A Small Place in Yorkshire

 Whitby. The contrast of a bygone era combined with the present. A fascinating piece of architecture that always evokes visions of holidays at the seaside in days gone by along with the anticipation of future events.

  I am a person who has good intentions with everything in life including exercise. I have great ideas in my head and believe that they can be put into practice. My problem being is that I can think them but, normally, cannot execute them. I find this happens a lot with the things I think of and when I do execute them, as such, they never turn out like the thought in my head. Bit like this Blog sometimes! If you have read any of my previous posts you will have noticed that I bought a Fitbit a while ago. I can since say I have become obsessed with it. I input everything into the app; water consumed, food, everything. It becomes my task throughout the day. I have seen good outcomes from using it and have lost over 1 1/2 stone. This is of course not just by using the Fitbit, but getting more exercise. I have a cross trainer, and have for many years, and did start using it more frequently, but as all best laid plans I have, it wavered and I didn't use it as much as I probably should ha...

  The fire crackled loudly, but the wind outside could be heard over everything. It's screams sounded relentless and Julian was pleased that he was now sat indoors, in front a fire, resting and ready to welcome refreshments. From where he was sat he could hear the footsteps approaching him. He turned ready to find Harriett coming back into the room laden with refreshments and food, but no. No one entered the room and the footsteps had stopped at the back of his chair. Julian leaned over the back of the chair but could see no one. Nights like this will make you imagine everything and nothing. 'Mary will bring up some refreshments for us and I have asked her not to skimp on anything', Harriett exclaimed as she entered the room. Julian smiled up at her as she moved in front of him to join him in front of the fire in the chair opposite. 'Wonderful, it will be heartily received' Julian exclaimed smiling at Harriett. He was very much looking forward to the goods Mary woul...

  Stepping inside gave warmth and relief to Julian. Warmth he felt from the heat within the house and finally relief for being able to rest. Inside everything looked as it should be; familiar surroundings, comfort, everything in it's place and the right people to welcome him in. 'Well, come on through and sit in front of the fire. You made it on a night like tonight; I think that is an achievement in itself!' Harriett Milner was such a welcome sight for Julian. He didn't respond, but just smiled, following her through to the sitting room to be greeted by a large fire fiercely glowing in a room considered by many too extensive for a usual sitting room. His gaze went to Harriett; oh how he had missed her. Her delicate frame and features would fool anyone into thinking that she had no power, but Julian knew that her power came from within and was a force to not be taken lightly........................

  The knocks on the door seemed to echo around even though the sound of the wind was increasing. Julian waited for the door to be answered, but no one came. He knocked again and stepped back. He could see a light glowing in a lower floor room and just hoped that they could hear him through the increasing sound of the wind. The mist was getting thicker and started to envelope around him. It seemed as though arms were caressing him, keeping him  safe from the wind. The door was finally answered. Julian stepped back up to the door. He smiled as he saw a familiar face.  'Julian! Oh my, you better come in! How lovely to see you!' Julian stepped over the threshold to greet the tenant of the house. Tired legs and feet were finally going to be able to rest. Those watching smiled as he entered................. 

  Anyone looking from the outside the house on this night would welcome the comfort and warmth of what the building could potentially offer. Mist is starting to encroach now and those looking for shelter had limited time to find it as the wind had decided to become stronger in it's force and intensity to match the strength of the mist. Boots came across the grass destroying the little footprints that had become before them, not even noticing them, intent on going forward. Tired legs belonged to them and were ready to rest and become still for a time.  Knocking on the door, Julian Swire, was hoping for a pleasant, restful welcome. He was unaware of those looking on and their idea of a welcome..........

 In May of this year I went on a little jaunt with one of my brothers. You may have read on a earlier post that I had bought tickets to go and see the band Travis in Leeds. I had never seen them before live and I was extremely excited to say the least!! It was going to be a bit of a fun time for just me and my brother and we decided that we would travel up to Leeds on the train that day and stay overnight. I thought I would just document here my experience and how it all went! I had booked train tickets for us and I have to be honest, I had not travelled on a train for such a long time!! The tickets were extremely cheap; to go they were £1.50 each and coming back just £4 each. That's cheaper than a bus ride from my house into the city centre!! My brother met me at my house and we had a coffee before setting off. My partner dropped us off at the train station. We were a little early so just sat on the station doing a bit of people watching!! One thing I have to say though; my brothe...

