How to have a great weekend

1. Get up early and bake for 5 hours.

2. Have friends round for afternoon tea and eat all the scones, cupcakes, muffins, etc from that morning

3. Watch a fun movie (WallE) and try Jamaican patties with same friends

4. Sleep in the next morning, and avoid doing most of the clean up because you did it last time!

5. Head out for a walk with SO & get treated to a gingerbread latte on the way home

6. Have a nap, and get woken up with a mug of tea and a leftover cupcake

7. Eat leftover patties for dinner and watch a favourite new show (Dexter)

8. Have a late evening chat with a shift-working parent (always a little treat!)

9. Make a pair of earrings and start a matching necklace while practicing a new beading technique

10. Go to bed, knowing you finished your work for the Monday meeting on Friday (what a concept!)

 

One month in

So here we are in February already, January has passed in a very busy blur. On the plus side I’ve been doing quite well with most of my goals, including avoiding a Roots t-shirt sale (that’s for you mummy!) and fitting in a couple of long walks along the coast, photos below.

Part of the busyness has been work, I’ve finished up one project that has been time consuming and am looking forward at getting back into to the main project and finishing it up too; I am still dreading the future job hunt but for now am concentrating on finishing what needs doing as it will help considerably in the future. The other thing that has kept me occupied is spending time with my friends, this year we have a plan to eat as many different cuisines as possible, either at a local restaurant or by trying a cuisine at home. To this end we have done something every weekend, which is more than usual for us, and the weekends when we have entertained have meant the better part of the day in the kitchen! It has been a lot of fun though.

I have also been spending a fair bit of time on my hobbies; making quite a few cards for some January and February birthdays and also trying to teach myself some more beading techniques with some books from the library. Once again I seem to send these items to their recipients before I remember to take a picture but the necklace below is one I’m keeping for myself; I’m really enjoying this new hobby, and have another class at a local bead store later this week.

ebony necklace

 

2010 Goals

Since we are over a week into 2010 I think that it is only fitting that I should get round to posting my 2010 personal goals; I do also have financial goals for the year but I’m not publishing them.

1. No clothes purchases January to March- I’m allowed to replace socks and underwear if needed (I have a few socks that might not make three months!).

2. Update blog twice a month- I’m hoping for more but considering the gaps between posts last year I shall not get carried away. I must also update my craft blog more often, I make so many cards that I never post and of course all the jewelry I made at Christmas that I didn’t even photograph!

3. Spend 2 nights a week on hobbies- I’ll bring this one back from last year because it was an achievable goal and I need to avoid losing evenings to the interwebs too often.

4. Move- we need a new apartment, seriously I’m really ready to move elsewhere. I’m going to try and avoid paying too much more than we currently are, but I think we will have to accept that a nicer place will be more expensive.

5. Find a new job- I work on a grant funded project and there doesn’t seem to be any more money coming our way this year- I hate job hunting, and this position had some good things going for it so I’m not thrilled about this; on the other hand, I have had some issues with my job, especially in the past year, so I am trying to see the benefit of having the opportunity to look for a better placement.

6. Pay attention to my diet- last year my GI doctor gave me some recommendations for my diet, I did implement a couple and saw a vast improvement in my condition, however they weren’t easy to stick to and I fell back to my old diet. At the beginning of December I began trying to follow some of his suggestions again, but not to the same extent. I’ve found that I have had a similar improvement in my health (cut down my medication by two-thirds!) and it is easier to stick to- easier not easy- hence the goal.

7. Get fitter- I’m not setting any specific targets here, although I hope to do better than last year; I am considering entering a 10k with some people from work who are putting together a team, but it depends on my hip issues.I am at least going to start my long weekend walks again.

The last two goals especially are part of my campaign to turn thirty (Jan 2011) feeling better than I did in my twenties! We shall see…

 

Winter holiday

A bit slow on getting round to writing this up, quelle surprise, but here we are.

In mid-December SO and I finally got away for a proper break, only 4 days but such an amazing trip that it felt like a much longer holiday, although still not long enough, and we are already planning a return next winter. We headed north to Whitehorse, Yukon; we found a great weekend break with Air North, my new favourite airline (to be fair I’m not sure I had a favourite airline before, but I do now- highly recommended- if only they did international flights!)

We stayed in the absolutely delightful Inn on the Lake (just like Martha Stewart!) where the staff were extremely helpful and welcoming, the food delicious and the Christmas decor exactly the way I wish mine looked. Here was the first problem of the trip- we had so much planned we didn’t have time to simply relax and enjoy the lodge, next time I’m planing an afternoon reading in the lounge. We did however make use of the steam room in our en suite! We also managed to fit in a quick walk on the lake and a little spot of snow shoeing.

On the Saturday we went to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve which has a nice 5k trail you can walk or take a bus around to see the animals, we opted to walk and enjoyed getting up close with some interesting animals we wouldn’t normally see- musk ox, mountain goats, thin horned sheep, elk, bison and moose. We were, surprisingly the only two people there at the time, which is hard to understand as it was a great park, although it was nice to have the place to ourselves. Despite all my winter wrapping precautions hair and eyelashes still froze in the -20c weather! I will confess that when properly attired you really don’t notice the cold- people did tell me this in advance but I wasn’t convinced.

