The weekend that was

The weekend included but was not limited to: bowling at Dog Bowl (I sucked), drinking Negronis at Gorilla, dinner with friends, watching Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead (I am obsessed with it) and, last but by no means least, a trip to the amazing Levenshulme Market (4th Saturday of every month. If you live locally then you really should give it a try) for (deep breath!)... sausages, lovely tea, pide, dukkah, steak, chutney, sweet chilli gloop, game and ham hock scotch eggs, mini baked cheesecakes (peanut butter and chocolate orange, oh mama!), cheese, rye bread, potato cakes and some of Ginger's amazing Chorlton Crack ice cream. That's salted caramel and peanut butter to you and it is incredible. Truly.

So, there was food. A lot of food. My eternal battle with my waistline is well documented here. I've lost a lot of weight, I've gained a fair bit of it back. I yo-yo up and down, depending on what week it is, what plans I have and where my head's at. In the past couple of weeks I've been trying to focus more on how I feel and whether I'm happy, rather than just the number on the scales. It seems to be working. While I still miss the iron willpower days of 2010 (seriously, that girl was ridiculously strong-willed), right now I think I'm ok with just doing what I'm doing. I eat healthily (90% of the time), I drink 3 litres of water a day, I drink alcohol infrequently and I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.

I think sometimes I just need to be a bit kinder to myself. I should celebrate my triumphs and the things that I do well, rather than just focussing on my weaknesses (cheese, fyi, always and forever).

Starting over, once again

Over the last few months, or longer if I'm being totally honest, I've lost my way with this whole blogging thing. I've been massively overthinking it and, as a result, I've just ended up writing nothing at all. I first started this blog after a very bad break up. It was my outlet for how I was feeling and it helped me to find my way through a very bleak time. Then I lost a lot of weight and this blog became a place where I posted about my outfits and other frivolous things.

And now? Well, I think it's time for a bit of an update. For reasons unknown to me, I stopped writing about personal things here and, whilst I don't want to go back to the heady and ridiculously emotional over-sharing days of 2008/2009 (there be monsters), I do want to start sharing a bit more here. My favourite blogs to read are those where you get a sense of who the person is and what their life is really like. I'd like this place to become more like that again.

So, here goes... I'm 31. A whole five years older than I was when I began CYH. I'm in a long distance relationship that is soon to become non-long distance. The Soldier is moving in with me in July and he will be The Ex-Soldier by then. Yikes! I am two stone heavier than I was at the end of 2010 and not pleased about it all. I have a job that sucks the life out of me and leaves me completely exhausted, but I'm thankful for it all the same. According to the Sunday Times, I live in the 8th most hip and upcoming place in the country. Whilst I would never describe Levenshulme as hip, I do love living here, very very much. I currently have an unhealthy obsession with Miista shoes, Masterchef, homemade coleslaw, counting down the days until the weekend, iced americanos with sugar free hazelnut syrup, expensive candles, planning dream holidays and Bonobo's new album. I am very, very happy most of the time but just occasionally I am filled with crippling self-doubt. I never get enough sleep.

So, that's me. What's new with you?

Belfasting

Just a few cheeky little Instagram snaps from my long Easter weekend in Belfast with The Soldier. We ate (Boojum, Alley Cat, Hudson, Sakura), drank (The John Hewitt, The Northern Whig, The Crown Liquor Saloon), walked miles, slept well and long, ate chocolate eggs, watched Game of Thrones, saw the Warhol exhibit at The MAC and went to the Ulster Museum.

Just lovely.