Typecast

In the last #Fitbitches update I mentioned that I was changing the way in which I was participating in running, both as a mentor and for self-improvement. Volunteering as a Team Leader three times a week with GroupRun Blackburn 's 'couch to 5k' group and then one 'long run' a week with Blackburn Road Runners was working perfectly.  But I had to make a huge decision.  Did I want to make that huge leap and officially become a 'club member' and be part of a organisation with a fantastic reputation and a strong membership? Long story short... YES, I DID! What swung it for me was the support that I've received by all the Blackburn Road Runners (BRR), many of whom have come through the community couch to 5k programme and are now running half and full marathons ! I hear the BRR members cheering me on at races. I love reading about their camaraderie via Facebook updates. I enjoy spotting the blue and white vest at events and even on the televisio...

I've been meaning to write this blog post for AGES but what has kicked my arse into gear was a recent chat with my blogger friend, Kate, about my Fossil Sydney Satchel and my search for a 'bag for life'. She's a bit of an expert when it comes to designer bags and she offered me some great advice which I've shared in the second half of this blog post.  Over the years I have been the owner of lots and lots of different styles of handbags. I scour YouTube for handbag videos (my favourite content creator in this niche is Chase Amie  - it's been lovely to see her channel grow over the past year or so) and drool over the top-end, designer bags, wondering if I could ever be lucky enough to own something considered an 'investment bag'. I mean, there's even a Burberry bag called 'Nickie' - if it was available in the UK, I'd be all over that!!  About eighteen months ago I made a huge decision to invest in a leather handbag . In...

About 18 months ago, my friend Liz took ownership of a notebook shop and I was a bit jealous excited  about it all.  Hope House Press sell luxury, hand made, personalised leather notebooks but have recently introduced more items to their shop such as pencil cases and pen sets.  Everything is made to order at their Cambridge studio and I've been lucky enough to receive a few samples along the way, including the diary I'm going to share with you now! Start the day as you mean to go on, organised and ready for all it has to bring. With our personalised pencil case and a heavyweight wooden writing pen we're confident you'll be up to the challenge. #pen #writersgonnawrite #woodenpen #brasspen #pencilcase #personalisedpencilcase #hopehousepresss A post shared by Hope House Press (@hopehousepress) on Oct 9, 2017 at 11:35pm PDT I'm already looking at diaries and planners for 2018 as I always have a few dotted around for various uses (personal, work, bl...

This is not me but it's how I imagine I look in the S'No Queen thermals It's a bit nippy up here in deepest Lancashire during the winter months and our house is an old Victorian end-terrace that seems to leak heat.  So during the cold months we wrap up in lots of layers and stick an extra blanket on the bed.  On the worst nights it's not unknown for me to wear more clothes to bed than it is during the day... *sexy*  so when S'no Queen asked me to take a look at their designer luxury thermals in the limited edition colour of turquoise, I jumped at the chance!  Long gone are the days of the off-white, slightly baggy long-john type thermals that I remember my dad wearing in the 1970s. First impressions are that they are super soft! They are ribbed which naturally helps to trap air between outer layer, boosting the thermal properties and - here's the science bit - t he thermals are made up of 82% micro modal, 14% silk and 4% lycra  - making the wh...