My Dream Home

The other day I started to write a post about my dream home. As I was writing I realised I kept changing things because I didn’t feel they would ever be realistic for me, but then I thought, “No, this is my dream home. It doesn’t matter whether it’s or not realistic. It’s what I want. And if I have it all written down somewhere, then it will give me something to work towards.” So here it is, my dream home…

First of all it has to be three miles or less from work. Last summer I walked the three miles to work nearly every day. If the weather was particularly agreeable I walked home too. I didn’t always enjoy the walk, but I always felt better for it. It also gave me the time to listen to a lot more music and audio books. So that is my first wish. To live close enough to work that I can walk instead of drive. It’d save me about £20 a week in petrol (that’s £1,040 a year before you start to say I’m cheap!) and I’d get fitter in the process.

The next thing may surprise anyone who knows me well as I want quite a big garden. I know I don’t have green fingers and I tend to kill plants just by looking at them, but I’d keep it quite simple. My main reason for wanting a garden of a substantial size is because I want lots of space for socialising. And a mahoosive sheshed. Don’t forget about the mahoosive sheshed.

The shed, hereafter known as the workshop of dreams would take pride of place at the end of the garden. It would be painted pretty colours, have curtains up at the window and bunting pretty much everywhere! Oh and there’d be a rocking chair on the veranda. Yes, the workshop of dreams has a veranda. Inside would be a crafter’s paradise and would be where I escape to do my book folding and make bunting to my heart’s content. I may even be able to learn how to do paper cutting once I have this little place of tranquillity.

Anyway, back to the rest of the garden. I know it’s the Guide Leader in me, but I’ve always wanted to have a fire pit. Despite the fact I’ve been guiding since I was 11, I don’t particularly enjoy camping, but in my mind there’s nothing better than sitting round a campfire, toasting marshmallows to make s’mores and chatting about anything and everything. Imagine if you could do that in your own garden on a summer’s evening sitting around on giant beanbags playing Uno with your friends. Actually, maybe not the Uno bit. Not with my friends anyway. Tends to get a bit violent.

I would want the garden to be a place that I could really relax in during the summer months so of course my hammock would have pride of place and there would be a swing seat too. There would be some plants, but they’d have to be easy to look after otherwise it would spoil the whole effect. I nearly stopped myself from writing this, but it is my dream home so it’s also got to have a tree house for my niece and nephews to play in (OK, for me too!)

Let’s move into the house shall we? Starting at the top, my room would be in the attic with an en-suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. There would be skylights with motorised blinds on a timer (seriously, anyone would think I still worked at Tropical Blinds) so that in spring and summer the daylight could wake me up each morning, but not until I wanted it to. The bed would be a Super King Size just for the hell of it and I’d have a cosy armchair in the corner for reading of an evening. I wouldn’t want too much else in there. Definitely no television! There might be a Bluetooth speaker as I like to have a sing and a dance when I’m getting ready, but that’s about it technology wise.

The middle floor would have two bedrooms and the main bathroom. I say it would have two bedrooms, but really it would be one as the other would be my office. My office would have bookcases on nearly every wall and they would be filled to the brim with my favourite books and those pesky language textbooks that are still hanging around from my university days. My love of big bookcases stems from when I used to have French lessons with a tutor and her study had a wall full of books that I just wanted to pick up and read each time I was there. I’m reminded of it when I watch Giovanna Fletcher’s vlogs and see her bookcases. My office would be nice and roomy. The desk would be big and spacious so that when I am planning training sessions I could have all my resources spread out around me and still type away at the computer easily. It’d also be good to have a sofa of couple of armchairs in there so that if a few of us wanted to have a planning meeting, we could have everything to hand and still be comfortable.

There’s not much to say about the spare bedroom except that it would always be ready for guests to stay. It would be tastefully decorated and I wouldn’t inflict my obsession of all things pink on anyone who came to visit. I quite understand that it’s not to everyone’s taste. I wouldn’t have as many sets of towels as Monica does in Friends, but my guests would probably end up with fluffier ones than me!

