5:2 life

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Beauty, Home, Money, Out and about

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, , life, resolutions, time

 

5:2

5:2

What is it about birthdays that makes you sit back and review your life? Not in an oh-no-everything-is-a-mess kind of way. More of a not-bad-but-I-could-put-a-bit-more-effort-in.

Not that the last year hasn’t been busy. I’ve moved country, moved house (twice), had 4 jobs, made new friends, explored a new city. But I do feel I could have made even more of it. So now that the celebrations are over, I’m going to 5:2 my life. Well, at least some of it.

Normally 5:2 is all about diet. I don’t really need to lose weight but a little 3lb loss would set me up nicely for summer and I’ve read a lot about the health benefits of this way of eating. With a 5:2 eating plan you  eat 500 calories for two days and eat normally (within reason) for the other 5 days. Surely I can do that. Problem is, I’ve no idea about calories. I’ve counted Points (WeightWatchers) and Syns (Slimming World) but never calories. Well probably about time I learned. Starting tomorrow.

I’m not a great sleeper. I’ve read quite a bit on how to improve this and every article, book or advice about sleeping recommends cutting down on televisions, mobile phones and laptops for a few hours before bed. I’m going to 5:2 my screen life. That’ll be a tough one on work days but outside of work I’ll have 2 evenings with no TV (easy), mobile (should be fine) or tablet/laptop (oh heck!). I can easily do a day without TV at the weekend. Especially when I’ve a big old house that needs a whole lot of work. But I’ll have to seriously think about how to cut down on the weekend connectivity without curtailing my social life.

Money. 2 days with no spending. At all. Again this should be easy during the working week. I drive to work, bring in lunches and rarely go out at lunchtime. I just have to remember to keep myself away from internet shopping. See 5:2 screen life.  But I think 2 days will be simple. Take today – I returned something so got a £45 refund and used my Boots points for my purchases in there. Not a penny spent. Good start. Bit smug.

Exercise. I haven’t done much since moving and that’s almost a year ago. That definitely needs to change. For fitness, health and toning. I’ll do 1 hour proper exercise twice a week and at least half an hour on the other 5 days. I think painting walls and heavy gardening can count towards that. I’ve been thinking of running again, now’s a good time to start. If I can find my trainers. I could treat myself to a new pair but see 5:2 money.

Wine. Now that’s a tough one. I already have 4 alcohol free nights during the week but that can mean I scoff the best part of a bottle over a Friday evening. If I’m honest with myself I’m not really going to cut down much more, especially if we get some nice long summer evenings in the garden. I’ll maybe do a 4:3 on this one. Cheating already.

I started all this to improve my life but seem to have plans to cut down on all the fun stuff. It can’t be all about deprivation. So I’m going to add some good stuff in. I’ll make more effort to spend time with friends, read more, keep in contact with family and friends (on days I’m allowed screen time), and do something new in the city at least once a week.

All these plans, I’m not quite sure where to begin. Anyway, it’s 11pm, time for sleep. If I can sleep now I’ve just had screen time. My mind’s racing, already thinking of breakfast. Can I have breakfast? I’ll keep you posted…

Greenfingers

17 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in This ole house

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, , , herbs, homebase

mint, strawberry, rosemary, basil

mint, strawberry, rosemary, basil

What a glorious day. A million jobs to do in this ole house but the sun is shining which makes the choice of tasks easy. Let’s tackle the garden.

If only the job itself was as easy as the choice. The garden looks fairly tidy but like the house it’s been neglected.

We got busy. Weeded every bed, dug out the bigger weeds. Alpha Male got a bit carried away, ripping out everything in sight. I got alarmed when some nice ferns were torn from their roots so tried to keep him under close observation. I did miss him binning some strawberry plants but salvaged some others and replanted them in a pot. Who knows if they’ll survive but definitely worth a try.

We have a tree that has cast a carpet of catkins just about everywhere. Strange little fluffy catkins. Hundreds of them. And no sooner had we raked them up than a little breeze showered  us with the same amount again. Could be tidying these things up for a few weeks yet.

