Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope it's been a lovely festive season for you all and that it's been everything you wanted it to be.

Last year I joined a blog hop/linky/meme started by the inspirational Kate for mums everywhere trying to get their groove back or continue grooving! I am the first to admit that although I am a big fan of her blog and others that I'm not very good at contributing regularly as a #groovingmum, I do try to read as many posts as I can and I comment occasionally. We all have ups and downs in life and it is great to have a support network to help you through and who you can help when you are able to.

Each week Kate poses questions/challenges which even if you don't actively reply to them can get you thinking and perhaps acting upon. These are today's, my answers are in blue:

1. Did you over-indulge over the festive season? What can you do to prepare for the life-changing journey ahead in terms of improving your health?

Not particularly, with the exception of Christmas pudding and homemade brandy butter. I haven't been drinking so much wine in the evenings recently so when I do have a glass or two it affects me rather more than it used to! I went to a Christmas Eve party, gave a lift to friends and missed out on the free flowing champagne all evening - didn't miss feeling less than 100% the following day however!

Regarding the pud & brandy butter, I refuse to feel guilty for either as I only have them once a year. My sister-in-law said to me "blimey, the brandy butter packs a punch!" - this was because when I thought it was good enough my eldest son tested it and declared that it needed more brandy, have to say he was right ;-)

2. What do you need to change your mind about? Have you written yourself off in some way? How can you shift negative thinking patterns?

Having had a last minute rush order of wedding invitations to do in the week before Christmas as well as trying to get the house straight and clean I was very glad to switch my computer off and have a break from work. Mr LG came home from working in Malta on the 23rd and was absolutely exhausted and run down as he works 12 hour days there. I think he spent the first 24 hours home sleeping, struggled through Christmas day and then we both went down with colds so spent last week either feeling grotty and/or recovering! Since Christmas I have to say that I've been feeling rather disconnected and have found this rather worrying as I love what I do.

However, yesterday and today Mr LG has very kindly tidied up my website for me and sorted out a couple of glitches with the analytics and I've felt the cogs of my brain and enthusiasm click and grind (albeit a trifle rustily!) and start turning again.

I find it difficult to get going at the beginning of each year. New Years resolutions for cutting down on food/drink are useless until January 4th - my birthday is today so I refuse to be on a diet or the wagon till the 4th! In fact I can't say that I'm a big fan of New Years Resolutions as I think changes should be made when you want to make them and for the right reasons, not just because it's the first day of a new year. Make changes because they benefit you and your life whenever you need to make them and you're far more likely to succeed than if you make loads of changes for the sake of it just because you think you ought to.

One of the changes I vowed to make was to walk more often. I have 3 dogs who all love romping around the fields on the farm, but with work commitments it's not always easy to fit it in. We have a  garden with a large wooded bank which contains a rabbit warren  so they don't exactly miss out if I don't make it for a walk, but I always feel much better for doing it both for myself and for them. And every time I get out there, even if it's only for 15 minutes, I always think of the #grooving mums!

3. This week, Christians celebrate the Epiphany. Here is one dictionary definition for the word epiphany "a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience." What does this mean to you?

In November I went to Malta to visit Mr LG for a few days. I was feeling bloated and unattractive and my jeans didn't fit well. This was a kind of epiphany for me - I've always struggled with my weight but have never bought larger than a size 16 except at the very end of my first pregnancy! After a lymphatic drainage massage (which was not the lie back and relax kind of massage!) I felt the benefits a few days later. This with the lower wine intake has helped greatly and I intend to continue losing weight now that the jolly season is over!

4. Are you aware of all the blogging networks you can get involved with? Is it worth you checking them out and promoting your efforts to sparkle to a wider audience?

I've recently discovered StumbleUpon.com and hope that as I enjoy finding new articles to read through it on the web that others will find my little blog and enjoy it too!

It is the start of a New Year. Whatever "it" is that you are thinking about can be done with a little support.

If you have written a post about your intentions for 2012, feel free to link up below. Let us have your thoughts about the challenges above and leave a comment or link up a blog post.

I've just come home from dinner out with my boys (hubby & teenagers) and have enjoyed garlic bread, pasta and banoffee pie with 2 large glasses of wine - feelings of guilt on a scale of 1-10? -10, it's my birthday and I'll pig out if I want to!