Continuing with the social theme, the kitchen, dining room and living room would all be open plan. I like the idea that if you have friends round for dinner, you can still chat to them while you are preparing the meal instead of deserting them in another room. It also means I would be able to keep the same colour scheme throughout that floor. In my case it would be black, white and red (apart from the pink NutriBullet – should have gone for red!). There is an amazing pottery shop not too far from my parents’ villa in Spain and they have a beautiful range in these colours. Every time I go out there, I plan to buy something else and set it aside for when I get my own place. They do all sorts and the fact that everything would match would be bliss.

Wherever you are in the house, there would be something on the wall. Whether it’s photos of family and friends, artwork (most likely by family or friends – I might be biased, but they are fricking awesome!) or decals, I just couldn’t have blank walls. And in case there was any doubt, you wouldn’t have to go far to find something Harry Potter or Disney related! I love a fairy tale so you’d also find lots of twinkling fairy lights and candles everywhere to make the place feel a little magical. I’m also big on comfort so there’d be loads of giant floor cushions for people to sit on.

Well that’s the tour of my dream house finished. I hope you liked it and I hope one day it will be more than a dream.

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Feeling a Little Nostalgic

While I stand by my last post that Spring is most definitely in the air (the daylight is sneaking in through the gaps in my curtains to greet me each morning and I get to drive home from work while it’s still light), I have to say I am a little disappointed that my plans to sit by the castle during my lunch break are not yet a reality.

I forgot about those pesky April showers you see. Yesterday I was positively teased with beautiful sunshine until about 11:50am when all of a sudden dark clouds started to creep across the sky threatening rain. For the rest of the afternoon the weather alternated between brilliant sunshine and light showers leaving me stuck at my desk until 5:30pm when I dashed to the car.  

I don’t actually mind the rain. I find the sound of it so relaxing, almost as if it’s washing away all the crap ready to start afresh. Of course it is nice to have a bit of sunshine too. On the odd days this year when the sun has made an appearance, the feeling of it’s warmth on my face has filled me with joy and hope. That’s why I’m counting down the days (33 in case you wanted to know) until Mum and I fly out to Barcelona for our holibobs.

Barcelona has a special place in my heart as it was my first placement abroad while I was studying languages at university. Leaving home to go to university wasn’t that big a deal. I went with four friends from school so while it was new and exciting, it wasn’t scary or lonely. This placement was six months in a country that I’d never been to before and with a language where I could barely string a sentence together. I went there with one girl from my course, but she came out a bit later than me so when my parents left me in my grotty apartment in floods of tears, I was starting to think that my choice of course had been a huge mistake.

After a little while I decided that I couldn’t sit on my thin, uncomfortable, single bed crying all day so I grabbed my bag, found my way to the metro station and went into the city centre to explore. Now this was 12 years ago and my memory isn’t as great as it used to be, but to this day my parents still remind me of their shock when they received a cheerful text from me saying that I’d been to the city, had a little wander and got some shopping.

Those first few days when I was there alone started a big change in me. I was experiencing true independence for the first time. I had to rely on myself and it was bloody empowering even if it felt terrifying at the time. Even simple things like buying a bunch of flowers to brighten my room or getting a SIM card for my phone felt like huge achievements and gave me the confidence to carry on. A few months later when my friend’s bag was stolen, we went to the police station to report it so we could get her a new passport. Doing something like that would kick start my anxiety here in the UK, let alone in a country where I couldn’t speak the language.

Whenever I start to feel like my degree was a waste of time and money, or I get annoyed that I can’t remember the subjunctive in French or how to ask for a beer in Spanish (ha, like I’d ever forget how to do that!), I remind myself of those first few weeks on that first placement abroad and I realise that it was all worth it for that alone.

The weeks and months that followed are all a blur in my mind now, but every now and then a random memory will make me smile. It could be something like sitting in the computer room writing one of my long emails to everyone back home, or sitting on the beach sunbathing before my next lecture, but they all remind me of one of the happiest times of my life.

