You know where you suddenly look up and there’s a realisation of being present for the first time in what seems like forever? 

That happened to me last week. I woke up, checked my phone and realised that it was 7.00am, The Bloke had gone to work, it was light outside and suddenly it was the second week in March. I know that there was a February at some point, but I don’t seem to have fully acknowledged it.

It has been over two months since we moved house and things have been interesting. 

We finally have a sofa that was delivered yesterday (seriously, UK residents DO NOT order from SCS), and up until that point The Bloke and I had spent a considerable amount of time since January slumped on an air mattress on the floor of the living room. Getting on and off that thing resulted in a fit of giggles on more than one occasion, particularly when my 67 year old mother visited and sat on it. The actual sitting part wasn’t too bad, it was more watching her attempt to get back up again in a manner that Buster Keaton would be proud of. 

Comedy gold at its finest. 

Mum has visited on several occasions since the start of the New Year. A few days after we moved, we had tickets to see a Rat Pack concert that we had booked last year, so once she had had the tour of the new place, we went and stayed in a hotel in the city – there were boxes everywhere and nowhere for her to sleep, so it made more sense to go and stay close to the venue. It was nice walking through the Mailbox and the canal at night with all the lights – one of my favourite places in Birmingham.

Last week we had tickets to see Ben Fogle at the Town Hall, so she stayed at ours. It wasn’t particularly my choice to see either performance, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed both. It was also a stark reminder that this time last year she had been desperately ill and in and out of hospital for four months, so any time she wants to see a concert or a show, I’ll always to my best to make it happen – life is short.

Work wise I’m the busiest, but I’m also at the happiest point I’ve been for a long time. The workload is intense – I was working longer hours for a while to accommodate taking on two additional clients, but now I have got my head around what I’m working towards with each one I have been able to settle back into a rhythm and am thoroughly enjoying myself. The content is fun, the people are great to work with and it has provided lots of unexpected opportunities that has enhanced both my professional and personal life. 

One of those opportunities was an extended stay in London – I spent three days with different clients creating content and filming for their social media channels. In between, I got to be a tourist and explored parts of London that I have wanted to visit for quite a while (expect a blog post in the near future about it – I had so much fun). 

In my personal life, I have been able to experience some great shows and events in Birmingham. I met Steps, seen multiple performances at the theatre, The Bloke and I went to Wolverhampton to watch Sarah Millican, and yesterday I took myself off for breakfast at the new EL&N cafe that has opened on New Street. I’m still trying to get the work/life balance more in proportion and do things for myself, but compared to how awful things were last year, it’s a huge improvement. 

So while it hasn’t felt easy, I’m certainly in a much better place – both physically and mentally – than I have been, and for that I’m grateful.