Off to a Good Start

How was your New Year's Eve? We had a long walk with the dog and then I followed that with an equally long soak in a hot rose scented bath. My sister-in-law-to-be made bathsalts from all sorts of luscious ingredients including rose oil, as Christmas gifts this year. She packaged it up in beautiful jars and added these dinky little wooden scoops. That's pretty much my idea of a perfect present!

I then wrapped up in a cosy gown (okay, I own up, it was actually a fluffy rather ridiculous "lamb" onesie that one of my sons bought me a couple of years ago... but it was cosy!) and decided to take the advice everyone gives me... to slow down. I started a 1000 piece jigsaw that I found when I was clearing bedrooms for Christmas guests. I lasted ten minutes! Since then I wander by on my way to do something else and sometimes fit a few pieces together but it's not going to be the thing that makes me sit down. Maybe "Finish a 1000 piece jigsaw" should be on my 60 x 60 list.

We then went out to friends for a lovely meal and stayed up to see in the new year.  We took down the tree and decorations on New Year's Day. I like them up over the Christmas period but I'm really not a fan of them lingering into January. I'm ready for a fresh start. That includes food too... I no longer want the chocolate and biscuits and rich fayre, just lots of lovely fresh flavours and vegetables.

I subscribe to Good Food magazine which has a 7 day healthy eating plan this month. I'm not really a follower of diets but the recipes sounded so good I convinced the other half to join in too and so far we've been sticking to it. The raspberry coconut porridge was amazing and the stilton, pear and walnut on homemade soda bread was delicious too... in fact it has all been really tasty. It's so good I think we might stick to it for more than a week. There's a bit of effort to prepare the meals from scratch but nothing has been too hard... the website even provides a shopping list.

I was sold on the healthy aspect of it all and feel a week or more without any added sugar and masses of fresh vegetables can only be a good thing. And if we lose a few pounds too... then that's a bonus. I'll keep you updated! You can find the recipes here without having to buy the magazine.

And while I was feeling virtuous and full of energy I decided to clear out my wardrobe. You would not believe how long some of the clothes have been in there...over half my stuff has been cleared out ready for the charity shop, including so many pairs of shoes I'm ashamed to admit it...let's just say double figures! Heels that I will never totter on again, certainly not with this blimin' ankle. And above the clothes on the shelf more stuff that I really do not know why I kept, including a toy "paint ball" gun which I had obviously confiscated and hidden many years ago. I know, don't say anything... my "children" are aged between 24 and 34, but I'm sure they would still attack each other with paint balls given half a chance! It's now in the dustbin!

And this is my wardrobe today, which is so clear and tidy I keep having to go and have a peek because I can't quite believe it. I'm on a roll now... nothing is safe!