I’ve been back to Barcelona several times since. This will be my fourth time and I’m hoping to do some things I haven’t done before. I’ve done Gaudi to death and it’s getting so expensive now so I have no plans to revisit any of those tourist hotspots. Instead I am looking forward to a week of wandering around the city and finding some of its more hidden treasure. I’ve always wanted to visit Mount Tibidabo (and not because of Joey’s story in Friends) as I’ve heard that it has one of the best views of Barcelona at sunrise. That would mean a 5:30am start though which I don’t think my mum would be too keen on.

And when I get back I won’t have the post holiday blues for too long because yesterday Mum and I booked to go down to the villa for a week in August. I need a break apparently. Not going to argue, especially if I get to go to the pottery shop and pick out a few bits for my future house (even if they do have to go into storage when I get back!)

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Spring is in the Air

There is a definite spring-like feeling in the air today. The sun is shining and the sky is bright blue. I know I say this every year, but I really don’t know where this year is going. How is it March already?! My manager has a theory that it’s because we work in quarters so our year is being split into four chunks instead of twelve. I, on the other hand, think Hermione has been messing about with her time-turner again!

For me this year hasn’t got off to the best of starts and it has seen goals that I had for the coming months fly out the window probably never to be seen again. In their place though are new dreams that I always hoped would come true, but never truly believed could.

I’ve actually started saving for a deposit on my own place. There is a very long road ahead and I’m going to be walking it not driving, but whether it is in five, ten or even 15 years time, I will buy a house and make it a home of my own. The fact that I already have a box that I’ve started putting things into for my place is a reminder for me to keep going even when it seems impossible.

Other things that I’ve wanted to do, but never make the time for suddenly seem possible too. Learning to sew with the help of my mum. Attempting to crochet over tea and cake. Taking singing lessons (don’t tell my dad – he’ll want me to join the band). Actually finishing the books that I’m suppose to be reading for the book club that I started!

Some goals I’m amending slightly. At the beginning of the year I made the decision to take a break from guiding. I was going to be moving out of the area and it made sense to do it then. Now that’s not happening I don’t feel justified in deserting my girls. Instead I’m taking a step back. My friend is willing to take over the accounts for our unit which has never been my favourite task and will reduce a lot of stress for me. I’m also so unbelievably close to completing my Leadership Qualification, but I just need to get that mischievous evidence together so it can be signed off. Once that is done, it will be a huge weight lifted. Then no more qualifications for a while!

Then there are the goals that I didn’t even bother to write down because I didn’t think I’d stick to them. Earlier this week I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but something has always held me back. ”Oh, but my brothers are always posting photos of my niece and nephews and I won’t see them.” “Oh, but I’ll miss seeing everyone’s book folds in the groups I belong to.” “Oh, but I buy so many gifts from people who have shops on Facebook.” All excuses! So I just decided to go for it. I’m only planning on doing it for a month or so to start with, but maybe it’ll become a more permanent thing in the future. As soon as I clicked deactivate I knew I’d done the right thing. I just felt free of everyone else’s gossip and drama which is something I need at the moment especially when I’m still getting my head around my own.

20 minutes later I realised that I’d been using Messenger to chat with a friend I’d recently got back in touch with and we don’t have each other’s numbers. Did I log back in so I could drop her a quick note? Did I heck! I’m going to sit down this weekend and write her a nice long letter including some ideas for the plans we started discussing when we met up last week. Sometimes the traditional ways are better.

Finally something that I never intended to be a goal, but I think I might make it one. Take myself on a date once a month. It might sound really stupid, but just once a month I’m going to do something that I want to do by myself. I took myself off to the cinema to see Deadpool on Valentine’s Day and I really enjoyed not worrying whether the person I was with was enjoying themselves. So, yeah, dates for me. That’s a thing now!

Oh and one last quick thing. When I met one of my favourite authors and McWife Giovanna Fletcher back in December I gave her a book fold which she loved and she promised it would be in all her videos. I waited and waited and then a little while ago I thought I saw it on her shelf, but it wasn’t quite in shot. Then the other day, her husband Tom filmed a video in her office and there it was. My book fold. On her shelf. I don’t care if I never see it in another video. I know it’s there!

