Thursday was one of those days when I did a bit of everything but gained nothing. I put things away, tidied things up and cleaned a little but the house remained in more of a mess than I would like.
The journey home from Norfolk took my daughters far longer than estimated, this delayed our meal and once everyone arrived any semblance of order was quickly wrecked. Although it is lovely to get together again it will be Sunday before we have the house to ourselves and have some time on our own to get our lives back on track – I am itching to get the pantry finished and start on a thorough clean of the house.
There will be decluttering and rearranging to do of course. Some places in the house have not really had a good sort out for ages and my office / craft room at the moment is in spectacular disarray – I will say no more.
My daughter and grandchildren are staying on until we can get them home and this all depended on whether or not the car would be fixed so whilst we waited for a call from the garage we had a trip into town. Little L does not live near a big town and so rarely visits the shops and was excited to see lots of toy shops. Even though it is after Christmas they were all extremely busy. I looked for something for Freddie’s first birthday coming up soon and Little L delighted in roaming around the shelves. She is surprisingly good and never natters to be bought anything, always content just to look. My daughter bought some new jeans in the sales and we found a unicorn sweatshirt in Primark reduced to Ā£2 for Little L and some Startrite first walker baby shoes for Sweetie at the bargain price of Ā£10 in a local shoe shop (normal price Ā£39.99).
Finally we got a call from the garage and at 5 o’clock collected the car……..fully repaired (we hope this time) and had been cleaned and polished to within an inch of its life. I daresay that this service will have been hidden included somewhere in the bill though.
So today we have a trip up to North Yorkshire to take my daughter and the two girls back home. Everyone is still sleeping at the moment and the house is quiet….but not for long!
Creating health and wellbeing
A bit of a stumble at the first hurdle…..I know, not a good start but like falling off a horse I need to pick myself up and carry on. The meditation session did not materialise on Thursday as we had a few phone calls to deal with and a big meal to prep for whilst my daughters journeyed up from Norfolk and so my flow was broken.
Yesterday with a house full of people it was impossible to find any quiet time. We had lunch in town so I chose a baked potato and salad and I made an evening meal that everyone would enjoy rather than one that was strictly a plate of healthy options.
Today we will be on the road and may eat out again so there is nothing to it but just accept that I get back on track tomorrow.
Not all is lost though. One of the things on my list was to introduce eating an apple a day. I did this for a while not so long ago and decided it would be good to do it again.
Apples have many health benefits such as protection against some of the major diseases, such as diabetes and bone health. They also contain polyphenols (which are micronutrients that have an antioxidant effect) and provide fibre along with vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium as well as small amounts of others. They are also good for digestion.
Eating the Braeburn variety will give you one and half times more polyphenols than other varieties. Luckily it is always my apple of choice and organic ones are available in Sainsbury’s.
So tomorrow I will commit myself once again to begin the meditation sessions. We should have a clear week ahead, no appointments that I know of and no interuptions and I am hoping to be able to focus completely on some of the changes I am making.
Have a good weekend everyone. x
where the journey takes me 2 
It must be a relief to have the car back and I hope your daughter and children enjoy and safe journey home.
I was hoping to do RED January this year but I haven’t yet had opportunity. Maybe I’ll just have a delayed start. X
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I had to google RED – very worthwhile thing to do Jules – hope you get to make a start. x
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Glad you’ve got the car back, fingers crossed that’s the run of bad luck ended now where it’s concerned. I find it difficult to carve out time for myself, there always seems to be something to do and I have to be in the right frame of mind to concentrate on myself even when I am on my own.
I like apples but they make me feel bloated. Cooking them is supposed to help so I could try that and see how I get on.
Have a safe journey. xx
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The car had a good run today and seems fine -but then it did last time! I would keep off anything that does not digest well – my brother is allergic to oranges – luckily I am not. x
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May I suggest that on really busy days when meditation in long form is not an option, that you go into the bathroom to be alone for a few minutes and simply take five long, deep breaths, slowly exhaling. A mini-meditation.
Food tip: My doctor indicated that whenever I have a carb and/or fruit I should also try to eat a small amount of protein at the same time. Evidently, this allows the protein, fiber and fat in your stomach to release food into the small intestine more slowly. In other words, it helps your body even out the sugar content of the apple.
Hope the trip to North Yorkshire goes well.
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Good tip Mary – most doctors over here don’t seem to know much about nutrition – I don’t think it is taught in med schol.
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My mother always used to say it was a joy when we visited with our boys when they were younger but also a joy when we left. Weād create noise and mess and mayhem and liveliness and fun and laughter.
I love the apple a day. Mr S always has an apple and an orange a day. I am trying for two serves of fruit and five glasses of water.
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All peaceful in our house now – but I miss the energy the kids bring when they are here.
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Yes, my mother also says she misses the life and energy when we leave.
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It was especially bad for me once the girls had both left and now when we have Little L to stay and she goes home.
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Sometimes life is too busy to do/eat what we want, but the main thing is to get right back to it when you can, which is exactly what youāre doing š
Glad your car is now back to tip top working order (and condition!) Braeburns are one of my favourite apples, so thank you for that little nugget of information about them!
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It is the busyness that often prevents us from eating the right things as they can take longer to prepare than just grabbing for a packet of crisps or something.
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I am addicted to apples; I have one or two a day!
I was really looking forward to cleaning and organizing between Christmas and New Year’s so I understand your “longing” to get to it! Fortunately, I have found a new coworker who also looks forward to cleaning, decluttering and other house projects on the weekends, and who understands when I talk this way š
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How lovely to have someone like minded to chat to.
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I have been eating half an apple half an hour before lunch for some time now. It is supposed to activate some specific digestive juices that aid in digestion. Worth a try!
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It is also thought that it fills you up slightly if eaten prior to every meal and that you therefore eat less and lose weight. A friend of mine lost weight for a wedding following this theory.
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I am so glad you finally got your car back! I only recently discovered your blog and I have really been enjoying reading it. Thank you for sharing snippets of your life. I am still working hoping to retire in the next two years so I have found your comments regarding retirement and living on a fixed income quite helpful.
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Welcome Marilyn and how good of you to leave a comment and such a lovely one too. I hope you have a prosperous and healthy retirement when the time comes.
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Thank you!
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Do you know about the Headspace meditation app? I discovered it in the autumn and absolutely love it. I really like the voice of the male coach, who is the founder, Andy Puddicome. A house full of people is the most difficult setting in which to start a meditation programme, let alone continue one. I let mine slide over Christmas when my adult children were home (no grandchildren, so it wasn’t really that noisy, but I did spend a lot of time cooking!). Back on it today tho. No need to fret that you didn’t start when you meant to – you will get going and enjoy it when you do.
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Will look into it though I don’t use apps as I am not a phone user other than landline! I have quite a few different ones to go at but the Mindfulness for Health, which was free with the book by Vidyamal Burch and Denny Penman is the one I am using at the moment – the narrator has a very soothing unhurried voice.
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I guess we can’t do everything every day and the important thing is not to beat ourselves up about it, that is not terribly relaxing! I hope you can find a way to start what is so important to you soon and find a rhythm to your life that works.
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I am working on it.
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