Thoughts on 2016 and The Year Ahead

Outfit details at the bottom of the post

Happy New Year chums! Check me out looking all thoughtful in the photo above. How are we all? Survive your first week back to work or are you still making the most of your holidays like me?

I was planning on spending my final few days of annual leave writing blog posts and preparing for going back to work but it turns out I’m still in holiday mode. I figure I’m best enjoying the long walks and naps, chilled out afternoons and late nights while I can. But I did want to pop by and say hello because this is a happy space after all. Although I feel I’ve put 2016 to rest, I want to make sure I remember the good in those 12 months. Leave on a positive note and all that jazz. So here’s the moments that stayed with me…

1| My skates and I went on a road trip to Preston and we skated half a marathon. I got a certificate and everything. The ice cream afterwards tasted amazing.

2| I watched great films including Hunt for the Wilderpeople, American Honey, Under the Shadow, Elle and 10 Cloverfield Lane to name a few. Films continue to surprise and inspire me and I am beyond grateful to work for an independent single screen cinema that showcases over 20 amazing films each month. If you do anything new this year, watch a film you wouldn’t ordinarily choose to watch at a cinema and take your friends to discover new films too.

3| I learnt new software skills including InDesign and Photoshop for work (and loved it).

4| We discovered Calderdale via walks with Polly. We always walked but never as much than with Polly. Walking daily with our Golden Retriever has changed my days for the better. She’s the business.

5 | I visited family in Australia and had the most relaxing holiday.

6| Hebden Bridge slowly began putting itself back together again after the 2015 Boxing Day floods and in December, the town won Best British High Street for Small Market Town. I think that deserves a round of applause.

7| I saw PJ Harvey live (and cried when she came on stage, like a weirdo).

8| I started running and enjoyed it. Wuh?!

9| We went to End of the Road Festival and saw amazing new bands, we ate the best Pad Thai and drank red wine from a box like a pro.

10| We found out what was going on with my Dad. Yes, having Alzheimer’s officially sucks, but now we can stop guessing and begin piecing together a new story. Needless to say this year I want to make the most of my time with the folks. I have a great support network around me, a cupboard stocked with gin and a Roller Derby track to skate out my woes.

11| We waved ‘Bon Voyage’ to the OH’s brother and sister-in-law as they set off on their travels throughout Europe. I’m now counting the months till they return!

12| We paid another year of mortgage payments!

13| I passed my Roller Derby minimum skills test and a week before Christmas too. I will never stop smiling about this.

14| We visited art galleries, museums, wineries, Roller Derby bouts and so much more. More culture in 2017 please!

Outfit: Hannah Jacket c/o Celuu (reduced to £35) | Jeans via New Look| Celebrity Faces T-Shirt via Very Exclusive | Clarks brogues c/0 Brantano | Brave Backpack via Matt and Nat

As for this year, I’m still mulling it over. I’ve had such a relaxing and restorative break that I wanted to focus on just the present for now. I figure we spend too much of our days planning for the future that we forget about the day set in front of us. And if I’ve learnt anything from 2016 it’s that life doesn’t care too much about our plans.

I’ll be using the whole of January to work on goals/ideas for the rest of the year. So far this month though it’s been a peach. I’ve enjoyed a trip to Edinburgh with my buddy (more on that next week), I’ve walked miles, napped for hours, played Roller Derby with my team mates and got my PB at my first ever Park Run (31 mins is good for me!). Not a bad start.

So, how have you been?