You may remember my post last year about my scheme to motivate myself during 2024 via a bingo board of goals and challenges (https://50shadesofbrave.blog/2024/11/19/my-2024-bingo-challenge/). It was an activity that led to plenty of action and a degree of reflection, so I decided to repeat it for 2025. If you’re looking for a TL:DR for this … More Bingo board 2025 – successes and failures
Over the last few years, a couple of my girlfriends and I have marked the run up to Christmas with a craft workshop and lunch / dinner out. We’ve made several pieces of Christmas pottery, and last year a bauble wreath. When we talked about what to do this year, and considered the cost of … More Sofia
Today is National Poetry Day 2025. As a fervent poetry-lover, it seems remiss to me that poetry should be celebrated in this way on only one day of the year. I’d definitely be up for National Poetry Week, or even Month, if we have to limit it at all. I’ve loved poetry since I was … More Poetry
This is something of a misleading title for my post, as will become clear. For it would seem that *every* day is ‘the day’ of something… Let me explain. This post, and others that may follow, has been inspired by the findings of my dear friend Helena Holrick (www.helpingyoushine.com), who has recently shared her discovery … More Today’s the day
Over the past year I have worked hard to shed weight and improve my fitness, a by product of which has been finding that upon unpacking my summer clothes from their storage bags, many (most?) were now too big. It’s not a bad problem to have… but it does necessitate some action. My choices as … More On being kinder to oneself…
Sometimes things happen for a reason. Sometimes an accident can be fortuitous. Sometimes the universe aligns in funny ways… Like when your son smashes a pasta bowl from your favourite set. And that makes you sad… And then you see an advert for a Kintsugi workshop. And ‘try a new craft’ is also on your … More Perfectly imperfect
Way back in January, when I was approaching 2025 with a fresh face and a fresh set of motivational challenges and goals for the year, I allowed myself to be suggestible. My wonderful PT, Michelle, was the culprit… suggesting to me that maybe by April I might be up for a charity 5k ‘fun run’.* … More A first! (Or a 1075th)
It’s already over a month since I got back from Thailand. Not so long as to have forgotten the details of my trip, but long enough to have settled back into the routine of daily life and processed some of my learnings. Let’s start at the beginning. This was not my first solo trip – … More Thailand – Part 4 Reflections on my trip
Phuket was actually the starting point for this whole trip. It was a crumb of temptation from some friends who had booked 3 weeks in a villa in Nai Harn, and who suggested I could join them since they had a spare bedroom, that started the cogs turning and led to flights being booked. It … More Thailand – Part 3 Phuket
The end of week 1 in Thailand saw me hop an internal flight north to Chiang Mai. Just a short 1 hour 15 took me to a completely different landscape and vibe. I arrived at my hotel mid afternoon- was very pleased with my choice of accommodation, which was a little oasis in the corner … More Thailand- Part 2 Chiang Mai
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