Tuesday 19 March 2024

Why being shy is a good thing.

I have always been a quite person. As a child I was painfully shy and I still am. You would never guess it with the fact that I write this blog. Writing things online is different than speaking to people face to face or even over the phone. There are plenty of times that I hate it and hate myself for not speaking up and out loud but sometimes I actually think it's a good thing. Being shy is not a flaw to be fixed or a hurdle to overcome, it's a superpower in its own right.

person in brown long sleeve shirt covering face with hand

There is a myth that being shy equals weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth! Being shy doesn't mean I'm timid or lacking in confidence, it simply means I approach social situations with a bit more caution and that caution often serves me well, allowing me to think about what I am going to say before I speak. My friend used to introduce me as the quiet one, the one who would sit there and take everything thing and she was right. Ever heard the phrase "still waters run deep"? Well, that perfectly sums up the essence of shy individuals. While others might be busy dominating the conversation, I'm quietly taking in my surroundings, picking up on subtle cues like the way someone twirls their hair when they're nervous to someone's change in tone when they're upset. I may not always be the loudest voice in the room but I can sit in the background and get a good idea about what people are really like. All and that attention to detail comes in handy more often than you'd think. Sometimes I see or hear things that those who were full of chatter did not notice.

One of the great things about being shy is that it turns you into an expert listener. Others open up to you and lead the conversation. People love to have a good chat to me as I will listen to them without butting in at every given chance, they get things off their chest, share their worries and people have said I have a calming effect on them as I am not in their face, talking to them. 

I may not be the life of the party but when it comes to forming deep meaningful connections I'm a pro! Shyness has taught me to value quality over quantity when it comes to friendships. I'd rather have a few close friends who really get me than a bunch of acquaintances any day. I'm more comfortable in quieter, more intimate setting and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've learned to appreciate the beauty of small moments like going for a coffee or a walk with a friend, a meal out with just a couple of close friends or even just enjoying my own company.

Being shy doesn't mean I'm stuck in my ways. I'm constantly challenging myself to step outside of my comfort zone and embracing new experiences and each time I do, I come out stronger and a little bit more confident than before. I still hate speaking on the phone but sometimes I will surprise myself, like when British Gas were messing me around with something I was that angry that my shyness just went out of the window and I argued back and eventually got what I wanted.

In a world that sometimes feels like everyone is confident and loud being shy keeps me grounded. I'm not one to put on a show or wear a mask to fit in. What you see is what you get, no frills and no fuss. Shyness is not a bad thing. It's a part of who I am and it's what makes me uniquely me. So the next time someone tries to tell you to stop being so shy, hold your head high and embrace your shyness with pride!

Are you a shy person?

Monday 18 March 2024

Our weekly meal plan! 18th - 24th March. #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Last weeks meal plan went well. We almost ate everything but changed things on Saturday and instead of having home made pizza we had home made Chinese takeaway with sweet and sour chicken balls, chicken chow mein, salt and pepper chips, spring rolls and prawn toast.

This week we are back on the Gousto boxes this week and for the next few weeks, I already have the meals picked and booked. I have realised that if you have a few weeks break Gousto will try and tempt you back with money off their boxes. In our break we we got a £5 off voucher and 25% off two boxes. Next week we're even treating ourselves to one of the premium meals which cost something like £1.50 extra per portion and we're not spending any more than we usually do. 

We are getting our new cooker installed today, the gas man is coming to do the boiler check and thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and get him to install the cooker too. Thankfully Stu is here to deal with him because as lovely as the boiler man is, he's very chatty and I don't like doing small talk. I just hope everything goes OK as this house is ridiculous and I have a feeling that the cupboards were built around the old cooker. When we got the new broadband installed we noticed they build a wall over the carpet so with this house nothing would surprise me. lol Fingers crossed the new cooker fits.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Stu is cooking, hopefully something in our new cooker. I am thinking something out of the freezer. Either cottage pie or lasagne.
Tuesday - Gousto meal - One Pot Pork & Beef Cheeseburger Macaroni, the girls are very excited about this meal.
Wednesday - Gousto meal - Tomato & Pulled Chicken Thigh Potato Topped Pie.
Thursday - Gousto meal - Crispy Chicken Katsu Curry Burritos.
Friday - Gousto meal - Sesame Beef Burger With Pickled Slaw And Chips.
Saturday - Pizza. We will eat it this week.
Sunday - Sunday lunch out! A roast dinner with all of the trimmings.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday 17 March 2024

Week 11 of #Project365 10th - 16th March. A photo every day for a year!

This past week has been a good one. I spent Mother's day being spoilt, spent way too much time playing a computer game, got some jobs done around the house and got a new cooker delivered.