A few weeks ago we had beautiful clematis flowers all over the back and side walls and growing up the tree. They looked lovely at the time but when we looked up close it’s clear they have been growing and tangling around themselves and everything else in sight for years. Dead, tangled, thick, woody branches tied in knots. Jumanji. It was a massive job cutting them back. And digging out the trunk and roots was an ordeal. They were so deep we nearly ended up under the fence and into the neighbours’ garden. I’m worried some of the plant might have been holding the fence together. Time will tell. We’ve still the back wall to clear. That can wait for another day.

I’ve tried to saved a rose bush. I use the term bush very loosely. A few sprawling strands that were trying to escape from being strangled under the crazy clematis. I’ve cut back back the dead bits and there’s not much left. The rose looks very sorry for itself indeed. Maybe not worth saving.

At least now the slugs and snails have nowhere to hide. We must have thrown about 50 of them over the wall into the wild. Hopefully they’ll find plenty to munch on there and not make their way back.

We have a raised patch full of potato plants. I don’t know if they’ll be kept. I think I’d prefer a herb garden and a salad patch, we don’t even eat many potatoes. I made a start on my herbs – rosemary, mint and basil planted in pots. I’ll keep the mint in a pot to stop it growing out of control.

I got a great birthday surprise when I received a large box from my parents a few weeks back. Inside was a honeysuckle plant and my favourite rose, the Albertine. I love the Albertine, a rose that actually smells, not many do these days. So they have been well watered after their travels and are ready put into beds. And I’ve started some sweetpea seeds, my absolute favourite flower. The garden is looking very bare at the moment but these three beauties will soon have it looking a whole lot healthier. I hope.

 

 

Crystal Tips

15 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Beauty, Reviews

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gelish, nails, Seche Vite, shine, topcoat

Oh how I love gelish nails. Especially when they’ve been expertly done by my good friend and nail guru JEM.

But sometimes I just have to polish them up myself and when that’s the case neither me or my nails would survive without the wonder that is Seche Vite. As the name implies, it’s a fast drying top coat which gives the glossiest, long-lasting nails I’ve ever been able to create myself at home. I easily get 3-5 days without even the tiniest chip. And the high shine finish gives it a professional finish.

Oh it’s nothing short of a miracle. Super shiny nails that dry in minutes. What’s not to love?sv

Let’s start at the very beginning

12 Monday May 2014

Posted by in This ole house

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decor, IKEA, paint

Exciting times, we finally moved into our gorgeous new house. Well, it will be gorgeous. Someday. Just not any time soon. It’s a beautiful building, 100 years old. But it’s been unloved and neglected and it’s in desperate need of some serious TLC.

But where to start. Everything needs cleaned, painted, removed, replaced… We made a trip to IKEA then left completely empty handed, overwhelmed by the to-do list. So we sat down and wrote a to-do list and prioritised, in our own special way. Priorities being somewhere to sleep (new bed sorted), somewhere to eat (the search for the dining table continues) and somewhere to sit (the sofa arrives next week bringing with it a whole new list of to-dos, more on that later).

The Alpha Male decided that kerb-appeal was of key importance and got down to some serious work. Weeding, cleaning, bleaching and sanding. Before giving the door and steps a much needed lick of paint. And doesn’t it look good? Now where’s that list?

 

Hello Summer

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Style

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bodyshape, Colour, hourglass, style, summer

summer palette

I had a lovely session with a client today who went for a total image makeover – a colour analysis and personal styling session. Turns out she has gorgeous summer colouring and a fabulous petite hourglass shape. Not what she thought she was at all. Why are we all so critical of ourselves? We really do focus on our bad points and ignore all the positives. So now she’s armed with her swatch of soft, elegant summer colours and really excited to hit the shops. We’ve some great outfits planned and we worked out a few key pieces to pull her look together and create more outfits from clothes she already has.

My work is so much fun.

Happy Valley

10 Saturday May 2014

Posted by in Out and about

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country, walking

What a view

Sowerby Bridge –  what a view.

I just spent a lovely evening with a friend in Sowerby Bridge. Healthy food, nice long walks and just a little too much wine. Fabulous views overlooking the valley, what a gorgeous part of the world. Must visit more often.

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