Walking Weather

We made the most of the weather yesterday and set off for a good, brisk, walk across the fields with the dog.  We were out nearly three hours and saw just two other people, each with their dog.  (Until we walked past the village pub and every single table outside was occupied.  Spring is a-coming!)

I wanted to take a photo of the garden which is behind the pub on the right of this photo,
but there were too many people!  It felt intrusive.

I love watching our dog so happy to be free, sniffing in the fields.  Seeing her great big smile and the little bunny hops she does through the grass make me feel all squishy inside.  As we walked, Drew and I chatted about nothing in particular (and squabbled good-naturedly about the right path to take through the fields).  Perfect quality time together.

As soon as we got home we plonked ourselves on the swing seat in the garden - first time this year!  I took off my socks and boots and wiggled my toes in the fresh air.  That first cup of coffee and a sit down is such bliss when you come back from a good walk.

We spent the rest of the day reading - I have found it difficult to concentrate on anything lately so was thrilled to download a book on my Kindle yesterday that really absorbed me.  I started it at 3pm and didn't put it down until I finished (at 1am).  It was just chick lit, nothing high-brow, but it had a bit more substance than the usual girl-meets-boy novel.  It is called Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes if you fancy reading it.  I particularly liked the ending; it could have disappointed but I was happy with the way it all wound up.  I've now downloaded a couple more of Jo Jo's books. Think that I've found a new author to read - love that.

I know that I need to show you my little envelopes (little bit worried I may have built it up a bit too much - prepare for an anti-climax) but I am going to finish up by asking for some advice.  I haven't been sleeping properly for the last few weeks.  I don't think I'm worried about anything, I just have a lot on my mind - mostly just things I need to do.  What is your top tip for a good night's sleep?  A bottle of wine usually knocks me out but I can't have a hangover at work! ;-)

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

Nicki 

x

PS - our forthcoming holiday is a little trip to Center Parcs. BEYOND excited. Have never been before but am looking forward to lots of fresh air and naps.  The best thing, by far, is the fact that my niece will be there too so I get a whole week with my favourite little girl!  Will love being Auntie Nicki and Uncle Drew (pronounced, by her, as Ju) for the week.  She loves messing around with my crafty stuff so I'm off to Hobbycraft at the weekend to buy a big stash of coloured papers, glitter and paints to take with me for any rainy afternoons indoors.  Can't. Wait.

Countdown to the weekend

Countdown to the weekend begins now.  Woo hoo!   

Am practically body popping as I type this.  Do you ever do excited little body pops?  A lot of people I know do fast little claps when they're excited (a bit like seals/Graham Norton).  I do that too, sometimes, but my 'default' excited reaction is to body pop.  I am a big fan of expressive dance! :-)  It horrifies my stepson which, obviously, encourages me.

It has been a busy week again.  That's why I don't get round to everyone's blogs as much as I would like.   I catch up via google reader and read every post but just don't have time to comment.  This is partly because I use my iPad a lot these days (and I find commenting with an iPad soo frustrating) but mostly because my world just got crazy busy, in a 'scream if you wanna go faster' kind of way.  Except I didn't scream.

(Also, I have to admit, the word verification/spambot identifier on blogger is starting to annoy me - have they added another word to the process or is it just my bad luck?  The letters seem to be super-hard to read, too, and it can take me a couple of tries before I get it right.)


Suddenly, emails at work have trebled in number.  Demands on me have increased.  My phone has been ringing like a bonkers thing and instant messages have been popping up left, right and centre.  I've had five family birthdays in the last four weeks.  The sixth, and final, one is on Sunday (happy birthday Mum!).  I've made two birthday cakes and had lots of meals out to celebrate said birthdays.  I've also spent a fortune on birthday presents.  Our weekends have been spent running errands.

I caught up on a lot of work today - got things straight.  Admitted defeat with some things and asked for help.  There are no more birthday cakes to be decorated for a while now and we got paid (*little body pop*) so my cash flow troubles have eased.

There are so many things I want to chat about but I'll save them for another day - I think I am going to start doing a weekly round up on a Friday to capture the best, and the worst, of my week.  I'm going to try a more structured approach to blogging in the hope it forces me to carve out time to spend here.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a photo of the rocking chair I bought from a charity shop over Christmas.  I've been pimping it up (although I think it's pretty handsome here anyhow) and will do my big reveal next week!

The cable in this photo drives me potty.  Wish I'd seen it before I took the photo.  I hate untidy cables!

Let me tell you, I love this chair.  It's a big seat to fit my [ever expanding] bum comfortably.  I can pull it right up to the fire and get properly warm.  When I sit here with my sherry and my crochet by the fire I am a happy girl! :-)

Thanks so much to everyone who has joined my giveaway.  I'm so happy that I've chosen some goodies that appeal to you and really chuffed to find that I've got some new followers which means more blogs for me to read and people for me to meet!  It isn't too late to join - it closes on Sunday morning - so visit here if you fancy putting your name in the hat.  Everyone is welcome so do spread the word - there must be loads of blogs/bloggers out there who I have yet to meet.

Laters.

Nicki 

x