Hi there! Did you miss me? I cannot actually believe we’re into June 2022 already. Nor can I believe that I completely disappeared off the face of the earth for 3 months. But I’m back this morning, and thought it was time for a little catch up now that we’re into June 2022. Are you ready for it? So as I was saying, we’re already into June 2022. And considering my last post was for 1st March… and it was late… can you excuse me for having disappeared for a while? I just… I’m sure you’re aware yourself as to how the blogging community has changed over time. It’s been mentioned a few times over the last while, in multiple posts of mine, and I just needed to vanish and wait for the mojo to come back. Which it appears to have, but we’ll get there in a few minutes! Looking Back on March 2022 March came and went in a flash to be perfectly honest. Two years on from the first lockdown in the UK, I find we’re all still trying to make up for lost time. Even if it means draining our energy levels and bank accounts to allow for it! I will admit, the first week of March 2022 flew through. It started with pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, there was a guitar lesson on Wednesday, and Thursday had me packing an overnight bag and watching The Apprentice. I was also wrapping some Christmas presents. You see, I headed down to Fermanagh on Friday afternoon after work, and Sarah and I finally got to exchange our Christmas presents! Weekends in Fermanagh always seem to fly in. We had Friday night with a few of Sarah’s friends, spent Saturday playing with her son, and then I came home on Sunday to get through a to do list the length of my arm. And that was the first week of the month over! But I did manage to have a relaxing bath listening to a fab playlist I found on Spotify – great for when you’re looking to relax or focus. I had another week of work ahead of me to look forward to, with the usual Open University work and Guitar to get through in the evenings which took up quite a bit of time. That Friday was my half day, and Mum and I had our appointments at Wellness At The Square in Lisburn. I gave their dry floatation a go, and oh my god it was so relaxing! I lay down on what can only be described as a massive waterbed. It has a solid board under the upper membrane of the bed that then sinks down allowing you to float on top of 500 litres of warm water. There was a light jet located around your lower back to massage gently while I listened to a guided mediation. It was bliss! We then went for drinks and dinner at the hotel next door. That Saturday 12th March, Mum and Dad were meant to be at an Ulster rugby match while I had dinner with Granny. However Dad had picked up an awful cold and wasn’t feeling like standing in the wind and rain for a night. So I took his ticket, got absolutely soaked to the skin, but had a wonderful night. The following week again was work, and Granny headed over to Scotland, so we took her to the airport before heading for another spa treatment at Wellness At The Square – this time I tried the PEMF Therapy. But apart from that and the end of the Six Nations rugby which took up most of the afternoon after a glorious walk around both Hillsborough and Moira, not much else happened. Our work night out got postponed again and is now scheduled for this coming Friday 8th April 2022! Not bad for a delayed Christmas/birthday night out… I’m just excited because I can say that technically I was still celebrating Christmas in April this year! Bridgerton season 2 was added to Netflix, but I actually only started watching it on Saturday 2nd April 2022 because I’ve been devouring Chicago Med. I hate jumping between Netflix series on my own! But Dad and I started the final season of The Last Kingdom and without posting any spoilers I’m definitely going to need tissues at the end of it by the looks of things. But I almost forgot to tell you about our Mother’s Day (27th March 2022) here in the UK! Rachel came home! It was for a short visit – literally arriving on the Friday night and away again mid-afternoon on the Sunday. But we took advantage of the decent weather and had a run up to the north coast. Now that I’ve paid for membership of the National Trust, we decided to visit the Giant’s Causeway for a good walk. We basked in the sunshine, walked along the beach, bumped into an old school teacher, and had a delicious meal in the Harbour Bar in Portrush. Made even better by the fact you can now book in advance, it’s back to waiter service instead of ordering through apps, and the dessert display is back! If you’re ever along the north coast of Northern Ireland, you need to have a dessert from any of the Ramore restaurants. March 2022 Goals I wasn’t keen on setting goals last month, and to be quite honest you’ll see why when we look at whether or not I achieved them… Read 2 BooksYeah no that didn’t happen. I started reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain alongside Finding Your Purpose by Christine Whelan, neither of which I finished. I also started listening to the audiobooks of 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest and Dishonesty is the Second-Best Policy by David Mitchell. Nothing was grabbing me this month it would appear! Curb my eating habitsWell actually