Last Tuesday afternoon began my slow, phased return to work within the office environment. It had been two months since I was last in the city. Since then “Grand Central Station”, formally New Street Station, has opened. The Frankfurt Christmas Market has also opened and the city centre was bustling, alive with people shopping, lunching, visiting and making their way to the office.
I was in awe of the new station, it looks wonderful, so clean, so bright, so modern. Lots of shops, restaurants and coffee bars for me to check out.
I’m looking forward to sampling the Tapas!
I will definitely be sampling the Fizz!!
Make mine a skinny cappuccino please 😊
Clean, bright and bustling.
I wish I had more time to explore but hopefully once I have returned to the office full time I can organise sometime to mooch to my hearts content.
Birmingham Grand Central I’m very impressed, you’ve done an excellent job, our city sure has some serious sparkle!
Oh how I have advised people in the past about taking care of themselves, not overworking, eating properly, getting more sleep, you know the kind of thing. As always, we are not so good at taking our own advice.
I’m tired, there, I admit it, the last two months have more or less worn me out. I empathise with carers so much more now that I have an understanding of their plight, looking after a loved one. I at least have the knowledge that Mom is recovering slowly from the broken hip and each day gains a little more power in her leg, gains independence and also confidence in her walking. I am still working from home but this week sees me begin a slow, phased return to the office, one afternoon only. But it has been very tiring, caring for my parents, cooking, cleaning, shopping, working the day job from home, catching up with studies and attempting to follow my love of singing.
I’ve not done badly, I have returned to Zumba class on Wednesday evening which I love. The music is so wonderful you just escape into that Latin Beat, the moves can be difficult but it really doesn’t feel like a work out and although I ache afterwards, it is a good ache. I’ve escaped for an hour for some me time and yes, that is important. At first I felt selfish at leaving the house to attend the class but my lovely Mom, bless her, said I needed to do something for myself and get out of the house.
Last week I returned to my vocal coaching and oh how good that felt. The drive there, the hour going through my breathing exercises, the vocal scales and then singing a couple of the songs I had been working on, it was like a release of the soul. Thankfully, although I had not been to my vocal coach since mid August, it seems I have not lost my pitch and my breathing hasn’t gone to pot, phew!! This week I have been learning “You raise me up”, surprisingly not many lyrics to this song but a lot of variation in notes.
These two small steps have helped me to feel like me again. I can see how easily it can be to get lost within yourself, when you are indoors 24/7 and suddenly plunged into a different life course. How apt that my current studies are about our perceived life course and our plans and how things we do, or perhaps things that happen to others can alter our lives.
Tomorrow afternoon I face the wide world of the city centre when I venture to the office for the first time since mid – September…I’ll keep you posted.
A week on and I can’t report a truly successful week of healthy eating. I slipped up more than once with a chocolate biscuit or three and all within a day of writing my blog post about getting motivated to eat a healthier diet and move more. The intention was there but I just couldn’t seem to resist the sweet choices, the odd crisp, chips, slice of cake…oh I could go on but I think you’ve got my drift. My best intentions didn’t manifest into reality. Well, that’s just the way it is, I tried but not hard enough, even when that biscuit hit my lips, I can’t say I enjoyed it but I couldn’t stop myself from eating it. I craved the chocolate, the sugar and felt yucky for doing so.
I’m not going to beat myself up for this almighty fail, I’m human, my willpower was non existent and that was that. I’m thinking that now you are expecting me to say I’ve given up. NO!! I have no intention of giving up. If anything my huge non healthy eating week has made me more determined to succeed.
For some reason almost every article I’ve looked at online or in a book or newspaper over the past few days has been about healthy eating and exercise. Someone somewhere wants me to see this!! I woke up Sunday morning inspired. I want to be healthy for a very long time to come. Actually I want to be healthier than I am now. I want to shake off that sluggish feeling for good, I want my body to sparkle with inner health and I want to stop putting too much fats, sugars and let’s face it, chemicals into my system.
Picture via Pinterest.
I need to be healthy to cope with my caring responsibilities, to carry out my day job, to find time to study and to follow my passion, singing.
I’ve been shopping, I’ve loaded my cupboards, fridge and freezer with good healthy food. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t any goodies…of course there are but these will be now taken in moderation and not as a staple requirement. I’m not going for immediate, total changeover because I know I won’t stick with that, I’ll get bored. I will however try, one meal at a time. I’ve done that for two days now. I feel good about that. All is not lost and perhaps my biscuit binge of last week was just what I needed to get me going this week.
Picture via Pinterest.
I’m off to a good start this week…let’s see how strength of mind and willpower perform from now on.
I love walking. Sometimes I love the idea of walking more than actually getting out there and walking. I suppose that is the lazy part of me talking myself out of getting my boots on and heading for the door. I think my longest walk was about 14 miles. I was in agony post walk. I had to lie on the floor to wriggle out of my trousers and even after a long soak in the bath, I hurt. However, it was a good feeling. The walk had taken all day but it also took in some wonderful views of the Staffordshire countryside, part of Cannock Chase with snow still lying on the ground and the unmistakable beauty of the late Winter evening drawing in at 4:30 pm, with a frosty, misty, low sun glare as we walked back to Lichfield. It was just magical.
There is something of an air of freedom when you go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a long country walk, sometimes a walk in the city at lunch time can clear your mind and put things in order. Things always seem to look a little better post walk. If I take a walk alone I like to listen to my music. I walk fast or slow depending on what comes on and what piece of music reflects my mood. Some days I don’t even hear the music my mind is so full of other things. Other days it is as if every song that plays is speaking to me personally; talking, advising, offering alternative action or giving me ideas and inspirations.
I took a walk this afternoon. It was a lovely Autumn day. Not sunny but it was dry, a little chilly and a gentle wind blew the leaves around my feet. It wasn’t a long walk, just half an hour. Autumn is such a beautiful season, watching nature prepare for the cold of Winter ahead and our urban landscapes change in front of our eyes. How many people really notice the beauty of what is taking place? People are busy, stressed out, on the go all the time but perhaps if they took time out for a walk, to view and breathe in the splendour of nature around them, they may feel a little less overwhelmed and a little more at peace.
I took a few photographs with my iPod of the changing trees. I’ve always loved trees I just wish I knew more about them, the names, their fruits, how they grow, where they grow…one of the most beautiful sounds to me is the wind rustling through the trees. Whether it is a huge gust or a timid blow, I think it sounds amazing.
My walk added real sparkle to my day today, it cleared my mind, made sense of my thoughts and made my face tingle in the cold. An all round positive result I think.
Dawn. The Sparkle Diaries. 