Hibernating

Hello everyone!

Sorry for my recent absence! Instead of giving the usual excuses of life being busy and not having time for blogging, I'll give you a real explanation.

I can't remember if I mentioned it at the time, but I went on a Spiritual Development Retreat with a fab group of people in October. Whether it's your kinda thing or not, don't worry I'm not gonna start trying to convert people or writing long winded posts about spirituality! Haha. Since then I haven't really felt any different, if anything I've been a little more volatile than usual if you ask me! But now I've had a chance to let it all 'settle in' as it were and reflect back I can see the differences. Mostly quite subtle ones, which is nice - I didn't go wanting to change radically overnight.

As I look back now I feel like I've been hibernating, strange as that may sound. I've always understood the cycles of the seasons and how others liked to follow them, but I've never been one to follow them myself. When Winter comes around I want to be out doing everything I can to not succumb to the Winter Blues. Tom will tell you how annoying I can be trying to get him to join in too! Even this year I've been struggling against sitting at home relaxing, to the point that I went out and made a snowman in the dark because I'd missed the daylight hours working!

But despite my resistance, I've noticed a definite change in my approach to Winter this year. Although I did do a lot and get things done, I also did a lot of nothing at all. I slept loooong long hours, struggling to wake up in the morning and more than once rolling out of bed and into work still half asleep. I wrapped up warm instead of defiantly refusing to wear a coat even in freezing temperatures. I gave up on the diet, wanting that extra protective layer from the cold. And funnily enough I ended up losing weight anyway, so I think my body was grateful!

At the time I thought it was my body's way of recovering from a long year of constant illness, taking time out to get back to normal and forgetting what it's like to be constantly bouncing from 'under the weather' to completely bed bound on a near-weekly basis. And in a way I suppose it was, but more importantly I think I was giving in and following the seasons like we used to. Back before technology gave us not just a City That Never Sleeps, but an entire world that doesn't sleep.

If I'm completely honest, despite my protestations and constant attempts to do something, I'm really glad I was defeated. That sounds really negative, like I've given in, but I don't mean it negatively. The defeated side was the 'modern me' that is always trying to work harder, do more and bend time to my will in order to get things finished. The new me is happy to just kick back and relax, knowing that I'll be more productive if I'm well rested and in a much better mood to boot!

So onto today; what made me realise all this was that now Spring is starting to poke its nose above the ground and say hello, I'm doing the same. I'm reconnecting up with friends I haven't seen for a while, working on new projects at work and preparing to jump back into this whole 'diet & exercise' thing I've heard so much about! In addition to all that, I've just passed 10,000 views on this lovely little blog I set up a year ago now and I think it's time I celebrated by getting back to posting regularly. :)

I've got one or two posts in mind for you already - this weekend I'm making my first attempt at making a Spelt & Honey loaf which I'll be taking plenty of pictures of for you! But I'd really love your input too - what do you want to see more of? How To Guides? Tips on money saving and frugality? More serious things like my blogs on Renewable Energy etc? All with an eco-friendly twist of course! Let me know in the comments below. :)