Letters Between Friends: Dear Holly

Dear Holly, (In response to: Dear Cazz #4)

Brrrr! You're right about the weather - WTH?! It's extremely rare that we get snow here as we're on the coast but there was inches and inches of it over the week. Probably only my 2nd time of seeing real snow in Wales! *I'll edit this post with photos when I finish work*. Sadly I didn't get any days off work though so I just spent a lot of time dreaming about being snuggled in my reading room with blankets and tea.

Omg Les Mis is touring?! I had no idea. I'm trying to avoid social media as much as possible and have deleted all but Insta & Twitter apps for now. Please keep me updated on ticket release and prices etc. I would absolutely LOVE to go and see it with you if possible. Maybe if they go on sale soonish I could convince someone to get me a ticket for my birthday - it's almost the big 30 for me eeeek.

I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience with the WotW DVD - Kerry Ellis is my Elphaba (Wicked) so i'd love to see it. I couldn't miss the chance to see Carrie in action again though.

Renegades sounds AMAZING! I'll add it to my list of things to read in 2019 (oh god, that sounds like a lifetime away.) I've been accepted for quite a few things on Netgalley and had a couple of things in the post from publishers so i'm happy to say my reading has been going uphill for the first time in a long time. It helps that there's a new Levithan & Cohn book out and is sitting waiting for me on my Kindle when I finish my current reads. Nothing gets me going like those two! :)

Alex injured his ankle at work on Saturday so we spent a couple of hours in A&E getting him checked out. It's just a sprain/tissue damage but he's been ordered to stay off it for as long as possible. It's great at keeping him out of my way but it does however mean that i've got all of the house related stuff to do by myself *sigh*. Hopefully it means we're in for a quick week at work though and can get some relaxing in at the weekend. We won't be able to go anywhere as the car can't drive itself so what a perfect way to catch up on some things. I'm also looking forward to celebrating Mother's Day on Sunday. Aren't our Mum's the best?!

I hope things quieten down for you and you manage to get some blogging time in soon and/or reading but don't feel pressured to do anything. JUST DO YOU!

Ending as always with my Goodreads Challenge update: I'm currently on 14/50 which is 5 more than last time.

Letters Between Friends: Dear Holly

Dearest Holly,
It feels good to be writing to you again! This is only week 3 and I already find myself thinking throughout the week 'I must remember to share this with Holly!'.

Like you, i've had a stressful week. Monday was officially 'Blue Monday' which is nationally recognised as being the most depressing day of the week - and I really did struggle. Getting back into the swing of things post the festive fun has been difficult and work has been, well, pretty dreadful to be honest. However i'm happy to report that so far I am coping well and all of the things i'm doing to protect my mental health are going well. As you mentioned, I've recently started a BuJo for the first time. In the interest of being honest here, i've missed a LOT of days but that's only helping me to realise that I have little structure to my days right now and my habit tracker is very miserable! I'm only easing in to it though and so maybe i'll share a few snaps throughout February so you can see exactly what i've been tracking. It'd be great to see yours too!

Jumanji was GREAT! I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated and I think it'll definitely become a dvd purchase in the future. We also ended up at the cinema last weekend too to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi and OH MY DAYS it was brilliant! It's so wonderful watching new characters thrive in such an old and beloved setting. Star Wars will truly be timeless and I can't wait to experience my future children watch it too. Plus, BB8!

You always have such a wonderful time at Les Mis. I'm just hoping that after all these years, it stays on the stage a little longer so that after the wedding is all paid for and our purse strings are a bit more loose, I can go with you and see the magic. Maybe we could find a stagey show a bit closer to home later in the year.

This weekend has been very film heavy too. In 24 hours we managed to fit in 7 Disney films and a LOT of pizza & cake. You know you've found The One when he happily sits through HSM 1-3 with you without much of a grumble. I have another long week ahead of me at work this week. I have the kind of job that half kills me July-October but the rest of the year is completely dead. Finding ways to challenge my brain for 8 hours a day is probably the hardest part of working for my company. However, next weekend we blissfully have no plans and so i'm hoping to crank out a couple of books. I'm half way through The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan, 2 thirds of the way through a MV novel (re-read!) and about a quarter into the final White Rabbit Chronicles series. I'm determined to smash my TBR this year!

I'll end this here and every letter hereafter with a little update on my reading challenge - to keep me motivated! As of writing this, i've completed 5/50 books which puts me at 3 ahead. Score!

Can't wait to hear from you next week xx

Letters Between Friends: Dear Holly

Holly from The Arts Shelf and I decided that this year we're doing a mini series 'Letters Between Friends' in 2018! Holly sums it up better than I could so honestly I just want to dive in!

Hi Holly!
By the time you read this we've officially finished the first week of the new year and it's been one week since I saw you in person. I hope you had a blast bringing in the new year with your family. Parties with my future in laws are exactly as you would imagine, and so we were still up celebrating at 4am *yawn* i'm still crazy tired.

Your goals for 2018 sound wonderful and achievable. I wrote a post about my own goals here: 2018 Goals. For the first time in ages i'm incredibly excited for the upcoming year. As the clock struck midnight, I could finally start shouting that i'm getting married next year! So many things to organise and plan. On that note, i'm considering starting a bullet journal. I'm doing a lot of research at the moment and have drafted a few ideas but either way, it's almost time to go shopping and pick out this years organising tools. We do share a love of Paperchase after all....<3

I'll admit, i'm writing this a little early as it wont be posted until Monday but this weekend i'm having a gorgeous, lovely and quiet weekend with Alex (we're going to see Jumanji!) and I don't want to have to rush anything. You're going to see Les Miserables in London this weekend - i'm crazy jealous! I can't wait to read all your tweets. One of my favourite things is seeing my friends in their happy places and I know how much fun you're going to have. We don't have much booked in this year but i've still got a theatre hangover from seeing The Addams Family in August. As you mentioned in your post, we share a love of Carrie Hope Fletcher - rightly so! She was an astonishing Wednesday Addams, I wish you could have seen her. Hopefully Alex and I will make it to see Les Miz one of these days, we're both big fans of musicals.

I'm easing back into my diet this week but i'm finding it really difficult with so many temptations still around from Christmas. I know it's just a matter of getting back into a routine so i'm trying not to feel so disappointed in myself! I'm hoping that by next week it will have settled down and I just go back to having treats on Sundays. Maybe next time i'm down your way we can go to Nandos or Frankie & Bennys. There are many upsides of living in such a beautiful seaside town but the biggest downside is being so far away from places to go out for dinner! It always feels like a real treat when we get to go further North.

As for reading challenges, i've set myself a goal of 50. I'm doing a lot of shifts by myself at the moment as my team have opted for earlier hours which has meant i've snuck in a little reading and i've already finished 1 book, albeit a graphic novel. Have you read the Locke & Key series? I'm completely addicted. I'm not too far off finishing volume 3, maybe tomorrow night at work ;)

That's all from me this week, it's just been a quiet one of enjoying the calm of January and making the most of getting things organised.

Cazz xxx