On the 12th December 2019 we were in La Gomera in the Canary Islands to wave our friend and his son and two further team mates off on an epic row across the Atlantic to Antigua, billed as the world's toughest row, I thought they were mad!  But off they went, and they have just completed it!  Exhausted and looking pretty tired but they rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic in all weathers, with no proper rest, a lot of technical problems but also having seen some wonderful sights like whales, dolphins, sharks and stunning skies.  It took them 45 days, 4 hours and 13 minutes.  Amazing achievement - you can read more here and make a donation to their chosen charities.

I have never been too keen on the Canary Islands but when my husband suggested we go and see Kev, Rhys, Frankie and Nic off, I couldn't resist a bit of winter sun.  We arrived on the Tuesday and departed Saturday.  The journey takes all day as you fly into Tenerife then have a few hours to wait for the ferry over the La Gomera, we had lunch on the seafront and a little walk but it's not the nicest of towns to wait in. 

I am increasingly aware of how much stuff we have, too many clothes mainly for me but just too much excess in general.  I never thought I'd see the day when I started to rebel against shopping and consumerism.  I am even finding I don't want to go clothes shopping any more.  My weak spot though is online shopping - controlling that habit is a work in progress - but I am sending more back so that is a start.

Anyway, it got me thinking, as I am now on an ongoing decluttering mission, I thought I would share some of my recycling ideas, I have come across a few good causes in recent months that you too might find useful.

Back in July last year I got really poorly with a chest infection, a cold and stress!  I just couldn't seem to get better and it was a busy time with seeing my daughter off to university.  I had to stop exercising for a while but I have really struggled to get back into it.  Now this happens to us all from time to time but what with needing to support my mum and dad a bit more as well as an already busy schedule, I have had to accept I can't do it all.  But the stress has overwhelmed me at times and I now have a recurrence of hip bursitis that my osteopath told me is probably made worse by - stress! I knew I needed to take some time out for the all important 'me time'.

And as if by magic, Laura popped into my inbox.  Invited me along to try out some Pilates in her Zen Den and have a chat and asked if I would like to review her Pilates and Wellbeing business on my blog.

Now I don't believe we should keep taking on so much and sometimes it is exercise that has to 'give' in our busy schedules, I read an article recently that explained if you are trying to get a bit healthier, eat better and lose some fat, we shouldn't go in all guns blazing with a full on diet plan and exercise regime.  All that happens is that it is too much and we end up failing - but we haven't failed at all - we just can't sustain so many new habits all at once.  Small, sustainable changes are what we need.  If exercise is your thing that is fine, but it's not my thing so I need encouragement and accountability to keep it up.

Firstly I must say a big thank for all the supportive and encouraging comments on my last post - New year, new decade - welcome to 2020 - I wasn't sure about being so honest but I feel reassured to hear that many of you are thinking the same and good to hear that so many of us want to start moving towards more conscious shopping and less fast fashion.  I am hoping you will see the change reflected in my blog posts - keep commenting and letting me know how you are getting on.

Another blogger I follow was sharing her plans on her blog today, three of her main goals were so similar to my thoughts - buy less, buy better, shop more on the high street and less online and finally less social media but more real blogging.  As the weeks/months go on I will keep revisiting this and update you how I am getting on.

Anyway, back to this post, which is the sort of post I love writing, just something that pops into my head and I can record to look back on, my blog is as much a personal history as it is a place to help and share ideas with others.  So I started thinking what did I do during the last ten years - 2009 to 2019?

My children in 2009 were 12 and 9, now they are grown up and independent.  The photos below were taken in France in 2009.