21 January 2020

New Year, New Decade

Why hello 2020.....



Its the beginning of a new year. A time where most of us look at how we can get the best out of the next 12 months. There is going to be some "New Year, New Me" going on in my life. I’m ready to change certain aspects as part of the Better Me Movement. Lets be clear though, I’m not going from who I was in 2019, to moving to the woods, growing my own and food and living off the land in 2020. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.... but if you know me or have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’m simply not built for that life. I don't need a life of luxury, but I do need my favourite hoodie and toilet paper. 

My main motto for this year is“ Looking After Myself” I have it written on my whiteboard on the wall opposite my bed, so it’s the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night. A visual reminder. I’ve spent most of my adult life looking after others and I don’t regret that, but now it’s time to look after myself. I'm not just talking about being a bit more selfish and putting my needs first more. There are a couple of other things I have in mind.
  • Physically (Working Out) - Not just to lose weight and gain a better shape, but to have a stronger healthier body.
  • Eating (Learning a better balance) I eat quite well , but I also have times where I binge eat, so I'd like a better relationship with food.
  • Focusing Inward - Looking to myself rather than others to discover what I want and what’s best for me
  • Appearance - Playing around skincare, fashion choices, make up, hair - so I that I like the epic princess I working towards becoming
  • Hobbies - Finding more as well making more time for some of the ones I already have, like reading, writing more and watching cartoons
  • Mindfulness - Looking into ways to be calmer, less stressed and more in the moment
  •  Happy - Reminding myself daily to be happy in the life I'm living rather than waiting for the above to happen before I'm happy
Yeah....that was more than a couple. A lot to get through. But I’m taking the "Focus on the step in front of me, rather than the whole staircase" approach.

So apart from starting the new year with the worst cold, it’s been a pretty productive couple of weeks. I’ve started back with HIIT workouts - forgot how difficult they were when you’ve had almost 3 months off. I've been getting in those 10 min meditations 3-4 times a week. I'm doing dry Jan - with the exception of a dinner and lunch for dads 60th birthday I've stuck to it. Have started  2 new books “Still Me” by Jo Jo Moyes and "Victim of Thought - Seeing through the illusion of Anxiety" by Jill Whalen. I’m making the effort to read for pleasure and self help. Watched “You” Season 1 and 2. Joe Goldberg will have you so hooked, you'll be  seeing the 'next episode starting' message on Netflix at midnight and still not turn off your TV. The fact that I watched both seasons in a week tells you how good this show is. So clearly for pleasure. However, with the amount of tips you'll get about how easy it is to end up dating  a gold medal stalker....also self help. Great entertainment, but will probably have you doing background checks on the guy you met in Starbucks. 

As previously stated, my dad celebrated his 60th birthday




 As it was a big one, we went all out to make it memorable. This consisted 4 days of celebrations. Lots of food, lots of laughs and even more cake. It was great to see so many people join him, in making this birthday so special, so a big thank you to everyone that was apart of it

 
Deraliye 
Deraliye



We kicked off his actual birthday with me taking him to my nail shop, so we could get joint pedicures, followed by our usual daddy daughter birthday lunch at Deraliye



Deraliye 


The next day he was surprised by his girlfriend with dinner and an overnight stay at The Collective - Canary Wharf - judging by the pics of this place,  I'll be adding it to my list of places to visit.

The Saturday we had a dinner with family and friends at Gem Restaurant. A cute little restaurant tucked away in upper street. They have the main eating area upstairs and a space downstairs for group bookings. There were 2 other parties celebrating birthdays, which added to the fun of the night. That coupled with the  live music and a belly dancer for entertainment created a great atmosphere. They offer set meze menus for group bookings which comes with free flowing prosecco, wine and juice. I will say there wasn't as much food offered on the night as the menu options stated, meaning we had to hit McDonald's on the way home and they also stated the free flowing included cocktails, which when we got there, were told it didn't, but it wouldn't stop me going back to Gem for dinner with a smaller group as the restaurant itself was rather intimate and cosy and I found the staff lovely. 

The Sunday we went for lunch with more family & friends at Fishworks in Covent Garden.  They also have a restaurant upstairs and an area downstairs. I was very satisfied with what I ordered and had complete food envy over some of the dishes other people had. I will definitely be making another trip back, to this restaurant to sample more of what they had on offer. I had the scallops for starter and they were probably some of the best I've ever tasted. I had the mackerel for main course which came with tenderstem broccoli and cauliflower puree. Now I don't normally like cauliflower, but there was not a trace of it left, when the waiter came round to clear my plate. I finished then meal off with a peach and passion fruit eton mess, which if I had room would have probably ordered another one. 

Fishworks

Fishworks




So, you may have noticed that I've made a few minor changes to the blog. I hope you like it, but if not, I do, so there's that's 😅 Wishing you all a great start to 2020, Lets Do This.👍

Have a great day, remember you are a unicorn and don't let anybody shit on your rainbow 💖

6 comments:

  1. I think your goals are awesome. Self care is so important, I don't think it is selfish at all. You need to take care of you, plain and simple. When it comes to others, you'll be better able to help them if you are cared for.Love all the pictures! I hope 2020 is Amazing!

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  2. Thank you. You are so right, we have to look after ourselves first. Wishing all the best for 2020 😊

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  3. This is such a great post! I love the pictures from the fish restaurant. It really looks amazing, I'd love to try that place. I'll be sharing this with my pinterest travel group as well!

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    1. Sorry for the late reply, I’m glad you liked it ☺️FishWorks definitely worthwhile checking out. I can’t wait to go back.

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  4. Sounds like you had a wonderful time celebrating your dad's birthday! Loving your goal for the year too ❤️

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    1. Thank you hun. It was great, I’m just happy he enjoyed it

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