Finishing the bucket list!

29th January 2017

Surround yourself with those who make you happy.

Well it's 7am Sunday morning and I'm sat here smiling with numb bum cheeks :)

I had the best day yesterday, I won't lie I was apprehensive, my girls Katie and Vicky had told me they were taking me for a birthday surprise outing and that I needed to be dressed for the outdoors!  Mmm, I woke up yesterday looked out the window and though, "yay, rain - nice!" I'd also had a lousy night's sleep so I was tired, there was not a lot of energy left in me after a very, very busy January, a long week of 12 meetings and a few restless nights, so the idea of doing something outside in the cold, well it wasn't being sold to me at all. 

I had a great meeting on the morning, rushed home to get changed and I was picked up at 10.45am by Vicky, we then drove to get Katie before they told me I was going to Bakewell, nothing more, so now I'm thinking that's a long way to drive to get wet, it's damn cold in the peak district too, are we going hill walking?  Don't get me wrong I love a bit of hill walking but I also like dry days. 

We arrived and I've got to say once I was told what we were doing, I suddenly woke up, I was buzzing, we were going to tick off the last thing on my bucket list, we were hiring a tandem and going for a ride along the Monsal Trail.  I was absolutely thrilled, I've wanted to do it for years and it really is the last thing on my 'To Do' list, anything else I experience now in life is a bonus. 

 Having a test ride!

It didn't let me down, it was everything I imagined it would be and it couldn't have been in a better place either, as we didn't have to contend with traffic, hills or even turning round!  As Miranda would say "such fun!"  It really was and of course even better that they'd remembered and organised it as a surprise - I'm not usually good with surprises.

Two hours later we went to Chatsworth for some lunch, mmm delicious, I had to partake in the local beer plus a ploughmans.  I also had ginger pudding and custard, I'm afraid I really don't like Bakewell tarts so couldn't try them, but I did bring a couple home for mom and my brother.

Driving past Chatsworth we were lucky enough to see lots of fallow deer too, so that was an added highlight.  Yep, I'm still sat here smiling to myself, it really was a day of making memories with two very dear friends, who I can thank Weight Watchers for finding, it's been 9 years since Katie walked into my meeting and we just clicked, it's coming up to 13 years since Vicky and I got to know each other when I joined Weight Watchers to lose weight, yep can't thank Weight Watchers enough for bringing such amazing ladies into my life. 

All I can say is if I don't get a weight loss tomorrow it was worth it, this feeling of happy doesn't care what I weigh.  I can also say, I had a couple of hours of exercise so the healthy got a big tick too this weekend.  It also goes to show no matter how tired you think you are, doing a bit of activity does give you energy, because when we'd finished I felt like I could've gone for a walk too. 

It's reminded me how much I love to be outdoors, I'm feeling a need to get myself over Cannock Chase and up the Wrekin, so maybe next Sunday that'll be my plan, a couple of hours first thing whilst mom and Alfie are still in bed.

Today's all about the chilling though, I have a film ready to watch, so mom and me can put the heating on, get the hot chocolate and relax.  Of course I'll be walking Alfie at some point and I have promised to clean the kitchen too, so that's all being done first. 

Have you got a bucket list?  What's on it?  Will you be ticking anything off it this year?  Don't leave it too late to plan these things.  I'm happy to say at 47, I've ticked then all off, heck I've forgot what some of them were!  I can now chill, enjoy what else my future holds and just take life as it comes, knowing that I've been Whalewatching, I've seen Everest, I've hiked in the Himalayas, climbed Machu Picchu, cycled through Laos, Kenya, USA, so many things, not forgetting I've rode a tandem with my besties!  My life is officially the best.

Thank you to my BeYOUtiful friends for making me extremely happy, I truly am blessed.