Looking Ahead to another year already!

Last year I did a New Year resolution blog which you can read here:  Last years new year blog. I'm not going to do one this year although it's interesting to look back and see if I stuck to them or not. Eeeek! More of that in a minute.

New Years Celebrations at Biggar 2013

What about this year? New year Resolutions? Nah. I do want to carry on getting fitter and eating properly, yes we want to keep saving money and I'll keep the business ideas ticking over on the back burner. See this blog too . This year is about experiences, doing the things we always wanted to do. Visiting places, ticking things off my bucket list and living life. Its about getting back all the things we love doing, now we don't have any stressful stuff draining us. Its about appreciating life, what we have and enriching our lives together as a couple and as a family.

I also want to keep gardening and getting back to gardening blogs, it's not easy to focus on a garden that's not ours permanently, but I have ideas and plans to try out here, so watch this space. Once the holidays are over I plan to get on with those ideas. At the moment we have frost, one of the few this winter, so I might need a hammer and chisel!

More hill walking makes me feel happier and gets me fitter
Comb Law December 2014

What about last years New Years resolutions? Did they happen in the end?

1. I wanted to lose weight and get fit again. Hmmmmm, first one on the list and a fail! I am a comfort eater that's for sure and last year we had some big things to deal with. We had to sell our home and garden and move house, not being able to find a house we liked and finding a house to rent with only 5 weeks until moving day! Then moving five people's belongings from a large five bedroom house to a much smaller bungalow .............. and then there was the greenhouses, sheds, plants and all my garden stuff. Work was also very stressful and my divorce was finally completed in October.

Comfort eating, can't beat some cake 

Back to healthy eating

When I gave up work in mid November, two of the things I did was start walking 4 to 5 miles, five days a week and eating much better, I also went back to working out 5 evening a week too. Weather permitting I have stuck to this very well apart from the two weeks over Christmas as I've been too busy to walk and the weather has been horrible. So come Monday I'll be back to walking. Of course the festive season is disasterous for healthy eating but I've started back today, the 2nd. I am also back to hill walking, hooray! I love being in the hills and have done two since I finished work and now the Christmas season is over I hope to do more. The upshot is that I feel much fitter since I started mid November and don't ache as much as I did, I haven't as much lost weight as lost inches. Clothes fit better and I feel much fitter. So all is not lost, and I plan to keep up the walking, exercising and better eating.

Walking is great excersise, you get to see some interesting places and
a good family activity

2. Saving money on our food budget, this has been a huge success. After year of shopping at Approved foods once a month, shopping in Aldi then finishing off in Sainsbury (getting lots of greatly reduced food every time) we have saved over £700. This is in the savings account and will probably go towards a family holiday this summer.

Family holidays, lots of new experiences, places to go and happy
memories

3. Starting our buiness plans, well having had to move house that never happened. I have carried on with the Quirky Bird blog and Facebook and plan to do something once we have our own home again, The photography business is ticking along and I did a lot of fairs before Christmas, not quite sure where I am going to take it, some thought is required. But one thing that did happen which I never saw a year ago was me giving up work! Though this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't got the money from Easter Mosshat. A hard decision but definitely the best thing for me at the right time, although its only a year out mind, so I do have to find a job later in the year. But I am using the time to do some studying, (slight change of career plan) and after a pretty tough 5 years its time to kick back and enjoy life and all the good things I have in my life now and to do the things that make me happy oh and tick off things on my bucket list.

Sunset on a hill walk