22:24

Another month has passed and March is underway. It has been a busy time with both work and my personal life being incredibly full with different events and ventures.

This month I have started a course as part of the International Compliance Association to get my Advanced Certificate in Anti Money Laundering. This is running in conjunction with my job which will also be a good addition to my skill set and qualifications. I will complete online classes and tutorials, as well as assignments and an exam, with the results being published in October. Having not studied since I graduated from university, it will be a challenge to go back into studying but it is a worthwhile investment. I look forward to seeing how it progresses!

My fiancé and I are in the middle of all our wedding planning – menu tasting, favour making, pre-wedding shoot, guest list, ordering buttonholes, hair and make-up trial, sending marriage notice (to name a few!). As the months draw in seemingly quicker each week we look forward to the big day and celebrating with family and friends. Less than three months to go!

Other notable events include a trip down to visit my parents with my fiancé and his parents. We spent just under a week in England showing them around my home town, and visiting relatives and exploring other cities. They seemed to really enjoy their trip and I’m grateful to have gained another set of parents! It was a lovely break from work and a chance to spend more time in nature too. As the weather is slowly getting better and the days are getting lighter, I look forward to more days off spent with family and friends.

This month is also packed with activities and plans so hopefully I can remember to check in before March passes by!

21:32

This time of year always feels like the wind down after a busy Summer period filled with days spent outside, time off work and plans galore. In Edinburgh, this week of September has been surprisingly hot, and has brought back those summer vibes. However as the days are getting shorter and the kids are back to school, the time to knuckle down with work is really here!

My work is going through a busier period, and with staff holidays and upcoming changes the workload is bound to ramp up. I have been given more responsibilities in providing inductions into my area of work for all new starts to the firm. While it was not something I set out to do, I am learning to become more comfortable in this area and to deliver a presentation with confidence. There are due to be some large changes ahead for my firm so I hope to stay grounded and able to carry out the tasks at hand.

As Autumn comes around I know my days off are much fewer. I have started making the very most out of my weekends and also my days working from home, in order to feel like I have had a rest in between my working days. I hope everyone has had a wonderful season of Summer!

21:40

Happy belated new year! I hope everyone had some time off to relax and rejuvenate before 2023, and we are now back to the hustle and bustle of busy lives. I am back into the swing of working life after having some time off in late December and early January. The routine lifestyle is missed during the holiday season sometimes!

Since my last post I have been busy with my house. Lots of DIY, furnishing, cooking, cleaning, organising, as well as working full time! Thankfully I get to work from home frequently so I can get things done around the house then too. In December I attended my nephew’s 2nd birthday party, work Christmas party and various family gatherings. Moreover I was also able to travel back to my home town to see friends and family and spend quality time together. My week back at my parents’ felt quicker than usual and before I knew it, I was driving back to Edinburgh again. I spent new year’s eve with a quiet dinner at my boyfriend’s parents’, where they always feed me really well! We then watched fireworks from afar to ring in the new year. Our local church held a thanksgiving service for new year’s day with choir presentations and a meal together. Afterwards a group of youths gathered to cook and play games, where we laughed into the night! Add in some babysitting, brunches and running various errands, and that took us to the start of the work year!

All in all a fulfilling couple of months spent with those closest to me! I have also been enjoying the independence of living alone, and also embracing the challenges of solo living. Looking forward to a fruitful year and hoping for the best for everyone too!

20:55

Thank God things have been going well this past month. The transition into my new job has been smooth and I am thoroughly enjoying the work. It is a challenge at times but it is gratifying to resolve problems and to think analytically. Things are also going well in my personal life with days off spent with family and friends, and enjoying the abundant sunshine we have been having recently! No complaints this month – I am happy and content!

Next month brings me some more time off work to celebrate my birthday, and also to spend some time with my parents who will be travelling to Edinburgh. Hoping the good weather sticks around as I find the sunny days aid in making a day better! I have been working more at home recently due to being in close contact with Covid, however thankfully I have not caught it yet. Working at home gives me the freedom to sleep in a little longer, enjoy making and consuming hot meals, and also go on longer walks at lunch time. I am thankful for flexible managers and colleagues who are understanding of appointments and situations. A happy month of May into June!

21:34

April and May brings around many public holidays. Although I usually do not plan to do a lot socially, I tend to have an ongoing list in my head of things I want to see and do. This list varies from new cafes I want to try, exhibitions in museums I want to visit, walks I want to explore and more.

My latest day off at the beginning of May was spent solo. I tried breakfast in a new French cafe, got a green smoothie from a health conscious store, donated blood (my 20th donation!), bought new shoes for work, had a long, leisurely three-course lunch in a fancy establishment, had a nail appointment, then did some grocery shopping. Nothing exciting but I enjoyed the time to myself and ticked some items off my list.

I am not one to stay in the house and like to maximise my time doing things I usually wouldn’t get to do during the week. Things like laundry and vacuuming end up being evening jobs as I enjoy my day time activities. My work from home schedule has turned me into someone who occasionally likes a lie-in though! I am looking forward to more time off at the end of month to rest and recharge. I am being more mindful to put in sprinklings of holidays throughout the months to ensure I don’t burn out. Relaxation comes in many forms and I encourage everyone to do more to ensure their wellbeing is looked after!

