Looking Forward to February

Outfit Details: Cardigan c/o Damart | Black Jeans from New Look (old) | Black top from Gap (old) | Boots from Lotus Shoes (old)

The tired face emoji (????) has been my preferred method of response to all types of communication this month. I don’t usually opt into the ‘January is the hardest month of the year’ camp; the weather doesn’t bother me and I usually feel enthused by the start of a brand new year. However this year, I really did feel the Christmas comedown and more annoyingly everyone I know, including myself, has been ill at one point or another. Needless to say, I am looking forward to February, and with it a new motivation for 2018. Here’s my hopes for the month ahead and things I’m looking forward to:

A new blog design It’s been a while since I’ve given the blog a makeover but the content has changed a lot over the last couple of years so I want a space that reflects that, and also a site that is easy to navigate and access 7 years of blog content. I’m looking forward to getting started!

The Roller Derby World Cup If you’ve ever been interested in Roller Derby (no doubt after watching the film Whip It) then you’re in luck. The BBC is showing coverage of the Roller Derby World Cup (hosted in Manchester this year) 1 – 4 February. Plus, in a few weeks my team, Halifax Bruising Banditas, play our first British Championship bout of the year. Exciting times! I’ve been proud of my progress the past few months, and I’m hoping I’ll get to play a lot of the Champs games this year. Cross those fingers!

Running I think it’s time to put my trainers back on. I stopped running when I had metatarsalgia last year. Even when my foot got better, I didn’t want to risk it flaring up again and missing Roller Derby training, so I put running on the back burner. I’ve had no issues with my foot for a while now, and Roller Derby training has been tough so I’m hoping a little bit of running (just a couple of times a week) won’t hurt. Running really did help me mentally and I’m lucky that I work from home, or close to it most of the time, so I can be flexible when I want to run (mid afternoon is my fave time). But there’s no pressure, I’ll be happy if I can get out just once next month!

Films Film is a big part of my life. I work for a cinema, studied film as part of my degree and I watch and have watched films on a daily basis since I can remember. I’d rather watch a film 100% of the time than do anything else. There are so many great film releases coming up (hello Lady Bird, Shape of Water and Isle of Dogs). But in the meantime I’ll be watching Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri this weekend. Have you watched it yet?

Hiking plans I say hiking as it sounds more impressive than walking. We’ve started chatting about our hiking plans for the year ahead (to raise money for Alzheimer’s). We’ve got Ben Nevis in our sights for the summer and to prepare for that we’re going to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks again, but faster (hopefully!) than before. Time to start planning!

Phone upgrade I’m super stoked (yes, I am 37 yrs of age) to finally be able to get a new phone at the end of February. Goodbye 24 month contract and my ridiculous data deal. My current phone has been turning itself off when it’s cold outside (useful in winter) so I’m crossing my fingers it will stay alive until I can upgrade. I have a list of new apps I want to download and a couple of phone accessories I’m going to add to my birthday list in March but most of all I’m looking forward to using a new camera and experimenting with video for Instagram and the blog. A new phone can’t come soon enough!

What are you looking forward to in February?