New Start 21 and 22

Well, it's been a busy couple of days. Sunday was a bit flat as we didn't really have a plan and D was still tired from the rig. I went for a run in the morning with Shell so felt all bouncey after that but then it was a case of drifting through the day rather. I wish we'd got stuck into working on the garden but I could see D wasn't in the mood and I didn't fancy doing it without him to encourage me!

Antonia - I don't know how you get your motivation to garden - it's a difficult one for me to make myself do even though I know I'll enjoy it when I get out there! I wish I could sell you some of my energy in return for your gardening ability!!

Anyway, I was determined not to do nothing so we ended up going to Buxton for a look around. It's a lovely town, pretty Victorian architecture and park with Pavilion, old Spa, Public Baths, bandstand etc. Very old-fashioned and pleasantly satisfying. We didn't do much, just wandered around, bought a few minor items and sat and listened to a brass band for 40 minutes or so but it was strangely soothing.

The brass band were playing some lovely standards, some you'd recognise from Brassed Off of course but other more traditional northern stuff. It brought a tear to my eye as always, which made me feel pretty silly standing in a crowd on a (rare) sunny Sunday afternoon!!

Stupidly we were sitting next to the icecream stand selling Bradwells icecream (the best icecream and made only a couple of miles from where I live - in the village where our holiday cottage is situated actually!). I lusted silently after a butterscotch ripple but didn't articulate the desire and stuck to my black coffee stoically. The dog behaved like a princess - accepting pats from strangers as her due so, all in all, it was a lovely afternoon.

So, ultimately, slowing down and enjoying a bit of a nothingy Sunday (one like Sundays used to be) was "a good thing". D and I enjoyed a nice (but too long as ever) evening in the pub and I felt energised and lively this morning.

Now today - a different story - Mrs asked me about the holiday cottage and how we're getting on with it. Well, we've had a bit of a wobble on it. I got worried that we were taking on too much and that property values are not increasing so basically started getting cold feet about the whole project (not France - just the buying the cottage a year early!).

In the end I made the financial adviser come out and take us through the figures again and assess what we need, what our outgoings will be etc and address whether we really want to do it. Well, I made him earn his commission but he did a good job and answered all our questions - went through best and worse case scenarios and we've decided that we will proceed. Which is a good thing as I was dreading having to tell the sellers we were pulling out!!

I think it concentrated our minds on what was important and D is talking about knuckling down and getting the house finished so that's good thing too. I could have said all the things which the adviser said but it wouldn't have had quite the same weight as it did hearing it from an outsider!

So - we're are leaping in after all and the purchase should go through in the next couple of weeks as all motrgage offers and title stuff is ready. I felt refreshed and clearheaded after the adviser left so headed out for another run - 2 days in a row - not like me! I think financial stuff can really clog up your thought processes - well for me anyway as I generally hate thinking about money and making financial decisions.

I suppose as an antidote, I took the dog on a new route for me (I've walked it before but not run it). It starts with a massive steep hill (during which you want to cry but don't have the energy and it wouldn;t stop your legs hurting anyway...) and then is mostly either downhill or flat and you end up running alongside a lovely river through a massive meadow. I felt so strong and powerful and didn't stop on the hill at all which was total shock to me as I hadn't expected to egt beyond halfway without a break.

So - positivity is oozing now. I just need a good weight loss on Wednesday to compound this and take me into the last few weeks. I'm so close I can taste it - I can get size 12 straight leg jeans on in M&S and Dotty P's but they're a little tight for comfort - another stone I reckon!!

That's enough waffling on for now - have a good diet day everyone.