To kickstart the trip we were up nice and early to load up the car and get on our way. Our first stop of the trip was Matlock Bath, although originally we were just going to head to Matlock when we were driving past we thought Matlock Bath would be the best bet for us. We decided to park about a 25 minutes walk away from the centre just to avoid any chaotic car parks plus the weather was fine so we didn't mind that walk and Odin certainly didn't. The walk was a nice walk where we past the cable cars although we weren't brave enough to have a go. When we reached the centre we were a bit surprised as it wasn't as big as we though it would be however, we had a few walks around the place with the dog who was enjoying himself. We even went into the amusements where once again we wasted money on the claw machines but it was a fun hour or so. By the time we were done in the amusements and walking around we found a nice little pub on the waterside for some food. We got a gorgeous burger & chips each whilst Odin had his favourite sausages. 

Once we were done in the pub we were done in Matlock Bath and as it was still too early to check in we headed to a little place called Peak Village. This was a bit of an outdoor shopping centre but wasn't massive like other shopping villages so it was just right for with the dog. We ended up wandering around here a fair few times to pass the time and I ended up falling in love with a shop which sold the likes of Joules & Holland Cooper, I even found my Holland Cooper gilet of dreams but unfortunately money wasn't on my side for this visit, it has taught me it is an item I really need to pick up though. After far too many times walking around we went back out to the car park and through to the little nature reserve they had which Odin absolutely loved. After a wander around there it was time to go back to the shopping village for the best brownie and a hot chocolate.

By the time we were done with the drinks it was time to head to check in to our little cabin for the night. This cabin was in the middle of nowhere with just two other cabins in the field with it. This was absolutely perfect for the 3 of us and due to it being in the middle of nowhere we ended up just crashing out for the night with our Nintendo Switches and books. The next morning we were straight up and walking the dog around the site which was a big open field so perfect for him. Once the car was packed up it was time to head to our next destination which was Bakewell. We were a bit surprised when it came to Bakewell as it was very quiet and a lot of places were shut even in the Easter holidays. We spent a few hours here though just wandering around and we even treated ourselves to some Bakewell tarts as well as some for our family members. Our final stop in Bakewell was a pub where Odin was treated like royalty and we got a gorgeous breakfast. 

Once breakfast was done it was onto our final stop of the trip which was Buxton. This was always just going to be a quick stop off but we ended up spending a few hours here walking around the lovely park they have there which was much bigger than we expected and tired Odin out nicely for the trip home. It is safe to say we all had fun on our trip however, the fresh air seemed to knock us all out, especially Odin who was super tired for a few days post trip. We might have only gone away for one night but we all really enjoyed ourselves and it has made us realise we definitely need more trips away in the not so distant future but the question is where do we go next?

See you soon, 

Lucy

Here we go April, the weather is changing, nights are lighter and we are heading into some busy months with plenty of plans in place. That being said though I am hoping that April is going to be a super productive one with things starting to align properly for me. So here are my goals for April...

Fashion

Sort out my Spring wardrobe

I think it is now safe to remove all my big thick jumpers out of my wardrobe and transition into the lighter pieces of clothing I own. This is going to give me a good chance to have a huge declutter too as some clothing I haven't touched all winter so do I need to keep them? Definitely not especially if I am working on my relationship with clothing etc going forward. I know I have a fair few pieces in storage that are going to come in very handy for Spring so it is about time I dug them out.

Sort out my Spring footwear

I am determined to not be in beat up footwear all Spring, I have so many pairs that haven't been worn yet that I can create some great outfits with so I need to take the opportunity to create those outfits whilst I can. With us having the hallway redone in April I need to clear out my footwear too so those beat up pairs are going in the bin so I am not tempted just to throw them on. 

Have a declutter of all the coats we own

We own far too many coats and jackets and always tend to wear the same ones over and over. With us needing to clear the hallway we are going to take the opportunity to have a declutter of those coats so we can free up some space for what we are going to actually wear and for any new coats we may want to add in the future. Our coat storage space is getting massively reduced so we need to be brutal with this.