Surrey Networking Tweet Up

One of the great things about working for myself at home is being able to use Twitter while I work. I've made some valuable contacts and lovely friends through it and it provides virtual 'office gossip', which is in some ways better than 'real' office gossip as you can literally switch it off if you're too busy or don't feel like getting involved. Twitter is great for picking up on different things such as information and events like networking meetings. Earlier this year I picked up on the Taunton Tweet Up which I made the effort to go to (yes, it's a long old drive from West Sussex to Somerset, but it was worth it as I tied it in with visiting family). It was great to meet some of the people I'd been tweeting with as well as making new contacts within the industry.

I'd been quite apprehensive whilst driving down to Somerset - sometimes it's difficult to walk into a room full of people you've never met before, but I'd committed myself to going so there was no chickening out! The first people I met were the Marry Me In Somerset girls, Abi & Lisa, along with Rachel and Lucinda, two of the Wedding Ideas Magazine 'herd' - all of whom were very friendly and welcoming. Another person I met in Taunton was Pam Wallin who is the driving force behind the Weddings In Surrey Directory. Having tweeted with her many times over the past year or so it was wonderful to finally meet her - like the Marry Me Somerset girls and all the WIM herd she is as lovely and friendly in person as she is on Twitter! I met many more wedding industry people that evening and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

When I saw a tweet a while ago about another Tweet Up, this time a little closer to home, I signed up for it immediately and put the date in my diary! Organised by Pam Wallin and Wedding Ideas Magazine, it was held at Fetcham Park House in Surrey, a beautiful wedding venue near Leatherhead.

buildingphotography.co.uk

The superbly elegant Grade II* Listed Queen Anne building is set in grounds which were originally landscaped by the famous Capability Brown and is believed to be one of only two remaining buildings which combine the work of architect William Talman and the artist Louis Laguerre.

parallelbusinesscentres.co.uk

parallelbusinesscentres.co.uk

I'd allowed plenty of time to tackle the A24 to Leatherhead as the evening was due to start at 6.30pm and arrived around half an hour early, plenty of time to admire the splendour of the reception rooms before they filled up with other attendees. If it's country house elegance and  style you're looking for then this venue definitely fits the bill and the Laguerre murals in the hall and stairway give a dark, richly opulent feel whereas the reception rooms are decorated in light creams and gold with intricate and colourful high ceilings.

Louis Laguerre Mural, Fetcham Park
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In contrast to the previous networking Tweet Up in Taunton I was not feeling at all apprehensive and had been looking forward all day to meeting more people that I had been chatting with on-line and some that I had yet to connect with. The list of attendees was for around 160 and we certainly filled the place up both physically and in noise level! 

By the end of the evening, this country girl who is usually found in either slippers around the house and office or wellies outside walking the LGs was feeling decidedly footsore after several hours in gorgeous high heels, but very positive, buoyed up and raring to go! I may not be a wedding planner, but I do have an incredible list of contacts within the industry now and it's always wonderful to be able to recommend a supplier to a bride - weddings and their planning can be an absolute minefield of information and can leave couples and their families feeling that they don't know where to start. So if you're looking for a Wedding Planner, a Florist, a Harpist, a Caterer, a Cake Designer, a Candy Buffet or a Chimney Sweep (yes, really!) if I can't personally recommend one it's likely that I know someone who can.

I's so easy to become insular and isolated when you work at home for yourself, easy too to be in need of a little 'spark' or 'va va voom' and meeting like minded professionals can really help to give you a boost. So many thanks to Pam and WIM for organising such a lovely evening!

A Long Weekend In Malta - Part Two

Unfortunately on Saturday evening when we went out in the car to find somewhere to eat, it was raining, as it had been on and off all afternoon. We ended up in a quaint looking Italian restaurant (we were trying to find a small local establishment serving great food rather than one of the larger chains with a TGI Fridays feel to it). After a disappointingly indifferent dinner we headed back to the hotel rather than the clubs and bright lights of Paceville.

