Bring me sunshine....

What a week of the most welcome sunshine!

Frustratingly, I had to spend most of Monday indoors waiting for the carpet fitters but it was sunny nevertheless and boy, does it make a difference!!

And how good does the new carpet look?

Tuesday was lovely and was spent over at the Newt.

I had a guest pass leftover from Christmas to use, so Lynn and I went over, as I knew it would be fine to walk on good paths. And now there is more to see over there, we did 10,000 steps easily.

What a beautiful day.....

.....and there was warmth in that sunshine.

Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday - pancakes of course!!

I've spent the rest of the week in the Gallery. 

I find it so hard when it's lovely weather out, but you have to be in! That was one good thing when I was self employed, I could sometimes jig things to make the most of the weather. We get so little nice weather, it just feels wrong to not make the most of it!

Here are a few details of the work on display. 

The daffodils are looking stunning. 

Splashes of yellow cheer.

We've had a few frosty starts and a bit of fog but the sunshine......

......the sunshine has been glorious and most welcome. 

And this afternoon, it felt warm enough to sit out side in the garden for an hour or so. 

I can not stress what a difference it makes. Shame it's all change next week!

I have started to think about my little upcoming Italian adventure with Sophie. It's only 2 weeks away now and I honestly can not wait. I love my job in the gallery but do like the fact it's just for little bursts of time. Having two, zero hour contracts suits me in terms of flexibility but financially, I could do with just a little bit more, so I can save for the months when I'm not working. Ideally a day a week would be good, but that would then restrict what I could do and when I could go away. I am trying this year to not buy clothes for the sake of it, only if I really, really like something or genuinely need it and I'm doing the majority of our food shops online. I feel I can make the best of the offers and resist impulse purchases. It's also easier when I'm working four days in a row. Food is just so expensive now!! Particularly when you try to eat healthily. And the dentist is a killer!! £70 for a 15 minute hygienist appointment on Monday morning, and then I had to pay upfront for my appointment in 6 months time. So £140 gone in a flash and it wasn't even on anything nice!! Anyway, when the sun is out, I don't have to spend any money to enjoy it. Walks are free and spending time sat out in the garden is a joy. Let's hope the weeks ahead are sun filled and warm xx

Sunshine and blue skies

Finally, we have blue skies and sunshine, and typically, it's when I have to be in work!!!

But, I'd rather have it this way than not!!

Made the most of the dry weather on Tuesday and chunked out a 5 and a half mile walk with Lynn, around the roads and tracks around Shapwick.

Met lots of friendly feathered friends along the way.

Am loving the sunshine x

I've been in the Gallery from Wednesday. The first of four weeks.

And it's been a really busy week.......

.....particularly on Friday, 

when we also had an evening of Artists talks, Private View and an Auction. 

It was brilliant, just busy, circa 300 guests! The evening raised 23k for the Brilliance Fund.

And then yesterday was Open Day!

 So, I am enjoying a quieter day today!

But how lovely is it to have sunshine? 

It just makes you feel so much brighter and happier and more energised.

Let's hope the month of  March is a sunnier month. 

We need to get things dry underfoot, so walks are easier to do.

The school grounds are looking beautiful just now.

It's just 3 weeks now, until Sophie and I go to Italy. I've managed to lose another couple of pounds, which will allow me to enjoy more Italian pastries whilst we're away!! Time is going by so quickly. This week coming, I have the delights of the Hygienist first thing on Monday morning, then the carpet fitters are due late morning. Tuesday I'm off out walking with Lynn, then it's back in the Gallery Wednesday - Saturday! Week done!! And so far, the forecast is sun filled, so let's hope it stays that way. Have a good week.

Half term done!!

Well half term has come and gone in a flash!

Jeff ripped up the old carpet on Saturday.

I then sanded and washed it all down, ready for painting. 

2 coats of undercoat before 2 coats of topcoat!!

Most of the week has been spent decorating!! 

I used to love decorating but alas, no longer do!! Don't get me wrong, the end result is lovely but......the actual decorating bit is just tedious! This small bit took 4 days, 4 coats of paint and was expensive to do!! Still, it's done now! The carpet doesn't get fitted for another week, gives the paint time to harden off. As paint is so expensive, and because there is a reasonable amount left, I need to keep the motivation going and re-paint the woodwork in the bathroom upstairs, which is scuffed and marked and maybe use it to do the coat cupboard door. Then there's the kitchen doorway surrounds and the actual doors, in fact all the woodwork in the house needs doing, plus new doors, and really the whole house just needs to be repainted and refreshed!! Will just park that for another day!!

We took a break from painting on Thursday, to go up to Cardiff to meet up with Sophie and Sam. Had a catch up brunch over at Llanishen Reservoir, before viewing 3 properties with Sophie. It was a useful afternoon, continued to clarify what she wanted, what is realistically available in her price range, what work she is prepared to do and what finances are therefore needed. A standard 2 bed 'box', an upgrade from her one bed rented flat, is priced at her top budget but most are ex rented properties and are in need of a lot of love and attention, a minimum immediate 10k spend, which at the moment she doesn't have! So we chatted through all the options and I think she's feeling a little more realistic and positive about things. The right house will come along, at the right time xx

Sam was on good form. Still focused and on course to finish this summer, chunking off the last of his assignments and essays, before a final exam in the summer. He was pleased to have finally mended his bike and got back out on it, speeds everything up! And I'm just happy to see that he has finally bought and wears a helmet!! He was going to come home for the weekend but as always with Sam, his plans changed, so only Sophie came back for the weekend once she'd finished work on Friday.

