Lunch-time swim, great work day and a great dad

our new office overlooks the beach, so today, as it was a super hot one, I went for a lunchtime swim..... sooooo good :)

had a great, very busy day at work.... lots accomplished

dropped by the house tonight and dad was home alone, making himself a gorgeous dinner on the bbq .... he's the best dad ever !!

Early morning beach walk, moving house and lazy summer evening with friends

got up super early and went for a stroll on the beach.......It's one of my favourite times to be at the beach, so empty, so still and pristine

we moved house today...well kind of....from my folks place overlooking the ocean to a small box like apartment with one room.... but hey, its ours and its a home :)

we had a super fun afternoon, catching up with friends at the beach, having beers watching the sunset and a delicious dinner

12 hours sleep, self awareness and yummy salmon

wow, had 12 hours sleep last night - amazing

acupuncture again today - it gives me a real sense of self awareness

made super yummy dinner tonight, salmon wrapped in parma ham with new potatoes cooked on the bbq..... yum yum

Indigo essences, beach shop smell and movie

There is a company called Indigo Essences who make beautiful candles, sprays and drops that are made from crystal infused essences. I don't really know how they work, but I know that the spray called 'Settle' that says 'for when you feel rattly and shaky and you can't settle down' on the bottle is absolutely amazing.

I went into a little beach shop today and was hit with a wave of nostalgia - a combined smell of suntan lotion, beach mats, ice cream and sand. I felt like I was 6 again and on summer holidays.

Home alone tonight, so watched a very girly film that made me laugh and cry.

Good quote, thunder and cutting stickers

'Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair

Lots of thunder and dark skies around today - I love thunder, makes you feel humbled by the planet.

I had a job today to cut some stickers out that the printers had sent us. It could have been a really boring, frustrating job, but it was actually a really nice, therapeutic thing to do, Really simple, no brain power required.

bubble attitude, free fringe and good day all round

we decided last night that we would imagine we were in bubbles - not letting anything unbalance us and staying calm and positive at all times. It was a great way to feel in control of your emotions and your day.

The lady at the hairdressers cut my fringe for free today - which was nice.

The bubble theory worked a treat, and I really noticed how a positive attitude can totally transform your day.

acupuncture, friendship and love is strength

another acupuncture session today. It is so good for me.... I'd love to study it one day and learn how to give people such an amazing experience of calm.

Sometimes friends can blow you away with their kindness. I've got a friend who does that pretty much every day. I'm so lucky.

Love is strength - when you feel love, you feel strong.

lazy sunday, scrapbooking recipes and cooking dinner

Had a lazy Sunday today..... did a few chores, got some work done but in a nice, relaxed, Sunday sort of way.

I've been collecting recipes from magazines/books/websites for ages, and had an overflowing file that really needed sorting. So today, I sat outside on the deck and cut them all out, and stuck them in a new book. Felt great.

Cooked dinner tonight and enjoyed serving up a delicious meal for my folks

lush stand up paddle, serenity and early night

Met up with Ali and went for a long stand up paddle mission. From St Brelades to Corbiere lighthouse.... absolute bliss....good times in the ocean

The paddle was so calming, and the scenery so beautiful. It was a serene way to spend an afternoon.

After a refreshing beer and a good chat, I went home for an early night - loving the fact that I was exhausted from a day on the ocean and in the sunshine rather than exhausted from work.

surf lesson, mmm acupuncture and sunset swim after dinner

This morning I took a friend for a surf lesson. I had a really busy day ahead and could have cancelled but I knew she was really looking forward to it. It turned out to be the best thing ever - it took me straight back to my old surf school days, a simple happy time in the ocean..

Had acupuncture today.... what a perfect, zen way to re-balance

After dinner we went down to the beach for a walk, and I hopped in for a swim. The sun was setting and it was a great way to finish off my day.

guardian angel, delicious thai on the beach, and rainbow

today was a tough day, where things kept going wrong, and jobs that should have been easier turned out to be really hard. Late afternoon, on the way to the beach, I got a puncture in my car tyre. I didn't have the right tools to get the wheel off, and so had to cycle home, get a cab to the airport, hire a car and then start a mission to fix the car. I dropped into the garage and met a guardian angel - who drove back to the beach with me, after his day at work, fixed my car with his tools and refused any payment. He just said 'it's nice to be nice'.