That evening we headed to the hot springs to relax, it was pitch black, but the frost on the trees was reflected by the fairy lights around the pools. We were able to lie back and look at the stars, it then began to snow which was quite surreal as the pools themselves were over 30c so the snow melted as soon as it landed on you; my hair did freeze again though, like a solid helmet!

The next day was the highlight of the trip- dog sledding! We went to Muktuk adventures and would really recommend them as the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, and you could tell the dogs were well loved and very happy. We had a half day here and hope to go for a full day run next year. This was the most fun thing I have ever done; SO and I shared a sled, I rode in it at first and he drove, then we switched. Below is a shot of the view from inside the sled- lots of bottoms!

On our last day we went for a drive to explore the scenery and reached Carcross- a small village at the end of the railway line from Skagway- I imagine in the summer it is bustling and full of tourists but most of the buildings were shut up when we were there. It is a quaint old place with lovely wooden buildings  and has a beautiful location- at the tip of a large lake and surrounded by mountains.

I really can’t express how much fun we had on this mini break- the whole time was such fun and everywhere was absolutely beautiful looking covered in a sparkling white frost. When we started off on the dog sled ride I felt like we were on the set of Narnia, sans the Turkish Delight sadly. I’ll leave you with a link to a little video clip of the dog sled ride- highly recommended mode of transport if you ever have the chance by the way! Note my awesome camera skills as we hurtle along!

 

2009 Goals Update

Back in May I created a list of personal goals for 2009, so I thought I would take this opportunity to revisit them. In addition I had a list of financial goals (not published) I did manage to save the total I wanted but I did rearrange where I saved it (bumped some holiday money to my pension after I established a trip home in December was too expensive).

1. Start a new evening class- Done!

As well as my weekly dance class and my monthly card making class, I attended a pearl knotting class at a local bead store (which proved useful when it came to Christmas presents for female relatives!) and a session of weekly Latin classes; these were interesting and a lot of fun, but I’m not sure I would return- they focused a lot on Roman history, which was interesting but I don’t feel that I learned much of the language at all. Also the classes were on Saturday mornings, rather than an evening class and I did feel that a could quarter of my weekend had vanished by the time I made it back home at lunch.

2. Take at least one day-trip each month with SO- Done!

Even if these trips were simply a short walk in our favourite park, followed by lunch or coffee we actually managed this at least once a month, more often 2 times. It is certainly easier to commit to in the warmer months but we managed even in the rainy season!

3. Host at least one social gathering each month- Done!

This is a hard goal to achieve as it is very dependent on others schedules also, but it was very worthwhile. Most of these gatherings did involve takeout and playing board games, but we did have two full roast dinners also!

4. Have at least one girls day each month- Fail

I did manage this about every 6 weeks or so, so it just requires a little more effort, the problem is conflicting schedules, my two closest friends here work in retail so weekends are usually out for them.

5. Try at least one new savoury and one new sweet recipe each month- almost

I actually didn’t make a note of the new recipes that I tried but I think I didn’t quite achieve one savoury and one sweet each month. I did probably do at least one new recipe each month, but I need to make a more concerted effort for this, and make a note of what I try. I did win our office’s Christmas baking competition and got a lovely cookies recipe book that I will have to try and work my way through- not least because the other people at work have demanded I bring in my attempts!

6. Go on holiday with SO- Done!

To be fair it was only another long weekend, but it was an amazing break and we are already planning to go back for longer next year. I’m considering this achieved as it wasn’t just another road trip weekend and because we booked activities that filled our time, making us feel more touristy!

7. Improve my fitness levels- ish…

This was going so well- I used my wii fit regularly, I walked 2-3 miles every day and went on a few moderate hikes this summer, as well as keeping up with my dance class. Then the weather got bad- as in I had to leave work early my clothes were so wet from walking in- bad, and I bought a bus pass. The hiking routes became too muddy and, well I don’t really have an excuse about the wii fit. This one will have to be revisited!

8. Spend at least 2 evenings each week on my hobbies- Done!

This was pretty consistent actually- and increased considerably in November and the first week of December- I made a large percentage of my Christmas gifts, and all my Christmas cards this year, as well as cards for gifts. My Christmas crafting totalled 3 pearl necklaces, 2 pearl bracelets, 1 pair of pearl earrings, three necklace, bracelet and/or earrings sets, plus extra earrings and a necklace for me, a scarf, and almost 50 cards! However, my poor cardigan is still missing a sleeve!

All in all I have to say that I am feeling quite pleased with my work on my personal and financial goals for 2009, I’ve drafted my 2010 goals, but will have to look over them before I publish and commit to them!

