Hello, friends! Here we all are, seven days into the new year! Everything is still fresh, shiny and new. And isn’t it grand, that we live in an era brimming with opportunity? Whether you are desperately sad or manically ecstatic that not even the crumb of a mince pie remains, I hope the last few days have been kind to you and you’re still in kick-butt action mode. I realise I haven’t been here this past week, but I was doing stuff. It’s best I document these activities using bullet points and links, and maybe then you can tell me what you’ve been up to? Some of you guys can be quiet. Please do say hello! 
Anyway, here we go*!
- January 1st – I discover that vodka and soda is the new elixir of life. While so many are experiencing hangovers, I remain unscathed. A New Year’s miracle! I made hollandaise sauce using this recipe, and it was a bit of a disaster. How dare a recipe not work for me the first time! I’m going to try this one, from The Little Green Spoon on the next try. It seems a little easier and it’s healthier. The 1st of January is my dear Mother’s birthday. We went to Nautilus to celebrate. I reviewed it last year, some of you may remember? Nautilus is wonderful…top notch…flawless! I would live there if I could (in a sleeping bag, on the windowsill) with its incredible food and marina views. On Thursday last I had the best pork belly of my life and the seafood platter, of course (no brainer.)
- January 2nd – I went to a 30th birthday party! It was Kev’s birthday. He’s like a brother to me. It’s all 30th parties now, the time in my life where I attended many a 21st soirée is now O-V-E-R. I’m pretty sure a filthy wrinkle appeared after I typed that. There was a very cool Lord of the Rings cake (red velvet!) made by Kevin’s very talented and gorgeous sister Niamh. There was also a very late afterparty. Again, vodka and soda saved me. I’m telling you…that stuff. I really didn’t think half spirit-half water would actually benefit anyone, but there you go.
- January 3rd & 4th – What was the weather like last weekend? Well I certainly couldn’t tell you, as I lost over a day to the justifiably addictive Peaky Blinders. I just couldn’t stop. My binging was out of control! Right from the very first episode, I was hooked. On Saturday night I double binged, playing episode after episode while consuming all the chocolate, crisps and wine I could lay my hands on. It was glorious; a thing of beauty. And I wore my Dumbo onesie the whole time. It’s common knowledge that you must DESTROY all delicious food left over after Christmas or life will always be Christmas. I watched all of PB season 2 on Sunday. Peaky Blinders held my hand through my first day of a juice cleanse, and for that I will be forever grateful. The violence probably (most likely) also helped suppress my appetite. Another reason I think I sailed through day one of the cleanse; Saturday night’s feast. Seriously, the amount of food I ate would keep any human (or baby hippo) satiated for days to come. I’m sad to say Peaky Blinders is over now, and I’ll have to wait patiently for season 3. What a great show. My love for Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy will never wane. I highly recommend it, if you haven’t watched it already!
- January 5th – I returned to work, and subsequently realised I could still do my job. Neat!
Other stuff that happened:
- My book count for 2014 is embarrassing. I did a shameful amount of reading! Over the last few days I have made quite a dent in The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, with the exception of Peaky Blinders time. The Remains of the Day makes for very pleasant reading and I’m glad it will be my first book of the year. I received a handful of books for Christmas including Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? #GirlBoss, Pretty Honest and Tiny Beautiful Things. I’m excited to continue on my journey of actually reading things and creating new braincells.
- I have loads of things I want to do and heaps of goals swimming around in my head that simply must be materialised! So I plan to do all that at the weekend. This is about more than just goals though, and something I’m sure all stationery whores can relate to. Which fresh new notepad, with its intoxicating scent and crisp lined pages will become home to my well-meaning and ambitious scrawlings? The struggle is real. Here is past me, also cooing over stationery.
- The juice cleanse I mentioned a little earlier lasted two days. Thats all I seemed to need. I would recommend juicing for a couple of days (I’m not a doctor but, y’know…check with one of those first!) if you feel you really can’t get back on track. It’s like a reset button, guaranteed. You go from mindlessly eating and drinking everything over Christmas to becoming a mindful eater in just a couple of days. It could be less time for you, or more! Everyone is different of course. My rule is do it until you crave good, wholesome food. Like you’d kill for a simple salad, piece of oily fish or a fruit salad. When you get there, stop. You will then appreciate every mouthful and every sip and really enjoy food and drink, thus making healthier choices! If you still crave burgers and sugar, you’re not there yet. Keep going! This article from Stylist also helps with making manageable changes for a healthier lifestyle, and I have referenced it a few times these past few days. These skincare tips from Bobbi Brown are good common sense reminders. And who knows; if we all stick to her list, we could have the skin of a 1o year old child by the time summer comes!
- Within the last week I have developed a Bounce Energy Ball addiction. The force is strong with this one. The macadamia and coconut is my favourite..they are so freakin’ delicious. Again, I’m tardy to the bounce ball party. Better late than never, eh? I say addiction because when I take my first bite, my eyes roll back into my head similar to the way I imagine a junkie rolls his or her eyes after a hit of crack. Wait…am I allowed say that here? Hmm. Well, you get the idea! I can also confirm these ‘Bounce Energy Balls’ do not bounce. The five second rule and a hoover swiftly followed that experiment.
- Tomorrow, dear friends, I’m going to a reception and preview screening of Into the Woods at The Lighthouse Cinema courtesy of Disney. As a huge Disney fan I’m so excited! I’m taking my sister, who (dare I say) is an even bigger fan than me. It has quite the cast – Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp…and I just love Anna Kendrick. Have you ever read her tweets? She’s a very funny lady indeed! I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on the film. The Into the Woods general release is this Friday the 9th of January.
A pretty satisfactory start to the year. Here’s to the next seven days. And the next, and the next and the next…
♥ ♥ ♥
*I promise I won’t do this every seven days. I’d rather not make you run for the hills, and honestly…who has that kind of time?!