Hello again!

So, another big gap between posts - sorry about that.

Last time I was here I was on my way to Thailand, and boy did we have a great time! The Other Half and I, my Dad and his Partner spent 2 weeks in the sun, eating Massaman Curries, having massages, drinking cheap beers, going on boat trips and reading.

Oh yeah, the Other Half also proposed!

I honestly couldn't believe it. We've been together for just over 6 years and I'd almost given up. He's romantic but very very subtle. I've hinted and hinted. But the Boy did good. He chose my ring, made sure it was the right size, hid it for half the holiday and...went down on one knee. He's a keeper!

And now we're home and on a mission to (not plan a wedding as everyone wants us to!) sort the house out. We need wardrobes, a sofa bed for guests, a bathroom cabinet, wall hangings and...we need to sort out the rising damp. Boo. We've had a couple of people in and it's going to cost us upwards of £2,000...for something that needs doing, but that we can't actually see. Oh the joys of being a homeowner.

Anyway, this is a bit of a rambling post. To be honest, after getting home from our holiday and getting back into the swing of things, I intentionally didn't blog or use Instagram for a while. I was worried that I was developing a serious case of Instagram Jealousy. Admiring everyone's perfectly decorated houses and staring longingly at illustrations or crafts they'd created, wishing I had the time to invest in these things. It was getting me down.

So, on holiday, aside from texting my mum and brother about the engagement, I switched my phone off. It was bliss. I wasn't constantly checking for emails or updates, and cursing that I had no time to do the things I wanted to do.

And it's been great, for a while.

It's given me the time to realise that my life is pretty great and I don't need a blog or Instagram. However, last night I was curious, and had a sneaky peek at my last post. And it was good. I enjoyed reading it. And I enjoyed writing it last month.

So, I'm never going to be a big successful blogger, but this is a good way for me to ramble on about things, express my opinions and have a good old rant.

And as for Instagram, I've resistsed the urge to post anything since returning to the country, but I do love to look at all the pretty photographs. I'm not 100% convinced it's a good idea for me to keep looking through the photos, but I do love the ideas I get from certain posts with regards to baking, crafts and illustration. Maybe I just need to sieve through the people I follow, and use Instagram as a very useful and inspirational tool, not an app that turns me into a big green eyed monster.

Anyway, rant/ramble over - enjoy the rest of your week everyone! xx





Photos:


The Thailand ones are my own
Comparison is the thief of joy
Comic strip
Niki Pilkington

Too much tech

25 hours. Imagine what you could do with 25 glorious free hours – you could decorate a couple of rooms in your house, you could complete half a dozen craft projects, you could fly to Sydney, Australia and even have time to grab a couple of schooners of beer after you get there – all within 25 hours.

25 hours is how much time we adults waste on tech each week – from smart phones, to laptops, to televisions. What a waste.

I’m always (always!) moaning about how I have no time to do any crafts, or bake my favourite treats, spend time with the girls or just sit and read. But, after work I probably spend a ridiculous 4 hours slumped in front of the television, not even watching anything particularly interesting.

I’m always moaning to the Other Half how he’s happy to sit around watching YouTube clips of laughing babies and hungry dogs as well as watching football and maybe having a go at his guitar - all at the same time. It drives me nuts.

However, I'm not much better. I'm very good at moaning about tech, but not very good at not using it. Whilst I'm watching my daily 4 hours of television, I'm very aware that I'm wasting time - I could be doing something a lot more constructive with my time. However, I sit. And watch. Bored.

And now, I really do want things to change - I've already wasted enough time. Now, I'm not saying that I'm never going to watch television or use a laptop again (I'm still going to be writing this blog as I do believe this blog is a "little" more constructive than watching the Harlem Shake in a million different forms), but I really would like to limit my time using them.

I'm going to start off slow. I'm going to try and come home from work every night and do at least one constructive thing with my time - nothing major. It can be reading a couple of chapters from my current book, having a bath, going for a walk, baking something new or doing some crafts - anything that doesn't require any tech.

I'm also going to try and convince the Other Half what a wonderful idea this is. We both work such long hours and spend the few hours we have together every day watching mindless programmes on the sofa - I want to reconnect, even if it means dragging him to the park for a half hour stroll in the evening sun - anything that doesn't require television sets, laptops and sneezing pandas.

I heard someone describe our generation as the "iGeneration" - please don't let this be the case - surely it won't be very interesting for our children and grandchildren to look back at our facebook posts and youtube clips? Even if the laughing baby always puts a smile on my face.


Pictures:
StudentWire
TVisual