Tag Archives: health

Putting one foot in front of the other (That’s a wrap!)

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“Reflect, Recharge, Rebuild—Here’s to 2025!”

Country garden with cat

Country garden with cat

Apologies for not being too active on here this year. Life, as they say, has gotten in the way. The house and garden have kept me busy, and I’ve been working hard on multiple DIY and car projects. The workshop and car bits are still tying me up and as I write this I am in the process of rewiring one of the lawn tractors after blowing the other one up (non profesional, but suspected diagnosis… it was running and then it wasn’t!).

It’s been a strange end of the year. The rest of my family are down under visiting my Sister in Australia and my Father in Law has just left to go home again. We had an early Christmas in November that my parents hosted, which felt very out of place. We had another Christmas meal yesterday and my wife did a cracking job at catering. I helped with the washing up – promise!

It’s nearly 5 years since I was diagnosed with cancer. We had a Chinese on Christmas Eve and my fortune cookie read “Bad things are behind you” or words to that effect. Coincidence or not, the big C did change my outlook on life. It’s very easy just to coast along, and then BAM! Some bad news like that drops on you and suddenly, both mentally and phsically, the rest of your life is impacted whether you like it or not.  You coast along as you don’t think it’s going to happen to you.

I find it very, very difficult to just do “nothing” and always feel like something needs doing. Mostly because it does (house and car lists are VERY long), but relaxing for me is difficult.

I guess the message here is don’t take your health for granted. Don’t waste your time. Get out and do something productive. Find a new hobby. Spend time with your friends and family. Get a dog or a cat now, not next year. Start writing a diary, I did. I don’t write in it every day but at least once a week and try and write a few lines. It’s quite therapeutic.

Enough of that sombre message… with everything else said I do wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2025! I’ll try and update a little more in the New Year!

 

Quality of Life is Everything

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Over the last year I’ve learnt a lot about myself and how to enjoy life better. Without going in to too much detail I will bullet point the facts!

  1. Distance you commute to work; I commute 10 miles a day. 15 minutes to work/15 minutes back. So all you recruiters offering a job in Peterborough or London… I’m not interested. And remember how the old saying goes “work for a living”
  2. Money isn’t everything – the money I’m saving on not paying the extra on petrol to commute is real… Time is also money. I’d rather spend time not working but on hobbies and other tasks than working
  3. Look after plants and tend a garden if you have one. Time in the sun is your natural source of Vitamin 10. You will feel happier and more relaxed and not so stressed!
  4. Focus on saving money for a house deposit and not spending so much on rent! It’s cheaper than you may think and there are several government incentives to assist (Help to Buy, ISA planes etc)
  5. Fitness and Health. I 5BX every day and try my best to eat 5 Fruit/Veg every day!
  6. My girlfriend (who I’ve been with 10 months now) is amazing and has taught me to take a load off and chill!

Quality of life is important!

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Some people have asked why I have moved to a town where I know very few people, or where I haven’t really visited much in the past at all. Well, now I am going to clear some things up.

My commute to work is 15 minutes without traffic. I can cycle to work on cycle ways which don’t run along busy roads. If worst comes to worst I can walk to work.

I’m saving nearly two whole hours a day. I can sleep longer and not have to get up so early.

So yes, I could have saved some more, or moved into a smaller house, or had somewhere without offroad parking or a garden, but I get all of those things with a shorter commute. That is why I moved where I have moved to!

And when it comes to it, ‘home’ is only an hour away!