Lent.

Well, we are now a full week into lent and so far I'm doing well. 

I haven't eaten chocolate, sweets, biscuits, cake or ice cream at all. I even shunned a hot chocolate at the weekend because I felt that was too much like what I was trying to give up. I have also been very good at not snacking, which I was hoping to cut out as well. 

Last night was the first night that I really felt like I missed all the things I had given up, but I was good and went and got myself one of my vanilla yoghurts to munch on and after that I felt ok again and satisfied. I am determined to do this, not to give up and only allow myself a small amount of tasty treats on my birthday and the day I'm hosting a dinner party to celebrate my birthday. I feel that it would be taking things a bit too far if I shunned all the goodies when celebrating my birthday! 

My overall lifestyle changes seem to be going well too. I'm making sure I'm hydrated and feeling better for it and my adjusted sleeping pattern is working well.

I'm still getting up between 6am and 6:30am and am usually up, ready, dressed etc before 7am. I'm opening the curtains early and trying not to put on too many artificial lights, so that the gradual increase of light helps me become more alert naturally. I'm also making sure that I go to bed between 10pm and 10:30pm each night, to allow me to get a good, full nights sleep and this change seems to be helping too. 

I have also been eating 3 proper meals at approximately the same times each day, which is why I think I'm managing on the 'not snacking' thing. I'm finally getting into a proper eating pattern and not just grazing my way through the day until dinner time!

I am loving the changes to the weather these past few days!! It's so nice to go on my morning walks in the good weather. And it's so much nicer pottering about during the day too! Spent Saturday afternoon back down at Ironbridge with friends from Uni, thoroughly enjoying the Sunshine. I then went to Bidgnorth on Sunday for a family meal. I was able to do a lot of driving through the gorgeous Shropshire and Worcestershire countryside to go and pick one of my Grandma's up. We met my parents and my other Grandma in Bridgnorth and also our friend Cat (who was our token Celt for the day, being Scottish). 

We had booked to have Sunday lunch at the favourite pub of Cat and I and it was, as always, wonderful. I had my trusty favourite, Steak and Stilton pie with the biggest serving of mash potato you have ever seen. Thank you to Bryn and co at The Old Castle, in Bridgnorth. If you're ever in Bridgnorth, it's a must, you won't be disappointed! We then stayed there to watch the rugby. 5 of us were resolutely supporting England, but our token Celt who is a Scot, but also has Welsh in her family kept changing sides! On principle she was supporting Wales, but when they looked like they were playing really badly she suddenly decided she was English...

I have been cracking on with my dissertation work during the week, hoping to get a big chunk of it done over the next couple of weeks, before we break up for the Easter Holidays at the end of the month. 

I'm then having a lovely weekend at home this coming weekend. I'll go home Friday afternoon and then will have our Friday early evening riding lesson that we seem to be having every 3 weeks. Last time, it was a rather eventful one due to the horses being absolutely convinced there were pony-eating monsters in the hedge that surrounds the school. This provided much hilarity and unfortunately, Sammi's first 'involuntary dismount'. She got straight back on though and Mummy Bason and I were very proud of how well she rode afterwards, joining in with the rest of the lesson. Hopefully this week will be less eventful but as with all our lessons, something (usually Sammi's fault) ends up happening to provide mishaps and mischief and generally leave us all in fits of giggles. Our poor instructor Chloe must either dread us coming, or look forward to it a lot because she knows something silly will happen! 

The Saturday will be spent at The Original Re-enactor's Market (TORM) which takes place at a Sports hall complex somewhere on the outskirts of Coventry twice a year. I'm looking forward to picking up the new hat I have on order, but unfortunately I don't have any more pennies to treat myself to anything else, but it will be good to enjoy a day of 'window shopping' (with no windows...) with Sammi and Mummy Bason (and Simon!) and no doubt bumping into lots of other re-enactor friends whilst we're there.

I am hoping for lovely weather on Sunday as after church, I'm hoping to have a chance to do two things. Firstly, I'm actually going to wash my car! Anyone who knows me well knows that my old car, Corrie, was half blue half mud in colour and very rarely got treated to a bath. But since Benny was almost brand new, I promised my parents that I would keep him clean, inside and out. The inside is still pretty spotless, but the adverse weather and village life this winter, has left him rather dirty on the outside, so now the weather seems to have dried up, it would be nice to try and rectify that! 

I also want to go for a walk somewhere, I have really enjoyed walking every day, in a bid to do a bit of exercise each day and it would be nice to take a late afternoon walk on Sunday and enjoy the predicted sunshine. 

Hopefully all plans will fall into place, we will have a good weekend and my dissertation will come on nicely. I'll keep you posted!