Day 30 Make a December list

This is absolutely NOT a 'must do' list, or even a 'should do' list , its more of a 'could do if the mood takes me' list, or a 'would like to if it seems like a good idea at the time' list.

Day 29 Have a cup of tea.

But not just have-a-cup-of-tea... Indulge in the full ceremony of the thing. Choose your spot, comfy with a nice view, perhaps by a window, or in front of the fire, or with candles. Choose your company, a loved one or a new friend, either in person or via the magic of telephony, or perhaps you would rather savour a moment of peace. Choose your tea: Herbal, green, fancy or builders. Choose your brewing method: Pot or mug. and finally wrap your hands round your favourite cup or mug and let the warmth flow through you. You could even choose coffee instead...

Day 28 Hug

Go on, give someone a squeeze! It will make them feel good as well as making you feel good. Or hug a tree.

xx

Day 27 Find some water

The power of spending time near water never ceases to amaze me. It could be the sea, a river lake or stream but it never fails to put me back on track.

xx

Day 26 De-procrastinate

Get on, get going, get moving, get organised, get out, get it together, get a wriggle on.

xx

Day 25: Eat your greens

Eat your greens. Get a delicious dose of lovely vitamins and minerals. 😋

xx

Day 24: Compliment someone

And may I say how delightful you look, how witty is your repartee and how joyful is your company. Oh and nice hat btw.

xx

Day 23: Phone someone far away

xx

#Bashsad weekly round up part 3

Day 15: Well, dancing happened a day late. On day 15 J was working from home and had Very Important phone calls and a Very Important meeting so no loud music for me. Then on day 16 Radio 2 seemed to be in a particularly sombre mood all day...that is until Simon Mayo saved the day!

Day 16: When you need to laugh, go to choir! My lovely joyous choir always puts a smile on my face and we usually laugh A LOT.

Day 17: My attempt at a smiley selfie was taken at the end of a long and tricky day and the intricacies of taking a selfie in the mirror were almost beyond me...

... but on day 18 I went for a lovely long walk in the sunshine and took a fab friend with me via the magic of mobile telephony. The result was a much more smiley selfie.

Day 18: Apple scones - what's not to like?

Day 19: Another tricky day with uncooperative and whinging Smalls but we did manage a trip down to Holy Island and as usual being out and about improved my mood no end.

Day 20: Black current porridge. Yum!

Day 21: You'd have thought I'd have got myself organised so that the challenges fell on sensible days but apparently not. In the morning I wore my latest charity shop treasure - a cotton knitted dress with jeans, fleecy boots and a scarf. A  new cosy favourite. The afternoon and evening brought pilates and a dance class so I was forced into my version of sportswear which is definitely not my favourite. I did choose my favourite t-shirt though.

Not a bad week but as the weather has turned wet and cold and dark I can feel my resilience weakening. Staying focused and making an effort to do positive things definitely helps.

xx

Day 22 Read a book

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Day 21 Wear your favourite something

Today's artwork was brought to you by Tall Girl.

xx

Day 20 Have a healthy breakfast

It's the most important meal of the day, don't you know? And my favourite.

xx

Day 19 Photograph Seasonal Change

Autumn days when the grass is jewelled

And the silk inside a chestnut shell.

Jetplanes meeting in the air to be refuelled.

All these thing I love so well.

xx

Day 18 Bake something

Savoury or sweet, bake something you would like to eat...

xx

Day 17 Take a smiley selfie

Say cheese!

xx

Day 16 Laugh out loud!

Laugh out loud! Hook up with the kind of friends who make you weep, watch a film that will make you scream or listen to a show that will make your tummy ache. All in a good way of course!

#Bashsad weekly round up part 2

Thought I'd tell you about some of my highlights this week...

Day 8: I actually managed to do proper singing practice. (Note to self - must do more of this)

Day 9: Sadly no lunch outside... too many raindrops on the roses.

Day 10: Rocking my Solomon knot shawl made from St Helena wool. The woolliest wool that ever there was.