We don't have much planned for the rest of the weekend although the grass needs cutting. Next door has cut theirs out the front which makes ours look extra long but of course the weather forecast says it's going to be raining for most of the day, I really should have done it yesterday. I guess it will be a job for me during the week, I hate cutting the grass!

Now for a photo every day!

My girls walking in the rain
Supermarket Simulator and Pease Pudding
Choc dip and Windows update
Taylor Swift and new cooker

70/365 - 10th March
Mother's Day and I had the loveliest day, the girls spoilt me rotten. I did test how much they loved me when I said we were still going out for lunch despite the rain. They didn't grumble (much) and we did have a nice time. They didn't realise how good the Sunday lunches were from our favourite cafe but have said it was just a one off, they will still be staying in bed on a Sunday in future. lol

71/365 - 11th March
The Supermarket Simulator game which has took up far too much time of my week. It's very addictive but so simple.

72/365 - 12th March
We were brought some Pease Pudding back from the North East from one of Stu's work friends. It felt like such a treat and I even bought some fancy ham to go with it in sandwiches.

73/365 - 13th March
A couple of weeks ago I had a Nutella chocolate dip thing and wasn't that impressed and was craving a proper Choc Dip. I saw them in the corner shop and had to get myself one. They are as good as I remember.

74/365 - 14th March
My latest Window's update was stuck on this screen for about 15 minutes. I thought it wasn't working and was just about to start panicking but it did it's thing and started running through the percentage of how much was done. The only new thing on it is some AI thing which I probably won't use.

75/365 - 15th March
I finally watched the Taylor Swift Eras tour movie, it arrived on Disney+ on Friday. The girls made me watch it and it is rather good, she is such an amazing performer and I knew more songs than I thought I did. I sort of now understand why they love her so much.

76/365 - 16th March
Our new cooker was delivered. It was supposed to come between 7am and 7pm but I got a text waking me up at 6:37 saying I had to ring the driver, it turns out he was outside. I was not happy as he made out that I was the problem, I had my alarm set for 6:45am, he was early and I let him know that.

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Saturday 16 March 2024

This week my Word of the Week is: Spent! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Spent

We have had a good week. I did think that I didn't have that much to write about but here I am again with all of these words. hehehe I spent most of yesterday trying to come up with a word to cover my week and finally I came up with spent as it covers a lot of things.

I spent Sunday with my family for Mother's Day, we had lunch out and went to see my dad. I go most Friday's to help him out with any computer things he needs but sometimes he needs Stu's expertise help as I am rubbish with Excel spreadsheets. I spent the rest of Sunday being very lazy and had my girls running about after me, I really milked it being Mother's Day. hehehe

Monday was spent felt feeling pretty sorry for myself. I felt like I was getting a cold. I woke up snotty, with a fuzzy head, aching and feeling just not right. I am totally blaming Stu, he has had a cold and was snoring Sunday night which kept waking me up. By Monday evening I felt much better and seemed to have shook whatever it was off. 

Most of my week has been spent indoors as the weather hasn't been that great, yes it's been warmer than it has been but it's been so wet! I had planned on going out in the garden on Thursday afternoon but then the rain came. I will get out there eventually. I remember a few years ago during the first lockdown of Covid it was like summer already at this time of year. I want that weather again!

I am sure I have mentioned our cooker here on my blog. Late last year the oven door became loose and eventually fella off. I fixed it once and Stu fixed it properly. It wasn't perfect but it still worked. Just after Christmas I cleaned the cooker top and since then one of the back rings hasn't worked, the grill knob is temperamental and finally the knob for the oven gave up working. I thought I had turned it off when I cooked the potato wedges on Tuesday but Stu went in the kitchen at about 9pm and realised the oven was still on. The knob was turning but not turning it off. He used pliers to turn it off and we decided enough was enough, we needed a new cooker so spent the money and it's been delivered today and it arrived just before 7am. An early morning was no what I was planning. Where we bought it from wanted over £100 to install it but we are actually having the boiler serviced next week, it's annual check up so the boiler man is going to install the gas cooker and is billing the landlord. When we moved in here the cooker came as part of the house so by rights it's the landlords responsibility but we thought it would be easier to buy the cooker we wanted and the landlord pay the cost of installation, everyone is happy with this arrangement. Phew! We're getting what we want and the landlord is saving a bit of money. 

Yesterday I spent my afternoon watching the Taylor Swift concert that was new to Disney+. Becky went to the cinema 3 times to see it and Ellie twice so they really love it and made me watch it too. She really is an amazing performer and I actually knew more songs than I thought of hers.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one!

Word of the Week linky