  Now I try my best with exercise; I have wonderful ideas of how to keep on track, what exercise path I need to take, how it can fit into my life and the wonderful outcomes that it will bring. My problem is getting started and sticking to it!  Many years ago now I joined a gym. Attending classes every week and went to the gym at least two or three times a week. I really enjoyed it and it made a huge difference in how I felt mentally and physically. I gave up going when I bought a cross trainer for home and I changed jobs, so the gym was no longer near where I worked and I was just so tired having finished work for the day that I never went and gave up my membership. I did use the cross trainer a few times a week for a good few months but then slowly stopped using it and then not at all. What happened is I went to the doctor (it may be coming up to a couple of years ago now) and had my general review. While they give you a full check up one of the things is, obviously, weighing...

I wanted to share my house buying journey with you all. I have been on this journey for a long time, so not sure how this post will go, and for how long, but it was something that I wanted to share and find out if I am alone in this situation, am I being to picky and unrealistic. Feedback always welcome! Start of Journey My house buying journey started around four years ago. Me and my partner decided a few years before that we would start to save up for a deposit and find somewhere of our own as we had been renting and never had a home to call ours. So about four years ago we started on the search and a few months into it we did find a property that we liked. I can remember the viewing and the estate agent was very nice and open, but instantly told us that the property had been overpriced and that those selling in the area had been much lower. We decided to put in a low offer that was instantly rejected and then we put in another offer, still below the guide, but not by much and the of...

  Well I thought I would give an update on my Fitbit and how I am getting on with it.  Let's face it we all think at some point we need to get healthier, mentally and physically. I don't know anyone who hasn't thought like this. Not everyone is able to actually make that change and I will tell you I am probably one of those people. I am not good with keeping up with exercise and definitely not good at changing my eating habits. I decided to get myself a Fitbit around the end of August, beginning of September last year. I had wanted one for a while, but never really got around to buying one. First off, I would just like to say that I am glad that I bought it and made the investment. It was just under £100, so I didn't get one of the more expensive ones. The prices for them ranged from under £100 to about £200 at the time I was looking and I didn't want to buy a really expensive one if I wasn't going to get on with it. It was easy for me to set it up and put the a...

  Debt. This can be seen as a dirty word, but I guarantee that we have all had some in our life, no matter how small or large. We just don't see or hear of it that much as we may hide our head in the sand and pretend it isn't there, or in my case, just feel too embarrassed to admit that we have it. My journey with debt started over 20 years ago. I had never really had much money. I had a job, rented a house and just basically lived from day to day. Things started to get a little bit out of control when I lost my job and had to find a property with the local council as I could not afford to live in the house that I was privately renting. I was offered a one bedroom flat, which I immediately took, but was still unemployed.  For a year I was still not working, but I managed to survive with what I had and then eventually I managed to find a job that had a temporary contract for 12 months. It was close to where I lived, so I could walk there and back everyday and it helped to get m...

  Follow The Path For New Beginnings Well this post is sort of a follow on from my New Beginnings post really. It gives you a little bit more of an insight into my current situation and some of the obstacles I find myself coming up against. I am sure that some of you will have a similar story to tell. Now, I don't mean for this post to be depressing or a moan about my life, but I know that some of you will have been in this position or are in it now, and I truly want this to be a discussion so more of you can feel that you are not alone and, hopefully, things can get better. I have been in my current job for nearly 12 years now. It is a very stressful job and has been made even more stressful during the pandemic. I work in a care home. My role is not a care worker, but I work as part of the management team. The stress and pressure that I am feeling in this job is unbelievable and I am just feeling as though it is overwhelming and just dragging me down. I am constantly thinking of w...