Welcome to Day 11 of the 30 Chic Days series. If you’ve just joined us, you can catch up
from Day 1 here.
I’m following a simple format, logging my day. The goals are:
Awareness of what I’m doing each day
Where I am placing my focus, and
Remembering what I want to achieve.
Here’s what I will be reporting on each day:
What I ate
What I wore
How I moved my body
What I read
My focus for the day
Day 11:
What I ate
Breakfast – Fresh
chopped banana, apple and mandarin, raw mixed nuts, Greek yoghurt, soy milk
latte
Morning tea – a
nut muesli-type bar and hot tea with trim milk.
Lunch – A gourmet
sausage roll with pretty salad with petals in it, Lime Saffron dressing,
leftover roast chicken on top, and half a raspberry lamington with tea
after. Yes, I loved yesterday’s lunch so
much, I had it again.
Dinner – Homemade
fish and chips with the last bit of the pretty salad, same dressing. Decaf coffee and a cocoa bliss ball.
What I wore
Heart-print cotton knit top, blue Diesel jeans and my Clarks
black suede ankle boots. Because we have
a shoe store, I like to have only a couple of pairs of shoes each season so
that I can wear what’s current. It’s a
bit different than I’d be if we didn’t have a shoe store where I would have a
wider variety. I don’t like to wear
something at work that we don’t stock anymore because a lot of ladies look at mine and say ‘they’re nice, where are they
in the store?’
How I moved
I walked two small parcels to the post office (about half an
hour in total), caught the bus that drops me off about ten minutes from home and, while I was preparing dinner did a
one-song-length late-1980s-style low impact aerobics mini-workout.
I was at home by myself and it was so much fun! I did all the old moves I could remember from
the classes I used to attend, and I even wished I had a Reebok step to use
(weren’t they great?). Then I realised I
could use actual stairs that lead up
to our bedroom and did a few moves on the bottom step, just for old times
sake. The song was Blurred Lines and I
tell you, when you’ve commited to a whole song, it’s actually quite long. Good fun.
I googled Reebok stepper and they’ve really gone quite fancy
compared with the first ones with the square stackers on each side. What a blast from the past!
What I read
I received a second-hand book I ordered recently. I’d had it out of the library before and I
tried to order it again because I remembered it as very soothing and pleasant
to read, but I found it had been discarded.
I ordered it from Thrift Books hoping it was as enjoyable as I’d
remembered (it was a low cost risk if it wasn’t and I donated it). It’s called The Guru’s Guide to Serenity – a me-time menu of celebrity stress
reducers by Lauren and Sharon House, and thankfully I still love it.
I like to dip into it and read a few pages at a time. It has lots of good ideas on ways to
de-stress and relax, and even reading the book feels like you’re in a spa – it’s
very soothing! There are also celebrity
tips on how they relax. I don’t know all
of the celebrities and it came out in 2004 so it’s not totally current, but I’ve
gained enticing ideas I’m going to try, and practices I want to revive (such as
getting a massage). It even has a
section on knitting (I’m a fan!). See if
your library has it and take a look for yourself.
My focus for the day
Not complaining! I
like to remind myself every so often.
What has made me think about it at the moment is that because we are
going into winter here in New Zealand, it’s been cold, plus quite rainy. We have sunny, bright blue (but still chilly)
days in between and I find it fascinating how people talk about the weather.
When it’s sunny everyone is happy, saying ‘isn’t it a
beautiful day, we’re so lucky’. However
when it’s raining or grey and cold, I’ll hear ‘isn’t it grotty out there’, ‘hope
you’re keeping out of the miserable wet weather’ or ‘what an awful day, so
depressing’.
If we’re going to complain about winter weather, we’re going
to spend at least a quarter of our entire life moaning! And it’s weather, it’s just there. Complaining won’t change it. I know I am a bit of an anomaly in that I
adore all kinds of winter weather and love nothing more than to be wrapped up
in cosy clothing, reading by the fire or going for a crisp-air walk, but I do
still complain about the weather sometimes and also label it as bad or good.
