Yorkshire Beauty

Rolling hills as far as the eye can see, forested valleys, stretching moors and silvery vapours drifting over the landscape in the early morning sun; welcome to Yorkshire.

At this time of year, although bitingly cold, the Yorkshire moors are breathtakingly beautiful, showcasing the glory of nature and sheer magnificence akin to Peter Jackson’s portrayal of New Zealand in his Lord of the Rings productions.

Having visited for a funeral, spirits were duly low, but when I encountered the stunning landscapes, I could not help but feel a sort of living presence, pulsing in every aspect of the surroundings, breathing life and energy through me. The crisp air and dewy flowers were intoxicating, as was the river with its thousands of intricate reflections that you could stare into endlessly.

Bolton Abbey was by far the most captivating place I visited. In the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, the ruins of a 12^th century monastery exist in acres of woodland that are truly staggering and simply must be experienced. We walked for hours through the woods (muddy wellies accompanying) and skipped stones along the mirrored surface, topped off with a bowl (I mean it, it was a bowl) of hot chocolate plus whipped cream plus marshmallows plus sprinkles, and thankfully I didn’t have a coronary! If walking isn’t your thing (it wasn’t mine until I met my boyfriend’s mum!) then there are still places you can visit. There are about 9462 pubs in a 3-mile radius, all of which consist of roaring log fires, engulfing leather armchairs, a monstrously-sized roast dinner and as standard, an adorable pub dog. For afternoon tea, you simply must visit Betty’s Tea Rooms in Harrogate; nearly a century old, it boasts the most delectable cream cakes and extensive collection of tea and coffee (with over 300 breads, cakes and chocolates!). If you want to explore the town, there are hundreds of quaint little shops selling petite homeware bits that are perfect for gift-giving, or try the market in Skipton with thousands of books for sale as well as puzzles, fruit, vegetables and jewellery. There is a great buzz about Harrogate, and when we went we were lucky enough to catch the Pancake Day celebrations, with local radio stations and pancake-tossing competitions aplenty.

Don’t forget all the “Ye Olde Sweetshops” either – with pineapple cubes, rhubarb and custards, bonbons, humbugs, salted liquorice, jelly buttons (how much time have you got?) they have all the old sweets as well as some new!

"New year, new me"

So 2016 is finally here. ✹

          

How many of us have already said ‘New year, new me’?

And yet how many have already reverted back to their old ways – those who said they want to get in shape have signed up to the gym but not yet attended. Those who said they will be more patient on their morning commute to work shoved a fellow passenger for walking too slowly on the 1st January etc etc.

Well, I do not judge you. I think the whole ‘new me bla blah’ is so overrated and conceptually ridiculous. For two reasons:

1.       Why must we wait for a date change to dictate our new beginnings

2.       Why must we be socially pressured into feeling we have to change at all

Firstly, if you are an ogre in life, you probably already know it. (Hint: if you scream at people on a regular basis/if you didn’t get many Christmas cards/your own mother rushes to get off the phone to you, you are most likely a life-ogre. Picture Ebenezer Scrooge without the Christmas references and here you have a life-ogre). If you enjoy this life choice, and wish to be left well alone, then fair game.

If, in fact, you have a marvellous group of friends and are generally happy in life (minus the January blues) then why do you feel that you have to change? Granted, all of us have minor vices in life that perhaps we ought to keep an eye on, or those irritations that are the bane of our housemates’ lives, but these are our quirks, what makes us loveable and endearing (or so we’d like to think!).

However, if these actions are having a negative impact on your life, or on those around you, it is frightfully lazy to be aware of such annoying habits or unhealthy lifestyles and choose to wait until one single date at the end of the year to be proactive and do something about it. If you want to change then do so at your own hand – make your own choices and stick to them! Don’t be a sheep and endlessly follow the social herd because it is the easy route. Sometimes change can be difficult, especially when faced with new, unfamiliar territory but take this as a valuable lesson in self-belief and motivation, and push forward.

Nobody ever learnt anything new from staying in their comfort zone!

Secondly, I find that a lot of New Year resolutions come from the pressure put on us by the constraints of modern culture. If you are joining the gym to re/gain a healthy physique, or you are in training, or think you could benefit from more exercise in your lifestyle, then fantastic, kudos and bravissimo.

IF you are doing it to get the abs of Kylie Jenner/Hailey Baldwin/Alessandra Ambrosio (the list could go on and on…) thennnnnn perhaps this is the wrong reason, and perhaps it is comfortability in your own skin that needs to be exercised.

Celebrate yourself! ❤

We all have body hang-ups but when you realise how beautiful you are without the generic constrictions, then the resulting happiness that comes is truly liberating.  

If you are having a bit of a down day, try Gerad Kite's new book, Everything You Need You Have: How to be at Home in Your Self.
"Kite gifts his patients with something they often weren't aware they had lost: that ineffable sense of 'me-ness' that a child is born with but that many of us mislay along the way." - Daily Telegraph