whoooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea?

You’ve got work to do Rachel. Get your head in the game. 

3.07pm

It’s the first of March; I really ought to change the page on my Doctor Who calendar.  How is it even March? Where does time go? 

4.57pm

I think I’m going to read a book tonight after I finish work, at least until EastEnders comes on (You may replace EastEnders with a soap opera or tv programme of your choice). 
The book James got me for Christmas? Yeah that’s a good idea.

5.36pm

Commence operation work on thyself. 
You may now open your book of choice, Rachel.

8.06pm

Crap, I missed EastEnders.

Friday

7.37am

Usual drill, look out window, check for work update, same advice to use common sense and err on the side of safety applies.

7.45am

Oh were you going to snooze for a while? Nah, you gotta pee.

8.30am

Go go gadget productivity.....right after some pop tarts.
Lorelai would be proud. 
I find myself relating a bit more to Lorelai these days than I do with Rory, is that an age thing? In the revival, Rory is only a tiny bit older than me and at a similar stage in life but I'm still gravitating towards Lorelai.

8.45am

I briefly daydream about opening a coffee shop, then I remember I hate coffee.

10.30am

I've dialled into a webinar and should really mute myself as Dad's clearing the path outside with a shovel and the children next door are most definitely awake. 

2.15pm

My aunt texted to remind me to use my Christmas voucher before it expires later in the month.  How is it even March? How are we three months in? Why haven't I made time to go for a free meal yet?
Get your crap together Rachel!

2.38pm

Just when I thought Alexa was struggling to find her groove with me today, she gives me Greenday.  Well played. 

3.05pm

Alexa has started playing Beyoncé. I think she understands me now.  We’re cool Alexa.

3.32pm

Went out to the garden to empty the bin, that counts a) as exercise and b) as going outside, right?

5.40pm

There we are, it’s the weekend now. 
Tonight’s theme at Clubbercise was going to be
Unicorns and Mermaids.
I stuck on my unicorn hairband a while ago anyway. Who says I can’t be a unicorn while I work? Before I put it on, I used my unicorn decision making pen that James got me for Valentines, it said

‘Chase a rainbow’

Sound advice I reckon….in this instance and in life really.

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Friday Firsts: Introductions and Avocados.

I’m a big fan of alliteration, you may have gathered this about me already if you’ve read some of my other blog posts.

So I decided that on Friday’s I’m going to start posting about activities or things I’m experiencing for the first time - Friday Firsts I think I shall call it.

Anytime I try or go somewhere new I can channel it into something creative to share with others.

I’d like to be optimistic and say I’ll do one every week but I’ll play it by ear! 

This weeks Friday First involves cooking - I know, shock horror.  It also involves avocados. Just because avocados! 

I'm becoming a bit obsessed with avocados, I have socks, a lunch box, earrings.....I digress.  

Behold - avocado potato salad! 

I can’t take credit for the recipe, I found it on Pinterest and comes from a site called Beckys Best Bites. I'd strongly recommend having a look, there are some great recipes on there.

Ingredients:I didn't stick rigidly to the recipe as I had no Dill or Cilantro but the premise is simple, 2lbs of potatoes, 1 avocado, 1 lime (juice and zest) and seasoning of your choice.

Method:Boil your potatoes then freeze them for 30 minutes, mix together the avocado, lime and seasoning and when your potatoes have cooled down sufficiently mix them together! 

It serves six so it would be a great side dish at a meal or a light bite lunch!

I've mentioned on my blog before that I have a dairy intolerance and its annoying when food in shops that look like it should be totally friendly for me actually have milk somewhere in the ingredients list.

When I spotted this recipe, I was so excited that it was something I could eat and prepare with minimal effort - as lets face it, my skills in the kitchen leave a lot to be desired!
I may document some of my kitchen disasters on here as I attempt to navigate the seemingly grown up skill of feeding myself.
Highlights include evaporated soup and exploding porridge.  

I've previously spoken about wanting to push myself outside of my comfort zone and trying new foods although it doesn't seem like much can be a big thing for me. 

Next Weeks First  - Clubersise! 

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New Year Musings: Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018.

It's the last day of 2017 and as I often do at this time of year I'm feeling inquisitive about what the coming year will bring. 

In the past I've spent the entirety of this day thinking about all my flaws and imperfections, what I'd like to change and how I'd fit those into New Years resolutions. 

In the last few years, whether it's come with age or circumstance, I've learned that I'm really not about New Years resolutions. 

  I even posted a blog about it in January which you can read here. 

I do have some challenges I'd like to take on and some achievements I'd like to unlock across the next year but I'm not going to make them a must do, more of an I'd like to do. 

There will be no need for me to feel like crap come the 5th of January when I haven't achieved the first 10 on a list of 15. 

I'd like to change my blog a little, not much, but a little. When I first started my blog, it was really self therapy with the occasional review and over the last year it's been a smattering of my thoughts. I'd like to use it to embrace all things quirky in my life whether that's sharing my musings, sharing my experiences or sharing things I've found.

I'd like to write more, not just in my working day but in my leisure time, I used to write poetry, short stories, self reflections, letters to myself and others. I've sort of fallen out of the habit and I'd like to embrace that again. 

I'd like to work on saying no to things I don't want to do or feel uncomfortable doing. I don't like saying to no people, it makes me feel bad. Sometimes I'll say yes and it won't do me any harm but other times it can put me in a situation I don't want to be in or cause me to miss out on something else.  It can also hold me back from doing things I should be doing.  

I need to lose that thing in my head that says saying no is a bad thing. It's okay to say yes but not when it has an impact on my own welfare, time sensitive commitments or headspace. 

There are plenty of other ideas I have for how I'd like this year to take shape but if those don't come to fruition, that's completely okay.  I've learned this week that I can't place too much of my happiness and contentment in what I've planned for, I also have to embrace what the day brings. 

I know where I'd like to be 365 days from now and I've started taking steps to get there but if I have to deviate from that path, I'll be fine. 

No New Year, New Me promises, just a more positive mindset.

See you in 2018. 

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