Way Of The Roses

Tonight Mr.L & I are in Morcambe. It is the start of our holiday - we are cycling the Way Of The Roses, Coast To Coast, 170 miles in total, from Morcambe on the West coast to Bridlington on the East.

We are doing the ride over 5 days, so approx. 35 miles a day, with the first two days being the toughest. I could have done more mileage, but dug my heels in. It's a holiday, I want to stop to see things en route, have slow leisurely lunches, afternoon coffee and cake and ice cream as I go! :-)

Instead of buying suncream for this holiday I have been buying ass cream - yes, really!! I will have a lovely smooth derrière - I'm told - with no chaffing - eurgh......

I have treated myself though ;-) to some lovely Rapha goodies, namely arm and leg warmers!

 Must have photograph with Eric Morcambe "The one with the glasses"

 And so we sleep tonight overlooking this gorgeous view before our early start tomorrow. Goodnight!

Who else would like this sort of holiday - or is it just me who's mad?
Thanks for visiting! :-)
XX

Loving Yourself

What makes you feel good?
For me looking after myself the best way I know how.
More important I do this at the moment with the running I am doing but also for my emotional health.

Taking time to do the things I enjoy is essential and I am surprised I have managed to keep it up the way I am - running, pilates, reading, walking Olly, cycling, writing, enjoying a nice cup of tea, spending time with family and friends but also solitude.

Solitude is not the same as loneliness, for me it means time to recharge and replenish, meditate, gather thoughts and do something for myself, by myself :-)

Looking after my body includes eating healthily - more protein than carbs at most meals, black or herbal tea, a juice every morning, plenty of water, lemon in hot water first thing, a good nights sleep, using my Clarisonic regularly - looking after my skin. All these things help me to feel good about myself.

We all deserve time to love and care for ourselves - it enables us to love and care for those around us.

Then there are the  summer essentials that all help towards that feeling of wellbeing - painted toenails, tanned legs, a facemask, a mini spa night! More about those later :-)

How do you look after you?

XX

Made Me Smile

This week I received three lovely, unexpected gifts! Small tokens of friendship & love to be treasured!

The first this gorgeous teacup and saucer, which I have loved using, being a BIG tea drinker. It has made me feel 'grown up' and sit down to really savour whichever tea I am drinking :-) rather than running round slurping as I go!!

This beautiful little bookmark from my Son. Lovely and bright amongst the pages of my book :-)

& lastly this cool bag, which is actually a shopping bag when you purchase clothing from Buffalo Exchange in America! I admired it at my friends and next minute it was on my shoulder - she was throwing it out!! Really like it, a perfect size for work, on the beach.....

Of course it doesn't have to be monetary gifts to make me smile.

But this week, these random gifts have :-)

What's made you smile?

XX

New Summer Basics

I posted here about losing over 2 stone in weight since October last year. It isn't just weight loss, my body is much stronger and leaner due to discovering a love of running and racing.

I have had to buy a whole load of new clothes, my old one's were literally hanging off me.

Next was the quickest and easiest place to replace my everyday essentials. They have an excellent range of basics and are reasonably priced.

Vest tops 3 for £12.00 in grey, white, navy, obviously!

These linen t-shirts I LOVE, great quality and fit for linen & navy & stripes!!

 3 pairs of jeans - dark, washed and striped - oh my days they are gorgeous :-) Next jeans fit me really well - never did before....

This top, is a lovely light fluid shape, it feels much more expensive than it's £15.00 price tag. Unusual colour for me, but I like it and it works with tan shoes. 

Here it is with those tan shoes and also a cream jacket, a must have this Summer  bought for a wedding last month from H & M, which dresses it up further.

 Close up of the tan wedges. These are soooo comfy.......yet soooooo high!

Another t-shirt - show me paisley - it's a must have :-) Love the little pompom detail on the neck and sleeves :-)

 

I read the fabulous blog That's Not My Age and love the advice given. One piece of advice I have followed with this new wardrobe is owning a blue shirt. Throw on for cooler days, lovely soft cotton and striped, though a bit difficult to see in the picture. Dress up, dress down perfect. Silver shoes also from Next last year. 

 

Swing vest, again fits really nicely. Again striped! Blimey, how knackered do I look on this?!

 

This I threw into the shopping trolley at Sainsbury's, great value, I'd been looking at much more expensive versions. Ubiquitous navy detail. A tenner in the sale! Bagged!

 More stripes. Don't know the make, bought from a Fairtrade shop in Leicester. Striped with batwing sleeves - what can I say....A little pricey, but you know, it's made from bamboo!! Ha!

So there a quick round up of the new basics in my wardrobe. Where do you buy basics? Next I need to sort my work attire!!

Thanks for dropping by! 
Have a great week!
XX

The Casual Vacancy #TheYearInBooks

I last joined in with Laura & #TheYearInBooks in April.

That's not to say I haven't read - I have read loads, but always seem to be at the end of the book when it's time to share what I've been reading!

So grateful to Laura for getting me back into reading. It's so good to escape inside the cover of a great book. So here's what I have read since April.....

The Woman In The Fifth - Douglas Kennedy. It took me a while to get into this book, once I did I enjoyed it. Suspense and mystery, the ending a little unbelievable.

Going Dutch - Katie Fforde. Very easy Summer read! Man meets woman, overcome obstacles, fall in love, yada yada! Perfect if you don't want anything too taxing.

Body Surfing - Anita Shreve. I just LOVE her writing. Relationships, love, family dynamics, grief, deceit all contained within. Makes me want to read more from Anita Shreve.

My Lovers Lover - Maggie O'Farrell. My heart was in my mouth at times with this book, my heart beating fast.....but it ends up weird and not at all what you think is going on!! Shows how your mind can play tricks on you.

My favourite by far was Anita Shreve....

My book for this month is by J.K.Rowling. It's a biggy but I'm off on holiday Thursday. The Casual Vacancy starts with the death of a young member of the Parish Council, the ramifications of that for the different characters and the growing unrest of this seemingly peaceful village.

I'll let you know how I get on at the end of July.
Why not join in - it's a great way to get into reading if you have fallen off the literary wagon!
XX