All change, all change! But keep a little bit the same...
Well,
hello there. (These days I feel the need to say 'hello' when I start
a blog post, considering I now have accumulated a gorgeous and rather
large bunch of readers...is that normal, or...?) It's time for a life update. Got my laptop, got coffee, got some tunes playing, got my best pal...let's go.
I've
recently been finding a fair bit of time on my hands – could be
because I've recently finished radiotherapy and so have moved back
home and re-settled; could also be because I don't return to work
until January...so the run up to Christmas is looking very lovely and
free. It's also frustrating at times, having whole days with no
purpose. I'll often tag along with my mum as she runs errands in
town, arrange coffee dates with friends on their days off, or if I'm
feeling extra-lame and desperate I'll jump in the car whenever a
parent is going to pick up my sister from college. I also visit my
colleagues from time to time, because yeah I miss them and my place
of work oh so terribly. I really do.
So
yes, I've had a lot of free time. Also up until the other day when my
bank account well and truly dried out and gave up, I had a little
money to spend. So since I have all this time, I've been trying new
things...
I've
always been a coffee nut. As in, I obsess over finding the perfect
brew, and of course the perfect company to share it with. Arranging
coffee dates with friends has become such a joy for me – taking
selfies with these friends, coffee cups in hand, then sharing the joy
on social media has been fun, too. I could create my own portable
talk show, roaming from cafe to cafe and bringing in a different
special guest every other day.
However,
I do love a good cuppa at home from time to time. My family always
have a bag of ground espresso in the cupboard ready to be scooped
into the cafetière and awakened with boiling water at a moment's
notice. Our house blend is Sainsbury's own Fairtrade Italian – unexpectedly
awesome and totally underrated. Such a steal.
I
do like to branch out, however. When I stayed at a friends' pad in
Greenwich recently, I made use of the Waitrose across the road –
the friends got two bottles of wine plus a fresh bag of espresso as I
saw their supplies were dangerously low, and I also got myself some
Waitrose own Italian, strength 5. That was a treat.
Then
a few days after coming home from my mad London expedition, I found
myself finally ordering Pact Coffee! I'd been meaning to for ages. I
got their Bibli Plantation Indian blend, and it was rather stunning.
Little shout out here – Thank you for the code and your totally rad
friendship, Scott! (He donated enough to my Just Giving page for me
to meet my target of £2,000 for the Little Princess Trust, and I
will love him forever for that).
I've
since had to rearrange the deliveries and make them less frequent as,
y'know, I'm poor...but I'm so glad I finally took the plunge there!
Next up, Lush.
I'm
a Lush fangirl. Lush is my dream land. I cannot be stopped when I
cross the threshold of a Lush store. The smells, the sights, the
staff...all magical. I did tweet recently 'imagine if a Lush store
flooded'. Seriously, imagine it though. Whoa.
I
am a die hard fan of their skincare products, e.g. Grease Lightning face tonic, Ro's Argan body conditioner, Dream Cream moisturiser, and
my recent miraculous discovery Cup O'Coffee face & body mask...I even recently dipped into the Kalamazoo beard & facial wash I bought my dad last year when he started Movember. My goodness, it makes my skin sing!
I
also adore a nice bath bomb, of course. I must admit I've fallen out
of love with baths over the past year after having to have them every
day after my operations as I couldn't stand in the shower (and having
to be washed by my mum, bless her, very upsetting for me), but
someday the right bath bomb will bring me right back.
So
imagine my excitement when my gorgeous gal pal Lex and her rad team
in Lush Southampton introduced me to
Daddy-O – the perfect purple toning shampoo! I generally suit cool tones and
colours, and my hair is naturally ashy, so I really like keeping it
cool but my gosh it's so tough sometimes – warmth always sneaks in
somehow! I've even used the super pricey Aveda Blue Malva shampoo & conditioner, which does a fair bit of cooling here and there but
nowhere near as much as Lush's magical potion does! I am converted
and it feels so good.
And
now of course – what have I been trying that's new in the world of
BOOKS?! Well, wouldn't you like to know...oh, you would? Cool.