EDIT: Oh and I just remembered I've forgotten to tell you about a sponsored bike ride that I am doing for Wheels for Wellbeing on Saturday 26th March. Anyone who knows me will know that I can't ride a bike to save my life so I'll be grabbing the trike as soon as I get there, but it's for a good cause so if you would like to sponsor me, you can do so here. 

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DofE Diamond Challenge

To celebrate their 60th Anniversary the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is running a DofE Diamond Challenge that is open to anyone of any age, anywhere throughout 2016. Under the categories of adventure, personal or skill you can choose a Challenge that will push you to leave your comfort zone and give it your all. 

There is a registration fee of £20 (£15 if you're under 18) which gets you an exclusive Challenger Kit. This includes a Challenge t-shirt to wear with pride as you take on your challenge, a Challenge Companion (a journal to help you remember your challenge forever) and a Cotswold Outdoor reward card.

By signing up for the Challenge you agree to raise a minimum of £60 which will help to transform young lives. Raising £40 will fund the registration cost of a DofE programme for a young person from a disadvantaged community. Raising £100 will help to train more inspiring DofE Leaders. Raising £150 will fund a specially-trained local operations team for a day.

As a Leader of The Senior Section for Girlguiding, I have members in my unit who take part in the DofE programme and I also know fellow Leaders who have become DofE Leaders too. For that reason I am aiming to raise £300 which would be enough to fund the registration of five young people to the programme and provide training for a set of Leaders.

My personal DofE Diamond Challenge is to find 60 geocaches during 2016. I have dabbled with geocaching in the past, even finding one at Disneyland Paris last year, but never taken it any further. At one point I envisaged spending sunny weekends on long walks trying to find as many caches as I could and while I have given myself until the end of the year to complete this challenge, I'm hoping to find most of them by the end of the summer. Maybe I'll even find a few abroad when we go to Barcelona in May.

I will of course keep you updated with how my Challenge is going and I've also got a few fundraising ideas up my sleeve so I'll share them as and when.

If this challenge is not for you, but you would still like you support this cause, you can donate using the link to the right or text TGDC60 followed by the amount you would like to donate (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) to 70070. You can find out more about the DofE Diamond Anniversary celebrations including how to register for the Challenge here.

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Forever Living Clean 9 Review

At the end of last year I made the decision to kick start the New Year with Forever Living's Clean 9 (C9) programme. When Michele, one of my friends, started her Happy Forever After business, I showed an interest in C9, but wanted to wait until I had enough money and the time to commit to it. The 2nd January was a Saturday so that seemed the perfect time - a week after Christmas to get rid of all the crap in the flat and a kick start to a healthy New Year.

Michele added me to the support group on Facebook which is great for tips and having queries answered, but perhaps most importantly for support when you're tempted by those naughty cravings or are just feeling a bit meh.

I decided to start the cleanse at the weekend as I find I snack far less when I'm keeping myself busy at home than at work where the dreaded biscuit drawer is in my reach. I also opted for the chocolate flavoured Forever Lite Ultra as I knew that if I were to get any cravings during the cleanse, it would be for chocolate.

On to the programme itself. The first two days of the C9 programme are designed to reset your body and mind and are exactly the same - 120ml of Aloe Vera Gel, two Forever Garcina Plus capsules and one Forever Therm for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (no Therm for Dinner and an extra 120ml of Aloe Vera Gel before bed), a sachet of Forever Fiber for a mid morning snack and a scoop of Forever Lite Ultra for Lunch. No meals except for the listed free foods. The list is quite extensive and certainly enough to stop you from feeling hungry.

Days three to nine are where the fun begins because you go down to just the one lot of Aloe Vera Gel a day for Breakfast as well as a scoop of Forever Ultra Lite. You still have all the other pills and potions as above, but you can have a 600-calorie meal in the evening. Now that's not a microwave meal that happens to be 600 calories. This is all about eating clean. You can have pretty much anything you want, but just keep an eye on how you're preparing it and cooking it. And don't forget all those free foods!

