Summer briefing

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blogging, country life, crafts, creativity, exercise, fatigue, garden, gardening, health, intention, life, summer, weather, weight loss

While I’m cooking up that promised weaving post, I’m going to drag you through a bit of a general status update of life at the cottage.

Whazzup?

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art, creativity, health, intention, knitting, Painting, relax, seasons, video, weather, winter

Hey there. Once again my sincere apologies for lack of content – I do in fact have some linky things lined up, but thought it would be nicer to spread them out a little in between actual posts.

6 months fitness update

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5:2 fast diet, exercise, fatigue, health, intention, life, weight loss

Official start date: December 2016. Goal: to battle fatigue and pains, dial body shape back 5 years. That’s minus 25% body weight and/or measurements whichever comes first.

6 months later I had hoped to report being halfway, but: 7 kg lost, 1 trouser size. That’s roughly 10%. 9-10 kg/15% to go and 8 cm around the hip for my 2013 form. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, it’s not like I’m trying to turn the clock back 30 years. (I weighed just 42 kg when I was 20, hard to believe now!)

Mini status of an elliptical nature

Tags

exercise, fatigue, health, intention, life, weight loss

This week I discovered that you can block neoprene knee braces in hot water to accommodate thunder thighs and super calves. Because XL would have lost the actual support function, and I’m not going to sit still for a little “patella syndrome”. (all those dots mean my muscles are improving)

@Kerry I’m still at 60 second planks because of my shoulders, but my sideways are improving in style!

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I’ll see if I can squeeze in a studio update soon, but I’m working (when I’m working) on mostly longterm projects at the moment, so there’s not many interesting tidbits for a blog post.

I’ve considered a newsletter instead so my most hardcore readers don’t have to check back to see if I’ve updated anything yet…

See you soon! ❤

Keep going

Tags

5:2 fast diet, exercise, fatigue, health, HIIT, intention, life, weight loss

Another two months since my last exercise update. G started work again in Feb. so until the evening light came back on courtesy of daylight savings, our brisk walks were reduced to weekends or not at all because of sucky weather. I simply don’t get up enough steam when walking alone, a long legged companion is just the thing for keeping your pace! So crosstraining it is, which of course isn’t as time consuming or needs to be coordinated, so I get more studio projects done finally. Sometimes. I did imagine I’d feel more improvement on the energy front by now, find that second wind.

Exercise update

Tags

5:2 fast diet, exercise, fatigue, health, HIIT, intention, life, weight loss

Just thought I’d let you in on how I was doing with my self torture project of becoming slightly fitter: I’m still at it, I’m pleased to say. I can do brisk 1 hour walks most days of the week now, and without my hips or knees crying halfway through, pulse down from 150 to 130; or 20 min on the crosstrainer at level 5 (started out at 2-3, 10 minutes). Physical antics leave me pretty exhausted most days, and sweaty as a galley slave. Sometimes I simply do short bursts at a very high setting for 5 minutes, then collapse on the floor panting, but not as dripping wet.

Hard work, even less talk.

Tags

exercise, fatigue, health, inner conviction, intention, life, yarn

Spinning chunky yarn on my Elizabeth has proven quite an ordeal, since I can’t get the ratio low enough and still make the wheel wind on the yarn, but my back is ready to give it another go for my little rug test project. And if the future I’ll have to figure that issue into yarn designs.

Untimely

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acceptance, blogging, clothing, colourways, handspun socks, health, intention, life, pain, relax, seasons, time, weave drafts, wool

a day ends

I’d like to begin this week with a warm welcome to all the new subscribers that seem to be adding my blog these past few weeks, whether you’re actually here to read or just hope to make somebody read yours. I’m afraid you’ve chosen to join me for the slow season, as my back has been out of commission again and my head then needs to adjust to sitting tasks only, with not much to show or tell just yet. I hope some of you will stick around for later antics!

This also coincided with planned weaving, carding and spinning work, which means I spend an inordinate amount of time just sitting here thinking about them, making endless weave drafts and colour samples. I need to find a plugin/app/whatnot that makes swatches from photos because just using the sampler in PS does not give me the vibrant shades I see with my eye/mind and it takes too long. Any suggestions? I prefer one that is installed, rather than having to upload single photos to a website each time, as I tend to work in batches. Oh, and it needs to be for Windows – I found a really cool one, Mac and i-things only.

Well, did she make it then?

Tags

autumn, CFS, colourways, determination, drive, fatigue, health, intention, life, longread, nature, plants, relax

I left you last Monday saying I wasn’t quite up to speed in the sleepiness department. Spent the afternoon trying peppy music (I usually prefer spending the day in silence) and preppy activities such as winding yarns for dyeing, and cutting up an old fiber board for taping papers onto while painting. Thank goodness for power tools, brrrrm, zoom, done.

Then I was extra careful not to vaccuum up any of my good pens with the saw dust, but proceeded to do just that of course, getting it stuck somewhere inside the machinery. That extrication process took longer than all the rest, but such happenings are just part of any normal day around here. Gets your pulse up.

So I need something for Monday

Tags

CFS, determination, drive, fatigue, health, intention, life, longread, relax

Last week I was utterly exhausted, beginning, funnily enough, on Monday morning as if by schedule. After waking up by myself all summer around 6 or sometimes earlier, I’m suddenly barely able to raise my lump of flesh at 7, left to its own devices it’s still lying there as if hung over around 8 where I simply have to roll it out of bed or die of shame (unless I’m gnawed on by hungry tigers first).