That stops today though!
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Are you joining in this 30 Chic Days Series too? If so, please mention this in the comments so
we can click through to your blog, or if you don’t have a blog and would like
to participate, you can let us know in the comments how your day went.
Hi Fiona,
ReplyDeleteI vowed to stop complaining about the weather about three years ago. So far, I have managed to stick to this about 90% of the time, however I must add, I do not like Winter. Cold saps my energy.
Catherine
Hi Fiona
ReplyDeleteI love winter time, although it is nowhere near as cold here in Brisbane Australia as it is in New Zealand. I love it when the humidity has gone and we get to wear boots and scarves and snuggle up in blankets. I seem to have more energy during winter as the heat and humidity of summer makes me melt. Thanks for your lovely posts.
I try not to complain too...I have a family member and a friend who are both battling cancer and I think my issues are so small in comparison so I have learned to let those thoughts go...
ReplyDeleteyour lunch spunds yummy!
Catherine, you are way ahead of me! Maybe some of us are more cool weather or hot weather people. For me, hot weather is way more energy sapping.
ReplyDeleteKim, my pleasure! I love winter snuggling too.
Hostess, news like that totally puts things in perspective. We're so lucky to have good health.
Very uplifting post Fiona. I love what you've said about not complaining about the weather. I always have a bit of weather envy when reading your posts when we are on different seasons and experiencing very different weather. I long for the cold when it's hot and vice versa...why not enjoy what is today....great point!
ReplyDeleteI love that you will eat the same meal two days in a row. I often do the same - I first started when I lived alone as it was convenient (cooking for one and working full time) and still do it ten years on. I can't do it for three days in a row, though. Aren't we funny with our little ways !
ReplyDeleteThanks for explaining about your shoe regime - I had wondered why you wore the same black boots each day. I loooooove shoes (and handbags) and my hubbie thinks I was a centipede in a past life. When I was working I took great pride in ensuring my shoes and handbags were on high rotation. Even though I have less then in past years - preferring quality over quantity - I don't like to wear the same shoes two days in a row.... another of my funny little ways.
Your lunch sounds delicious. I'm currently caring for someone recovering from major surgery and we have been eating smaller, more frequent meals to cater for their diminished appetite whilst ensuring wholesome, fresh, home cooked foods. We are both benefitting, I'm sure. I loved laminations as a child (without cream) and the pink ones were a particular favourite..... hmm it's not hard to see why it's been such a struggle to reduce the sugar in my diet ;)
I, too, did aerobics in the 90s - and Jazzercise in the 80s - wearing all sorts of gaudy Lycra numbers. Thank goodness the are no photos of us with our big fringes and g-string leotards !! I loved your writings of dancing in the house pre dinner. I used to jump and dance with our family dog as a teen - he was so tolerant and would allow me to hold his front 'hands'. I don't think my cat would allow me to do same, though ha ha.
I am really enjoying your daily writings. It is pouring rain outside - we are expecting anoth 'East Coast Low' here in Australia this weekend, our second in three weeks. Locals have battened down the hatches and stocked their fridges in preparation for being flooded in as our rural roads go underwater. I'm relishing the prospect of reading in bed all day. As you say, it's all a matter of perspective :)
Keep up the musings xx
With shoes, I often advise customers to have two pairs to rotate (many men use the same pair five days a week) as they'll keep their shape and look better for longer. I'd be like you with shoe rotation if we didn't have a shoe store.
ReplyDeleteAah, the g-string leotard over knee-length leggings, those were the days ;) Your dog-dancing sounds so cute. Perhaps you could hold cat in your arms... like that would work!
Keep safe in the weather and enjoy your enforced cosy time. Thanks for your lovely comment, Lara!
Stephanie, me too! Weather envy!
ReplyDelete