A touch of summer

I’m trying to live in the moment more, it’s not easy.  My mind is either in the past reliving/rehashing awful moments and the if only’s, or it’s in the future making up dire situations.  2019 has been full on, both personally and professionally (this is a story for another time) so when I have the opportunity to chill, be mindful, live the hygge life I am grabbing it with both hands.  GO is painfully understanding and his natural state is to go with the flow.  I used to be that way and I want to get back there, so I have made a conscious effort to live my life, to be more chill and bring the fun back.  I don’t want it to become a chore so I am taking it step by step.  I initially tried to be more active, maybe that was the problem, but I quicky realised that I’m just not in the mindset for that yet.  I’m tired and I need to refill that pot first, I have a plan for getting active and will get started once my inner self feels up to it.  How am in filling my well-being pot?  I started with a bit of soul searching, thinking for a times when I felt absolutely happy.  It wasn’t as hard as thought it’d be.  I quickly realised that to be happy I don’t need huge mega things and I have everything I need already.  Being around loved ones (naturally), twinkly lights, good food, fire, snuggling up, great music, bubbles and rocking.  I’ll explain. 

Most of my happiest memories have revolved around summer nights with my family. My parents are the king and queen of gemütlichkeit/huge/chillaxing and from a young age my best times/memories have been outside, toasting marshmallows on an open fire, with good food on the barbecue and great music blaring late in to the night.  This is what I have been trying to recreate my whole adulthood with limited success, I’d hit one or two elements but never the whole package.  

How does this memory walk help my live in the moment? I am making the most of any good weather and getting outside.  Within weeks of moving into the house I bought a fire pit, and a hammock.  When I used to spend the weekend shopping or spending money I’d feel good for a while, the euphoria would last a short time.  Now, if I have a free moment I grab my headphones and the hammock and chill under the tree listening to a podcast/audiobook/music and chill.  I have spent many and hour or two watching the clouds pass us by in the bright blue sky.  I feel content, relaxed and happy and the feeling lasts. Is it having the freedom to do nothing that makes me happy?  Is it the motion of the hammock?  Is it that I’m in my own garden?  Maybe it’s a summer thing, I don’t know but I love it and feel very content.  I think I’ve finally cracked it.  I have spent the whole afternoon in the hammock drinking ice tea, eating watermelon, listening to great music and face timing with my parents.  I may put a fire on later, or might not, we’ll see how I feel later.

Kind Regards Curly x 

Box ticking activity

I am always complaining at work that we are made to do things that are simply a box ticking activity but this weekend I don’t mind ticking things off the list, as longs as it’s the summer bucket list.

Many a time people have commented that I will say things that have no relevance, that have come out of no where or that I must have a list of things to say whether anyone else is interested in listening or not.  Funny, these comments don’t bother me.  There is usually a train of thought and it is often linked to whatever is happening or being said.  This happened this morning GO wanted to go to Blackpool to pick up some kitchen doors that where for sale.  I was up to my neck in reports but had decided to take a break, I excitedly said we should go and take a look.  We quickly realised that the doors were too big for our cupboards, it didn’t take long for us to agree we should go anyway.  “We can have a beach picnic.  It’s in the bucket list!”  I said, GO looked at me puzzled, apparently he doesn’t read the blog as religiously as he should (or ever) and didn’t know that we had a summer bucket list.  Things that I want to do this summer, so I sent him the list.  We were going to have a picnic on the beach.  We followed the signs for Lytham St Anne’s, we got lost.  I love getting lost, you always find new and interesting places.  We drove through little chocolate box award winning villages.  It came out of nowhere, there was a brown sign for a garden centre.  It was glorious there was a farm shop, garden centre, poultry farm, marina, curling hall, I honestly was beside myself with joy.  This is what I had been missing, it was like a Northern Millets Farm, minus the PYO fruit.  We wandered, looked at the plants and flowers, bought some picnic bits and pieces.  On the way out we stopped at the ice cream parlour and ticked off the first bucket list activity of the day.   

Just like Millets Farm, sort of.



For some reason this reminds me of Mamilein 

I love a big stag

Newest addition to the haus 

Not Italian but it’ll do

He always overdoes it

Why is everyone so dressed up?

As I got on the train I noticed that nearly everyone was dressed up to their eyeballs, I mean I’d made an effort but I’m no longer the spring chicken I once was.  I was wearing the maxi dress that has seen me through more leaving/birthday/hen parties than I can count.  It’s nice, dressy but really, really comfortable.  I can’t remember where it came from, I don’t care.  I have it in red but the black is better.  I dragged it out of the wardrobe for a hen do, this was my first day/night out since moving up North.  I’d been to and of term things but this was the first shindig that I had been invited to on my own.  It was also my first solo trip to Leeds, it won’t be my last.  Yes it was a long journey but it was so simple and quite reasonable, just a shame it was the hottest day of the year and the heaters were on full blast.

Summer Bucket List

Summer is here

Easter Guff

I’ve had so much fun decorating the house ready for Easter and dressing it in pale yellow, turquoise and greens.  I may have to have a colour scheme for each season.  Does that sound to pretentious?  Ah who cares it’s my house. 

Frohe Ostern

Easter is a two week break for me but only one for GO (don’t feel sorry for him he gets three weeks for Christmas) and traditionally we go away the my first his second week, then I visit my parents. This year as we have purchased a house we decided to enjoy it and make the most for having our own space.  Something we are still getting used to.  We/I planned a luscious three course meal and made the day a real celebration.  

Here’s to many more celebrations to come.

Today is the only day this will work

It’s been a while

Well it has been a while, in fact since before Christmas this is the first moment where I have not been all consumed with house things and it feels like we may actually have begun to settle in.  I will try to catch up the blog retrospectively there is a lot to catch up on. 

Phew, it’s going to be a bit busy on here.  I  have decided not to try to beat each years post with trivial rubbish but only post things of interest.

Clean up Set Up

Now that we’ve settled into the new house the hand over prep on the Derby Street begins.  There was a lot of confusion about when we could hand the property back but finally we had a date and had to get it ready for the estate agents to take photos.  So we went back in and set the stage.