2018

My apologies for the lengthy delay between blog updates, I have reasons - not so much excuses - but reasons. I’ve been doing other things. I find hand writing my entries first lets me connect more with what I’m saying and I’m not immediately faced with all my spelling and grammatical errors staring and yelling at me with their angry scribbly orange and green lines.  Its blissful ignorance lets me clear my head and concentrate as I write to you.

This is what I’ve been up to in the last few months. I’m going to say it all here and now so that when I come visit late Feb, you’re up to speed.

October... 

was fairly run of the mill, I honestly can’t remember anything remarkable to tell you. Let’s just skip along now.

November... 

on the other hand I had my driving course. It was 4 weeks of being away from patients and learning how to drive a massive, 7 tonne truck down small English roads at +60mph. Firstly, after 1.5 years of attending to nuisance patients it was refreshing to get a break from that. Secondly, a 9-5 Mon-Fri job is definitely not for me. Oh, I don’t know how people enjoy this. Just trundling along for 5 days and waiting for 2. Just 2. People live just 2 days a week. I hope you all love your work, because then it doesn’t seem like work. I hope you love what you do. And wake up most mornings excited to get back to it. I saw a film that said don’t have but a ‘nice’ day, have a day that matters, one that’s true and direct and honest. Every day we’re born again, and it’s what we do on this day that matters. We can hope and plan for tomorrow but today is what we can actively change.

I passed my exams with flying colours and now I can split the shifts in half with my crewmate. I maxed out my data the first week of my driving at work, because I would just sit in the front waiting for my crewmate to finish up with the patient and paperwork so I could drive to either the hospital or the next patient. I didn’t have data for 4 days. And no I didn’t want to spend more money buying more data because really, I shouldn’t be on my phone that much anyway. No one should. I hate being so dependant on it. I bought a Sudoku book instead and am now taking my novels as well. Resolution #1: read more, use less technology.

December... 

was busy, one hell of a month jam-packed with activity.  I spent so much time in town that it made me realise I should utilise the fact that I live in London more often. I hit up town with some girls, which I love. I love window shopping and eating desserts at lunchtime and seeing all the Christmas decorations! I love a hot Christmas but the cold is so much better. The magic, Christmas magic is everywhere and it starts later November and ends sometime in Feb. Every single street and every store is covered in twinkle lights and baubles and tinsel, every tree is made to look like a Christmas tree and there’s music in every store oh, and my favourite part, little carts roll their way around town and into our hearts selling MULLED WINE. And, it’s lesser-known cousin but equally as delicious MULLED CIDER! The English like to drink all through the day for no better reason than someone just shouted ‘PUB’ and Christmas just makes it even more impossible to go a day without alcohol. Feeling giddy before noon had never been easier.

My Christmas present was having Berni come visit me and it was perfect. I was over the moon. My present was Berni! It felt so weird because it didn’t feel as if it had been 9 months, it just felt so natural. I took her shopping and to filming locations around London and it’s surrounding shires. I hated seeing her go but I’ll see you a month, Berni!

Day one of 2018 began the way I plan on spending the rest of the year – Resolution #2: treating myself to what I want, because I want it, because I deserve it.  I took Berni to a fancy, schmancy French restaurant and then the Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. It was beautiful and we were speechless and I could tick it off my bucket list. Next expensive cultural bucket list tab to tick is the opera. Stay tuned.

I’m almost finished swapping people around at work so I can be with the crewmate I want (I’m shifty, yes but I’m tired of not having any control over what happens to me so I’m taking a stand). I think it’ll be another week and then my rota will be locked in for the next 12 months and guess what that means… I’M PLANNING HOLIDAYS! I want to hit my 30 Before 30 – visit 30 countries before I turn 30 and I only have just over a year to reach my target. Early this year I’m thinking Israel and Jordan. I’m hitting up Morocco and Portugal with Berni around May/June. I’m thinking a nice escape around October to Turkey, and then whenever I’m bored and that travel bug comes back with a vengeance I’ll just have to jet away somewhere just for the hell of it. Just because on this rota I’ll be on, every 6ish weeks I’ll have 7 days off. Which means more stamps in my passport and a healthier mental state for me.

I joined a gym and have a workout plan I like. Had to buy new active wear because I threw nearly everything away when I gave up fitness last year, except my hiking stuff, man I love hiking. And made a playlist, the most eclectic iron-pumping playlist I could create and it’s great. I do like.

Currently reading: A Man Called Ove.

Currently listening to: Demi Lovato, Stereophonics and A Day to Remember.

Currently eating: capsicums stuffed with Jamie Oliver lentils and chickpeas and Wispa chocolates and StarMix lollies.

Currently drinking: my coffee order these days is now a small, soy cappuccino with an extra shot, and at home it’s matcha tea.

Current hair colour: look, the colour was called Rich Chocolate but honestly it started off barely brunette, now it’s a tad red and it’s fading somehow.

I journal most days, helps clear my head.

I do yoga nearly every day – meditating doesn’t work for me.

I need to be a better friend this year. I dropped the ball last year but I’m picking my socks up in 2018. I’ll be sending packages and writing cards and just being there a little more. My apologies for 2017, I just coasted through and let life pass. I’m taking the reigns on my life this year though.

Back onto night shifts, first time since July and they’re brutal. 6 nights, egh, exhausting. At least I’m on Aussie time though.

Fare thee well.