โ€˜Thereโ€™s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.โ€™ However I am NOT going out in that.

Gorgeous day in which I ran with my dog, did some gardening, and ate a doughnut. ๐Ÿฉ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป

Leela was in mischievous form during our 5km this morning. ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป๐Ÿ•

Currently Reading: Diggers (The Bromeliad Trilogy) by Terry Pratchett ๐Ÿ“š I listened to the audiobook of the first book a few years ago and loved it. No idea why I’ve not read more Pratchett, he’s right up my street in regards to humour and subject matter.

Finished reading: The Last Bear by Hannah Gold ๐Ÿ“š

Haircut day!

Finished reading: The Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams ๐Ÿ“š I’ve read this more times than I can remember, the new illustrated version is a thing of absolute beauty (illustrations by the magnificent Chris Riddell).

Made an incredibly tasty vegan keema aloo, recipe by Bosh!๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿฅ”๐Ÿฅ˜

Most productive run with my dog for months. ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป

Currently reading: The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams ๐Ÿ“š Re-reading the book, the new illustrated version. Adams passed away 20 years ago, such a loss.

Battling Procrastination and Fear.๐Ÿ“

In August 2018, I left mental health nursing to stay at home full time with my kids. Including my training I had been nursing from October 1996 and itโ€™s all I ever really knew, starting at the age of 19.

Iโ€™ve never been one to push myself; I went in, did my job to the best of my abilities and went home. All very well and good, I hope I helped some people along the way and was pleasant and professional to work with.

Reflecting on my imminent departure from nursing, it suddenly struck me that I was the same grade as when I started. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, nothing at all, but the thing that struck me the most was that I had not made an active decision in this. Twenty years or so had passed by, and I had been a passenger in my life rather than taking control and looking at improving myself. It was a pretty sobering realisation, frankly, and far too late for that chapter of my life.

Procrastination has always been an issue for me, fear has always ruled my life. If something was hard to do, if I couldnโ€™t grasp it immediately, it would likely slowly evaporate from my life. If I did manage to keep going with anything, if that routine got disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances such as a poorly child, or school-holidays, chances are I would struggle to pick that habit back up again.

Itโ€™s been a long-standing dream of mine to write a childrenโ€™s book. A head full of ideas and dreams is just the beginning, sitting in front of an empty page is both terrifying and difficult. Every so often the words flow, more often than not itโ€™s a struggle. When itโ€™s a struggle, more often than not Iโ€™d give up. So far, so typical me.

I had promised myself that by the time I turned 40, I would have submitted work to an agent and now, at the age of 43, Iโ€™m having those pangs of regret again. I canโ€™t change the way I have been, but I can try to take control of my dreams and know, one way or the other, if they are realistic or not. This blog could well be a great way of keeping me in check and accountable.

Thanks for reading.

Absolutely soaked to the skin. ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป

I need to desperately declutter my living space, my writing space and my digital apps. Everything is so messy, my mind is wrecked and I end up doing nothing. ๐Ÿ“

Sunโ€™s out, but itโ€™s nippy. Loads of gardening to do, but content in procrastination at the moment.

Passed the business end of the horrid cold and have done some gardening.

Iโ€™ve got a rotten cold and am craving something spicy.

I have a rotten cold.

I had washing on the line, it started raining, so I ran out to retrieve the washing and now itโ€™s sunny again. My life is one long rollercoaster.

Took my dog for her yearly vaccination and was told sheโ€™s a lovely, well-behaved, girl. ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ˜

A great run/walk with my dog to start the day, a superb Burnley performance to lift my mood higher, and plenty of seeds ordered. What a lovely day itโ€™s been. ๐Ÿ•๐ŸŒฑ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโšฝ๏ธ