Life lately, Spring 2017.

Celebrating - Joe and I had our 1st wedding anniversary in May.  We had a lovely party with lots of family and friends (kind of a belated wedding reception!) and Joe bought me a this book, I'm not sure what that says about what he thinks of me or our relationship, but I love it anyway!

Holidaying - We had a lovely week long holiday Aberdovey last month, lovely walks on the beach, some sunny days, and an inspirational visit to CAT in Machynlleth.

Listening to - I have a Lush Spa CD (this Beatles one) and I love soaking in a warm bath and chilling out while it's on.  

Auntie-ing - My littlest niece suddenly had this whole new vocabulary - it's all 'that's a bit manky' 'she will be disgusted by it' or 'please pass the sellopape' roud here - she's only two!  Big niece just gets cleverer and cleverer too.  We spend a lot of time checking out the tadpoles in my Mum's garden, looking at wiggly worms.  I'm so lucky I get to spend this time with them, I'm making the most of it before big one goes off to school in September!

Watching - I don't like Amazon, but hypocritically signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime because I Really needed something delivered next day and didn't want to pay the £8 delivery fee.  So we've been watching Amazon Prime TV this month, I've watched nearly all of Awkward and Joe's been watching American Gods.  I loved the 3rd season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the new episodes of iZombie too.  And Doctor Who is so good this season, I love Bill so much! 

Gardening - My raised beds are super productive at the moment and they're making me so happy!  I've decided to try to squeeze as many trees into the garden as possible, and started by buying 3 this month!  I've been reading lots about Permaculture and hope to include lots of Permaculture principles in the garden.

Reading - So many gardening books, and lots of easy reads (all I can cope with during a snap general election!), I've been enjoying the Worst Witch series - please can I go and live in a witches school?!

Working - Work is workish.  It's fine.  I'm trying a new thing where I don't talk or think about work at home, and it's working out pretty well.  I came back from my holiday so lovely and calm, and I'm trying to keep hold of that feeling! 

Looking forward to - a summer of being in the garden.

Eating - I've become a regular at my local Novello Lounge (for the vegan breakfast!) - I've been twice this week! 

Guiding - I'm so looking forward to a big district event this month to celebrate 100 years of Guiding in Shropshire (and there'll be a special badge!)

Writing - I've started writing 'morning pages' when I have time in the mornings.  The idea is to just get up and write, stream of consciousness style, ideally 3 pages but I usually only manage 2, and it gets all your creative and stressy feelings out and helps you to work through stuff.  I was sceptical but I've been finding it really helpful.  

Wanting - Labour to win the general election, so bad.  I'm writing this in advance, on Thursday, so I don't know what the outcome will be, but I'm hoping so hard for a Labour government, and if not I'm hoping so hard that we can come together and make it through another 5 years of the Tories.  

Blogging - The most popular posts in this little corner of the internet have been, 

Use a wooden toilet brush (I don't know why, but it's popular!)

Four variations on Jamie Oliver's vegan chocolate brownie recipe.  

How I made my washing up bowl pond.  

What I ate in a day.

My lovely charity shopped plates. 

Hope you've had a happy springy spring!

 

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Life lately, winter 2016 and 2017.

Healing - so, I'll start with this, as I started with it last time, and I think it's important that we talk about miscarriage, so many people go through it.  I'm feeling a little better after my miscarriage last year, it's funny (aka horrible) living with something you'll never really get over or feel better about, but I feel happy sometimes and that can only be a good thing.  I had a real run of feeling poorly and sorry for myself last year (was 2016 good for anyone?!) nauseous pregnancy, miscarriage, then I fell over and twisted pretty much everything, then had norovirus and then a cold, but I've been ok the last few weeks and I'm trying to look after myself now, eating lots of greens and going swimming.

Swimming - I'm back to my swimming, it feels really good!  I'm really slow again though, so lots more practice needed.

Auntie-ing - My day off work is the day mum looks after the niblings, so I go to play most weeks which is lovely.  Big niece asked me to walk her into nursery school last week and I felt all warm and fuzzy.  We do lots of drawing and playing dollies and reading books and watching either the Gruffalo, We're going on a Bear Hunt or Peppa Pig.

Reading - I've been loving anything by Holly Bourne and lots of gardening books.

Watching - at the cinema we've seen La La Land and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, and the new Star Wars and that's about it, winter is the season of hibernation after all, not gallivanting to the pictures.  And hibernating in front of the TV is pretty much all I've felt up to this winter, I loved the new Gilmore Girls, and loads of other stuff on Netflix - iZombie, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Santa Clarita Diet, Riverdale.  I've rewatched my Ugly Betty DVDs too and I loved that. 

Listening to - I saw a band called The Small Glories and I've been listening to them loads ever since, and the La La Land soundtrack.  On repeat.  I'm really sad that my Taylor Swift CD is lost somewhere in the house and has been for months - come back to me Taylor I need to shake it off!