Well
obviously I've been buying up tons of books for my friends and family
this Christmas (I'll be sure to write a post about who got what AND
what amazing reads I discovered through Christmas shopping after the
25th!) and when my poor bank account first began to
whimper I decided to take to the charity shops and see if I could
sniff out some book bargains...
I
always have a lot of luck in Oxfam – partly because they have whole
stores dedicated to books, partly because they are awesome people.
Cancer Research, British Heart Foundation and Mind also always have
charming shops. I have frequented all manner of charity outlets in
Winchester, Tunbridge Wells, Sutton and most recently...Bexhill.
My
perfect friend Clare and I tore up the streets of Bexhill not too
long ago, on a mission to score some sweet sweet literature for low
low prices, and by golly we found some gems. I was able to purchase
books I'd meant to read for ages but hadn't quite worked up the nerve
to buy! I even came across two of my all-time favourites (The Time
Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger & Reasons To Stay
Alive by Matt Haig) and
thought 'I already have copies of these, but...I love them so
much...I can give these to my friends!'
(My
pile is on the left, and cost a grand total of £4.50!)
(Clare's
is the right, and cost her even less I believe...?!)
Oh,
I also ended up getting a tattoo that day. I'd been meaning to get
this particular one for ages – a semi-colon, my favourite piece of
punctuation as it happens and one I use constantly when writing blog
posts, creative assignments and fiction pieces, but more importantly
a symbol in terms of mental health. There's a saying that you are a
writer, your life is the story, and a semi-colon indicates when you
could have ended things but instead chose to carry on. I so adore
that.
After
hearing from Clare that she'd got her semi-colon at this cool place
Inkscape in Bexhill and they only charged £15, then donated all of
that money to a mental health centre a few doors down from them, well
it was a no-brainer...
I
was actually having a slight cloudy moment when it occurred to me to
do it – the feelings I was having are nowhere near as bad as ones
some people experience, but they are bad enough to shake me up and
make me so grateful for all the help available for mental health
issues these days...it also makes me wish there was more! There can
always be more.
Also
I kinda love that I got this tattoo on the side of my head that bears
all the war wounds – in this photo you can see the slightest hint
of my operation scar, and just behind it is where the biggest
post-radio bald patch features. Represent!
I've
been taking myself on a lot of walks lately. Partly for exercise, and
for fresh air. Mostly for something to do, by myself. I've heard
walking is good for you not just because it exerts your legs and
butt, but also because it gives your brain a good workout. Now, my
brain can really do with any help it can get these days, and walking
has done it a lot of good. Something in the fresh air and purposeful
striding really wakes it up and pats it on the back. Sometimes I even
go walking without my iPod – mum will say 'you're alone with your
thought!' – and I find that oddly relaxing and rewarding.
I've
also gone back to my counsellor over the past couple of weeks, and
I've been getting the train and then walking the rest of the way
there. I find that getting a lift (as I'm not driving) and actually
driving (back when I could) is a little damaging to the mind right
after a counselling session; getting back behind the wheel demands
you focus on this important thing (watching the roads, steering,
changing gears and getting home safely) and not on what's been said
and done beforehand. Whereas walking out and down the road into town
afterwards has been so liberating. My mind can rest but also reflect
on the session. Also I get to walk through Alexandra Park, in
Hastings. That's always beautiful, and always makes my day.
So
yes, I've tried a few new things recently. I've also brought back
some old things with a new attitude. I can only hope that things are
as chilled, calm and lovely when I return to work in the new year...
*gulps*
The tattoo looks awesome Gracie, and has such a perfect meaning. Also great book finds too, it's like they are just drawn to you.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to start a book challenge in the new year, 52 books in 52 weeks. What would you recommend for me to pick up? I'm open to any genre or type.
I'm now off to read a book in the bath with a lush bath bomb and a nice coffee.... thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is a recipe for perfection! I like to think I inspired this... Happy bathing, reading and caffeinating my darling! xxxx
ReplyDelete