Reflections - Some of my favourites of 2015

I was wondering what might be a fitting way to mark the close of 2015 and the start of 2016 here on the blog...
I decided that the best and most positive way was to create two posts; one listing some of my (slightly random and more blog-friendly) favourite things/events of the year and another post talking about the things I've learned from this year. It's a nice way to reflect on the past year and take stock of what has been a mammoth of a year.
So, without further ado, and in the immortal words of Julie Andrews - these are a few of my favourite things (from 2015).

• Family and friends - they have to go top of this list! 

• Freckles

• The plethora of Agatha Christie whodunnits on Radio Four Extra to mark 125 years since the great authoress was born

• Dark 'n' Stormy cocktails

• This tiny snippet of TV gold 

• Sharing recipes with friends - always love to try new and exciting foods, although there's no pre-requisite for the food to be either new or exciting

• Spelling

• The London Legal Walk - and everything that happened as a result 

• The countryside

• Netflix - oh so many hours indulging my love of trash TV and rewatching classics like The Thick Of It

• The word "Yes"

• The word "No"

• Reaching the two-years-since-I-was-discharged milestone

• Talking all night

• Sleeping all night

• Getting a job that I love 

• Walking

• Holidays (especially if they come with a surprise room upgrade and are a decade overdue)

• Singing in the Royal Albert Hall again

• Writing essays and taking exams - not always my favourite thing to do, but worth an honourable mention as I spent so much of the first part of 2015 doing them!

• The Self-Love Series

• Realising I have more than one shoulder to cry on

• Discovering the band Chvrches: going to see them live and getting tickets for their special gig next year at the RAH

• London

• A Summer of watching cricket and drinking beer

• Finding pilpel and their amazing falafel 

• Robing rooms and court rooms

• Dancing (with or without shoes)

• Being surprised by my new love of watching the Tour de France

• Puns

• Theatre-going 

• Tea - all day erryday

• Celebrating whenever and wherever you can

...and so much more! 

What are some of your favourite things of 2015? 

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Walking for your health: Suffolk in the sun

I spent a couple of days back in the county I grew up in last week and went for a much needed and desired country walk. I enjoyed the walk so much that I thought I would write a quick post about the different benefits that can be found through walking.

I have recently made my home in the city but was raised in a little village in the countryside so I do crave green, wide-open spaces to walk in or just 'be' sometimes. The gym is all well and good for working out more intensely but nothing can live up to breathing in fresh air, cocooning yourself in nature and exploring your surroundings. I think we should all try to incorporate a bit of a walk into our daily routines. Whether it be getting off the tube/bus/train one stop early, going to get your lunch at the shop further down the road or even going for a 20 minute stroll on your lunch break. It does (most) people a whole lot of good getting the body moving and it's also great for your psyche. I have found that, although I may feel more tired after a walk, I do feel more cheery and spritely. It can be a great way to switch off as well. By changing your environment you can also help to change your mindset and by paying attention and becoming more mindful of your new surroundings your brain will be able to let go more easily of what has been absorbing it beforehand.

Views from the Stour Valley: the raging river, Constable skies, village churches and country lanes.

From the sublime (clock-wise first three photos) to the ridiculous (getting stuck in the mud in the last photo.)

Wildlife out in force. From waterfowl to farm animals to hares...

For me, going on a proper 1-2 hour walk feels like a real indulgence especially when I'm in London as it can take some planning for me to think where would be a lovely place for a walk. However I have found so much pleasure and excitement from exploring the more built up areas of London just as much as taking a walk in one of the parks this city has to offer. I would imagine that those of you who also live in cities and bigger towns may feel the same way. The hustle and bustle of people, the mixture of the new and the old, the interesting and often surprising buildings that are waiting just around the corner, the hodgepodge of working and living spaces.

There can be beauty in graffiti just as there is beauty in a spray of cherry blossom. There can be pleasure in the sound of rain on pavements just as there's pleasure in birdsong. There are the delicious smells of cooking food which are as fragrant as the tang from fresh-cut grass and banks of flowers.  There is life in the people you pass on the streets just as there is life in the fields and hedges of the countryside.

Wherever you walk, however you walk and whoever you walk with, open your eyes and minds to what is before you. Not only may it surprise you but it will encourage you to continue walking towards that which you find attractive/energising/interesting/puzzling.

Walking isn't only good for the mind and the body but it's good for the soul too!