Tuesday 6 February 2018

Looking Back and Moving Forward: 2017-18

So, I ventured off the digital grid in 2017. Stopped blogging (oops). Hopped on the BuJo train. Wrote for magazines (yep, they're still printing 'em). Spent half my time hanging upside down. And, OK, the other half staring at a screen (the quill's in the post). But still. Here's a snapshot...

2017 in 17

This was the year I...
  1. Took my first (two) flying lesson(s)
  2. Started writing for Healthy magazine
  3. Attempted a HIIT workout on a floating board
  4. Did my first real handstand...
  5. And drop back from standing
  6. Finally got my front splits
  7. Did my first aerial shoulder stand...
  8. And 'egg roll' 
  9. Got my first pair of demi-pointe ballet shoes
  10. Managed a four-revolution spin on the ice
  11. Had a totally tropical Hawaiian Christmas
  12. Meditated 252 times
  13. Did 173 yoga sessions
  14. Started a Harvard Computer Science course...
  15. And a 6-week pole dancing course
  16. Ate 3,019 portions of fruit and veg...
  17. And drank 1,132 cups of tea and coffee

When I wasn't flying high or spinning around, I was mostly...
  1. Making cocktails out of cold tea...
  2. Muffins out of bananas, seed butters and courgettes (look mum, no flour!)...
  3. Noodles out of carrots...
  4. Or chocolate mousse from avocados.
  5. Listening to Take That's new Wonderland album.
  6. Flipping out over Prison Break coming back...
  7. And the fact that you can now get matcha lattes in Primark
  8. Watching back-to-back episodes of vintage Auf Wiedersehen, Pet 
  9. Swanning around in a dressing gown kimono
  10. Contemplating the big questions... like, could Nakd's new Lemon Drizzle bar ACTUALLY be better than cake? (yes)
  11. Do lemony mince pies really deserve to be a thing? (no question)
  12. Does cranberry sauce work in a cheese toastie? (yip)
  13. And how about roast potatoes on a pizza? (oh, yes)
  14. Mainlining seasonal coffee shop treats like they were going out of, well, season (so many flavoured syrups, so little time)
  15. Being teased, tonged and tinted for Schwarzkopf's BlondMe shows
  16. Bullet journalling
  17. Thanking the God of all things good for putting Bailey's iced coffee in. a. can.

18 resolutions for 2018...
  1. Publish work in at least one new publication
  2. Send at least four pitch ideas a month to commissioning editors
  3. Start work on an editing project
  4. Publish at least one post a week on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (and one a month on LinkedIn)
  5. Get my side splits
  6. Master my kickover
  7. Go to gymnastics every week
  8. Practise on at least 4 days out of 7
  9. Pass level 6 and 7 ice skating
  10. Get on pointe
  11. Get my wings in tap
  12. Get my 'needle' in aerial yoga
  13. Try a new tap class
  14. Perform in a stage show or act in a short film
  15. Complete Harvard's CS50 Introduction to Computer Science course
  16. Increase the average number of days I meditate from 5 to 6 a week
  17. Go organic for Lent
  18. Try a parkour/free running class