A Mile A Day....Or Close Enough

Hello! I've been pretty silent on my blog for a while.
My batteries have been charging.

I forget sometimes when I'm charging my devices throughout the day that my brain is the most frequently used device I own and needs the same care an attention to work at full capacity.

I'm keen to get a bit fitter than I currently am, not in an I must be skinny, I will now document my trip to the gym every day, but I do spent alot of my day sitting and I'd like to be a bit more active, and climb a few flights of stairs or a hill without needing a good 5-10 minutes to recover.

I'm going to combine my shoe diary with my attempts to get out and do some exploring on foot.   

According to the internet - and who am I to argue with the internet? - there are 2000 steps in a mile, I initially set my target at 3000 but found that I was exceeding it so I moved it to 4500.  A few days ago I managed over 18,000 but I did an uncharacterisitic amount of walking that day so I won't get too cocky!

My aim is to have more adventures an hopefully, in turn become more adventurous!

Today's Shoes 

These super comfortable beauts are Beach Athletics, I think I bought them from the Saltrock website.
If there is a day for stripey and colourful shoes - why not Tuesday?


Steps:7,152

Read More

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. 

Read More

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. 

Read More

Quirky Reads: You Do You by Sarah Knight.

Shortly before Christmas, James started asking me about books

 'We've never really had the book chat, have we?'

'No, I guess we haven't'

I mean we've had the Harry Potter chat - FYI, I'm a Ravenclaw,  Neville Longbottom is my hero and Bellatrix Lestrange is my mortal enemy.

What he was referring to is that while we each know the other has a love of reading, we've never really delved into a chat about authors and genres, although in hindsight this seems remiss of me.
I bore other people, sometimes actual strangers, with my book chat daily. 

He's lost me in bookstores for a good ten minutes because

something has caught my eye and I've swooped towards it for a closer inspection. 

When he picked 'You Do You' as one of my gifts, he did so partly because it's something I say quite often, but also because Sarah Knight featured pretty high on my list of favourite authors.

For someone who called their blog The Quirky Queen, has blue ombre hair and wears neon pink fluffy flamingo slippers, I'd love to say that being unaffected by what Judgey McJudgerson has to say is something I do with ease - unfortunately it isn't.

I feel sometimes like Sarah's voice is a more 'walk the walk' version of the voice in my head.

I'm perfectly happy to identify when it's appropriate to be a bit difficult, like when mine or others mental well being, happiness or safety is in jeopardy but with the possible exception of safety, I'm not always so good at taking what's into my head and bringing it out into the universe.

I can care far too much about what others think, whether it's the girl serving me at a restaurant blatantly making fun of me - for the record, I rock a matilda-esque hair bow - or a pass remarkable moron passing comment on how many slices of cheeseless pizza I've consumed (it was four and it was my first pizza in nearly two years, leave me be).

 Something I really loved about reading this book was the section on mental redecorating, taking what you consider to be a weakness and turning or repainting it into a strength.

It's something I'm going to adopt from now on.

I won't go into much more detail about the book as I wouldn't like to take away from anything that others could take from reading it themselves but I would thoroughly recommend it.

My insecurities won't disappear overnight,
I won't wake up tomorrow and become an asshat that doesn't filter her thoughts before speech or action in the spirit of 'being me' (hopefully)
 but I will certainly question which portions of what others think and expect of me I allow to influence me and will absolutely challenge myself before becoming someone else's Judgey McJudgerson. 

Read More

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.

Read More

Friday Firsts: Here We Clubbing Go

*Clubbercise is not suitable for those with photosensitive epilepsy *

When I was a kid I used to love dancing, around the house, in the garden, in the playground, anywhere really.

I took classes in Disco, Tap, Ballet and Modern, I have a few certificates under my bed from my dance exams and even have a few medals, although I pretty sure they were for participating! 

When biology took over my body in my early teens I sort of gave up dancing, with the exception of the occasional shimmy  at a friend's birthday, a night out or a wedding....or in my car. 

It's probably been about 14 years since I've been anywhere near a dance class, so naturally when my sister in law suggested I join her at clubbercise I was a little reluctant but after she'd been and told me how fun it was I decided to give it a go. 

If you've never been to or heard of clubbercise it's easy to follow dance moves to 90s club classics with glow sticks and disco lights! 

At first I felt really out of place, like a giraffe in a boardroom meeting out of place, but I quickly realised that loads of other people probably felt the same way. Once the lights went out and the music got going, I forgot all about how out of place I felt and just got into the spirit of the class.

What I really enjoyed about it was that it really suits everyone, you could be brilliant or you could be completely lacking in rhythm and it doesn't matter in the slightest, you can still take part and enjoy it. 

Everyone cheers each other on and there is lots of 'Here we clubbing go' 

You can take it at your own pace, grab your water when you need it and get back in the groove when you've got your breath back.

Tonight pushed me out of my comfort zone in a few ways

•    My sister in law couldn't make it and I nearly chickened out of going but I knew that I would be mad at myself and there would be a few other people I knew when I got there so I shut out the voice of doubt in my head and went along anyway. 
• As I mentioned above, I haven't been near anything resembling a dance class in years and I thought I would really struggle but I actually managed to attempt most of it, dialling down the effort a little when I was feeling a struggle coming on. 

As someone who really doesn't love exercise, I came away having really enjoyed it and would totally go again. 

Read More

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! 

Read More