She met up with her friend, whilst I finished painting and then we went to see the new Bridget Jones film in Wells on Saturday afternoon. It was BRILLIANT! I laughed and cried, loved it. I read the book years ago, 12 yrs ago to be precise!! God, that makes me feel old!! Even bought it in hardback! And it was really nice to see the cinema full. At my weekday matinees, there is normally me and about half a dozen other people. It's only £5 and if not supported it will go and then it'll be too much of a hassle to go somewhere to see a film, so really happy to see all screenings were sold out!.

The weather has been mixed this week. Very cold to start, warmed up slightly, one sunny day, but a dollop of grey, damp, bleurgh weather in the mix. When he has been able to, Jeff has been out in the garden, cutting back the ivy and annoyingly, without consultation, my Blackberry bush! I love my blackberry plant by the backdoor. Can easily pick a handful daily when in season, and still have plenty to freeze. But he's cut it back to nothing!!! I'm not impressed!! On a more positive note, the daffodils are starting to pop up and flower in the lawn and pots, and when the sun has been out, it has felt like Spring could be just around the corner.

Although today is back to cold and wet and windy. 

So not completely out of the woods yet!

I've tried my best to keep focused during half term week. It's always trickier with Jeff at home and days out and this weather has me craving carbs, but I've made good choices when I can and I've been implementing the Glucose Goddess hacks where I can. I have had more bread/carbs than I should have but I start in the gallery on Wednesday and will have four concentrated days a week, to make a real difference. I can only eat what I take in with me and as I finish at 5pm, it's straight into making tea, so no picking/grazing/snacking. The one thing I really need to do is 'move' after eating. If the weather improves, I need to go for a walk around the block after tea and make sure I do a few rounds of the gallery after I eat my lunch.

My motivation.....Italy, in just four weeks!!

So, there you have it, half term week done! 

I've swapped the heart bunting for my cheery, yellow, spring/Easter bunting and have brought out the fake Forsythia!! Cheers up the dresser and is a prod to Spring to show its self. We finally got around to booking our accommodation for Lisbon in October, just need to book up the ferries needed for this summer. Sophie and I checked in for our flights to Pisa. We are going with just the carry on 'free' under the seat luggage option and waited for check-in to be allocated seats, so saving over £100 each. It'll be our first trip with the under seat 'free' luggage option and I'm very interested to see how we manage. We're only going for 5 days, one change of accommodation, so will be a good test. So four weeks of the gallery ahead, my focused health kick and hopefully better weather!!

Love is in the air!

February, so far, has been cold, damp, grey and miserable, so I injected a little colour with some red, felt, heart bunting, just £2 from Tesco's, in preparation for Valentine's day. My yellow bunting will go up soon and the fake forsythia will be out, encouraging, sunshine, warmth, brightness and Spring!

I've been helping out up at school, in the gallery this week. It's been good to be busy and not just sat gloomily looking out at the grey weather! This year Millfield is celebrating 90 years and one element of the celebrations is a 90 Photographic Portrait Project. The students had a workshop with photographer Finn Taylor, then went about photographing various members of the Millfield community. 90 portraits were selected, edited, and finally, I got to print out the final results. 

Derek framed them all and ...

Rach and Jen curated the order .....

before Derek and I spaced....

...and hung the portraits.

I LOVED it!! Completely in my element. I love display and remembered in conversation, that I actually did my dissertation on the importance of display. I am such a visual learner and that's also why I take so many photos and why I love my little job in the gallery.

Friday was Valentine's day and Jeff broke up for half term.

Although I spent my Valentine's evening in Bristol at the theatre, 

watching Dear Evan Hansen....

....with Sophie!

She'd seen it back in early 2020 in London with a friend, just before Covid happened!!

 And said at the time, that if it ever toured I should go.......so we did! 

We met for food first. Had a good catch-up, tried to lift her spirits. She'd just put in her very first offer on a house but got pipped to the post by a better offer. So we talked through the disappointment and by the end of the evening and turned it all into a positive, and as I always say...things happen for a reason and this one wasn't meant to be. It's hard doing it all on her own. Last house viewing she took Sam and we're going up in the week to view a couple, to give another opinion. When the right house comes along, and it will, it'll have been worth all this stress and emotional upheaval but at the moment it's an additional burden she doesn't have the capacity for..

Jeff says we'll never move again!! We've been in this house for 9 years now, and are only now finding the motivation to tackle the stairs and landing. I was supposed to do it last year but my frozen shoulder got in the way of that. No excuses this year, we've no where to be, it's not great weather, it was supposed to be just the two of us, so not bothered about exposed gripper rods as a painful trap. Somehow the kids have us booked in for next weekend, so they have been told to bring home their crocs!! The carpet doesn't actually get fitted for another couple of weeks, as the paint needs to harden off, so the hazard will remain!! 

My other surprising motivation, has been staying focused on my Italian countdown health kick. Despite the cold weather, I have pretty much been eating well, no real carbs other than my Valentine pizza date and a couple of slices of sourdough.  I actually managed to lose 2 and 7/8 pounds, so near enough 3lbs!! Half term makes things slightly trickier with Jeff at home, enjoying carb'ier lunches, possible days out, kids coming home at the end of the week, but!! I do not want to waste this weeks efforts, so I must do my best to remain focused, 5 weeks to Italy and counting.

I'm going to continue to drink plenty of water, have my veggie starter, focus on fibre, protein, and good fats. Might not walk as much as I'd like, as we're decorating this week, but see how I go!

And it's at the mention of decorating, that I must love you and leave you and crack on. Jeff's just finished pulling up the carpet. I now need to sand down all the wood work, wash it it all down, hoover up the mess and then I can start actual painting!! I always think the prep is the worst bit. Just need to keep reminding myself it'll be worth it in the end. Hopefully I'll have something to show you next week.