Day 1
Up at 6.30am to weigh myself and take all my measurements before starting the cleanse itself. I wasn't expecting this to be the difficult bit, but I'm so cack-handed that when I measure myself like this I constantly worry that I won't do it in the same place the next time so I won't be getting an accurate representation. Then I told myself to stop being stupid and just get on with it. The scales never lie so the measurements are more of a guide as to where the cleanse is working.

Time for breakfast - I have always struggled taking capsules and tablets and they are quite big, but I managed them with no problems. I'd also heard horrible things about the gel so prepared by brushing my teeth before hand and having a big glass of water ready to wash it down. It wasn't that bad. The taste isn't great, but if you can down it quickly, you'll be fine. Also don't forget you've got your free foods so many people find that have a couple of grapes sorts the taste issue out. The problem I had was the texture of it. I was fine in the morning as I forgot to shake the bottle (read the instructions Abegg!), but when it came to lunch I got the full Aloe Vera Gel experience which I discovered triggered my gag reflex. I spoke to my friend and explained the situation. 

I really wanted to carry on with the cleanse, but didn't think it was worth making myself feel ill by having the gel. We decided that it would probably be best to go straight to Day 3 of the programme so I could have my evening meal straight away. The results would not be as good as, but I would still benefit from it. Exactly the news I wanted to hear.

Colin and I had done our weekly shopping in mind of the fact that I wouldn't be having dinner for the first two days so when it came to him cooking his delicious meat feast pizza, I decided to make a Five-Minute Pizza. Of course I wanted Colin's pizza, but my option with a small side salad was enough to fill me up. My mindset was already changing. Don't eat more than you need to. I'm not saying that after this cleanse I won't have a cheat night ever now and then, but the long-term benefits outweigh the temporary pleasure of the takeaways and chocolate bars.

Not unsurprisingly I felt tired at the end of the first day so I took myself off to bed early than usual to get ready for day 2.

Day 2
I switched my alarm off over Christmas and for the majority of the time I've still been waking up stupidly early. This morning I slept until 7.45am (still early for the weekend I know), but I felt wide awake and energetic which I was surprised at. Other than that the day wasn't much different to the day before except I didn't have the dread of the gel.

Day 3
4.6lb lost! My measurements didn't really change, but as I said I'm not convinced I do them very accurately anyway so I'll leave it until the end of the cleanse to report my findings on these. I am so pleased that even without the gel I am seeing positive results. 

Today was the test for me as it is at work that I tend to graze. I packed some of my free foods into my bag to keep me going, but found that I didn't actually need much, proving that I really do snack just to break up the monotony of typing all day.

Day 4
Colin's dad was back from Thailand for a visit so we all went out for Thai tonight. I researched the menu beforehand and although it didn't list the calories, I put my faith in Google and narrowed it down to a couple of choices. When my final choice (Kao Pad Nam Prik Pao) arrived I couldn't believe the pile on the plate and didn't manage to finish it. It's amazing what you can have and it's mainly down to the preparation. It's also good to remember that a treat every now and then is perfectly fine (just not ideal during a cleanse).

Days 5 - 8
The rest of the week has been pretty much the same from day to day. The evening meals have definitely been the highlight of my week. I've enjoyed preparing meals with Colin. It's a bit of couple time and us working together as a team which I love. All of our evening meals during the cleanse have come from The Hairy Dieters: Eat for Life book which I can't recommend enough. Have a look at my Instagram (see right) for some photos of the end results.

Thursday I woke up with the serious grumps and felt exhausted! Being day 6, I weighed myself and took my measurements as soon as I got up - 0.2lb back on (which, let's face it, is nothing) and not a lot of variation in my measurements. 

I had to go to the doctors for a check up and the past couple of times they've commented that my blood pressure has been a little high so I was a little anxious about going. However when I asked how it was, the doctor said that it was a vast improvement on last time. Maybe I was just stressed out the last couple of times, or could it be that this cleanse is kick starting a healthier me? 

