Stylish, beautiful, or not at all - things go make January and February more bearable!

[Judystilldreamsofhorses]

It’s cold, it’s dark, and let’s not even talk about the C-word. Last night I was thinking about what would make the next few weeks/couple of months more bearable. Any thoughts?

So far I have:

Ordered some lovely cosy cashmere-blend socks from Etsy for cold working from home feet

Bought a couple of nice candles in the White Company sale which I am not saving

De-cluttered a bit, and got rid of things which were tired/shabby

Booked a couple of lunches out for the next few weeks

Tried to drink more water (a glass every time I boil the kettle), using face masks, making time for nice baths with the Molton Brown haul I got for Christmas

I’ve dithered about ordering a veg box but the “preview” sections tend to show things that one of us is not keen on or not able to eat. I’d like to try and cook one new recipe each week.

I got the dreamland heated throw in Zebra and a salt lamp. Also the reduced AA forest therapy set from Boots and plenty of sleep spray and candles from the This Works sale.

I don’t diet but I’m cooking from scratch, lifting weights every other day and will start a dance class next week.

I am so enjoying hearing everyone’s updates. Mine is a boring and very expensive one, but I ordered an air purifier. Since WFH my allergies have been much worse so I am hoping this will help.

I also made a decision to try one new recipe a week. Last night I cooked a risotto with butternut squash, sage, and rocket. Next week is vegetable lasagne using pesto instead of a tomato ragu.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses how was the risotto? Sounds lovely.

I had a Boden delivery today, some wide leg jersey trousers to try and look less scruffy when at home all day.

It was really nice @Jumpingintomenopause - the recipe was from BBC Good Food but I added the rocket to give it a bit more colour.

The WFH dressing thing is a drag. Until about October last year I did jeans or trousers every day, but I have slipped into joggers a bit since. I am always “done” at the top as I am on camera pretty much the whole time. I have ordered some Arket trousers with a drawstring waist which should arrive later this week.

I'm waiting for my walking clothes to arrive but I feel very proud that I have continued making the effort to get out more. Yesterday at lunchtime I shoved on dh's old rain jacket and trainers and I walked 10K steps around our local rural area, The sun was shining and it was a glorious spring-like day and it felt GOOD to be out and to be alive!

It's back to business as usual today, grey, drizzly, gloomy and I am in the office.

I have also decided to ditch all uncomfortable clothes - so no more skinny jeans or too-tight at the waist work trousers! I am working on losing the weight I've gained but even so I will only wear softer fabrics now.

Today I'm wearing black wool mix trousers with a drawstring waist, tapered leg with a turn up cuff that I bought in the sale in ME+EM last year and sort of forgot about. They look very smart but essentially they feel like wearing joggers in the office.

I have a similar grey wool pair from Reiss, also last year and I love wearing them so I am going to focus on buying stuff like that from now on.

I feel a bit fraudulent posting on here, as I live in a place where winter is really very bearable compared to the UK and especially to Scotland.

But one thing I have been doing, which I started in about Nov 2020, when online lecturing really began to get me down, is walking.

I walk 5.5 - 6km every day along the canal near my house. In September, I started taking the same photo every day, from the end of the path. I have missed a few days due to travel or to work, especially now that there is less daylight, but I have 102 photos and I add to the slideshow as I go.

It means I'm committed to going to the end of the path, however busy I am. I do keep an eye on the sky to see when a good time to leave, but the walk is just part of my day now, like brushing my teeth.

Scrolling through the pictures, you can see the seasons, the light, the weather and the plant life all changing gradually: I kind of like feeling little, insignificant and transient but part of a bigger whole (poncy comment alert).

And I also keep an eye out for good sunrises from my bedroom window (I do realise I'm really very lucky to have a window that allows this). One from earlier this week...

Lovely thread. I’ve done my S&B sale shopping - gorgeous coats from Sea NY and Ganni, trainers, and some make-up.

Focusing on my wellbeing, I have done/doing the following:
My sis gave me a journal to document daily the things that made me smile or I appreciate. It’s working very well in that it forces the mind to reflect on positives. I’m loving it.
I read a fab article in the Guardian about the Britain Pilgrimmage Trust, who organise silent walks of reflection in beautiful parts of the UK. It’s non-religious. It will be a 6 hour walk with a group of strangers in silence. I have some personal shit coming up and I think it will be a good opportunity to garner some strength. @AuldAlliance you may like this as the focus is also very much on the sights and sounds of nature.
*Big liver of hot yoga but I’m stepping up my practice to focus on strength classes. I believe when your body feels feels strong, you feel like you can conquer a lot more mentally.
*I love stand-up comedy but have been going alone. Through my local Nextdoor, I set up a WhatsApp group to see if any neighbors want to join. 40 did. That’s been great as I spent so much time alone.
*Decluttering people who serve no positive purpose in my life.
So, my focus is on my well-being and meeting people whilst taking care of my physical self. My life has been pretty stagnant for a very long time having dealt with the trauma of losing a child, divorce and being a single mum.

Sorry - no reason why those lines were in bold…

@AuldAlliance I am a lecturer, teaching mainly online since March 2020, and in Scotland!

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

I'm a Scot lecturing in France. We went back to face-to-face last semester, with masks. Currently having onsite exams, 250 to a lecture hall, 400 to a gym hall.
I sympathise, as my experience of online lecturing was awful - talking to 35 black rectangles, none of whom ever activated their microphone, far less their webcam. Hence the walking to keep sane. Here's today's pic from my walk (sorry about the skies...you may hate me).

