First ramble of 2020! What a welcome!

I’m writing this as I watch the BBC Re-imagination of Romeo & Juliet done by The Royal Ballet. I absolutely adore ballet, and, for the past 4 years, have seen a ballet production by Matthew Bourne every year. This adaptation has Francesca Haywood starring as Juliet, who, if you have seen Cats, will know she played Victoria. FYI, I LOVED Cats, and think the critics have horribly misjudged the film. I love watching dance of any kind, I’m not a dancer myself – although I used to be a figure skater, I was never fluid or determined enough to succeed in it.

My shelves are once again double lined but the year of 2020 will become the year I commit to goals and stick to them. Over the Christmas period I have been suffering from a repeat infection, that came back, not once, not twice, but three times! The results of my blood test – to which I know not as I write this but to which I shall know by the time this is posted – have made me view life with a harder resolve and more determination to succeed in ways I failed during 2019. So, when I say I am on a book ban, I mean I am on a book ban. No books are to be bought, paperback or kindle, until I have less that 10 books in my collective library.

Not spending money in books will help me in saving more money in 2020, As part of my journal tracker for 2020, I have this nifty page:

I am someone who obsessively compiles lists and I go through life working on a reward scheme or achievement scheme. I’m the person who will play the game to 100% completion even if getting there becomes boring. It’s a part of my OCD and I have learnt to embrace it rather than hide it. I have 2/3 of my mortgage deposit to save this year, and not impulse buying books will go a long way to help me achieve that goal.

Speaking of 2020 goals, another one I have is to make 2020 the year of health and fitness. In 2019 I had a run of injuries. In the beginning of the year it was my inflamed kneecap. In the middle of the year it was my recurring coccyx injury and in the latter it was the repeat infection. In 2018, I had a year of not putting myself first and not looking after myself properly and it negatively affected my health and fitness. Much of 2019 was spent in denial, using reading as an escape and refusing to acknowledge or work through the issues.

In the Boxing Day sales, I got myself a fitbit. I’ve been going back and forth about getting one for some time now and it always comes down to me not liking something on my wrist. I’ve never worn a watch because I didn’t like the feel of it on my skin and I always felt the watch left a strange residue and small upon my wrist – FYI I know I’m odd! Anyway, why get a fitbit when I don’t like things on my wrist? I’m not crazy, I promise. I just think that tackling this issue I have is something that I can work on in time and having a fitbit will only help my determination to stay on the straight and narrow – fitness wise. I’m naturally lazy and doing physical exercise is the last thing I want to do when I get home from work, so I need all the help I can get.

‘I’m going Vegan for work’. Not a statement you usually hear. Work lunches can be boring AF. I can’t have a small lunch a work, I’ve tried, I usually end up having an iron attack (I’m iron deficient.) For all of December, I was taking soup into work for my lunch – it got old very quickly. Over Christmas, I saw all of my Dad’s family and my Dad cooked. Some of our family is vegan and my Dad made some very scrumptious vegan food which renewed my belief that vegan food can be tasty. I’ll have to tweak it a little to allow more iron rich foods in, but I should be able to stick to it very closely at work and it should keep me full enough to survive the working day.

Q – What new years resolutions do you have?

I suppose it can’t really be a ramble unless I talk about books a little right?

Other than having the goal of reading 130 books in 2020, I’m not setting myself any particular goals. I find that the moment I select the books I want to read in a month, my interest in them fizzles and I find it a chore to read them. This is proven, it happened time and time again in 2019, so I have vowed not to do it again in 2020. There are however, some books I am most looking forward to reading this year (pictures below.)

I love using flowers and lights as backgrounds – doesn’t look so good when you zoom out though!! I might take the Steve Cavanagh series on holiday with me. I go skiing on Saturday 4th Jan with my Dad. We’re going back to Tignes in France and hope for better weather this time around! Even better, both our departure and return flights are in the afternoon. No 3am start for us this year!!!

Gah! It just got to a really dramatic bit of the ballet. If you live in the UK, I recommend watching this programme.

Anyway, not to get sidetracked or anything… The main points of this ramble are my goals for 2020.

1. Stay fit and healthy
2. Read 130 books
3. Saving the remaining money for my mortgage deposit

Q – What are your goals for 2020?

I believe in goals that are attainable. These goals are all attainable to me and I look forward to sticking to them as 2020 progresses.

Oh, and I can’t finish this first ramble of 2020 without mentioning that a big birthday is coming up for me at the end of February. Yes. I’ll be turing 30th. You know, I’m actually quite excited about it. I enjoy the chance to celebrate something. I have no negative thoughts or feelings about turning 30.

Finally, enjoy this 2020 picture I took, that I’m not completely mad about!