Lil’ L returned to school today which means that the festive holidays are officially over in my house. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly these two weeks pass!
Before I fully immerse myself in the new year, I’d just like to share a few pics to show what we’ve been up to these past couple of weeks.
We were really fortunate that M was able to take the full 2 weeks off work, so we had lots of quality family time together (which I absolutely treasured!)Β I was also extremely grateful that we managed to avoid the flu and stomach bugs that so many people sadly suffered from this Christmas. I really felt for them. I wishΒ I could have waved a magic wand and made them all better. Oh to have such powers :/
Our Christmas was very chilled out, which was wonderful after all the busyness of the preceding weeks.
Obviously there was lots of excitement on Christmas morning when Lil’ L discovered that Santa had delivered a sack of presents for him (Lego was a popular gift again this year π )
As well as having lots of fun playing with new toys, we also enjoyed playing my Dad’s old board games, watching movies on the TV and trips to the cinema. Have you seen Life of Pi yet? It’s such a beautiful film!
There’s been a fair amount of eating going on over the holidays too π I did eat a lot more calories than usual (who doesn’t at this time of year?) and most of the extra calories came from the vast quantity of Christmas pudding, mince pies and Christmas cake that I consumed. Thank goodness I only eat them for a couple of weeks of the year!
![Christmas Cake 2012 - 500](https://bitofthegoodstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Christmas-Cake-2012-500.jpg)
To help burn off the extra calories, on Christmas Day and Boxing Day I went for morning jogs along the canal, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Since the weather was so mild (and fairly dry later in the day) the three of us also enjoyed taking evening strolls to Bath city centre.
These past few years, it’s become a tradition for us to welcome in the New Year with a visit to the coast and a stroll along the beach.
This year, we took a trip to Weymouth on the South Coast.
This is where the sailing took place for the 2012 Olympic Games.
All that space on the beach…
… and look where Lil’ L has to walk! As per usual, he seems determined to get his feet wet!
We also took a trip to Chesil Beach. This really was invigorating!
I can’t imagine how many pebbles there are on this beach. There must be millions!
And where’s Lil’ L? Yep, you guessed right. Down at the water’s edge chancing his luck.
This time round he only just managed to escape getting soaked (which is an improvement on last year π )
So that’s another year over! Time to move on!
I wish you all a wonderful 2013. I hope the year brings you everything you desire xx
p.s. What was the highlight of your festive holidays?
Have you set any New Year’s solutions?Β I haven’t set any yet… except for my wish to be a better human being… this has been my New Year’s resolution for as long as I can remember πΒ However, I’m thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for me to set some short term goals and milestones for 2013. This might help me to focus a little more and stop wasting time π
Good to know you all had such a wonderful holiday time together. The cake looks quite good, and yes we all have a tendency to consume a few too many calories.
I’ve started running again to get myself back on track π
Happy New Year to you and your family Sharon!
Happy New Year Rachel! Great to hear that you’re back into running π
I had such good intentions re. exercising over Christmas. I really enjoyed my morning jogs on Christmas Day and Boxing Day… but it all went downhill after that as I spent the rest of the holidays having late nights, big lay-ins and eating far too much Christmas pudding! I’m back on track this week though and really enjoying my 30 minute runs (after I drop Lil’ L off at school).
I was wondering whether to do the Bath Half Marathon in the Spring but 13 miles seems such a long distance to me. Some of my friends are training for it & have already got injuries. Maybe I should stick to the 5ks. The short distances suit me better and, to date, I’ve remained injury free. Let’s hope it continues that way!
Hello Sharon. Should be going to bed now, but your blog is so great I can’t stop reading!! Wish I had seen it sooner. 6 months ago I found out that I was allergic to diary and egg protein and although it has made a difference to my health, I have been rather despondent when it comes to cooking which I usually love. Your recipes have totally inspired me and given me the much needed nudge I need to start cooking again. My husband and I are very passionate about good food and have passed this on to our son. He is good with veg and most fruits apart from soft fruit, but we hide them well in smoothies. We live in Essex near the forest and love it. Have been to Bath once before when visiting the Cotswolds and thought it very beautiful. Must get off to bed now, but thought I would I introduce myself and say a massive thank you. Kind regards, Claire
It’s really lovely to meet you Claire! It’s comments like yours that really fire me up to keep going with this blog, so thank you π
Even though me & my husband left Essex when we were 18/19, we still consider ourselves to be ‘Essex folk’ and are very proud of it. We’re from the Thurrock/Standford-le-Hope area and have never been able to shake off our strong Essex/East End accents. The funny thing is, lots of people in Bath ask if we’re from Australia. Must be the twang!
I feel for you with the allergies. I’ve got a dairy allergy myself but was so relieved when I successfully self-diagnosed it. As soon as I stopped consuming dairy, the stomach cramps, joint aches and eczema disappeared… literally within days! Just a shame it took me so long to work out what was causing the problem. Since cutting out dairy, I feel like a new person π
I’ve got so many yummy dairy and egg-free recipes that I’m looking forward to sharing with you. This week I made a dairy & egg free Toad in the Hole and it worked out really well (and tasted lush!) I never imagined that Toad in the Hole or Yorkshire Pudding could be ‘veganised’ but it can easily π
Your boy sounds a lot like Lil’ L when it comes to food. He loves his veggies and an increasing amount of fruits… but absolutely refuses to eat soft fruits. He says it’s a texture thing. Like you, I simply blend them into smoothies π
Keep in touch Claire. If you get inspired to create some new dairy-free / egg-free recipes please do share them. I’m always interested in trying new foods. I’d be more than happy for you to ‘guest post’ on my blog. Take care xx
I loved life of pi, I saw it on boxing day and thought it was stunning! Looks like you had a lovely Christmas, I had an equally relaxing one π
I’m so glad to hear that you had a lovely, relaxing Christmas π
Life of Pi was great wasn’t it? I’ve read the book and watched the film now, but I’m still not sure whether I “get” the ending! It definitely left me with a lot to think about!
Looks like you had a lovely break. Your cake is amazing! π
Thanks Sandy! I hope you had a great break too. As soon as I’ve finished reading the lovely comments on my blog, I’m heading straight over to your’s to see what you’ve been up to π
It sounds like you enjoyed an amazing holidays! I have a few things I’d like to achieve this year but I guess they are more wishes on my wish list than resolutions π
I think that this year I need to set myself some serious goals. I used to be a Project Manager but since going on ‘sabbatical’ I’ve been rubbish at project managing my days π I’ve been ‘wishing’ and ‘hoping’ to finish the family recipe book for well over a year now. My mum’s now starting to wonder whether it’s actually going to materialise and gets embarassed when her friends ask about it. Time to regain some self discipline and start cracking the whip!