 

Out with the old…

So 2009 has finished, I’ve read a lot online that people are happy to see the back of it, and I know that for many the economic issues hit very close to home. I’ve been lucky and have had a very good year, 2009 saw:

SO and I becoming permanent residents of Canada, no more stressful immigration issues!

SO getting a new job, which he is learning a lot from and which should help him considerably in the future.

Me having a wonderful trip back to the UK in the summer.

SO and I celebrating 5 years together with a lovely weekend break on Bowen Island.

Having an amazing winter break together (not yet blogged but soon!).

A lovely Christmas, with friends coming round for Boxing Day and even an international game of cranium with a friend currently in Japan!

All in all I really enjoyed 2009 and have high hopes for a lovely 2010.

 

Oh Dear

It’s been a long while since I have posted- the usual excuses; too much going on, not enough of it blog worthy!

I have been very busy at work and have been attending my Latin classes on Saturdays which eats a quarter of my weekend! The rest of my weekends have been spent doing extra work and crafting. I will try and get some photos but I am limited by the fact that I have been creating Christmas gifts!

Actually I think that work will be returning to a more reasonable pace this week and just yesterday I purchased my last Christmas present for this year (feeling a little smug- I won’t deny it!).

(Necklace and earring sets I made for my friend and SO’s sister)

There are some family birthdays in December and January that are only partially sorted giftwise, but otherwise I will be done after a couple of trips to the post office.

(A box of goodies destined for my family)

 

Actually, summer continues.

Somewhat unexpectedly we’ve had another mini heatwave!

Alleyne Lake

Last weekend was a 3 day weekend for Labour Day and we took the opportunity to rent a car and escape the city again! This was a fortuitous choice as apparently it rained in Vancouver; in Merritt, our destination, it was roasting hot.

Merritt is about 3 hours northeast of Vancouver; it’s quite a change though; looking like the back drop to an old western; it’s literally full of ranches, cowboys and country music. Sadly we arrived a little too late for the rodeo (no, really). The area is quite beautiful but very different from the usual greenness of BC.

Murray Church (1876)

We took the opportunity of being in the middle of nowhere to go for some more star-gazing; again we saw Jupiter and it’s moons and SO began to try and teach me some of the constellations. There was a full moon so it was too bright to see the milky way, but looking at the moon through the binoculars on such a clear night with so little light pollution was lovely.

This week the weather has picked up a little more each day and yesterday and today have been really quite warm; I had to pull out my cropped trousers that I had tucked away for the winter! This weekend we stayed in and relaxed; I began making my Christmas cards and SO read some physics journals (I think I have better hobbies!). This evening we pulled out the scrabble board and began a game while watching “Went the Day Well”, a British war movie from 1942; featuring a very young Thora Hird; it was so entertaining we had to give up trying to play scrabble and just watch it.

 

Last weekend of summer…

… and it was a great a one.

We took a water taxi to Bowen Island in Howe Sound, and spent two days relaxing and exploring the area. We picked a good weekend for our trip as it was the island’s annual festival, so we were entertained by a parade and games and market stalls on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and it’s obvious that the island has a great sense of community, although only 30 minutes from Vancouver it felt completely removed from city life.

We also took a short hike around a lake and past a lagoon to the second bay.

Of course we also managed to spend quite a bit of time relaxing at the gorgeous B&B with lovely Adirondack chairs in a little private garden. There were no street lights in the area and we were able to get in a bit of star-gazing. SO is a bit of an astronomy buff and was able to show me Jupiter and two of it’s moons. Possibly the best part of our little guest house was the gorgeous picnic basket dropped outside our door with warm blueberry muffins and fresh fruit each day.

The whole weekend was wonderfully relaxing and revitalising. I’m so glad we decided to try a really local “staycation” and experience this little village. None of my friends or colleagues have ever been to Bowen and I really think they have missed out, I certainly would recommend it, even if only for a day trip.

 

Oops…

…There goes July and half of August too! I’ve been pretty busy at work and we’ve had some ridiculously hot weather, which always leaves me feeling lethargic. Not that that excuses my poor posting habits- I will try and do better.

I did manage to drag myself on a few hikes recently which is quite impressive for me (I like to walk, but hiking here involves a lot of scrabbling up very steep mountain sides). The highlight for me was coming across a little snake in the path- he slithered away quite quickly so I didn’t get a photo sadly.

Other than that I have been spending money- new trainers to walk to and from work in as my old ones were falling apart, and new hiking boots; because the trainers just weren’t cutting it on the trails here.

I also managed to have some friends round for a Wii party, as per my monthly goals- I nearly postponed it as I had been so busy at work and was feeling pretty tired but I had such fun that I was glad I had gone ahead with it. Socialising reminds me of exercise in that regard; it is usually revitalising even if you feel you are too tired for it.

This week my SO and I celebrated five years together; exciting folk that we are we headed to Whole Foods (yes a supermarket) for dinner followed by a ride on the new Canada Line (a monorail type system) out to the airport and back! We are heading away for a couple of nights next weekend as out proper celebration.

This post’s picture is another from my trip home in June.