What I've been up to lately - May 2024

I am so happy that summer is making an appearance at last! I can't believe that last week I was wrapped up in jumpers and winter coats, huddled under a heated blanket, and today I've got washing hanging outside, I've pulled out the garden furniture, and dug out my sunglasses!

I've been a bit quiet over here lately, so here are some of the things that I've been up to recently:

Reading 

With a friend to borrow books from and a big order from Wob I've had plenty of reading material to keep me going! Last night I finished Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. Set during the heatwave of 1976 it follows a family brought together unexpectedly when their husband and father disappears. I loved the exploration of the characters and their interactions, and I couldn't put it down! Before that I enjoyed The Martian by Andy Weir, bought for my son inspired by his love of space exploration. It's a very technical book and a lot probably went over my head but it was an exciting read. I remember watching the film a few years ago and will look it out to watch again. 

One of my favourite borrowed books was The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, with a story full of twists. Now I've just started The Island Home by Libby Page which is shaping up to be another great read.

Watching

We've been box set binging over the last few weeks! With my son we watched all four seasons of For All Mankind, a series on Apple TV that I can't believe we've only just discovered. It's an alternative history - what might have happened if the Soviets had landed on the moon first and the impact that could have had on the future of space exploration as the space race continued. Each season is set about ten years apart, so it starts in the late 60s and the most recent season was set in the 2000s. Things have moved fast, and by the last episode they have colonised Mars and are capturing asteroids for mining! My son loved it because it takes scientific concepts that have not yet been fully developed and shows how they could work. I enjoyed it for the relationships between the characters and how I could imagine what it would be like to live on both the moon and on Mars.

Photo credit NASA via Unsplash

We also watched the entire second season of Bridgerton over the span of a few days. We really enjoyed the first season but never got around to watching the second, and with the third due out shortly we decided to catch up. It was very enjoyable, perhaps not as steamy as the first season but that's not why I watch it - I enjoy the romance and imagining what it would be like to live that kind of lifestyle!

Listening to

I do like a podcast when I'm driving over to school, and lately I've been enjoying ZOE Science and Nutrition. It's really interesting to read about the latest scientific developments when it comes to nutrition, especially as a lot of the advice that I've heard over the years has now been disproved and there are new guidelines which should be followed. It has given me lots of inspiration for new foods and exercise to try.

Eating

I've made a huge change to my diet since the new year and it's paying off. I've slowly lost several kilograms and now I'm feeling fit and in shape for the summer. I've cut back on the ultra processed foods and introduced a range of different plants and I'm feeling really happy with the way that I eat. I do need to be a bit careful - I've noticed that eating bread based products like pizza and soup with bread is what makes me put the weight back on and I've also started indulging in some 90% dark chocolate most evenings which is a bad habit to get into!

Photo credit Maksim Shutov via Unsplash

Planning

We are going ahead with some building work later in the year which we've been thinking about for a long time. It's a big project and there is lots of planning to be done and decisions to be made. It's very exciting!

Decluttering

With building works in mind I've been busy decluttering, not just the areas to be affected but also the whole house and garage. I had been feeling that things were getting a bit on top of me so I've been making a big effort to clear out things that I had been putting off. I've passed on a juicer and blender set which filled up a whole cupboard, an old metal desk is waiting for the scrap man to collect it, and lots of large and good condition toys have been passed to a friend who teaches in a primary school. 

I've also been going through all the kitchen cupboards and clearing them out, working through my stockpile of cans to keep the numbers down and getting rid of some unused kitchen equipment. I'm feeling much happier with the state of the house now.

Enjoying

The sunshine! I love sitting outside and feeling the warmth of the sun, I love going for a run and not having to wrap up in long leggings and jumpers, I love popping out for a walk and not having to grab a coat.