New Year

I am sitting in my living room and enjoying my first cup of tea of the year and something felt very different and I couldn't place it. Then I realised it was silence. I live on a main road and usually there is the lull of traffic going by that I thought I was good at zoning out of but I must always be aware of it because the silence is noticeable. This is New Year morning where a lot of people are having a lie in, some will be nursing a hangover or at least have a fuzzy head. I am up early, a bit tired as I did stay up to watch the fireworks but I was not dancing on any tables anywhere (It has been known...think back to the very much younger me).

I am looking out of the window and thinking whether it is running weather. For those of you who read my blog regularly (apparently there are some!) you will know that I am a keen runner. I have just checked my app and last year I ran a total of 1250.6km (777 miles approx.) ...the biggest month was April with a whopping 181.2km (approx. 112 miles). I have also used my exercise bike, rowing machine and gym...2025 was an active year, and I'm 2.5 stone lighter for it. I started the year with the resolution I was going to do 5 minutes of stomach exercises and 5 minutes of squats each day....it sort of grew from there.

Back to the silence, I spend my day talking to people and I love it. I don't love that people have had the struggles that they have had but I do like being able to support people in moving forward with their life. I have needed that support from a great EMDR therapist that I had (thank you Clare Burdekin). However much I do love talking to people all day (as well as spending time with my family) I do enjoy the silence, it is time to reset my batteries, enjoy a cuppa and just be. It is the same reason I love my runs, just me, the occasional dog walker and my music. We all need me time whatever form that takes. I think I have talked myself into doing that run.

I wish you the best for 2026 whatever life throws at you, remember to be as kind to yourself as you would be to others.

I am very blessed with my morning runs - here are a few photos from throughout 2025 (any excuse for a breather!)