Day 9
On the last day of C9 you can have a 300-calorie meal for lunch instead of the shake. I went to see my friend on Sunday for a good old catch up and, knowing that I was doing the cleanse, she cooked me a wonderful meal. Apart from that the last day was pretty uneventful. I was very pleased to see when I got home that before Colin went out shopping, he had bookmarked some more low-calorie recipes for us to enjoy.

On Monday morning I weighed myself and I was disappointed to see I'd put a little weight back on and I haven't felt full of energy like others have reported (I blame the first week back at work for that though). However I have noticed a change in attitude towards the way I eat which is a major breakthrough. I also realised yesterday that apart from the wrap that I used for the pizza and the ones that we had with our fajitas, I hadn't had bread at all during the cleanse and I haven't actually missed it. 

I would say if you are going to do C9 try really hard to stick with the Aloe Vera Gel as it does make a difference to the results. Everyone has different results with C9. Some people lose weight, some lose inches and some lose neither, but feel full of energy. You won't know how it's going to work for you unless you try it. You'll have a wealth of information and support at your fingertips so if you want to make a long-term change, this is a good place to start.

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all! Well, it's been over a week since my last post so I'm already doubting my ability to keep this up to date regularly. Then again we have had Christmas and New Year thrown into the mix so I won't shoot myself down too soon.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. As I told you in my last post Colin and I have been all over the place, but have had an absolutely fantastic time. After I finished work on Christmas Eve we drove down to Faversham to spend Christmas Day with Colin's parents and brother. I've discovered a new game called Dobble - you have to play it, it's amazing! Very basically it's a card game with pictures. Each card has several pictures on it and every card shares at least one picture with all the other cards and you can do about five different games with it. I was hooked and got quite loud playing it. Not Uno loud, but not far out. 

Anyway I digress. The best part about Christmas Day, for me, was not the dinner (which was scrumptious) or the presents (all for which I am truly grateful), but simply the fact that we didn't have the TV on at all. I didn't miss it one little bit (maybe only because I knew I could watch Harry dancing on Strictly on iPlayer) and it was so nice to just chat, play games and listen to music. 2016 will have more days without TV!

On Boxing Day morning we got up and drove across Kent for Christmas Day #2 with my parents in Brede. As opposed to the previous day where we were just five, there were twelve of us and we all seemed to arrive at the same time. We had a lovely meal and in the evening settled down to watch Inside Out. If you have not seen this film then go see it right now. I'll wait here while you do. It's all the feels in one and so accurate. After the kids went to bed us adults stayed up to watch that classic feel good Christmas film... Point Break (at least Die Hard was set at Christmas!)

Sunday we finally had our traditional Christmas breakfast (Ham and Sausage Rolls) and all said our goodbyes as we headed our separate ways. Well I say separate. Colin and I were heading back across Kent to have dinner at his aunt and uncle's pace, but we had some time to kill so we dropped into the Designer Outlet Centre and bumped into my brother and his family who we had waved goodbye to just an hour earlier.

Le lendemain de Boxing Day (I feel it needs a special name) saw fourteen of us sit down for the best pulled pork I have ever eaten in my life. The Taylors sure know how to put on a spread. We swapped some more pressies and then headed home to our own beds.

I am so glad I had a wonderful Christmas because that evening I was struck down with a stomach bug. I was hoping I had just overindulged over the past few days, but I only really felt better yesterday. It nearly stopped me going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but I hate wasting money and we'd already booked the tickets. I don't care how ill I felt, it was A-MAZ-ING!

My Christmas break was extended when I went to work on Tuesday morning and quickly realised that I was not over my stomach bug and returned home and slept all afternoon. I already had New Year's Eve booked off as holiday and I had some more to use up so was luckily able to book Wednesday off too.

So yesterday, feeling moderately human again, we drove down to Deal for New Year's Eve at The Lighthouse. Colin was DJing before and after The Swinging Dice played and it was great watching him do something he really loves. The band were fricking awesome and if you love Rock 'n' Rock and Swing then look them up. After midnight they played a couple more tunes before Colin came back on and played the Dropkick Murphys version of Auld Lang Syne. He was wondering if too much time had passed since midnight, but it went down a treat.