After the little car episode, Ali & I took a bottle of wine down to an amazing thai restaurant on the beach. It's literally on the waters edge, and was so busy we had to sit on the beach. Such great food and great company.

Halfway through dinner it looked like it might rain, but there were just a couple of spots and a beautiful rainbow appeared.

solo surf, cycle and dads words of wisdom

woke up super early so headed to the beach for a surf. It was only small, but there was no one out and I had a pretty fun longboard session

from our office, its actually quicker, easier and a lot less stressful to cycle to any meetings in town. Found out today that it also gives you 15 minutes of downtime where you can relax, enjoy the moment and forget about work.

dinner with the folks tonight, and dad (the ultimate calm, unflappable person) gave me some advice about maintaining my calm in amongst the chaos.

back in the swing, beach picnic and early night

office sorted, emails caught up....I'm back in the swing of it

after very hastily making a moelleux au chocolat on my return from work, I drove to the beach to catch up with a bunch of awesome folk for a birthday picnic. Lots of happy kids running around, yummy food, good wine and some much needed down time.

early night (that's a benefit from hanging out with people who have kids, ha ha ha)

new office, buzz and a team...

had a super fun morning getting the new office ready and building furniture..... its amazing what a difference you can make to a room with some new additions and less clutter. Our office feels a lot more zen...

busy day but lots of buzz... everyone's excited for the festival

after a couple of years of Jeff and I doing everything ourselves, we now have a team, albeit just one more person, but we're a team none the less, and she's fab, so we're having lots of fun

early lake walk, magic drive and sink into bed

when you know you're going to be sitting in a car all day, a bit of early exercise really starts the day well. We got up early and stomped around the lake.

my drive back up to St Malo was almost too good to be true.... not a single truck on the road, blue skies and good tunes on the radio.

Didn't realise how tired I was until I went to bed and tried to read my book.....so I gave up, and just sunk into bed and drifted off to sleep.

early swim, packing and new resto

we went for a beautiful swim this morning, the sea was such a perfect colour, and just the perfect refreshing temperature

packing once again for our next mission back to Jersey...... kinda excited about the next chapter

my last night in Hossegor, so we tried a new restaurant overlooking the port in Cap Breton.....success..... it was amazing !!

mentor call, umbrella plan breakfast and zucchini fritters

we worked with a business mentor in australia, and had a call with him this morning. He's not afraid to pull us up on things he thinks we're doing wrong, and I like that. So good to be getting some direction & wisdom.

enthused by our call, we went out for breakfast to discuss our new umbrella plan ( and no, its not about deciding what kind of umbrella to buy).

dinner tonight was an old favourite from the lost/found/lost/found recipe books.... zucchini fritters with a yoghurt and mint sauce...mmmmm

swimming underwater, cactus and chez monette

for me, swimming underwater is one of the most calming things I can do. It transports me to another world, and leaves me feeling more balanced, more settled and a lot happier. Its good for my soul.

Jeff bought me a cactus today to say sorry for a stupid argurment. Most husbands would buy flowers, but he said it reminded him of me....short and spiky. That made us laugh, a lot, and that was a good thing.

Another amazing meal at Chez Monette with fab friends....lots of laughter

frogs eaten, perspective and company

I've spoken about frogs before..... not the jumping type, the work type that sit on your 'to do...' list and just stare at you..... well, today I tackled one head on. Yes, my brain was frazzled, yes it took me all day but wow, what a feeling when I'd done it !!

Spoke to a great friend tonight, who has a very challenging and sometimes heart-breaking job.... her recap of her day put some perspective on mine and made me realise how easy it is to get caught up in your own world, and forget that actually, my life is not that hard at all

After a day of somewhat troubled communication, we invited a friend for dinner.... sometimes thats the best thing to do, surround yourselves with friends and good company and forget about your day