Project 365 2017 #17

Week 17 of Project 365 2017 with a personal best and a need to take it slower.

Day 113
Corsham 10k and I finally got my sub 50 minutes 10k PB - with my TomTom matching my chip time for the first time ever!
Day 114
Back to yoga teaching today after the Easter break and my afternoon preschoolers enjoyed being butterflies with my new scarves.
Day 115
Long run Tuesday and I shook off my achy legs - a hangover from Sunday - with a lovely 10 miles with my running buddy around the local villages. Later the heavy legs returned though.
Day 116
I wasn't feeling too positive going back to work today but the tag on my Yogi Tea did make me smile.
Day 117
I desperately needed yoga class tonight to stretch out my heavy legs and tight hamstrings - I've never suffered with these issues before so am easing back on the running a little this week.
Day 118
No Friday evening run and early to bed - I wanted to read more of my charity shop bargain book but the eyes drooped within minutes.
Day 119
A lovely morning of yoga teaching was followed by a trip into Bath for some clothes and trainer shopping for the girl. The walk back to the car took us under the railway station through the tunnel of bikes.

x x x

Project 365 2017 #16

Week 16 of Project 365 2017 saw us heading down to one of our favourite Cornish spots on the coast.

Day 106
Easter Sunday and the Easter Bunny had a vegan friendly egg for me in his basket.
Day 107
A day of getting prepped for our short Cornish break but not before heading out on a 5 mile run in the Spring sunshine.
Day 108
Cornwall bound today -via Bath and South of Bristol for work purposes. We stopped off in South Molton for a comfort break - where there was some rather fab graffiti on the toilet block.
Day 109
A gorgeous day in Bude for a 5 mile morning run down to the beach - and back uphill to the caravan! The afternoon was spent at Widemouth Bay, which is one of my favourite beaches, where I installed a piece of beach art.
Day 110
We headed along the coast to Boscastle today with its natural harbour, green waters and amazing cliff top walks. My legs went a bit jelly like taking this snap.
Day 111
Friday I was feeling bit sad as we said goodbye to Bude - and the in laws and New Zealand arm of the family who were also staying on site. On the way home we stopped at Yandles sawmill and gallery in Martock - the wood here was amazing and I was planning some natural shelving in my head.
Day 112
A bit of a lazy day catching up on laundry. I did drag the kiddos into town as I needed to stretch my legs before a 10k race tomorrow. We popped into the libray where I found another yoga book to add to my study pile - I spent a couple of hours sat in the garden taking notes enjoying the afternoon sun.

x x x

Project 365 2017 #15

Week 15 of Project 365 2017 and it's the Easter holiday!!

Day 99
Devizes half marathon today and as well as the dreaded hills it was a hot one. Due to this I had no aim of getting a PB, I just wanted to finish. So I was over the moon to come in at 1:53:53 - which is 1 minute 1 second away from my PB.
Day 100
I don't think I stretched enough post-race yesterday as today my thighs were so tight. I popped into work to do some room re-organising, then back home I started an online 21 days of happiness challenge and was so pleased to have my girl want to join in too.
Day 101
We stayed local today with a walk to town to go to the library and to pick up some popcorn and general junk food for DVD night. The husband was away so it was just me and the kiddos snuggling up with pizza and chips and the awesome Rogue One - cried like a baby again.
Day 102
I finally gave the dining room a fresh coat of paint following 12 years of grubby fingers and furniture marks. This meant taking down my dried wedding flowers from their dusty place on the high unit. Now to order a new sideboard to finish it off and give me some desperately needed storage.
Day 103
My fabulous children were happy to come to my friend's house today and chill with her older children, who looked after them so we could go and run! A gentle 10k was completed to loosen up the legs from Sunday and get ready for a 10k at the end of the holiday. Back home I planted out some herbs on the patio - pretty much the extent of my gardening skills.
Day 104
Inspired by my herb planting I asked the in-laws to meet us at B&Q to help me pick out some plants for a garden border as I have no clue which plants lasts for a year or come back again next year! The afternoon was then spent in the garden digging over my bed, pulling up weeds and roots galore before planting out my selection of lupins, phlox and saxifrage - now to remember to water them.
Day 105
Before the husband went to work this morning I headed out for a 5 mile run then it was a day of baking, organising the girl for a birthday sleepover and having a friend over for the boy. The sun was shining and I found myself in the garden chatting to both sets of neighbours - which never happens! This daffodil was a latecomer from some bulbs I haphazardly threw into the ground a bit late in the season.

x x x

Soul Circus Yoga & Wellness Festival 2017 {Preview}

The Easter holidays are upon us and the Spring sunshine is filling the sky, and our hearts, with some much needed warmth. It's that time of year, with the clocks already having moved on, that I start to look ahead to the long sun filled days of Summer and begin to make some plans. My Summer always has to include a tent and a festival and this year I am so happy to be going back again to cover the amazing yoga and wellness festival that is Soul Circus.

