10 days

Things I have learnt in the last 10 days:


--- 1000 miles can make all the difference and provide a surprising amount of clarity
--- Sometimes, you just need to say what's in your heart. The answer is largely irrelevant
--- The 30 Day Shred is hard. But makes me feel like a machine. Grr
--- The number on the scales is less important than how I feel about myself
--- Taking a chance can pay off, although may result in hard decisions to be made
--- My life is bloody lovely, just as it is. But there's nothing wrong with wanting more


Ooh, it's been a while since I've been cryptic, hasn't it?


And now, a song...

Outfit Post: Homecoming

Happy Saturday everyone!

I'm back at my parents' house for a week, dogsitting, and am making the most of having a beautiful garden again. Sometimes my little yard just doesn't quite cut it. Sorry yard, you know I love you really.

So far this morning I've been for a 3km run (easing myself back into it after the Great Manchester Run), done Day Four of the 30 Day Shred, eaten scrambled eggs on toast and watched Saturday Kitchen. Perfect. The 30 Day Shred is... hard. The first time I did it I didn't really struggle too much but now some parts of it SLAY me. However, I've gone from not even being able to do a modified press-up, to being able to do a few  proper press-ups. In four days. I have high hopes for the rest of it! I'm absolutely loving my new found exercise regime and am just hoping that my motivation continues. I'm seeing some benefits already and that, coupled with eating properly and no alcohol for ten days, means that I'm feeling pretty damn amazing.

These socks are the new loves of my life. They don't photograph particularly well but they're lurex gold/bronze glittery type affairs. Basically, my perfect socks. I'm all about the gaudy. Pair them with leopard print tights and BAM! Ludicrous legs.

For summer I've decided to stop fighting against my hair and just let it do what it wants to do. And what it wants to do is be CURLY. Yes, this is what my hair looks like when left to dry naturally. Curly Sue. I used to absolutely loathe it but, now I've lost weight, I actually quite like it. It simply used to add to the gargantuan proportions of my face, you see. Even if I do bother to straighten it, it always finds a way to curl again within a matter of hours, so I shall stop wasting my time.


What are your plans for this glorious weekend?

Top - Alexa Chung x Madewell

Skirt - H&M

Boots - Doc Martens

Socks - Tabio

Tights - River Island

Cardigan - New Look

Necklace - Stolen Thunder

Shredded

Dudes. I'm getting fat. Again.


It's hard for me to write this but I'm eleven pounds heavier than I was before Christmas. ELEVEN POUNDS. This displeases more than you can ever know. Hence why I'm putting it out there on THE INTERNET. So that it forces me to sort myself out and step away from the takeaways. Since I've been living on my own it's just become all too easy to order in, rather than make the meals that I know are good for me. I've finally got to the point where I'm disgusted with myself so it's onwards and upwards from here.

I did the Great Manchester Run on Sunday and, whilst I was pleased to finish it at all (I've never been a natural runner), I was annoyed with myself for not training enough and for not finishing in a good enough time. I'm ridiculously competitive at times and am infuriated that I didn't do it in under an hour. I totally loved the experience though and I think I might actually adore running a little bit now.

It's seven and a half weeks until I go on holiday (MARBS <3) and so I have a plan. This plan is called exercise. Lots of it. Oh, and eating well, obviously.

With that in mind I started the 30 Day Shred today and, whilst it wasn't quite as hard as I expected it to be, I know that my thighs will be agony in the morning. Jillian Michaels is my nemesis for the next 30 days and beyond. I have a bit of a girl crush on her actually. SHOUT AT ME JILLIAN, PLEASE. Ahem. I'm also signed up for a 5k in three weeks time and I'd really like to do it in under 30 minutes. I'm being badgered by my friend T to do a ten mile run in October and am seriously considering it. RUNNING WILL SAVE ME.

