gosh, thanks

Wow, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed by all your lovely comments on my last post- thank you so much for all your kind words and encouragement, I can't tell you how much it means! 

I haven't been blogging about my healthier lifestyle (mainly for fear of boring everyone to tears), but because so many of you asked how I did it, I will point you in the direction of the totally free calorie counting website 'My Fitness Pal' where I found all I needed to stay completely focused and will continue to log my food an exercise for the foreseeable future, as I don't trust myself to maintain alone just yet. And as a former fitness-phobe, I cannot advocate for exercise enough- find something you love and keep it up- the extra calories you burn mean that you don't have to be anywhere near as careful about portion control and the buzz is just a wonderful feeling. I've been doing all sorts of things, but make sure you choose a balance of cardio exercises and strength training- the muscles I've built doing Bodypump (my latest obsession!) have definitely increased my metabolism and mean I can eat more yummy food too- hurrah!

Anyway, before you all fall asleep with the tedium of this post, I realised earlier that I forgot to show you my new Tatty Devine necklace that I ordered on our recent blissful weekend away. I'm so delighted with it- the perfect anniversary pressie!

Thanks again my lovely bloggy friends xx

fantastic mr fox

I did a brave thing today....

This charming little foxy fellow, designed by the fabulous Elizabeth Pawle, was my reward to myself for doing this....

Last week I finally hit my goal and, after all this hard work, Mr Fox will be a constant reminder that I NEVER want to look like the images on the left ever again!

Have a lovely week everyone xx

sunny days

As if by magic, the sun has been pretty steadfast since my last post. Today we've been enjoying the fresh spring air with some small friends. There's been a lot of giggling and excited squeals. It's days like these when having little girls is the best thing on earth (even if everyone does still mistake Pearl for a boy- she seriously needs to grow some hair!)

We just need it to warm up a little bit now- I want to get a picnic in this weekend as it's back to school and work on Monday. Enjoy your weekend, whatever you get up to x

rainy days

This school holiday has been a bit of a wash out and lack of funds has meant we haven't been able to entertain the girls with indoor play centres and the like. Instead we've been mainly making do with the trips to the local swimming pool and playing at home with some toys that haven't seen the light of day in quite a while. I'm not a very natural player (my mummy comfort zone is generally reading books, or doing craft) and I have to make a conscious effort to get down on the floor and join in with imaginative play, but when I do I always really enjoy it and wish I did it more often!

Whilst Pearl has mostly been playing really nicely, Flora's been a bit of a sulky madam this afternoon (you can probably tell by her face!). Grrr, if it's not one of them it's the other... roll on the sunshine, please!

easter harvest

Happy Easter everyone, I hope the Easter bunny has paid you all a visit.

We're celebrating with a roast dinner, accompanied by our first harvest of the year- I can't wait to sink my teeth into those tasty spears of purple sprouting broccoli. I bought the seedlings at a car boot sale on Easter Sunday last year, so it's funny to think a whole year of growing has gone by before we finally get to sample the goods! 

The rest of the allotment is coming along nicely too, but there's still lots of work to do. The pear trees we planted last year have more blossom on than you could shake a stick at, and we have lettuces, spinach, carrots, onions, garlic and broad beans already in the ground. We really must get on with planting some potatoes though.

The guinea pigs have been pretty chuffed with the leftovers and weeds we've been returning with too- just look at today's juicy guinea salad! 

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quickbeam ~ seven hundred birds

One truly beautiful song- I adore the dreamy strings and I'm always a sucker for girly scottish singing voices. I'll be listening out for more.

birdhouse in your soul

I'm typing this covered in scratches, scrapes and little holes in my hands, due to a rather excruciatingly awkward incident involving a small boy and his football. 

This morning I was walking across a carpark, having just arrived for a meeting, when the aforementioned ball came hurtling over the large hedge towards me. I thought I'd do my good citizenly duty and I called over to the lad behind the hedge, throwing the ball back over to him, only to lodge the ball firmly into the top of the hedge, about 7 feet in the air, due to my terrible aim. Cue me climbing into the wretched hedge and wrestling the prickly, thorny branches in an unsuccessful attempt to recover the ball, whilst trying to reassure its increasingly impatient young owner. Eventually I admitted defeat and went inside the building to find a suitable utensil to aid me in my task and returned with one of those poles with the hooks on the end, designed for opening high windows. Thankfully this was right tool for the job and finally boy and ball were reunited.

I went into my meeting feeling rather flustered and sore, but managed to put the incident behind me and successfully deliver my presentation. It was only after I had finished, that my boss helpfully pointed out that my hair was full of dead leaves. Seamlessly professional, as ever. Anyway, I now have ten blissful days off work, so I can be as scruffy as I like- hurrah! 

I came home today to find that Steve and the girls had made this très chic little birdhouse that Uncle Dan & Auntie Ruby sent Flora for her birthday. I wonder how long it will be before a hipster bird makes it his new bedsit?

riding the bus

The brilliant 'cat bus' from My Neighbour Totoro. Image from here.

This week I'm taking advantage of the Easter school holiday and hopping on the bus to work. Living rurally, public transport is not a viable option most of the time these days, as I have to drop both girls and my husband off in three different places, before heading into work myself (all before 8.30am). 

Having only owned a car for about 3 years, I cannot believe how quickly we've become totally reliant on it, not to mention the fortune I spend on keeping it running. So catching the bus is an attempt at saving a few pennies on petrol, whilst having some rare quiet time to daydream, before the chaos of the working day sets in.

I'm especially enjoying it because it means I get to read my book, which is proving to be a particularly brilliant read. It's The Celestial Cafe by Stuart Murdoch, perfect food for the ageing indie-kid soul and seems particularly apt for a nostalgic public transport ride to 9 to 5 humdrum employment.

No doubt the novelty of being packed in with a bunch of people with germs and bad manners, whilst being shipped about like cattle will have worn off in a few days....