Tucked away in the quiet area of Elmore, Gloucestershire, and within easy reach of the M5, Soul Circus is an ideal festival for the yoga lover whether you are on the start of your yoga path or way down that road; with a wealth of classes to suit a variety of styles there will always be a class for every yogi to participate in.
Many faces are returning from last year including Aimee Garcia-Marshall, who had me smiling all the way through her Vinyasa Flow class, Taylor Harkness, the first teacher to inspire me to attempt a handstand, and Emily Young (RYT 500 & senior lecturer in Children's Health and Wellbeing) to whom I owe a big thanks for really igniting the spark in me to train as a children's yoga teacher following a wonderful conversation with her last year, as well as assisting me in my handstand in Taylor's class!

Soul Circus will also have the whole family in mind again in 2017 with Mary Grinstead installed as the resident yoga instructor for the under 18s. As a fellow school teacher, and children's yoga teacher, I'm really looking forward to seeing Mary working with the younger yogis at Soul Circus.

As well as having opportunities to challenge yourself with your asana practise, Soul Circus also places high value on it's musical entertainment. Music will fill the air of Soul Circus 2017 with live entertainment on the main stage and acoustic offerings tucked away in pockets around the site.

Food and Drink looks to be a winner again; 'Whatever your diet, whether you desire gluten free, dairy free, cold pressed or grass fed we've got it covered!' Local produce is a key point again this year as well as the festival having it's own manifesto on sustainability including pledges to increase recycling and lower food waste, introducing composting loos for 2017 and sourcing food locally within 60 miles of the site.

For a bit of indulgence and pampering the VIP experience will give you access to a champagne bar, VIP champagne lounge, all day coffee and tea bar plus more!
You can also add a spot of extra comfort to your camping experience with a range of luxury glamping options plus, new this year, pre-erected tents. You can of course bring your own tent or camper van!

Wherever you stay for the two nights of Soul Circus 2017 you are bound to have a dreamy, chilled out sleeping experience.

Soul Circus 2017 takes place 18th - 20th August at Elmore Gloucestershire. You can find out more information on the Soul Circus website including ticket info.

You can also read more about my time at Soul Circus 2016 here.

**Heads up - I will be holding a giveaway for two weekend tickets soon!**

x x x 

Disclaimer; I have received a weekend pass to Soul Circus 2017 in return for previews and reviews of this year's festival. As always, views and opinions are my own.

Project 365 2017 #14

Week 14 of Project 365 2017 and the sun continued to shine with the temperatures getting warmer and warmer - just in time for my half marathon!

Day 92
A lovely warm Sunday and some well needed time was spent in the garden chopping back the neighbour's overgrown ivy and mowing the lawn. It also saw the first barefoot walk across the lawn of the year.
Day 93
Monday yoga and some Easter egg games were in store.
Day 94
Our last run before the half marathon on Sunday saw us do a gentle 5.5 miles around Lacock followed by a relaxing cuppa in the sunshine.
Day 95
Back home from work with the sun shining and I'm starting to wind down for Easter so a cuppa on the patio was in order.
Day 96
Last day in school today and my lovely work colleague bought me a vegan friendly Easter egg!
Day 97
The Asda delivery came tonight jam packed full of junk - the carb loading for Sunday officially starts tonight!
Day 98
A beautiful day with a lovely morning teaching yoga then a visit to the in laws where the blossom was blooming and the sky was blue.

x x x

Project 365 2017 #13

Week 13 of Project 365 2017 and the Spring sunshine is making a positive difference!

Day 85
Mother's Day and I snuck out for a 4 mile run and returned to a vegan cooked breakfast, homemade cards and some lovely treats.
Day 86
Yoga teaching day and another lovely few sessions with my yogis.
Day 87
Running Tuesday with my buddy and our last long run of 12 miles before our upcoming half marathon. We kept a good pace whilst chatting all the way so feeling pretty confident - apart from the hills I've heard about!
Day 88
Back to work Wednesday and fishless fish fingers for tea for a vegan carb junk session.
Day 89
A long Thursday was made better by yoga night followed by a bit of reading in bed.
Day 90
It's so good to get back from work in the daylight now so I grabbed the opportunity to do my Friday 5k to the pub and back - I clocked exactly the same time as a couple of weeks ago so definitely consistent.
Day 91
Such a lovely sunny Saturday with some new faces at yoga classes this morning then we headed to B&Q to finally buy some grown up garden furniture - for which I felt we needed a degree in instruction deciphering to assemble it! A new magazine was an added bonus too.

x x x