House renovationing -  Mum paid for us to have a beautiful new front door, Joe painted it pale blue and tis lovely and warm.  Joe's mate is a blacksmith so we've commissioned him to make us door numbers and a DOOR KNOCKER IN THE SHAPE OF A SNAIL - oh yeah!  We bought a fireplace too, and lots of picture frames so we can get some art on the walls.  Joe demolished the old shed too and I'm having a worrying urge to dig up the lawn and turn it into a flower bed!

Guiding - I've started helping at a new unit, I only go once a fortnight because of work, but I stay for Rainbows and then Brownies straight after.  They're lovely.  Some of the Brownies used to be my Rainbows, so it's nice to see them again.  We did a happy smile challenge badge too.

Eating - it's a hard job but husband and I have decided to try every curry place within delivering distance to find the best.  Our usual has been replaced (they started putting egg in the bhajis!!!!), my current favourite is called the Blue Elephant (though I like Bangla Pride too), but there's still more to try.

Looking forward to - we've booked our holiday in May to Aberdovey and I'm sooo excited to spend some time by the beach!  The touring production of Wicked is coming to Birmingham so I'm going to try to get tickets to see that too.

Working - the whole of 2016 was spent wondering if I'd have a job, we were told in January 2016 the library service was being severely cut, and basically prepare for the worst.  The date we could reapply for our jobs kept being pushed back, until the week before Christmas we were told we would be 'slotted in' (those who were left put into  jobs as close to their original hours as possible, as well as losing some staff to voluntary redundancy) so at least there was no need for interviews.  After something like 350 days of waiting to hear if I had a job I've ended up with in the same post with the same number of hours.  It's a relief, but it was an irritating and stressful process and we've lost a lot of good library people along the way. 

Gardening - so much to do, I wish for nice dry weather so I can get out there more I want to the garden to be beautiful this year.

Blogging - I wrote a little thing for Cut out and Keep's blog and one of my real life friends started her own blog so you should go and check it out, it's called Book Forager.  

The most popular posts here have been, 

How to make a no 'poo salt and lemon hair scrub,

Vegan Thai spied noodle recipe,

My suburban, edible garden this January,

All the vegan cheese crisps reviewed, 

Things I've learned from 10 years of being a vegan.

Hope you've had a good winter and you've kept all lovely and cosy and warm!

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Life lately, autumn 2016.

So, it's been pretty quiet on the old blogging front for the last few months.

The last few weeks have been the worst.  A couple of weeks ago I had a miscarriage, I was 11 weeks pregnant.  I *knew* I was pregnant since the day I was (I just felt it), so I had nearly 3 months to dream and hope and plan.  We were planning on telling everyone after the 12 week scan, but I've ended up telling pretty much everyone our different news, as I've been such a weepy, hormonal mess.  Miscarriage totally sucks and it's hurty and my heart's broken.  It was a really scary, traumatic experience and I'm really fed up of feeling poorly!  

But.  During those 11 weeks my body did something magic and made a tiny creature (my body also felt very very sick a lot!  And so sleepy.), and I was so happy and excited, and the way I think about so many things changed, and I fell even more in love with my husband.  I wouldn't ever take back those weeks of being pregnant.  Maybe this will be my only, short, experience of carrying a baby, and I don't want to feel bitter about it.  But I wish with all my heart it had turned out differently.  

Anyway, I'm trying to focus on nice, positive things and getting back to some kind of normality, so here's what else I've been up to these last few months,

Watching - all of the Netflix, the new seasons of Arrow and Flash, we saw Dr Strange at the cinema, and very good it was too.

Reading - so much comfort reading, I bought the entire series of Princess Diaries for 30p each in a charity shop, so I've been working my way through them.  I've just started Margaret Atwood's Hagseed too, I love a bit of Margaret Atwood! 

Home renovating - The kitchen cupboards are (almost!) in!  The quote for the stainless steel worktop was £3000!!!! We're going to have a plain white one instead!  Our new massive wardrobe with a slide-y door from IKEA is a thing of wonder.

Weddinging - My mum married her partner last month, ending a 12 month period where my brother, me and our mum all got married!  The wedding was lovely but that's enough weddings for now!

Auntie-ing - I was chief bridesmaid at mum's wedding, my main job being in charge of my neices.  I had a handbag full of distracting toys so each time they looked like they were making a break towards clinging to mum's legs (their location of choice!) I was on hand to offer Peppa pig colouring books/toy mice/bubbles/tiaras/dollies and so on.  Needless to say I didn't see much of the wedding!  

Printing - I went on a lino printing course, I printed a snail, it was so good!  When we sort our garden craft shed we're definitely having lino printing supplies in there!  We were taught by a local artist called Amanda Hillier, check out her prints, we were so lucky to be able to be taught by her!

Playing - a lot of words with friends with my mum! 

Buying - we bought a new mattress, funnily enough husband wasn't happy sleeping on the double mattress I've had since I was 15.  New mattress is king sized and so high I might need to buy a step to help me get into bed!

Being scared - by the American election results!

Working - the date we have to reapply  for our jobs keeps getting pushed further and further back, we'll be in December before we can submit our applications!  I'm doing some super fun freelance writing for a vegan leather brand that I'm really enjoying.

Guiding - My Rainbow Guide unit has closed and merged with another due to lack of adult helpers, I'm sad because I loved my little Rainbow unit.  I'm going to help at the unit we've merged with, hope it's nice there too!

