Home Office ideas

I'm spending more time working from home at the moment and I'm bored with my bland little office under the stairs.

I spotted a pic today that I liked the look of:

Elle Decor

It's got wooden floorboards like I have, and I like the idea of the glass-topped desk - it seems to take up less space. TJ could stretch out on the couch while I'm working (at the moment he jams himself under my desk), although the couch would have to be leather - I'm over getting dog fur off fabric. The window is in the same spot as the window in my office, but to suit the orientation of my space (ie avoid cracking my head on the stairs when I get up from the desk), I'd probably lay the furniture out like this

Not very practical (no storage!) but pretty all the same.

Southern Italy

I'm proofreading a book about Southern Italy at the moment and it's bringing back lots of memories of my trip there in 1998 - can't believe it was that long ago! My sister, her partner and I stayed in Sorrento (south of Naples)

Hotel Loreley, Sorrento

From Sorrento we did day trips to Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius, the island of Capri, and down the Amalfi Coast to Positano.

I studied archaeology at university (among other things) so enjoyed visiting the excavations of the town of Pompeii, which was buried under a layer of burning pumice stone when Mt Vesuvius erupted. After that we trekked up Mt Vesuvius to look down into its crater.

On Capri we had a fantastic pizza with lots of fresh garlic, and insalata caprese, a salad of fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella bathed in olive oil.

My sister and her partner at lunch

The chairlift to Capri's highest point, Monte Solaro (589m), wasn't operating the day we were there, so we decided to walk up. The views were worth it!

My sister and I at the top

Positano was very picturesque, but there's no sand on that beach, just pebbles!

Hmm, I can feel the travel bug coming back again!

How I Drink Enough Water

I've posted several times about my efforts to drink enough water. I've always been terrible at it, to the point I'd end up dehydrated with a headache. Water just doesn't interest me, unless I'm exercising or really hot. I've tried giving myself a 'target' of a certain amount of water to drink a day, but I usually end up with a whole lot of water to drink just before I go to bed - not ideal! I've also tried drinking water with slices of lemon or lime or even mint in it, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly.

What I've been doing lately is a bit unusual, but it's been working for me. When I was doing a lot of interval training I bought a Gymboss timer

Instead of using the timer for intervals, I'm currently using it as a buzzer to remind myself to drink water. Every 15 minutes it goes off and I have a sip of water. I've been doing it for a couple of months now, and I've actually started to anticipate when it's time to drink - my mouth starts to get a bit dry just before the 15 minutes is up! My hydration levels are much better, my hair isn't as dry and my skin is softer.

Functional Leg Training

Take one section of garden filled with weeds and rocks. Spend most of Sunday afternoon squatting down to pull out weeds and pick up rocks and carry them to the back gate

Set up a string line, then dig along it and place bricks to create a border. Dig holes and start planting lavender and seaside daisies.

Collapse in a heap with a quarter of the garden bed to go. Have a couple of well-deserved gin and tonics while admiring my handiwork.

Wake up on Monday and Tuesday feeling stiff and sore like I'd done a leg workout.

Hope to be blogging a bit more frequently from now on!