In The Pink

For me Sunday is the best day of the weekend. I am used to a more relaxed routine, the chores for the weekend have been taken care of on Saturday and there is little left to do other than the things I want to do. We have leisurely walks with the dogs, walks around the garden with sporadic bouts of weeding, I get to visit blogs I treasure and post some things myself, and in the afternoon I cook. I really like the kitchen in my house. It is reasonably big and the afternoon sun streams in through the window. I like to cook something special for a Sunday lunch and am usually joined by the dogs. By the afternoon they have had enough exercise to warrant an afternoon kip but they like to be around the nice smells and close enough to see if it is going to be roast chicken, a meal from which they always benefit! I think that it is also reminiscent for me of childhood weekends, the smells and routine reminding me of my family. My Mum is a wonderful cook and the house at the weekend in particular...

I have recently re-discovered Olbas Oil , an ointment that we used to use as children when we had colds. Inhaling it unblocks your nose. I bought some a while back when I had a cold and kept putting a few drops on my collar, since then I use it most days as it helps me breath easier all the time and smells really nice. I love all thinks minty and fresh. Olbas is eucalyptus, juniper berry, levomenthol, dementholised mint oil and wintergreen. I also put a few drops on my pillow each night and it helps me breath clearly. A few drops in the bath is also very relaxing. Finally it can help relieve migraines as it has a cooling action if rubbed on the skin, however do not get it in your eyes or a migraine will be the least of your worries!

I do not usually make New Years Resolutions. I think they are sometimes made out of guilt and also I believe that if you want to make a new life rule for yourself then there's no time like the present and it need not always wait until this time of year. This year however, I feel some change is required. I have spent a lot of time over the past year or so trying to fine tune my life so that I can be a good and considerate person to friends, family and loved ones, while satisfying my own personal and professional needs. Good luck I hear you say!!! Anyway, my working life has been a little out of hand this year for one reason or another. I have found that making task lists has greatly improved my efficiency and is teaching me to be a little more realistic about what I can achieve in the hours available. I have been considering a similar approach to my home life in addition to the usual diary's and reminders that people have. Up until now I have resisted as I am a somewhat spontane...