Zoe Loves the Second Act

  Around 6 years ago my husband Tony & our children Isabelle & Max were constantly nagging me to agree to us getting a puppy, but I really wasn’t keen. Tony was brought up with dogs, but I wasn’t and, although I do like dogs, I certainly wouldn’t particularly consider myself a ‘dog person’. I was concerned as I’m the one who is at home during the mornings so I knew I’d be the one who’d have to deal with the puppy and didn’t feel I’d know what I was doing & it made me nervous. However, somehow or another they managed to persuade me & on December 30 th 2017 I found myself sat in our car on the way to Stoke -On-Trent to pick up our new Cavachon Puppy, a baby girl we had named Dora after my beloved Great Grandma. Tony had researched the breeder thoroughly and we got her from a wonderful breeder Jenna who does an amazing job. As soon as I saw Dora, to say I fell in love instantly is a complete understatement and I surprised myself just how much I adored her uncondit...

    FABULOUS THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST MONTH 1. Isabelle settled in well & Uni 2. A few lovely visits to see her in Leeds 3. ‘ Strictly’ has started – I love it 4. Max got lots more work experience helping backstage at the theatre 5. Tony got accepted to run the London Marathon again – nutter   LIFESTYLE, LEISURE, PLACES & HOME Taking your first child to Uni! So last week was a very emotional one to say the least! The pride we feel in Isabelle on being accepted at Uni to study Law is beyond belief, but saying goodbye to our gorgeous girl & not having her at home has been hard. I’m so so excited for her, she’s had a blast during freshers week, met loads of new friends, can’t wait for her course to start and has the world at her feet. Leeds is a fantastic city with so many opportunities & is also quite near home should she need us for anything. As a mum though it’s a strange feeling. A few of my friends are in the same position and al...

  Everyone needs their 'Happy Places', either somewhere they enjoy going to escape, a safe haven or so where that brings back lots of happy memories or brings them lots of joy. I have quite a few happy places and it's such an important thing in my life to have these places that bring me peace, joy, happiness and tranquility.   MY HOME As a lead a very busy life, whenever I get a day or evening off to spend at home I'm in heaven. The house we are in now isn't our forever home but I still love it and it's a nice place to be. I can't stand mess and everything has to have a place, I can't relax on an evening if things haven't been put away. That said, it's still a warm and cosy house and I adore having my lamps & candles lit and to create a welcoming ambience. Last Summer we purchased a Summer House for our garden which has also become a tranquil, happy place where I love to go to read.     MY MUM & DADS HOME Although this wasn...

Lockdown had many low points for everyone but on a personal level I used the time to really work on myself and the result has been more confidence and a much more positive outlook on life. I’ve always been a positive person but, at times, despite a lot of success in both my personal & professional life I often privately lacked confidence yet watched others who have achieved far less than me with confidence bursting out of them. Then lockdown came & I suddenly found myself in a whole new world of teaching my classes on zoom & initially I dreaded it! But one day after feeling worried about my business, questioning my abilities etc etc I happened to come across a quote which really resonated with me. ‘ Self confidence is a trust in yourself, it’s a frame of mind!’   So I asked myself – ‘Am I good at what I do?’ ‘YES’ ‘Would I have achieved all I have if I wasn’t good at what I did?’ ‘NO’   And I made a decision then & there I was going to change ...

  A podcast I really enjoy listening to is Grazia life advice with Nikita Gill   I love the idea of people’s best life advice and thought I’d ask around my friends & family for the best life advice they’ve been given over the years.   ⭐️ My first is something my dad drummed into my brother & I as children which we used to roll our eyes at but, as a mum, I’ve repeated on numerous occasions. Good manners & common-sense cost nothing!! This is absolutely true and sadly good manners are often forgotten in some people.   ⭐️ Your time is your most valuable asset so use it very wisely.   ⭐️ If something won’t be a problem in two years’ time, don’t give it more than 2 minutes thought now. Ok, some things take a bit more than two minutes to get over no matter how trivial but basically, it’s not worth losing sleep over people & situations that aren’t going to be a problem in your life a couple of years down the line.   ⭐️ Two wron...

  FABULOUS THINGS THAT HAPPENED LAST MONTH 1. A fabulous 4 day trip to Morocco with Tony! 2. A wonderful week on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas to the Greek Islands & Croatia 3. Some blissful time off work to recharge my batteries 4. Some lovely lunch dates with friends 5. Isabelle had her first ‘girls holiday’ to Spain. I felt sick the whole time but she had a great time. 6. Getting all Isabelle’s things for Uni 7. And the best thing …….. Belle got amazing A level results & got in to Uni! We’re unbelievably proud of her!   LIFESTYLE, LEISURE, PLACES & HOME When your first born flies the nest to go to Uni  I’ve got very mixed emotions this week. In just one week’s time Tony & I will be taking our baby girl to University and I cannot believe where the years have gone. On one hand I’m unbelievably proud of her. She’s going to study Law & has done amazingly well in her A levels. On the other hand, I’m going to miss her like c...