Starting Over....

January....a month for new beginnings and sorting out priorities. This is my time to reevaluate what is important and what is not. I am beginning this new year positively and I mean it to continue this way. I want to prioritise my time this year, doing what will keep me calm and balanced which will in turn help keep everyone else calm and balanced in the house!!

We had a lovely relaxing Christmas and although we were all affected by the dreaded lurgy we have come out of it the other side feeling refreshed. Spending down time with the family was great. Due to the weather and the fact that we all had colds meant we didn't feel obliged to rush around. We basically holed up over much of the Christmas break only venturing out when we had to. A few days over New Year were spent with my parents where we were totally spoiled!

Yesterday brought a return to routine with everyone returning fully to work and school. This left me with the freedom to work on my "resolution" for this year....get back into a regular routine of running. Over the last few years I have grown to love running, for two reasons....(1) it helped me lose a lot of weight and keeps me in shape, and (2) it is the best anti-depressant I know of. I have blogged before about the battle with depression I have faced and still face on occasion. I have been on heavy, heavy doses of medication, I have seen counsellors and psychiatrists and I have needed all these. They have had their place in my recovery. However, since I have begun to get physically fitter I have been able to come off medication permanently (under doctor's supervision). I find when I run my head feels so much clearer. When I have periods when I am not running regularly I can feel my moods dip quite dramatically. Unfortunately for the last six months or so I have been nursing a knee injury so I haven't been out as much as I'd like. Before Christmas I was getting increasingly irritable and down. My problem was I tried to run too far when I did go out. I was able to manage the distance but maybe afterwards could not run for weeks and weeks. I came to the conclusion over Christmas that the distance I ran did not matter as long as I ran regularly. So, while at my parents, I tried at very tentative, and mainly flat 5km. I managed it really well. This gave me the encouragement to do it again, so yesterday I ran my route around home...which is VERY hilly! I did my 5km...slower than I used to do it but not by much, but at least there was little problem with my knee and I plan to try again tomorrow. My mood is so much lighter when I do this!

These are some of my running vistas....photographs not taken by me but scrounged off the internet (much more capable photographers than I!! Also I admire Bunny Mummy who can run AND take photographs.....I can't stop when running or I'd never start again!! Hee Hee)

The view on my way "out"...looking towards Belfast and the docks

Harland and Wolff in the distance

The run "in"...looking up Belfast Lough towards Carrickfergus...

....and on a clear day on the far horizon, Scotland

As well as running I have been crafting. I finally finished my Trapeze Tunic, Ravelled here.  I am really pleased with how it has turned out and it has got quite a lot of wear already.

 

I had some of the wool left over so decided to crochet a scarf with it. The pattern was the Seashell pattern from  Cute and Easy Crochet. I obviously didn't make a chunky version. My wool was DK so I used a smaller hook. I like the finished result and have stashed away as a Christmas pressie for next year!

I have been looking through my craft things and have decided that I AM NOT ALLOWED to buy anything more until I have used up at least some of my stash....if I stick to this I won't spend anything for the next twenty years!!! I even dredged up copious cross-stitch kits and have started to do a little of this again! Keep an eye on this space to see what (if any?!) I get done! :)

After the running is done and the crafting is done, if there is any other time before school pick ups maybe I'll do some sorting and cleaning......maybe........