Project 366 2016 #47

Week 47 of Project 366 2016 started with excitement and ended with nerves!

Day 325
A rather soggy day 2 up north for my Children's Yoga Teacher Training but I finished the weekend full of excitement and enthusiasm to get my new venture going in the new year.
Day 326
Back to normality today and the wet theme continues for my Monday morning run. I am tapering off the miles this week in readiness for Sunday's half marathon so just the 4 miles around town today splashing through puddles - some which were ankle deep.
Day 327
The rain continued today and I went out on my final run before the half. 5 miles took me over the slightly high River Avon in town.
Day 328
Back to work Wednesday with a full on day that led to a cosy evening tucked up with my latest Emily Barr book.
Day 329
I missed yoga last Thursday due to packing and planning for my weekend away so I was so glad to go tonight for another lovely session - lots of balancing focus tonight and I found my 'public' tree was a little stronger! (Not sure why but I find tree pose really hard to balance in class whereas at home I can hold it and concentrate for ages!?)
Day 330
Another food pic today! The carb loading has begun for Sunday; pasta, vegan mince bolognese, mixed grains, root veg and Violife 'cheese'. Any excuse to stuff my face.
Day 331
A lazy Saturday, no running obviously, so we popped into town to pick up a few things and visit the library. I picked up a couple of children's yoga books, some Christmas fiction, a vegan cookbook and a book, The Shock of the Fall, that flashed up on my kindle app earlier which I was happy to find in the library - always prefer the real thing. I'm now trying to fight my nerves for tomorrow as I'm running without my training buddy, who has a horrible virus, and am panicking about the hills!

x x x

Project 366 2016 #46

Week 46 of Project 366 saw the start of a new adventure!

Day 318
I went to a local small vegan fair today to look out for some treats and get some food ideas; I found some rather delicious chocolate then headed to the supermarket to stock up on some other 'essentials'.
Day 319
It was far too warm for running tights today but I did a gentle 4 miles before tomorrow's long run.
Day 320
I took myself out for a long 12 miles today to prove that I have the distance in my legs ahead of my upcoming half; it was a positive run although I didn't enjoy the muddy, and slippy, couple of miles off road.
Day 321
A relaxing cuppa with empowering words at work this morning.
Day 322
A busy day at work meant no time for a photo until tonight so my tea will have to do - smokey bean chilli and vegan 'Wensleydale' and cranberries stuffed jacket potato with sweetcorn.
Day 323
A lovely sunrise to start off Friday as I packed the car with my weekend yoga kit ready to head up north after work.
Day 324
A beautiful setting at Ecclesall Woods for the start of my training for my new yoga adventure - I am so excited!

x x x

Project 366 2016 #45

I continued a personal food challenge for week 45 of Project 366 2016 and it's all going well.

Day 311
A lazier Sunday this week with the husband at work and me at home with the children. To break up the day we went for a walk around our local fields which involved, safely, crossing the railway line.
Day 312
A productive day in the kitchen today making some new vegan dishes. This warm root vegetable and grain salad was delicious packed full of my favourite parsnip.
Day 313
A cold and frosty start to the day which saw me meet a friend for a long 10 mile run in preparation for our half marathon in just under three weeks.
Day 314
I headed into the town near work this morning to pick up a few bits including this rather delicious choco tea from Yogi Teas - I don't know how I have missed this brand up until now?
Day 315
Work and weather made picture taking tricky today so here's my tea - sweet potato jacket with a scrummy bean chilli that even my boy approved of.
Day 316
Another cold start to the the day and as I went out to my car I looked up and saw a sky full of vapour trails.
Day 317
Lazy Saturday today as the husband is away and I have a cold - perfect timing. I made my first batch of oat milk this morning to save a few pennies on the soya, almond and cashew milks I keep purchasing. It was simple to make and, with a dash of agave syrup, delicious on my muesli.

x x x

Musing on a Monday {Gratitude}

Last week, following an intense yoga session stuffed full of strong warriors, inversions and even an attempt at a headstand, my lovely yoga teacher had us sit in a circle, post savasana and pre om, for some time to contemplate.
And the focus was gratitude.

In turn we each stated one thing we were grateful for - just one thing.
Following that evening's class I started to think a little more about gratitude and discovered it is a word, a feeling, an emotion even, that has increased in my life. The more I pondered the more I started to put this change in focus down to both my yoga and my age as, since turning 40, I feel my thoughts, outlooks and feelings have shifted quite dramatically.
I have been known to be quite a frustrated person, and can still be. There are times I want more; a bigger house, more money, a proper holiday. But there are times, increasingly, I stop and think about the world we currently live in; an ever changing world, not always for the better. A world full of war and conflict, refugees and homelessness, a visible increase in downright racist and xenophobic views in the media, online and on the streets that we walk everyday, feelings of bitterness and resentment towards other human beings, a rising element of fear. All in all a bit of a scary world into which my children are growing and forming their own opinions. I have never felt so concerned in my role as a parent, as a mother, to raise my children with good intentions; to be caring towards others, to not judge, to love and to be grateful. I therefore need to stop with my negativity and openly demonstrate my gratitude.
I need to stop with my negativity about the size of my house - I need to show gratitude to the fact that I have a home that keeps us safe and keeps us warm.
I need to stop with my negativity about money in general - we have an income that pays the mortgage, feeds us, clothes us, runs two cars and takes us on little breaks to Cornwall.
I need to stop with the negativity.
Full stop.
I need to show gratitude on a daily basis be it a quiet thought, a spoken word out loud, a discussion with my children.
We need to show gratitude.
Everyday.
Today I am grateful for having two strong legs that carried me round the neighbouring villages on a 5 mile run past sweeping fields and glorious views.

I paused to take in everything around me.
I paused to show gratitude.
Because...

x x x

Project 366 2016 #44

Back to work and back to routine for week 44 of Project 366 2016.

Day 304
A productive Sunday saw me get up early to enjoy some peace and quiet and roast the pumpkin seeds following the carving session yesterday. I used some seeds later in the day to bake a rather moreish tray of Vegan Pumpkin Seed Energy Bars.
Day 305
Halloween today and the weather was suitably eerie for my 10 mile run - this ended up being a good thing as it got me running faster through the quiet off road sections and I managed my fastest 10 miles.
Day 306
A restful lazy day prepping for the return to work for me tomorrow - my cherry tree was showing off its lovely Autumn leaves.
Day 307
A gorgeous sunrise greeted me as I stepped out of the front door ready to drive to work.
Day 308
A full on Thursday today and a lovely yoga session tonight was finished off with a bit of yoga reading in bed.
Day 309
Friday means I can leave work a bit earlier than usual but I'm not sure how much longer it will be for me to get back home in the daylight - this was the late afternoon sky.
Day 310
A lovely family walk along the canal today - I spent some time chatting to my girl and she is turning into a bit of a mini-me with her Doc Martens.

x x x