New Aspirations...

It's been a few months - life's been hectic travelling to the wilds of East London (or South Essex depending on who you talk to) for work and to be  honest I haven't had the energy or inclination to write.  But it hasn't been all doom, gloom  and traffic jams! As for the last two months, my work life has (temporarily) had  a pattern to it as my secondment slowly came to an  end (this will soon change - life will be busy again but that is how I like it!).  So I seized the moment and joined Slimming World properly.  As those have read my previous post will know, since my initial success and then  plateau on the Dukan, three years ago(!), I have struggled to find the focus and  found that the Dukan whilst good was not a long term fit - whilst I still only  eat low fat dairy and proteins but I love carbs and am a picker! So I put back on the weight I had originally lost (but not anything extra - I'm  learning it's about t...

As previously mentioned I have been joining in with the #NYNYStyleProject over on Instagram/Twitter on and off since it started and this month they added a weekly style prompt of Manicure Monday's.  I have been following this prompt to a point - I have been painting my toes as I can't wear opaque nail polish at work, in fact I when working clinical shifts I avoid it, which is a shame as I love Gelish and swear that it the Gelish manicure I had back in the summer really helped improve the condition of my nails.  My nails/cuticles/hands have become quite dry over the last few years - where once my nails grew quickly and the skin on my hands was soft and plump, because my job involves a lot of handwashing - it has effectively ruined my hands.  Infection control in my clinical role is key - but did you know that good handwashing technique is just one way to prevent germs from harbouring on your hands - the other thing you must do is look after your skin and nai...

As some of you may know or may have guessed from the page address I have a artistic side and love working in different mediums - I find painting a cathartic release and there are times like this week where I itch to pick up a paint brush and wile away the hours!  I don't claim to be anywhere near as talented as my dear friend Georgina over at GeoLith - a trained artist who is fabulously talented and worth a visit or Clare - an amazing tattoo artist!  But if do have my own talents, which can be seen (and purchased) at my FB page LaharaArt or my etsy store.  Of late my work has been child orientated, as I have been commissioned for bedroom art and baby shower gifts.  However, my more grown up work leans towards a underwater/sea theme and I am really in love with Georgia O'Keeffe and would love to go on an artistic retreat in New Mexico to see the landscape and sights from which she drew her inspiration. I have stood in front of ...

The last few weeks have flown by and whilst I haven't had time to take pics and write about it I have been following #FashionFridayPlusSize and I have also been very excited for September's #NYNYStyleProject prompts over on Instagram.  Both have really made me look at what I am wearing and on non-clinical days have encouraged me make an effort at work as well as on my days off at home... I think I am beginning to find my style again! I just now need to feel physically comfortable in my clothing and aim for the lower end of the double dress sizes - but that's a blog for another day...  Here is my chosen outfit of the week, which encompassed the style prompt of Black Boots...  1. Black longline cardigan - Next  2. Black and White flecked skater dress - Primark 3. Black leggings (hidden out of picture) - New Look 4. Black wedge heel ankle boots - New Look (which later got replaced by black ballet pumps as I wasn't comfortable driving in them)  Finished off with my ...

For those who don't know, I was diagnosed with ME/CFS eight years ago.  I would describe my level of ME as low to medium, I keep it at bay by pushing myself and trying take things slowly but not stopping completely and taking pain relief when needed (it use to be everyday but I can't deal with the additional irritability and grogginess!) The job I do is definitely not ideal, it involves long shifts/night shifts, but it is a field which I am passionate about and which gives me the drive to move on and make the most of my own life, as I witness overcoming their fears and ailments.  Granted, there are tough times like this week where because of work stresses and financial worries, on top of the physical side of work/life, I can feel a crash coming on but after living with this for so long I am able to recognise my own triggers and put into place contingency plans to hopefully put on the breaks - usually by booking a week off every couple of months to give me a ch...

With still no hot water it has been a challenge to feel glam over the last week or so, but on Sunday, L and I were invited over to lunch with one of my oldest friends... Whilst we only love 30 minutes apart, our hectic lives mean that we rarely get to see each other, but when we do it's like nothing has changed and we are back to being teenagers. We use to work together for the now redundant shoe shop 'Stead and Simpson' and it was there we became close - over a love of shoes and Sunday afterwork cocktails  We are so similar, yet so different - J is very glam and a real die hard girlie, with a love of make up, sparkle and fun. She has always inspired me to make an effort with my appearance, and introduced me to Stila lip polish many moons ago - something I can not live without now!  So when I knew we were going to be seeing her on Sunday, I wanted to make sure that I was bright and colourful but comfortable enough to play in the garden and the park with L!  So out came my...

It's been over a week now since we have had hot water... When it first happened last weekend, I thought 'oh that won't be a problem, we have boiler insurance, it'll all be sorted by mid week'... I was WRONG!  The boiler repair man came out on Wednesday, took one look at the boiler and told me yes he could fix it BUT wouldn't be doing it that day(!) as he couldn't touch the Magnaclean filter that is fitted to the pipes as it isn't covered . Yet, such filters (particularly this make) is now recommended by Heateam and insurers, to prevent scale and sludge messing up the boiler and causing insurers a big payout!  However, he'd come back and fix the £400 worth of parts, that had been caused by water damage from a leaking Magnaclean,  once we had got a independent plumber out to fix it (like this was a favour!) Queue much too-ing and fro-ing with Domestic and General, the people on their claims team tried their best, they have agreed that the te...