Life Lately

Things have been pretty quiet on these here ramblings, hidden under the rest of this noisy life. We’re coming up to the one year anniversary of my fledgling business (read the first newsletter here). I’m so happy to have been able to fill the year with work and rest. My days involve plenty of tree hugging and morning light, but I’m also cramming them full with rewarding work and a sense of contribution.

The year is speeding up, with ever more blue sky days. I started the month full of regular runs and signed up for the Clarendon Half Marathon. Runs have slowed to walks as the end of term bogged me down, my head full of work (but in a good way!) I spent last weekend in London speaking at a conference and meeting up with friends. We talked adventures by the sea and adventures in business. It feels so affirming to talk to other people whose vision of work success involves balance and enjoyment over expansion or employee numbers.

Now we’ve made it to the end of term and I’m shaking off the busy buzz of work. I’m travelling to Lithuania next week with my choir. The capital Vilnius looks beautiful, not to mention this magical island city that we’ll be singing in. Then I’m taking the slow train home, to enjoy some grand cinema views from a worn upholstered seat, stopping to explore some new cities along the way.

But none of this before a long weekend of rest, fresh air and chocolate. I’m really enjoying the idea of marking this time in the year: celebrating and welcoming in all the new life and potential of spring. I think eggs might even have to be decorated.

It’s a stretch..

It’s a stretch to get up early in the morning. To turn up on a yoga mat rather than turn over under the duvet. I am not made of such stern stuff. I’ll only get out of bed at 6am if it’s to return five minutes later with coffee in hand. A very different pace from these mornings.

Whilst I can’t face it in the morning, yoga at the end of the day, in a hot room, is just my kind of winter stretch. I’d never done any hot yoga before this year. I’ve always plumped for flow classes, moving quickly from one pose to the next with each breath, stumbling quickly through any that were a little difficult.

I thought holding each pose for ten breaths would be boring, but the focus it requires actually feels fantastic. It demands my full attention, no drifting thoughts. It’s given me time to think about each stretch and have plenty of practice at balancing. I also spend most of the winter feeling vaguely chilly so it’s a treat to spend time letting my muscles really warm up. So, for at least a little while longer, I’m using the ‘too cold’ excuse to keep my head under the duvet in the mornings, but not in the evenings.

Daily Habits

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about daily habits. I wish I’d stuck to my daily yoga, and I kick myself for not spending more time cooking from scratch in the kitchen. Small things I surely should be able to fit in to my day. But, a few daily habits have managed to stick. Black coffee for starters (there was that one time I had a nutribullet instead but is was scary green and had no caffeine.)

With Rolo’s reproachful eyes, there’s no skipping the routine of a daily dog walk. The forest feels different every time. Even when it starts as a chore, once I’m standing under the sway of those tall trunks, navigating fallen branches and searching for badly thrown balls, it can’t fail to improve my mood.

I’ve also been sticking to a daily diet of at least 25 pages a day. I’ve taken to the habit easily, steadily consuming some great books. Reading Lolita in Tehran was a surprise find in Oxfam and an unexpectedly compelling read. Look out for it; seriously good. The Orenda was equal parts brutal and beautiful, one of those books that leaves you a little wrung out at the end.

Right now I’m reading See You Tomorrow, but cheating on it with the odd chapter of Rebecca (because this weather), The Zombie Survival Guide (essential reading, of course) and Children’s Speech Sound Disorders (for the day job).

In our days of speedy information, eyes flicking over the tl;dr summaries of endless useful articles, it feels an expansive luxury to spend time with a book, to listen to just one story. This year I’ve challenged my die-hard digital-age brother to read a real book. He often has to bear me harping on about the beauty of books. I think there’s something special about holding bound paper in hand, carrying it around with you everyday, spilling coffee on it, breaking its spine or bending a corner to save that thought.

Meanwhile, Brother has inadvertently set me the challenge of knitting with cobweb lace weight yarn, thanks to a beautiful silk bundle of the stuff he gifted at Christmas. I’ve found a pattern that suits itself to TV-watching attention levels so here’s hoping I can squeeze in another daily habit.

A Spruce Up

As January closed, I started noticing peeks of spring out and about. Underfoot, the nibs of early bluebells and daffodils in such abundance it’s almost old news. Our own garden remains in wintry disarray, while I cling on to the excuse that the winter wildlife need some weedy cover.

Indoors, I could no longer cling on to the small fur tree that held it’s fairy lights long in to last week, but equally couldn’t say goodbye to the hygge goodness that comes from a string of lights. So, they remain, with some new greenery around.

Ever since listening to Igor and Judith at last year’s Blogtacular, I’ve been wanting to bring more plants into the house. Things have improved since the days of one lovely weeping fig languishing in the corner, but there’s still plenty more room for new plants. I’ll be joining the Urban Jungle Bloggers community this year and I’m looking forward to filling a little more of every day with greenery.

Meanwhile, you may have noticed some sprucing up on my blog home. Thanks to the efforts of the brilliant Alec Rust, Rusty Rambles has had a new lick of paint for the year ahead. I’m excited to have a bright new canvas to share some of this year’s adventures.

A Little Solitude

How is it that some weeks feel so fraught as a whole, even when filled with good little fragments? I finished this week feeling wiped out and stormy inside. So, I retreated to my childhood home for the night, to enjoy the peace that comes with having nothing but the fire for company.

I felt the swell of hours around me. No screen nearby; just piano music, the pages of a good book and a yoga mat. I had the most analogue and granny-paced evening all by myself. It was marvellous.

My brother returned home hours later. We hung out, ate pizza and seriously put the world to rights. We spotted some constellations and watched the most incredible moonset finally fade to a triangular glow on the horizon.

The following frosty morning I was alone again, enjoying the chilly air from the comfort of bed, with coffee and room to stretch out, watching the Downs glow pink in the rising sun and listening to the seagulls murmur in the field by the sea. I sat while lazy, hazy-formed thoughts drifted over me.

I returned home to my man a few hours later, refreshed and ready for a sunny Saturday of baking brownies and catching up. We chased the last light on a quick yomp up Headon Warren, to watch the sun fall behind the Needles.

It’s incredible how spending a little bit of time with noone makes me so much better at being with someone.