As I mentioned yesterday, our hotel is opposite one of the many churches in Malta. It looks very pretty with it's dome and two bell towers which we can see very clearly from our balcony. This is because we are almost on a level with them. Which means that we can hear them. Very clearly. Whenever they are rung. The smaller church a few blocks away has a much softer sounding bell. We haven't as yet quite worked out what the bells are tolled for. At first we thought that one bell sounding one, two or three times followed by the other bell sounding however many times was telling the time, but this doesn't seem to be the case after all. We may never know! All we do know is that sleeping with the balcony doors open is a no-no if you want to get any sleep!

The breakfast here is wonderful - a huge selection of cheeses, fruit, yoghurt, pastries and cooked breakfast ingredients to choose from, fruit juices and water. A word of warning to any coffee lovers however - the coffee here is dire! You can stoke up on as much breakfast as you like and it'll keep you going virtually all day. After a lazy start to the day we headed out in the car to explore a bit more of the island. Marsaxlokk in the south east of the island is meant to be still a slice of traditional Maltese life, however the Sunday market selling a mixture of local produce and tourist tat could have been in any tourist area in the world. We stopped for a quick cold drink and then left.

On Saturday we had seen a sign for The Blue Grotto whilst driving around the Rabat area where Mdina is situated. Just the one sign! So on our way to visit the prehistoric temples in the south west of the island we decided to try again to find the Blue Grotto. 

Blue Grotto caves

We did find the Blue Grotto this time, but unfortunately it was very windy and therefore the sea was too choppy to make the half hour boat trip to the caves seem very attractive, so we passed on that one and made our way to the prehistoric temple site. Unlike Stonehenge which is open to the elements, the temples have been enclosed under a dome to protect them from the elements. At 9 Euros each to view the temples (plus visitor centre) we felt this was rather pricey compared to the value at the cathedral so gave this a miss also.

Prehistoric Temples

A late lunch at one of the waterfront restaurants in Vittoriosa, one of The Three Cities opposite Valletta, and indulging in a spot of people watching, passed a couple of hours.

A narrow stepped street in The Three Cities

The Hypogeum in Paola is an underground necropolis discovered during building work in 1902 and is thought to date back as far as 3600BC. If Mr LGs contract here continues and I get to come here to visit again this is definitely something I would like to visit. Tickets have to be booked at least 2 weeks in advance as visitor numbers are restricted but this can be done on-line before you get here - tours last around 50 minutes and it is not suitable for children under 6.

The Hypogeum

Mr LG is back at work today (boo!) but I've enjoyed a leisurely lie-in, a stroll down to the waterfront, reading my Kindle in the sunshine on the balcony, a bit of blogging and resting my feet! This evening we're going out with work colleages of Mr LG which will be fun but will no doubt be an early evening as they are all working such long hours, added to which the others went home to the UK for the weekend and arrived back at the hotel at around 1.30am so are likely to be feeling a little jaded!

Tomorrow I have another leisurely day, as well as doing a bit of work on my laptop I might also investigate the spa facilities here. Wednesday morning Mr LG and I catch the flight back to LGW and back to what passes for 'normality' at our house!

The long weekend has done both of us good, without the pressures of general every day life at home. It's been lovely to be shown around Malta by Mr LG, to spend time on our own and just be a couple, and I think (hope!) he's enjoyed some time alone with me and showing me around. He warned me that this area is very brown and built up and he wasn't wrong. Everything here is built of local limestone, and if there are planning laws they are not particularly evident, there's a mixture of old and new, and much restoration work in progress. It rained before I got here so where over the last few months everything has been brown and dry suddenly overnight there is a bit of grass here and there.

Driving here is not for the faint hearted. Don't be fooled by the fact that they drive on the same side as us and the signs and rules are very similar! It's every man for himself, zebra crossings you should treat very warily and make sure ALL traffic has stopped for you, give way signs don't seem to mean much at all, and if you commit the cardinal sin of actually giving way  at a junction you will be hooted at from behind even if there's not a millimetre of space to jump into! Oh, and Christmas decorations are going up left right and centre - look rather incongruous in the 21 degree sunshine but hey ho!

So on Wednesday I go home and back to being a mum as well as a wife, but feeling like I've had a bit of 'us' time with Mr LG and a bit of 'me' time while he's working - all very important in either getting your groove back or maintaining it!