This morning I woke up in the squishiest bed ever listening to the sound of seagulls. What a way to start 2016! Today's been a bit of a relaxed start to the year. We popped in to see the lovely Sandra on our way home, bought a new water filter (which I am way too excited about) and started Series 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix. It's only now that I'm sitting here thinking about going to bed that I'm realising it's the start of a brand new year.

Tomorrow I am starting my 9-day cleanse (something I'm even more determined to do after this bug) and I had to chuckle to myself when I picked this card out this evening. I'm really looking forward starting it actually and it's giving me the push to do my weekend walks again.

I am also doing Sunny Dawn Johnston's 44 Day Detox and this card couldn't be more apt for me at the moment. 

That's all for now really. I want to start doing some extra posts about different topics in addition to my catch-up posts, but I need to actually sit down and do some planning so hopefully you'll be seeing some of those soon. 

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The Very Important 2015 Closing Ceremony

A couple of years ago I came across Leonie Dawson's Shining Year Workbook. It's an amazing resource beautifully designed to help you realise what resolutions, goals and dreams are important to you and record them so that you can review and update them regularly. 

The first time I bought one, I started strong and ended with a whimper, but this year I'm going to make it work for me with the support of some fellow workbookers (a few of us had our first meeting last weekend and we've already got a meeting planned for January). 

Leonie writes that one of the main reasons that we fail at our New Year's Resolutions so quickly is that we set them all "without ever taking stock, coming to terms with and clearing all the days and months that have gone before us." She encourages you to take part in a closing ceremony and answer some really thought-provoking questions about the previous twelve months so that you can truly start the New Year with a clear mind. 

While I'm not going to go through the actual ceremony on here, I do want to have a little recap of how 2015 went, particularly the highlights...

January
January's highlight was most definitely Girlguiding Kent West's trip to Disneyland. I went with two of my oldest guiding friends, Mandi and Sophie and we had the most amazing time. Sophie, a Disney fanatic, had never been before and the look on her face when she saw Sleeping Beauty's castle was just the best feeling. We also went geocaching while we were there and I was the one to find it which rarely happens!

Sophie at Disneyland

February
My favourite moment of February was the family meal that we had at the beginning of the month. It was the first time that Colin and I managed to get both sets of parents in a room together and we had a lovely evening together. Apart from celebrating Karen and Peter's anniversary in August, we've not been able to get everyone together again yet.

March
Towards the end of March I was part of the training team for Girlguiding Kent Weald's County Weekend and after much planning, preparation and delivering of sessions, I completed the Residential module of my Trainer Qualification. The theme for the weekend was Reach for the Stars which was a message to me as much as it was for the participants. I always doubt my training abilities and then events like this make me realise how much I enjoy it and that I do know my stuff.

April
April was a very mixed bunch. At the beginning of the month we lost my dear nan. After Granddad passed away in 2013 she was never the same and it became apparent that she was suffering from Dementia. In the end, although sad, it was a relief that she was at peace and no longer confused. 

Nan

The following weekend I journeyed up north for Girlguiding's National Trainers' Conference which is always an inspiring time and I left feeling enthusiastic and ready to take on the world. 

Then at the end of the month Colin and I went camping with some of his friends for his birthday. The weather was cold and wet, but somehow sitting around a campfire with a bag of marshmallows and pack of chocolate digestives, chatting and singing makes it all OK.

May
Holiday time! After saying goodbye to Nan, Mum, Colin and I jumped on a plan and headed down to Murcia in Spain to join my dad and step-mum at the villa. A week in the sun is what we all needed after a stressful few weeks and a trip to the pottery cafe was my highlight.

Me on the world's
smallest carousel

June
I was so so proud of my Rangers when we did the Race for Life back in June. When planning the programme back at the beginning of the year, they decided that they wanted to do something to fundraise for a charity and something fitness related so we came up with this to combine the two. We were barely passed the start line when they all ran off and left me, but they got such good times and raised a lot of money for Cancer Research UK.

