Monday 2 January 2017

So that was 2016





How are you? Recovered from New Years Eve? Grab a hot brew and a comfy seat, this is a long-ish post! 




2016 was an interesting year to say the least. On the global scale there were a few major political changes (need I say more?) and various people are no longer with us. 

On a much more minor level it has been a year of discovery for me. 

My resolutions for 2016 were:

  • Be more organised
  • Start a blog
  • Do more creative things
  • Learn to crochet
  • Learn to knit
  • Knit a sock
  • Do better in my degree
  • Sit for five minutes everyday and think of three things that you're grateful for
A bit varied and ambitious considering 'learn to knit' was next to 'knit a sock'! So how did it go? 

Be more organised
I'm definitely more organised now than I have ever been. I actually have a written down schedule and a colour coded task list. However the amount of that list that gets done is a tad variable. Throughout the year I've read a lot of productivity blogs which have helped enormously such as bakadesuyo.com which sends weekly articles on productivity, changing habits and changing your mental attitude. I hope to continue this trend but be more pro-active rather than feeling I have achieved something simply by writing it in a list, colour-coded or otherwise!

Start a blog
I have started a blog but I'd love to eke out some time to actually post here regularly. As will be  mentioned below, my degree has been a dominant feature for the past three years and the next 18 months but with improving organisation I aim to have a more balanced life this year. Lets see how that goes! I haven't really decided the main theme of this blog and I'm looking forward to exploring that this year.

Do more creative things/ learn to crochet/ learn to knit
I've tried a drop spindle, weaving, screen printing, lino cuts, embroidery, crochet and knitting in 2016. It has been amazing! Admittedly a lot of these have only been tried once, put down and looked at longingly while revising for yet another exam. But, I have learnt the basics of crochet and knitting which has been an absolute highlight of this year. My crochet skills are still basic but this will be changing this year which I will discuss in 2017 goals either below or in another post. I have also discovered the joy of yarn and craft events in the UK. I was a volunteer for the Great London Yarn Crawl and met some wonderful yarny people. 

Knit a sock!
Tied in with creativity and knitting is learning how to knit a sock. I managed to sneak this into the last few weeks of last year and after much swearing, grumps and puzzled looks I have conquered the gusset, heel turn and heel. Although I'm sure it will feel less conquered when I try the second sock and I haven't tried a toe yet! You can see my progress so far on my instagram: charlotte_and_harvey

Embracing gratitude
Sitting still for five minutes was surprisingly hard. I always have a list in my mind that I need to complete every day and it can be difficult to just sit. Sit. And not move. And not think about anything but gratitude. And not start doing anything else. Its worth it. Please try it if you have time. It is so nice to flick through my little book of lists and timetables and deadlines and find a daily gratitude list which reminds me how lucky I am in my life even on the days that certainly didn't feel lucky. 

Degree highs and lows
And finally, my degree. I can't remember if I have mentioned but I am in my 4th year of a 5 year medical degree. All being well, I shall be a fully qualified doctor in around 18 months (fingers and toes crossed!). It has been an uphill struggle, mainly because I stupidly didn't thinking when I started that maybe, just maybe, medicine is quite hard! 2016 was my best year when I was in third year and I achieved my best grades so far. Then came fourth year. Long hours, lots of content to learn and the surprise event of my organised dissertation suddenly not happening. Twice. On the positive side, I now have a fairly stable dissertation opportunity which is certainly something I am immensely grateful for everyday. 

Well thats a long post from me! I hope you had a hot drink to get you through it. I'm going to post again this week with my 2017 aims/ goals/ themes and I would love to hear what yours are whether its creative, exercise or for life in general!

Have a wonderful first week of 2017 - C and H x


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