Life for the last few months…
I think I last posted in October so a quick update to come and it seems I only ever have time when I’m ill. This time a nasty condition I’d never heard of, costochondritis, inflamed cartilage between the ribs and breast bone, ouch! I think I’ve brought on with working out…
Through October I got my head down and worked, a month before travels and with multiple bills to pay as a self employed person it can make life difficult at times, lots of planning and saving to do.
November was possibly the best month I’ve had this year, so much love for November!! At the start of the month I got to run the Wine and Dine challenge at Disney World in Orlando! I hadn’t expected the rush of emotion I’d feel on completing the half marathon, I cried so hard. All of the hard work getting my fitness back after the stress fracture, after the break up, after moving house and cancelling the whole trip because it didn’t seem financially possible and then changing my mind again… it meant so much to me to finish the race! And I finally got under 2 hours 15 minutes! My little heart could’ve exploded with joy, my only regret was not being able to stay at Disney longer, 3 days wasn’t really enough but it was all I could manage.
I came back to work for a week and then I was away to New Zealand, the most magical and weird and wonderful place. And I had the most amazing time, so wonderful I didn’t want to come home… I saw orcas in the wild, a Brydes whale too! And I made new friends, worked at the NZ tattoo festival, spent time on South Island where I got to visit doubtful sound. I did get a little ill after the festival, too many days spent indoors with not enough food or sleep, but it passed quickly, as did my time there… before coming back I made the decision that I will apply for an artist visa in 2024, I’m hopeful to start the process in May and it will mean I can work in New Zealand more regularly than the once a year with my festival visa. Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to move there.
Since coming home in early December I’ve been quite down, it’s so dark in Scotland during the winter, sunrise at 8.30am and sets at 3.30pm, it’s just so grey. And cold and wet and windy! Quite the contrast from spring time New Zealand with its long days and warmer weather. In an ideal world I’d leave for New Zealand in November and come back to Scotland in April. I’ve tattooed where I could, frustratingly lots of cancellations in December! And I thought more of what I’d like to do with the studio space than taken action, it’s going to take me a little while to build the funds I’d need to make significant changes, plus, I am still waiting for an artist to move on so I have the space to make the changes I want. I want to get the studio running how I would like it by March, I have a name now too, to be announced… And up until a week ago I was back into a new running training cycle, but this injury has halted any progress for now. I really hope it eases soon as not being able to exercise during this difficult time of year will be brutal on my mental health.
I’m trying to take this injury as a sign from the universe that I need to slow down, take my time, I can only tackle one thing at a time and I suppose if I have more free time at home then I can focus on new artwork for the studio, I can get the studio organised 🤞
We are 3 days away from 2024 and 2023 is a year I will be glad to leave in the past, if it wasn’t for all the growth that came from this horror of a year I’d quite like to forget it completely. Well, except November, it was magical.
A photo of me smiling in the sun, having just completed the runDisney Wine and Dine challenge, a 10k and a half marathon on consecutive days, I have two medals.
Me at the shore of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown New Zealand, it looks sunny but it was quite cold! 🇳🇿