I've been a bad blogger (both my mom and my MIL have told me so), and I know it.
It's just that the weather has been so darn cold that it's been incredibly difficult to get motivated to do anything other than turn on the radiator, curl up on the couch with a blanket, and eat everything in the flat.
My fitness regime was ticking along fine until the cold snap hit in late January. Winter had been really mild up until then, and the first snowfall didn't arrive until a little more than a week ago. But then it got butt-ass cold! I usually run outside, and I normally have to wear three pairs of gloves during the cold weather. That's right - three!
It got so cold that I had to add a fourth pair of gloves, and my fingers were still frozen by the end of my run. It's been so bad that I've had to run warm water over them to get them to start moving again. Faced with the prospect of adding a fifth pair of gloves, I decided to call it quits until the weather warmed up a bit.
Other than that, life has been pretty mundane. We had a houseguest visit us in mid January, and he tagged along on our visit to Canary Wharf during the ice-carving festival, which was pretty cool.
I suspect the guys didn't mind waiting for me as I walked around with my camera since they found something a bit more interesting.... Raclette cheese! I just noticed that they were both dressed like the Una-bomber.
Since then, it's been pretty quiet other than going back to my old job for a week to help them wrap things up. I've had a lot of time on my hands, and I'm not much one for just sitting around so I've used that time to decorate our flat, which had been looking pretty sparse all this time.
I worked on some art stuff to hang on our bare walls. It's a cut-out map of central London over a Union Jack flag. I've got big plans to do one for Los Angeles once my blister from the Xacto knife has healed.
I also bought a mirror to hang over our mantle. It's a bit more gold than I thought it would be, but that's what online shopping gets you. I'm waiting to see if it grows on me. If not, I bought some sanding paper and masking tape in case I need to repaint.
I think just a few more things around the flat should finish it off nicely.
I suppose it's just in the nick of time I've finished my home improvement efforts since it looks like things are ramping back up again. I've got a new contract starting on Monday that's meant to last for 4-6 weeks. I'm also planning a backpacking trip to Asia with one of my US friends, and I really need to build up my fitness so that I can hike in high altitudes with a large pack strapped to my back. I've also organized a large drinks thing for one of my close English friends, and she's also having a party at her house. J just surprised me with tickets to see Matilda in March. Whew! When it rains, it pours.