I'm bored of being flabby, bored of being overweight and bored of feeling rubbish about it. My body confidence actually soared towards the end of last year. I was thinner than I'd been in about 15 years and felt amazing. A few words sent me crashing right back down and that's where I've been ever since. Hence the takeaways. When I feel rubbish, I eat rubbish. It's the ultimate vicious cycle.

But I'm done with it now.

London Calling

Things I love about London:

Delicious boys in well cut suits
Falling (fleetingly) in love on every tube journey
Snoozing in Green Park
The South Bank in the sun
Frozen yoghurt shops
Brick Lane bagels


On Wednesday I hopped on another train to London (yes, twice in a week!) and spent a far-too-short 27 hours in our nation's capital. Every time I visit it gets harder and harder to leave. Sigh. As much as I adore Manchester (and I really, really do), part of me just thinks that maybe there's more out there...

The rest of this week has included Leon (still my favourite film), fish curry and Bombay potatoes (homemade, of course), resenting work, eating healthily with minimal alcohol consumption (loving it) and the buying of far too many things for the house. Tonight is a Eurovision party at my friend A's and tomorrow is the 10K RUN OF DOOM. Wish me luck!


How are your weekends treating you, my treasures?

The Weekend #3

This weekend I:

• Went to stay with my BEAUTIFUL friend Sammy. We ate vodka jelly shaped like a dog, danced to Rihanna in Clapham, laughed A LOT and ate far too much amazing food
• Took lots of photos of Lola, one of Sammy's cats. So. Cute
• Sat in the garden and basked in the London sunshine
• Took approximately seven bazillion photos of us in the same pose. It's the scattergun approach. Take enough photos and one is bound to be nice. In theory. Soz about the cleavage shot by the way. My boobs cannot be controlled.

Not pictured: The three shots of black sambuca that we downed in quick succession on Saturday night; the Body Pump class that we did on Saturday morning... my thighs are still agony; The Chinese food we ate on Friday night... I think I ate approx eight ducks all by myself; The 12 episodes of Gossip Girl series four that we watched (Chuck 4LYFE); The extreme fatigue that resulted in me nearly missing my train stop on the way home.


How were your weekends, little ones?

Licence to ill

I'm poorly.


I was awake for most of the night with a sore throat, headache and hot and cold flushes. Then, when I did eventually get some sleep, I woke up with swollen glands and aching all over. My skin hurt to touch and when I tried to get out of bed to get some painkillers I cried because of the pain. Truly grim.

I eventually made it downstairs to the painkillers and lemsip at about 11am and I've been in and out of sleep for most of the day. I am feeling a bit better now but I feel very spaced out and just not myself at all. I'm really not used to being ill and I hate taking time off work. I'm a terrible patient and have been getting frustrated all day as I've had no coordination and kept dropping things. Being ill when you live on your own truly sucks.

I had lots of posts planned for this week but, as usual, life has got in the way and I'm off to London tomorrow for the weekend, so there'll be nothing from me until early next week.

Yours, feeling very sorry for herself,

Helen xx

Outfit Post: Red, White and Blue

So, did we all enjoy the Royal Wedding then?


I, for one, had a whale of a time. My friend E had a party and we wore red, white and blue, ate scones and cakes, drank Pimms and gin and then ventured into Manchester for the Northern Quarter Street Party. Basically one of the best days ever then! Yesterday was spent recovering, getting my hair done (it took three hours and barely looks any different!) and then having a picnic at the seaside, with the salt air and sand thus negating the fact I'd had my hair done. Hurrah.

The corgi necklace was a bargainous purchase in an Anna Lou of London half price flash sale last last year. It was made to be worn on the day of a Royal Wedding! The last nine days have been so much fun and I can't quite believe that I've got to go back to work on Tuesday. As usual, I will be returning far more tired than I left. And much poorer. Oops.

What did you get upto on Friday? Or did you avoid the whole shebang?

Hat - ASOS

Jeans & Top - Topshop

Sandals - Swedish Hasbeens x H&M

Cardigan - New Look

Necklace - Anna Lou of London