Petts Wood Senior Section
at the Crystal Palace Race for Life

July

For my birthday Colin and I went to the Young Adult Literature Convention. It happened to coincide with the London Film and Comic Con so we ended up having a laugh with Wayne and Garth in the queue and I was left wondering if I had seen one of my friends when I shouted out "Ryan" to a Spiderman who gave me a thumbs up then shrugged as he continued to the end of the queue. 

The reason I wanted to go though was because Carrie Hope Fletcher was going to be there signing copies of her book All I Know Now. Two days before my birthday, I got to meet one of my idols and gave her my very first book fold of her Hopeful logo.

Me and Carrie at the YALC

August
My top moment of this month was most certainly getting my new job at Blaze Maintenance. With Colin working in Tonbridge I signed up at an agency in that area thinking that I wasn't in a rush and it would take a while to find something right for me, but it came along almost immediately. 

I will never forget how I felt standing at the bus stop outside of the office where I had just had my second interview and getting the call from the agency to say they wanted me. Tears streaming down my face with a massive smile on my face. It was very surreal going back to work that afternoon and taking part in a Disney quiz which I came second in (I lost out to Queen Elsa!)

September
September meant it was time to say goodbye to my friends at Affinity Sutton Repairs and hello to my new friends at Blaze Maintenance. It was bittersweet as these ladies are three of the most wonderful people you could ever meet, but I was so excited to be moving on to my new role as Assistant to Contracts Manager.

Me, Sandra, Debbie & Chanel
at my leaving meal

October
At the beginning of October I had two guiding weekends in a row. On the 2nd October I made my way down to the PGL centre in Hailsham to take park in LaSER ROARS, a weekend exclusively for adult members of Girlguiding London and South East England. 

Bearing in mind this was at the end of my first week at Blaze, I wasn't really in the mood to be adventurous, but I am so glad I went because I conquered my fears and went abseiling for the first time in my life. My technique was shocking, but I knew it was a success when I climbed through the railings at the top and waiting while I was secured in. 

My first attempt at abseiling

The Saturday evening was the best fun I think I've had all year. We were joined by Big Beat who specialise in teambuilding through Samba Reggae and Brazilian Street Drumming. I'll try and hunt down the video of us all at the end of the evening and share it on here. 

Girlguiding LaSER does
Brazilian Street Drumming

The following weekend I drove down to Foxlease in the New Forest for our regional Trainers' Conference. As with the one in April, I came away feeling Alive, Alert, Awake and Enthusiastic. 

November
November was a quiet month, but I did make a dramatic change to my appearance when I decided to dye my hair back to brown and have it cut into a bob. I had highlights put in for my 30th birthday which had gradually damaged it over time so although I loved my long hair, I figured it would do it good to have a chop. I have no doubt that I'll start growing it again, but at the moment I'm enjoying the fuss free getting ready in the morning.

December
As you can imagine with the run up to Christmas, December has been manic, but so fantastic. On the 4th December we had our work's Christmas do. I was nearly in tears that night, but for all the right reasons. Before the meal we went round to Cheryl's flat to get ready and I had a lovely time getting to know everyone a little better. As the evening went on I was overcome by the feeling that this is what I'd been missing the past couple of years - a fab night out with the girls. Suddenly everything felt complete again and I felt like 2007 me again. 

The next day Mum, Caroline, Fran and I went to Tenterden Christmas Market for a festive morning. While we were there I also bumped into my best friend Jo who I don't see as often as I'd like so that was an added bonus. In the evening I went up to London to see the fabulous Emily Coxhead for the launch of her Happy Newspaper.

The following Tuesday saw my annual Christmas shopping day with Mum. As we had both finished buying our presents, we went to Ikea which is always bizarrely magical and then out for a meal before I headed into London to go to Giovanna Fletcher's Q&A and book signing for the second time this year.

Meeting Giovanna (again)

And the year isn't over yet. Christmas is fast approaching and Colin and I will be dashing all over the place to see everyone. Then on New Year's Eve we'll be driving down to Deal for a night of fantastic music at The Lighthouse. 

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If you're still reading then thanks for sticking around. I hope this has encouraged you to consider everything that has happened over the past year and leaves you looking forward to the new adventures that 2016 holds. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

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