I started thinking about this adventure in December and we’re now in August, that’s some serious procrastination. But now that I have got this far, let me take things back a few months as there were a few things I wanted settled before I started.

A visa

As a Kiwi currently living in London, I’ve got to jump through a few (so many!!!) hoops to be entitled to live and work in this amazing, vibrant and challenging city. The working holiday visa that I entered the UK on ran out in March this year so to stay on I had to apply for further leave to remain. Options are pretty limited for Kiwis once your working holiday visa runs out but luckily for me my lovely Kiwi boyfriend has a British passport through his father. So I could apply as a defacto spouse to stay with him. It is a long, convoluted and expensive process but fortunately, we came out the other side without me being deported on the next flight out of there.

A diet

After feeling super lethargic coming out of a long British winter, I needed to shake up my diet and spend some time tending to my health. After looking into a few things and talking to a few people, I decided I wanted something sustainable and be a basis for good habits in the future. I then, on one crazy Sunday (this may or may not have been the 31^st of December) I made a resolution to undertake the most extreme fad diet out there, the Whole30. I went through withdrawals; headaches, tiredness, lethargy. Then frustrations with the intensive food prep and planning that goes into it, then euphoria at finishing and seeing the diminished figure on the scales. I then celebrated waaaay too much and undid it all. You can read my lessons learned here. I am no poster child for the Whole 30 but I gave it a good shot.

A desk

I felt that I needed to make an area for myself, a space to write and think and get all deep about things. I didn’t want the distractions of TV or my boyfriend or the all too present pull of sleep. I usually sit on my bed to work and go from upright and alert to slouched, head on the pillow, laptop on stomach in the time it takes to open my browser. Not good if I am to be a serious blogger. Instead of going to all the effort of sorting out a desk and lighting and plugs and everything, I have subtly commandeered a little space for me on my boyfriend’s desk (read taken over). It’s not a good long term fix, but until I am properly booted off, I’ll take it.

A deadline

Yup, after the first few months flew by I knew this wasn’t going to happen unless I really forced myself too. I bit of time here and there on a lazy Sunday does not a blog make. Then listening to this podcast by Bevan James Eyles about finding your passion in life, I decided that I had to get a wiggle on. So my friend and I decided to set some goals and then check in with each other weekly to see how we were getting on. My first goal was to start a blog before my birthday and success! I registered this domain name on my 27^th birthday.

Next goal: To have it functioning with all the widgets and sliders before the end of the month.