I think I somewhat did manage this? I certainly did better at saying no to the snacks and food in the office, and was snacking less between meals. Next step is to try and get out of the way of toast every morning again! I just never seem to actually want cereal, you know? Sort and Clear Out the drawers by my deskUmm… I cleared the 2 toiletries drawers? And actually did a stock check of everything in them… So I have the stuff I use daily. Then I made an entire duplicated travel washbag of everything I use regularly. And then the below is what I still had leftover… Needless to say I won’t be buying new products any time soon! April 2022 And now that April is also well and truly over, I can’t believe we’re through the fourth month of 2022 already! April 2022 started with me nearly falling for an April Fool’s joke – something to do with McDonalds and a Glasgow nightclub. But after a good day in the office, we were out for a drink and enjoyed a pleasant meal back at home. Then, Saturday Mum and I were invited to a rugby lunch and to watch the last home match of the season. It was a brilliant day, and I’ll be honest – when I woke at 5am I certainly was swearing off red wine for a very long time… But in the light of a new day that fear had gone and I could quite welcome a glass again. Sunday was spend recovering and working on Open University work that had piled up throughout the week. The next week was another one of work, uni, guitar, and some reading at long last! Then the following Friday, I went out on my work night out. Saturday was not a pleasant morning, and I ended up being quite tired and moody while down at Granny’s fixing her TV for the umpteenth time. I then spent the Sunday sorting through my summer and winter clothes, and once again I was working on Uni stuff. The following weekend was Easter, and after I had finished binge watching Young Royals on Netflix I was ready for Easter break and Bridgerton Season 2! Good Friday saw me running round shops like a headless chicken in the morning, then we went for drinks and dinner at the local pub. Saturday saw us doing some shopping for holiday items, and then Sunday my aunt flew in from Scotland and we had a nice roast dinner – starter of delicious involtini, a sirloin roast, and a rhubarb and apple Easter cake for dessert! Easter Monday we jumped in the car and headed to the north coast again. I was into work Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week, before flying to Edinburgh on the Thursday to stay with Rachel! I was so excited to be over with her for a bit of a break of routine. We had a lovely jalousie on the Thursday night when I got in, and then while she worked on Friday morning I took time out on the balcony before cooking lunch for the two of us. Our afternoon saw us shopping along Princes Street before cocktails at The Alchemist. They were to die for! Rachel had been warned it’s expensive, but between £9-£11 seemed pretty average to me price-wise for these incredible drinks. Definitely worth trying next time you’re in Edinburgh. We then had dinner at The Newsroom across the way, where Cameron joined us for food and drinks and chat. Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to Edinburgh without a drink in Thomson’s… which turned into quite a few drinks… and a trip to The Mad Hatter… needless to say my head was a tad painful on Saturday morning! So Saturday was a slightly slow start, and after a coffee and bun, Rachel and I drove to Cramond Beach to blow away the cobwebs. Which it certainly did! The wind was wild in some parts, but the sunshine was glorious, and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk around Cramond Island and through the village. After a late lunch back at the flat, we went for a spot more shopping, then home again for dinner before the highlight of the weekend – our Saturday night out. Well, I’m not saying it was better than Friday night, but it was certainly up there! We met a few of Rachel’s colleagues for drinks in an Irish bar with live music, and had a really good time there. Then we headed over to La Belle Angele for Swiftogeddon! Now, this was the main reason I was in Edinburgh. And it might horrify a lot of you, but a nightclub event that was 4 hours of pure Taylor Swift music! Everything from Debut right up to Evermore, making sure it was the Taylor’s Versions where appropriate. It. Was. INCREDIBLE! I always joked at uni that all I needed was to find a club playing just my music (Taylor, Ed Sheeran, Abba, Westlife…) and without all the pushing and shoving and gyrating that goes on in other clubs. And here it was! A couple of Rachel’s friends came and found us later in the night, when we were about half way through, and I think Rachel enjoyed it more than she expected to. I mean, neither of us really knew the Reputation or 1989 songs, but we were able to cover ourselves and had a marvellous night. Until we tried to get a taxi at closing time when everyone was trying to get one… so it was rather a late night. The Sunday saw us just taking it slow – watching films, playing games, that sort of thing. And then I flew home on Monday to sit and do some university work and try to stay awake. The rest of the week was spent then in work and trying to get caught up on a bit of sleep. And...