Playing my joker...
Apologies, I haven’t had time to research and pull together a full coaching post this week so I’m playing my joker - a general update on what I’ve been up to, what I’m doing now, and what’s next…
Warning, there’s a lot of property related news, so skip off now if you’re bored already!
We’ve been away!
Mark and I took a week off - a very rare treat and a much needed break.
It’s been full on since Christmas and we realised we were almost halfway through the year and needed some time off.
We spent most of the week in Margate, staying in our daughter’s small but perfectly formed apartment on the seafront and took care of her little dog, Potato, while she jetted off to Spain with her girlfriend.
We had such a lovely time, the weather was mixed, sun, showers, and wind, but we still managed to walk over 80 kilometres over the course of the week!
Poor Potato, I don’t think he’s walked this far in his entire life. It was funny how much faster he walked when he knew we were heading home each day - properly running, with me in tow and Mark 50 metres behind!
We clocked off from dog sitting duties at the end of the week and headed down to Eastbourne for a few days.
A decision well made
We decided to walk away from the apartment we were buying as it was clear the vendor didn’t really want to sell! It was disappointing but, at the same time, a relief - after investing so much time and energy since February on this, I was done.
So what next…
As one apartment door closes, another opens… A gorgeous one came on the market, and we were first to view it.
We knew immediately it was the one for us and we‘re now racing through the conveyancing process.
It’s smaller than the other one but I’ve found a nearby garage that would pick up the job of storage… I’m still in negotiations for that, please keep everything crossed!
And, I’ve put my name down for an allotment!
I've always thought there's something slightly morbid about waiting for an allotment plot. Rather like waiting for a donor kidney, they tend to become available only when someone else no longer needs them…
I’m so excited about the prospect of an allotment. We had one in the late 90’s when our daughter was a pre-schooler. She was hilarious, absolutely refused to wear a dress, choosing jeans or leggings every day, except for when we went to the allotment… on allotment days she would choose her prettiest long cotton (think Little House on the Prairie) dress to wear with her wellies and would then immediately climb the freshly delivered pile of manure…
Leaving the family home
Our house sale is progressing well and we hope to complete in July. Our buyers are lovely and I knew immediately on the viewing day that they were the ones. Our house was built 100 years ago and this new family will be only its 3rd custodians - we bought it 24 years ago from the family who bought it from new!
People keep asking if I’m going to miss our house after 24 years, and I am honest when I say ‘not at all’! I don’t have many sentimental bones, and my forward thinking approach to life (and coaching), means I’m always more excited about the future than thinking about the past. Plus, it’s simply too big for us now and I’m beyond bored cleaning rooms that we don’t use!
Investing in the future
I’ve now started my Nordic Walking instructor training and have an all day assessment scheduled for September.
I walk with Harrow Striders and join walks whenever I can, which means I go on different days with different groups of people. Some people want to chat, some just want to walk, but everyone’s there to have an hour of fitness in nature. I’ve been on walks in parks and woods I didn’t know existed, and seen amazing panoramic views of London from various viewpoints.
Once I’m trained and qualified, I hope to take people on walks and coaching walks in Eastbourne - making the most of the South Downs that will be on my doorstep.
Prioritisation is key
Coaching-wise, I’m ‘ticking over’ - very intentionally.
There’s so much going on at home that I only have space for a dozen or so clients plus the coaching days at the moment. It’s enough for now and means I’m able to give them the time and space they deserve.
I have a coaching day on July 10th in Pembury near Tunbridge Wells and always look forward to these. This is the last one for a couple of months - I’ll organise one for September once the holidays are out of the way.
Oh, and if you usually get my daily DistrActions® via my WhatsApp Channel, I’ve moved them over here to Substack. In short, I can schedule them on Substack but WhatsApp needs me to manually post each morning and sometimes life gets in the way of that!
Normal service will be resumed next week so please don’t think you’ll be subjected to more of this drivel - it really is my joker when time is tight!