Start on buying pieces for my Spring wardrobe

Once I have done my Spring wardrobe change over I am hoping to make a list of bits that would fit perfectly into my Spring and even Summer wardrobe so that I can finally start to curate my perfect wardrobe for the upcoming weather. The pieces I am hoping for will no doubt be in my April pay day wish list so keep an eye out for that.

Life

Enjoy our night away

We have a night away booked for just me Liam and the dog which I really can't wait for and I am sure we are really going to enjoy ourselves. It is our first night away with just and the dog so let's see how it plays out. The night away means two days of adventures in places totally different for us so lets see just how much the dog loves it. 

Plan another adventure

I think this night away we have planned is going to give us the bug for just going out and about more often. I am hoping that the dog loves his time in the outdoors so we can get on plenty more adventures, the one I am thinking of planning is a nice day up in Malham, it isn't too far away and if we got up nice and early it shouldn't be too busy either.

Enjoy a date night at the PlayStation concert

We got tickets to the PlayStation concert as a Christmas gift from my parents and we are determined to make the most of some dog free hours. The plan is to hopefully get an earlier train into Leeds so that we can enjoy a nice meal and a few drinks before the concert so we are really hoping this goes to plan.

Start going on night time dog walks

With me having the dog all day at work Monday to Friday I tend to leave Liam to the night time dog walks so I can have a bit of a breather. With how the weather is changing though and how the nights are lighter I want to make sure that throughout April I am going on those night time dog walks to enjoy the time just the 3 of us and also to get those steps up.

Home

Make some good progress on the hallway

Finally it is all systems go and we are about to get our hallway renovations underway. This is a pretty big job so throughout the whole of April we are going to be chipping away at clearing out the items we store in here, stripping the wallpaper (woodchip) which isn't going to be an easy job, taking electronics off the wall and filling in any holes we discover from removing those. We have a deadline to get all this done by too as the plasterer is booked in for Easter Monday which really isn't that far away now. 

Declutter under the stairs 

Whilst we have the skip for the hallway we have decided we might as well get as much done as we possibly can. This means we can clear out under the stairs outdoors which has become a dumping ground even though we only did this towards the end of last summer. This should be a nice quick job just to give us a bit of a break from doing the hallway.

Declutter the shed

Whilst we have the skip we might as well get the shed decluttered too. This has become a dumping ground and you can't even get into it at the moment. There are old dog beds in there which were too big for the regular bin, junk and left over wood from projects we have done. The plan is to empty all the contents out into the garden, get rid of what we don't need and then add shelving and organise what is going back in so we can actually access what is in there. 

Start on the front garden

Again this is another job we might as well do whilst we have the skip as we can just throw bits in there. The plan here is to cut back the bushes in the front of the house, rip out the old trees which have seen better days and dig some borders around the edge. Even if we just get to the digging border stage I will be more than happy as the space will be all set for adding soil and plants in the not so distant future.

Fitness

Make progress on the Couch to 5K programme

I am finally in a position where I can start to run again as my injuries are healing nicely. The plan for April is to make some good progress towards completing the couch to 5k programme which I have been trying to finish for far too long. I am really hoping I can get to week 8 by the end of April but I guess only time will tell for that.

Spend more time in the kitchen

We have eaten out and got takeaways far too many times lately and it is time to change that at long last. If I want to make the progress on my weight loss journey I need to get into the kitchen a whole lot more to cook good, fresh meals. The plan is to not rely on Liam for the cooking and to actually get myself in the kitchen more often and try new foods.

Get back into the gym

Now that the light nights are back I have no excuse for not going and doing a gym session in the home gym. I know that by getting into the gym I will see the progress start to take shape so it is about time I just went out for 45 minutes to an hour a few times a week and got some use out of the gym again.

Hit 9k steps a day

I am determined that in April I am going to tick off the goal of 9,000 steps a day. I was so close in March and then I got injured. Now that is cleared up though the plan is to try hit the step target daily by getting out and about a lot more with the dog now the weather has changed a bit. I am looking forward to the end of the month to see if this is complete or not.

So there you have it those are the goals for April. It might be a busy month but it is time to be productive and finally get things moving in the right direction after putting things off for so long. Let's check back in at the end of the month to see just how good the month was...

See you soon

Lucy