What Sophie Said

Well, Monday, here we are again. The start of a working week, the first early morning after the weekend... Mondays have a bad reputation. But recently I've warmed to them. Because yes, we have to get up early and go to work, but it also feels like a weekly opportunity to have a bit of a 'fresh start'. We're all guilty of putting good intentions on the back burner, or saying we'll start tomorrow, next week, next month, next year... I'm trying to view Mondays as a brand new little opportunity every week. Every week I want to think of one new thing to implement, whether it's to do more exercise, ring one friend for a catchup, or spend longer reading a book. By introducing little habits in isolation, but often, I'm hoping I will be able to stick to a wider range than failing with those ridiculously long lists of things we 'SHOULD' do on January 1st. So there we have it: every Monday is now an opportunity. Every Monday is another little ...

Blogger is being so slow this evening, or is that just for me? Either way, it's getting a little annoying and not uploading my pictures so... Let's chat. Let's chat about the weather! How terribly British. In all seriousness, though, how weird/temperamental/hot/wet/amazing is the weather at the moment? It's indecisive, definitely. Yesterday, there was a torrential downpour and hailstorm at 3.30pm, then I was melting in the sunshine on my walk home at 5pm. And it's muggy. That heat that sort of hangs in the air. We've had gorgeously sunny days, but when it's more overcast it's humid and muggy. I leave the house with layers, suncream, a scarf, water, and an umbrella! I'd love it to just make up its mind... Somebody tentatively predicted a three-month sunshine summer yesterday. If that happens, I will be one very happy little blogger. Stick around Mr Sunshine, it's always heavenly to see you.

Just a quick post to tell you that today I am EXCITED. That is because one of my favourite pals is coming home! You may remember our trip out for her birthday? Well she's just done 10 weeks of volunteering in Honduras and is now back/in the air on the way back... She's off to walk Hadrian's Wall next, but we then have lots of summer plans to get on with!  Which got me thinking yesterday... isn't it interesting how different some friends can be? Laura has done 10 weeks in Honduras and is going to do 6 months in Peru. Emily graduated and buzzed off to live in France. Jagoda is Polish, and always whizzing back and forth between York and Poland. Anthea has lived in South Africa, Singapore, Germany, and now the UK. Jen boogied on down to live in Cambridge. I'm fully aware this isn't a different country, but it feels like MILES away when she used to live a couple of minutes away! And then there's the homebirds. Alice...

Hi there. It's been a while. I took a bit of a pause from the blog, and didn't do much tweeting or anything either. Because I've been thinking. I've had a lot of thoughts in my head. They spin and twist and get all muddled up. Sometimes I feel a little confused. So I've been taking some time to think. Some time to wonder. Some time to explore. Some time to explore my own thoughts, feelings, wants, wishes... For life, for work, for friendships. Thinking about what truly matters. What doesn't matter so much. What and who do I want to be? These are thoughts that will never go away. The joy of life is that it is constantly changing, there are opportunities, there are changes, and there are chances to learn and grow. I know this is a little vague, obscure, nothingy... But it's what I wanted to say. That's where I've been - just thinking. Planning. Researching. And now it's time to turn some of those plans into actions. To m...