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…
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)
Where did January go? How can a month be at the same time the longest month ever, and over in a flash? As during most Januarys, I spent some of my time wishing my life away and longing for lighter, sunnier, longer days and some of my time planning and visioning what I wanted life … More Brave vs bravado
I have just returned from a week in Nantes, a city lodged between the Loire valley and Brittany, which is twinned with my home town of Cardiff. It was the return leg of a linguistic exchange for adults from the two cities, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The exchange is organised annually by … More Parlez-vous français?
Do you remember where you were on Tuesday 6th February 2024 between 6:30 and 8:30 pm? Here in Wales, the wind was at gale force and the rain was torrential. So, like most sensible people you would probably have been curled up in your warm living room in front of the TV with a glass … More Fire and Ice
On Sunday evening I watched a video reel. It was a video reel of the funeral of a musician friend who I had played in youth orchestras with, lost touch with, and reconnected with a couple of years ago. She died of cancer earlier this year at the age of 55. I was aware of … More Playing small
Challenge #18 back in May 2016 was to ‘Be a speaker at an event’ and that event was Ignite Cardiff. My talk then detailed the challenges I had accomplished between January and May, and a brief look at the things to come. I had always had it in mind that it would be amazing to … More Re-Ignite!
It’s been rather a long wait for this challenge to come to fruition! I received a voucher for a helicopter ride over Cardiff, Cardiff Bay and the South Wales valleys and coast as part of my birthday gift from my wonderful friends. After four cancelled dates, today (two days before I turn 51) the weather … More The ones that got away… #3 Ride in a helicopter
If you read my reflective post of 1st January 2017, you would have read that there were some challenges which I had intended to do in 2016 which, for various reasons, just didn’t happen. And you would also have read that I planned to make sure that those got done in 2017… So, here goes … More The ones that got away… #1 Record a CD of flute music
New Year’s Eve 2016… Two challenges remaining (though one already ‘in the bag’, as blog number 50 will reveal). I had a strong urge to end on a high… and boy did we achieve that today! ‘Free hugs’ is a concept that I found out about back in May – another learning to come out … More 49. Give 50 free hugs to passers by
50shadesofbrave 