Where Have I Been?

 

Sometimes, something has to give. And that’s why I haven’t written anything for Retro and Thrift for nearly a month. To be honest, life has kind of gotten in the way.

As you may already know, my day job includes writing a lot of blog posts. This is fantastic, but, of course, it also means that it’s often hard to push myself to write even more for my personal blog, especially during my free time at the weekends and evenings.

I’ll admit, writing for Retro and Thrift is a tricky one for me at the moment. I am finding it hard to find the time, energy and brain power to write something of quality. At the same time, I find myself flicking through Twitter and Instagram comparing myself to other creators and feeling bad about my commitment.

The more I think about writing a great mini-series or putting together a really useful guide, the more I seem to put it off.

Meanwhile, I’ve been super busy with general life stuff. You know, like moving house and trying to have a social life and keep on top of my work as a freelancer. It’s not the hardest thing in the world, but it’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to balance in my life.

I was doing so well at the monthly reflection posts and I found them so helpful when keeping a check on my mental health. So, in this post, I shall do a quick reflection on the past 3 months that I have missed.

1. I did a lot of fun stuff.

It’s not all been work, work, work. I have spent a lot of weekends away, a lot of evenings out and seen a lot of cool stuff. For example, in April I visited Harrogate with Aaron. We had a really lovely couple of days and discovered the cute village of Knaresborough.

On Friday I met John Metcalf, also known as Blind Jack of Knaresborough. He is famous for being the first professional road builder to emerge during the Industrial Revolution and built 180 miles of road in his life. He was also blind from the age of six. Next time your brain is telling you that you can't do something, think of the almost impossible achievements of this Yorkshireman! . . . #travel #blogger #travelblogger #bloggerlife #hull2017 #hull #easter #couplegoals #photosinbetween #thehappynow #mindfulness #creativity #april #selfcare #positivity #bodypositive #wanderlust #yorkshire #northyorkshire #knaresborough #harrogate

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I also spent a weekend in London for my mum’s birthday, back in May. It was incredible to explore Greenwich Market, which I completely fell in love with.

The final weekend in May was exhausting but wonderful all the same. On the Saturday, I kindly got invited backstage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend. The best part about it was that my friend and I got to use the posh toilets rather than the awful portaloos that I’m used to at festivals. We spent the day drinking cider, getting terrible sunburn and enjoying the music. It was fab.

Throwback to Radio 1's #BigWeekend. I'm craving more outdoor gigs where I'm sat in a field with my pals and two pints on the go. 🙈🍻 . . . #BackStageAtBigWeekend #hull #hull2017 #hullcityofculture #hullculture #hullart #hullmusic #hullcreative #hullphotography #hulluni #hulluniversity #hullbloggers #hullvloggers #hullfilm #hullfoodie #hullfood

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The following day I was up early to write my review of Radio 1 and then headed up to Leeds where I attended Slam Dunk. For years, I have wanted to get tickets to this awesome festival, but it has always fallen around the time of exams. I’m a huge Enter Shikari fan, so despite no one wanting to join me, I decided to go along anyway. Going solo to a music event is a little strange, but seeing Shikari was certainly worth it.

The beginning of June was also the end of another year at university for some of my friends, so we all went along to the End of Year Ball and had a pretty great time. I admit, I can’t remember much of it, but it was excellent to see some of my old pals.

Before the carnage started. #EOYB2017 ✨

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As for the rest of June, I have taken the time at weekends to relax and recuperate at home with my parents. Aaron also joined me and we had a delicious BBQ, whilst drinking and chilling in the garden. The perfect way to spend a day, in my opinion.

2. Weight-loss journey

Feelin' the summer vibes today. 🤘🤘🤘

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It’s true, I have eaten and drank my way through the past few months. But, this has probably been more detrimental to my purse, rather than waistline. Incredibly, with a few gym sessions a week I have managed to stay on the weight loss train, however, I am definitely going to be trying harder from now on in time for my birthday in August.

Otherwise, I’ve just been enjoying fitting into some of my old clothes, as well as some new styles. You may have seen the increase in outfit photos on Instagram?

 

3. I launched another website. 

So, if you don’t know already, I began freelancing around this time last year. I have been managing social media accounts and copywriting for a whole host of companies since starting and decided that I wanted to look a bit more professional. So, I created my own website to showcase these services. It was pretty daunting, but I’m so glad that I now have somewhere to signpost people to when they ask what I do.

Our new website is now live over at www.creativealice.co.uk. ✨🌸

A post shared by Creative Alice (@creativealiceuk) on

4. I’m going to be living on my own in less than a week. 

In between all the partying and website launching, I have managed to secure myself a house. My contract with my current housemate is running out very soon, so I had to get a jiggle on and start looking for a new place to rent. I move in this Friday, so will probably be updating everyone on social media. And, once everything is settled, you may get a little peek at what I’ve done with the place. Excited is an understatement.

Back in Lincoln this weekend to sort out my bedroom in time for the big move next Friday. Super excited to have my own place for the first time ever. 🙊🏠 . . . #vintage #retro #vintagestyle #retrostyle #blogger #travel #lifestyle #selfie #fridaylook #fridayvibes #hullbloggers #thegirlgang #photosinbetween #casualstyle #charityshop #secondhand

A post shared by Courtney Farrow 🐝 (@retroandthrift) on

So, if you were wondering, that’s where I’ve been for the past month or so. What have you been up to? Let’s have a catch up on Twitter. 

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