2016 REVIEW

 2016 has been a great year!

 So much has happened, so I thought it best to look back in chunks - so the house, the family, Slimming World, celebrations, oh and the Tor in pics!

The House

The house has pretty much dominated this year and I could have posted so many more pics! January, February and March were pretty much all about the build, February half term being the hardest week of them all, when we lost the use of the kitchen and bathroom but the builders left us as the Easter holidays began and then it was pretty much up to Jeff and I to do the rest! So we tackled the new kitchen and bathroom and as our stuff came out of storage, it started to feel more like home. I decorated the small studio room and Jeff turned his attention to the outside. He laid a new deck, prepped the area and we put up a new shed, took down the old summerhouse and tidied up the side return of the house. We attacked the monster front hedge and added a new gate. There is still a lot to do but we've made a great start. Late Summer saw us tackle the sitting room, in time for Christmas and Jeff managed to make a start on his study before the year is out.

We still have the bathroom and utility to do and the hall, stairs and landing to work on in the year ahead. The front drive is awful but we need to save up to get that done properly - so still a lot to do but a lot has been done to make this house our new home.

Celebrations

Next up celebrations! Jeff celebrated his birthday (47) over the Easter weekend, just as the builders left, so no time to relax, there were far too many jobs to do! Both my Mum and Dad celebrated their 70th birthday's this year and we surprised them both with meals out. Granny celebrated a fabulous 93 years. Jeff and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary in August and Sam turned 14 and suddenly got tall! Sophie turned 17 in November, which meant learning to drive and I became 46, closer to 50 than 40 now but I do have Take That tickets to look forward to next year x!!

Family

We have had a busy year as a family, particularly Sophie having a big year - with GCSE's, Prom, NCS, Results, Sixth Form, learning to drive, first job etc. We are so proud of all her achievements and know she has another busy year ahead with AS levels, driving test, university applicationes etc. Sam got tall! He started his GCSE years, got himself a girlfriend and is becoming increasingly independent and grown up! Jeff lost weight, passed his referee qualification, continued his love for running and swimming, rekindled his love of playing football and refereeing and found a new love for 'spinning' - feel shattered just writing all that! He has also worked tirelessly both in his job at Millfield and here doing jobs at home! Me? I have been kept busy at dots and spots HQ and school run duties (although I'm hoping Sophie will soon take that over!). I've kept the weight off, been blonde, brunette and a red head, met up with old school friends, loved every minute seeing Take That in Hyde Park with Jeff and had a lovely family week in Cornwall and the best girly week with Sophie in sunny Sorrento.

Slimming World

One of my biggest achievements this year, has been keeping the weight off. I worked so hard to lose the weight, there is always the worry it will all go straight back on but with Slimming World, group support and my inspirational IG feed, I have managed to do it. I'm not going to lie, maintaining my weight isn't easy, old habits lurk not too far away. I changed my target weight from 8st 10lbs to a more realistic 9st 3lbs and finally got there in September. I annoyingly had to give up running due to a bad back and niggly hip - I miss it, although taking up yoga has been un-expectantly good fun! I guess the way forward is just finding a balance between normal eating, treats and the SW plan. I've always said you have to view it as a lifestyle change, a forever way of doing things, if you want to keep the weight off. My size 8 jeans are a huge motivator for me - as long as they still fit, I'm happy. 

The Tor

This has become an unexpected bonus from the new build. This time last year, the roof trusses were going up and Mark our builder, asked us if we were sure we didn't want a dormer window. We climbed up into the space, turned and looked out to this wonderful view of Glastonbury Tor and had to say 'go for it'! It meant additional planning permission, a slight delay in the build and of course more money but it was worth it. When you open the shutters every morning to this view, we know how lucky we are and the fact you can also have a clear view of it from the kitchen, is an even bigger bonus. So here is the Tor from Jan-April top row, May, June 2nd row, July, Aug 3rd row and January through to December bottom row. We've walked up it twice and Jeff has run to the top and back! 

Of course 2016 has been quite a year with Brexit and Trump! and what seems like a huge amount of celebrity deaths. This picture by The Poke sums it up best!

I hope you have all had a fabulous 2016 - I will share with you tomorrow my thoughts for the year ahead. Have a great evening tonight welcoming in the New Year and see you in 2017!