@Milomonster
Those walks look good (though I might struggle to stay silent). I'll see if I can do one next time I'm in Scotland.
And your focus sounds ideal.
The journal is a good idea, too. It does help to record the positives. My job is very tense and wearing at times, and with 2 colleagues we had a project for a while, where we each had to email 3 Good Things that had happened that day, however small. Sometimes it was just ticking sth off the day's to-do list, or seeing a bird/flower/funny cloud, or a comment made by one of our DC. It was a good idea. I might revive it.

@AuldAlliance I was back on campus for two days a week before Christmas, but we are back to 100% remote until at least the end of the semester. I’m pretty lucky with my students, but it can feel a bit like being the midnight DJ broadcasting into the void. Your sky is beautiful!

@Judystilldreamsofhorses thanks, might try the recipe next week as aiming for more meat free family meals. We had a delicious creamy porchini mushroom tagliatelle tonight.

I am glad to hear some lectures are getting back to face to face delivery. DH has been delivering zoom lessons from throughout, he misses seeing people.

Today was a housework day here, I deep cleaned all bathrooms and then tackled the ironing pile. So much for a day off!

I've been keeping up the walking and my Helly Hansen rain jacket is due to be delivered today, I never thought I'd say it but I am weirdly excited to get a proper rain jacket. It will be my very first one and I am 52!

I am also sticking to the healthy eating and no alcohol and I am 7lbs down which I am really thrilled about as I have 2 stones to lose in total.

I am enjoying being out in the fresh air and dh has been accompanying me so we've been having lovely chats as we walk along.

I am really glad it's Friday and I'm looking forward to the weekend. We're going on a scenic walk over the weekend, it's about 40mins drive from us but it's really beautiful and I can't wait.

I will have a lie in with my new book and a good coffee in the morning.

I'm sat here under my heated throw, courtesy of this thread. I had thought about one before, but it seemed like an extravagance. I have justified it on the grounds that its cheaper than having the fire on, and with the gas rises.... It is wonderful. I got the Dreamland one from Argos, but had to go to an Argos about 15 miles away, passing eleventy billion nearer Argoses.

Well done on the weight loss @UniBallEye, enjoy your walk with your new jacket!

I have managed 4 gym classes this week and booked for 9am tomorrow morning. I have lost a whopping 1lb this week .
I have a family wedding to attend at the end of June so as of next week I have paid for a six week block of PT sessions and nutrition plan. I am excited and nervous in equal measure.

I wore my beautiful/ugly pink &otherstories jumper to go out for lunch today, and am now sharing the heated throw with the cat while reading an excellent book.

www.waterstones.com/book/hare-house/sally-hinchcliffe/2928377080242

Oh, and we did the jigsaw! Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy it but DP (who definitely has an addictive personality) stayed up very late almost finishing it, and he left me the last section. I gave it to my neighbour who enjoys doing them with her DC, so feel like it was a worthwhile purchase.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses
That book looks good.
Glad the jigsaw was a relative success and can be passed on to others.
I'm ploughing through Annie Proulx's Barkskins, which is very good but spans centuries, so when I haven't time to read I get a bit lost amidst all the characters next time I return to it.

Is this the lasagne recipe you were planning to try? www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-pesto-lasagne
Will you let us know whether it's any good?

I'm making Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsyllable's raisin bread. The dough is proving as I type. Fingers crossed, as I substituted fresh yeast for the dry that's in the recipe and wonder whether my liquid was warm enough. I also promised to make pizza for the DC today, so will have to make dough for that later.
That's a typical winter activity for me, as it's too hot here in summer to have the oven on at 200°+ for pizza-making, and one the DC look forward to.

@AuldAlliance it’s actually a recipe I pulled from a magazine my neighbour gave me. That one looks less fiddly though so I might do that instead. I have cheated and bought ready made white sauce!

Raisin bread sounds lovely. It’s one of my great bugbears that my DP hates anything with dried fruit - so all the good Christmas stuff. I either miss out, or end up eating absolutely loads.

Well, thanks to you lot I have now ordered an AA diffuser and some oils! Although feeling bargaineous as no P&P and fair discounts on the items PLUS bonus gifts by ordering them separately. Ha!

To whoever is doing Yoga with Adriene - I've done +4 years of her stuff and I think the 30 day programme is actually harder than following her calendar or just picking some videos so don't feel bad about stopping. I'd suggest picking up the Dec now or waiting for the Feb calendar.

A lovely weekend catching up with friends. I got to wear my new hush dress which left lots of space for wine and pudding!

Starting 2x PT sessions a week from tomorrow plus a nutrition plan. Feeling nervous but need to give it a try.

I had what I thought was going to be a really tricky work meeting today, and it went brilliantly. Also we got a new living room carpet fitted this morning and I am so pleased with it, what a difference it makes to the whole room!

That's great about your meeting, @Judystilldreamsofhorses.
And your carpet. I'm kind of envious, although carpet is really not a thing here. But home improvements are a good cure for winter.

I have about 10 pothos cuttings to plant out, which I'll try and do this week/weekend. My house is full of pothos plants, all grown from one mother plant that is about 12 years old now, and there are several babies dotted round the place in friends' homes, too.

That sounds loveIy @AuldAlliance - I love sharing plant babies around
I went for a walk today and saw my first (for 2022) clump of snowdrops in the wild

Oh, @AuldAlliance that reminds me - I won a plant in a competition my hairdresser was running just before Christmas. I’m in there tomorrow and hope it is 1) nice, and 2) easy to carry because I will be on foot.

I am on snowdrop watch too, but we are just a bit too far north @bluejelly