Sunday 31 May 2015

Little Luxuries: Sunday Chill Out


If you're anything like me, you'll always have a "to-do" list on the go. The items on my list vary in significance from "take laundry out of the washing machine" to "work out how to build a global business empire" - on the same sheet of paper.

To-do lists are great for organising your life and prioritising your day to day activities, keeping you on track to achieve your goals (even if that goal is just to change your bed sheets!) but the down side is that you have a constant reminder of what you should be doing. And the problem with always knowing what you should be doing is that when you're not doing it you can't really relax, even if you're taking a few moments out to watch The Real Housewives of Wherever [insert your own guilty pleasure here].


Saturday 23 May 2015

Icons

A favourite question of job interviewers is "Who do you admire?" and back when I worked in the corporate world, my  "I'm a serious and professional woman" answer would always be 'Mo Mowlam'. 

Dr. Mowlam truly deserved to be admired - a woman who not only got ahead in a man's world, she succeeded where decades of men before her had failed by overseeing the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, all whilst suffering with a brain tumour - however the replies which I really wanted to give, the names of the women who really inspire me didn't seem appropriate in such a formal setting.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Moving On

The final episode of "Friends" aired 11 years ago today, and as a massive fan of the show, the final frame showing Monica's empty apartment is, for me, one of the most poignant moments in television history.

I was reminded of this scene yesterday as I packed up my flat and left for the very last time.

Back in 2011 my husband and I were lucky enough to be able to buy what Kirstie & Phil call a "city crash pad" in Leeds, which would ease the long daily commute from our "country home" (not as grand as it sounds!).

The outside of our converted warehouse apartment