Looking forward to - thank goodness that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, AND the new Gilmore Girls are both nearly out.  I'm realllly looking forward to both of them!  I can't wait for our traditional visit to Birmingham's Christmas market either.   

Blogging - well, I haven't really been blogging, but I will!  

Hope you've had a good autumn and have been finding lots of crunchy leaves to stomp through and making yourselves into blanket burritos and snuggling up! 

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Life lately, summer 2016.

Reading - I read the new Harry Potter book and was soo happy to be back in the Potter-verse even if I didn't love everything about the story.  I read Abundance by Alys Fowler and the new Doctor Who official cook book, both of which I loved and think I need to own my own copies of!

Watching - You guys, we got a new TV and Netflix last month.  It's been dangerous!  So far we've worked our way through i-Zombie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and we're doing our annual re-watch of the whole of Doctor Who.

Working - Next week we have the Big Meeting to tell us what jobs will be left for us to apply for in our restructure/big budget cut.  I'm dreading it, but it'll be good to finally know after 9 months of uncertainty.    

Being angry about - Brexit.  And the Labour leadership vote debacle.  Grrrrr!

Staying home - this has definitely been a summer of home.  We haven't really been anywhere, after recovering from the cost/ecxitement of our wedding and having to buy lots of things for the house.  I'm happiest at home anyway, so that's fine by me.

Home renovating - Joe finished laying the cork floor and the kitchen is due to be delivered this week!  Eeeep!  We've also ordered a new bed and some furniture from IKEA!

Listening to - I found my Wicked soundtrack CD so I've been listening to that a lot.  And the mix CD of music we made for our wedding has been on heavy rotation too.

Cinema-ing - we went to see Ghostbusters and it was the best thing Everrr!  Ever ever!  Girl power, kill all the ghosts!  Yeah!

Auntie-ing - Suddenly they're all grown up, those nieces of mine.  The big one is just 3 and she 'does hair' and draws houses and asks me to make volcanoes for her and says clever things like 'eyes open is the reverse of eyes shut!' (and also slightly alarming things like 'I like hurting people'!!).  The little one is nearly 2 and is almost not a baby any more, sob!, she knows all the characters from Peppa Pig and picks up conkers from the alleyway because they're 'hedgehogs'! 

Blogging - I wrote a guest post for the lovely website The-thrift.com, showing off my latest haul of retro homeware from Barnardo's charity shops.  And I collated a collection of Beatles crafts for cut out and keep. 

My most popular blog posts have been, 

My review of Greencane loo roll (!!!)

My first ethical OOTD

Start using a reusable water bottle

Make vegan chocolate milk ice lollies 

Charity shopping - Lloyd Loom basket 

I'm glad you all enjoy eco friendly loo roll as much as me! 

How has your summer been?  Good I hope?

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Life lately, spring 2016.

Reading - I've become addicted to M.C. Beaton books, I'm on the Edwardian Murder Mysteries series at the moment!

Watching - We went to see Avengers Civil War at the cinema, and we've started our yearly re-watch of Doctor Who.  Also - GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE!!!

Getting Married - Yep, we did it!  I'm Mrs Evans now.  I might do a separate wedding-y post if any of you are interested in seeing wedding photos? 

 

Buying - I couldn't find my trolls in my mums garage, I think I gave them to the charity shop, I had to buy more, obviously! 

Learning - I've finished my Blog with Pip course, which was really good, and I've finished my business and admin course too (and got a shiny certificate!).  I'm still working through my computer course, it's quite boring!

Working -  Work is funny at the moment, we're waiting for a public consultation to finish before we find out how many jobs will be left for us to reapply to.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that just yet.

Guiding - (I'm a leader at Rainbow Guides, the girls are age 5-7) We had a fun circus skills session where I discovered a hidden talent for plate spinning!  We went to a Guiding activity day and spent a sunny afternoon playing in paddling pools.  And we're doing a Queen's 90th birthday badge.

Adventuring - We had our honeymoon in Aberdovey, it was lovely but not very adventurous, mostly relaaaaxing!

Auntie-ing - Both nieces are still lovely, they were the cutiest ever little bridesmaids at our wedding.

Gardening - Things are growing, I have so much weeding to do!

Home renovation-ing - Joe's started laying floor in the kitchen which can only mean one thing, soon we'll be ready to have a kitchen fitted and I can't wait!

Blogging - I had a little break to enjoy/stress about our wedding, I missed blogging though, I'm glad to be back!

The most popular blog posts this Spring have been,

Easy and nice ways to campaign.

Charity shopping - the one with the retro wallpaper.

3 ways to eat vegan yogurt.

Garden, May 2016.

On taking a blog break.  (this one has some sneaky wedding preparation photos!)

#honeymoon #charityshopping #charityshopblogger #thriftbreak

A photo posted by Susie (@secondhandsusie) on May 16, 2016 at 12:18pm PDT

#lastday #honeymoon 😔

A photo posted by Susie (@secondhandsusie) on May 18, 2016 at 6:42am PDT

How has your spring been?  Good I hope! 

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