21:58

A couple of things that happened from March onwards:

• I spent some quality time with my parents while they were in Edinburgh. I will visit them next week when I travel home for Easter break! It will be good to see family and friends again, especially my elderly grandmother who isn’t as mobile any more.
• I went bowling for the first time in years! I wasn’t particularly good but it felt like I was a child again just having fun!
• I got three fillings and fell asleep while in the dentist’s chair. This is the result of the pandemic which caused the dentist surgeries to shut for a while. The falling asleep part is due to the fact I don’t mind going to the dentist – injections and all those noises don’t bother me!
• I went bouldering for the first time and wasn’t too bad. My back was surprisingly sore the next day and I could feel the tautness of my muscles, but it felt good to exercise in a fun, different way.
• I led a successful surprise bridal shower for my friend! We had friends and family gather in a tea house, and I brought her inside under the pretence of returning a purchase. When everyone jumped out she was thoroughly surprised! A lot of organisation and planning – two things which I enjoy – and happy faces and bellies.
• I satisfied many food cravings and tried some new Edinburgh restaurants. This is definitely something I do a lot of every month! Food is such a simple joy for me!
• I was offered a position within the law firm that my current company is an outsourcer for. I was doing a secondment of 3 days a week in the Compliance team with 2 days at my regular job. The firm appreciated the value I added in those 3 days and how I cleared the majority of backlogged work, and offered me a full time position! I am due to start at the beginning of May. This is a role I have been looking to get into since studying at university, and I am so grateful and thankful that this opportunity came up.
• Wedding festivities have started for my friend! The bride’s side of the banquet was held yesterday. It was fun and emotional to help the bride get ready, and it was a happy occasion to see everyone all dressed up and celebrating together. A busy week lies ahead with the wedding ceremony and groom’s banquet in Newcastle. I am thankful for some time off despite it going to be spent being super busy!

21:45

In the past couple of weeks I have really realised the importance of having a work life balance. There have been days where I worked later than 5pm just because I was working from home. There have also been days where I worked later to meet my own personal deadlines. Sometimes the high standards that I set for myself can be detrimental.

While I always aim to get in my lunch time walk while working from home, I am not as active during the rest of the day as I would be working from the office. Even walking to and from the bus stop is extra exercise. I have found that my joints are sore after sitting in front of my laptop at home, as I take less frequent breaks and travel a shorter distance to the kitchen or the bathroom. I have been trying to push myself to wake up earlier and go for a small pre-work walk, which also helps me to wake up and feel energised. Of course there are lazy days where I play on my phone in bed, have a leisurely breakfast and then get logged into work.

I work Mondays and Tuesdays in the office for my previous role, and complete my new role from home. This gives me a good balance of being able to see my colleagues at work and not just over Teams. It also gives me a change of pace and environment so I am not solely stuck in the house. For many people the working from home stint has been welcomed with open arms, and for some they are raring to go back into the office. I currently enjoy the balance of 2:3 office/home split and find it works for me and my lifestyle. I am making my weekends more purposeful whether that be seeing friends and exploring new places, or being productive in doing chores and running errands. I have also been trying to have more week day dinner dates, Netflix watch parties or phone calls as a way to break up the mundane working life.

Hoping everyone is coping with the pandemic with whatever mechanisms work for you!

21:12

Tomorrow marks my last working day of the year! I have recently transitioned into working from home with my new role so have been really enjoying the perks – sleeping for longer, lazy mornings with cooked breakfasts, running errands during breaks, not wearing contacts or make-up, and not having to wear proper clothes! I am thoroughly enjoying lone working and being able to listen to music all day. It really is an introvert’s dream come true!

I have taken time off to return home and visit my family and friends. This marks my first trip home in 2 years! I had initially planned a trip home during April/May 2020 however the height of the pandemic had other plans. While my parents have visited Edinburgh and I have seen my siblings and their families, there are some relatives and friends who I haven’t seen for the full 2 years. I look forward to relaxing at home and catching up with everyone.

I will not be back to work till January! While this year has flown by so quickly and each month has passed swifter than the one before, I will cherish the days left of 2021. A year full of change and uncertainty, but plenty to give thanks for and to entrust unto God. Winding up my work year with a thankful heart for this new role!

21:20

Thank God for new opportunities and His gracious timing! I was recently presented with a new part time role at work which is in the field I’m interested in and studied at university. Today was my first day! 

While work has been stressful in past weeks, I found myself unsatisfied and not enjoying my days in the office. This new opportunity is a much needed break from the monotony of my usual job, and I am thankful for the time away to learn and develop new skills. I am enjoying the time to focus on individual tasks where previously I was pulled between many. I can also work at home which will be beneficial to my irregular sleep schedule. I am hopeful that this will be the reset I need before the end of the year!

22:18

Busy busy busy busy!

This week at work was one of my toughest. Filled with team absence and additional hurdles, it has been stressful and draining. I worked over time and filled in responsibilities with every second of my day. I planned for my week, had those plans shattered and had to rebuild from the bottom each and every day. While I can adapt quite well under pressure I admit that this was a challenging week. One morning I woke up to another absence call, absorbed the information and then had a quick melt down. I shed some stressful tears before pulling myself back together and getting ready for my day. I have never been so glad to see the weekend!