January 2020 – an Exciting New Decade

And just like that, we’re a month into the new year. That went fast.

It occurred to me on new year’s eve that wrapping up an entire year in one night and attempting to plan the next twelve months probably isn’t the most effective idea…so this year I’ll be reviewing each month that goes by, reflecting on what I’ve done and planning the next 30 days.

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Blogs

I discovered lots of new blogs this month and made an effort to interact more online, which means that I read and enjoyed a lot of blog posts. Some highlights include –

Paulina Stelmach – Settling Back into University

Earth to Connie on failing driving tests

Go Places Now talks about teaching abroad

Embark to Explore shares 15 places she wants to visit before 30

Music

As always, music was a constant. I discovered several new songs as well as playing the old repertoire on repeat. The songs I’ve been obsessing over this month are:

Mae Muller – Therapist

Mura Masa – Deal Wiv It

CamelPhat – Rabbit Hole

Billie Eilish – everything i wanted

Oh Wonder – All We Do

Also can we please have a cheer for Billie Eilish doing the James bond theme?!

TV and Film

I go through phases of watching loads of TV or none at all. Thanks to my apparent inability to fight off illness for good, we’re currently in a phase of lots of TV. I binged both seasons of Sex Education which countless people recommended to me without thinking to prepare me for exactly what I was getting myself into. Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic show which manages to normalise talking about sex and all of the associated awkwardness. Season two brought a few social and emotional issues to the table, all while maintaining the same lighthearted hilarity.

I’m now into the 3^rd season of Peaky Blinders. I have no idea why it took me so long to start it. I’m obsessed. Addicted. Engrossed. Anyone who dares slander a Brummie accent in my presence will face the consequences. What a show.

On New Year’s eve, mum and I saw Little Women and I promptly cried off all of my eye makeup. Of course, that was December, but it was close enough that I’ll include it. I’m in love with Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh now, and in a fit of fancy I bought myself a tweed waistcoat from Depop. It takes guts to wer it out of the house, but I love it nonetheless. The other new release I watched this month was Jojo Rabbit, a film which made me feel so many emotions I wasn’t entirely sure who I was leaving the cinema. All I can say is Taika Waititi is a genius.

Books

I wanted to read more books this month but blogging became a bigger priority than expected – no complaint there. Just before the new year I read ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay – the follow up to his bestselling novel This is Going to Hurt. As expected, I laughed and cried and finished the book in no time. I then read Soldier Spy by Tom Marcus, which was an incredible insight into life working in MI5. This month I bought from Abe books for the first time, and I know I’ll use that site many times in the future to avoid buying brand new books where possible. The book I bought was called Unnatural Causes by __.

I treated myself to a few new things this month, most recently some shampoo, cleanser and face oil from Lush – all packaging free! I also found these awesome “Teaolat” teabags in Hotel Chocolat. Sadly, at 75p per bag they’ll have to remain a once-in-a-while treat.

I jumped back into the deep end at work, after a nice long break, with several staff members either on holiday or ill leaving me filling in their roles. It was a challenge, but I managed and felt supported by everyone, so I’m super happy with the experience. For now I’m back to my usual job role but it feels good knowing that I can be called on whenever the need arises. Training was a challenge for the whole month as I never quite felt 100%. It was already hard enough as I was training for cross country, which I don’t really like, so forcing myself out in the cold dark mornings was near impossible. It didn’t help that I knew I should really be resting properly after yet another bout of tonsillitis. However, the race went well, and I can now take a few weeks off, rest properly, and build up my fitness in my own time without external pressure.

Socially, the month started with a small gathering of friends on the 2^nd, where we ate pizza and played games and generally had a good laugh. One of those friends I had barely kept in touch with since summer, so it was lovely to just pick up where we left off. One of my favourite trip was to Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire one afternoon, which was incredibly cold and windy but we were rewarded with some incredible views. It was also a month of sunsets – I can’t get enough of gorgeous skies.

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I hope February will be a continuation of this positivity! I’m looking forward to more blogging, relaxing and travelling in the next month.

Was your January the start to the year that you were hoping for? What are your plans for February?