Day 11: Took Tall Girl out for a grown up dinner at a fancy restaurant. Safe to say we all loved it AND there were candles on the tables.

Day 12: Made apple and pear cake for my friend's birthday. The first pears from our very own pear tree which was a gift when I left the Royal Observatory Edinburgh many many moons ago.

Day 13: Didn't manage an early night, but did manage to dress up as a Von Trapp child, watch The Sound of Music for the first time and have a jolly time with lovely friends.

Day 14: I actually drink a lot of water already, but the wine the previous night made it doubly important!

I hope you had a good week too.

xx

Day 15 Dance!

Turn on the radio and waltz round the kitchen with the cat, boogie with your kids, shake your bootie for no one but yourself. Dance like nobody is watching, because nobody is, and you can, and you have this amazing body that can take vibrations in the air and turn them into pure joy.

xx

Day 14 Drink more water

Sorry for the delay... life happened!

xx

Day 13 Have an early night

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Day 12 Try a new recipe

Savoury or sweet, naughty or nice healthy or hearty. Definitely delicious!

xx

Day 11 Light some candles

It's all about the hygge today.

xx

Day 10 Wear something woolly

You say woolly, I say woolie. Whichever it is, wrap that sheepy goodness round yourself in a warm soft hug.

Day 9 Have lunch outside

Hmm pouring rain all day. That went well...

xx

Day 8 Sing!

Stick the radio on if it helps but fill your lungs and sing. Don't try to be loud but don't swallow the sound. Think you can't? Everyone can! This is for you, not for any audience. Think about what you are doing, focus and embrace the joy of making noise.

#Bashsad weekly roundup

So the weather has turned from warm and bright to black clouds and hailstones in a week, but I am feeling pretty chipper. Focusing on the positive and making myself do things that are good for me is definitely a Good Thing.

Here are some of the Good Things that I have done this week:

Day 1 Two walks in one day!

Day 2 Tidied and cleaned my bedroom.

Day 3 Eight types of fruit in one glass.

Day 4 Recycling produced by cleaning and sorting out the coffee table paperwork system.

Day 5 Sunlight, fireworks and candle light.

Day 6 A spot of hookie.

Day 7 A sociable day unexpectedly but naturally emerged from a long to do list.

How has your week been?

xx

Day 7 Catch up with a friend

In person if you can, but on the phone or over Skype. If you can't manage any of those, write a letter. A real one on paper with a stamp and doodles in the margin. Someone you love will have a great day tomorrow or the next day.

Day 6 Make Something

You could carry on with a work in progress or start something new. It might be stitchery or something woolly. Make a cd of music for a special occasion or draw or paint. Immerse yourself in a little creativity and forget the world outside just for a little while.
xx

Day 5 Let in the light

This is very apt today, for the first time since the beginning of the month we have woken to dark skies, lashing rain and hail. Despite this, I'm going to be getting out in it if I possibly can, enabling my eyes to get a dollop of daylight. Here in the UK it's fire work night so I'll be embracing those little pinpricks of light. Lastly, of course, there's candle light and fire light. I'm planning to fill my space with cosy flickering comforting light.

xx

Day 4 Declutter something

Now I am far from being a minimalist, despite the current trend in that direction but we all have a space where we dump stuff that we aren't quite ready to deal with. For me it's the paperwork and post accumulating on the coffee table, and a side table. It could be your handbag or beside the microwave. In my parents house it was always the fruit bowl. If you are already pretty organised in the paperwork and post department, maybe it's your wardrobe that is overfull or your fridge.

Take a few minutes to go through it. Ditch the rubbish and consider the rest of the items in turn. Do you need it in the short term? in the long term? Does it bring you joy? Where should it live? The answer could be that it stays exactly where it is, but by removing the rubbish and reconsidering and dealing with the rest, hopefully you will free up some space in your mind as well as your home.

xx

Day 3 Make a Smoothie

Lets play 'how many fruits (and veg if you like) can you get in one glass?' Yum yum 😋

xx