A Little Life Update / Spring ‘18

It feels kinda strange calling this update ‘Spring’ when it seems Summer came and went over the period of a week in London when everyone (esp those running London Marathon) wasn’t expecting it.

It’s currently back to more normal temperatures for the time of year again and of course so much else has been going on since my last update at the end of January…

I got my blog header freshened up to go with the new site and layout… after moving over to Wordpress from blogger a couple months ago it took me a while to find someone to do my blog header.

What I wanted was pretty straightforward as you can see and many of the Graphic Designers I spoke to were offering whole branding packages that were out of my budget. Eventually I came across a recommendation in a group that I’m a part of and just liked be way Kelly handled everything.

I reached out to many of my blogging friends for feedback on the design as initially I’d wanted some kind of “logo” but in the end I stuck with my original idea and kept it simple!

I’ve started my third and final term (for year one) of my Masters… out of nowhere, my four weeks of holiday are gone. They didn’t transpire as expected; I was very tired after my exam period and then when I regained my energy I was hit with some sort of virus.

Eventually things balanced out in time for me to catch up just before starting my new term. I’m back to two modules this term (as per my first term) so it’ll be interesting to see how my schedule will look. Over the last term I shared a few bits of student orientated content and was pleasantly surprised at how well received they were so I’m sure I’ll have a few more coming.

I’m also studying some interesting subjects – Digital Business and Entrepreneurship & Innovation – so no doubt they will inspire me to share on the blog again.

I kinda joined a gym… a couple months ago and in between exams and being sick I didn’t make it back there until recently. I have a 3 month membership at Anytime Fitness (St. Paul’s) which is a 24 hour space.

I made it there recently on London Marathon day after feeling inspired to do a run. The entire place was empty when I got there but by early evening I had company! The location is convenient for anyone working in the area (it’s on the central line which makes it convenient for me) and it has everything you need equipment and class wise.

It’s always always been spotless when I’ve been which is a big plus for me. I’m never the most inspired when it comes to gym workouts but I’m currently trialling an app that could just be the answer!

Did you spot my interview over on the Nutrifix blog? I loved working with them and their newsletters are usually an interesting read when they land in my inbox. There are always times I’m caught out and have to eat on the high street so this app is defo a winner for me.

I got back on my bike… finally!! I mean, I would’ve kept cycling this winter if it wasn’t so severe. That was the plan.

Anyway, I got some new kit from Liv to keep me warm on chiller days and I got ONE DAY to test it before the heatwave! I can probably don it again now that the weather has cooled, if I’m lucky!

Worse case scenario, it’s in my wardrobe ready and waiting for this autumn days to return. The jersey is made of merino wool so is breathable and keeps you warm and the gilet is epic not only for functionality but for the print!

I did get caught out though when I wore them both with a pair of tights and I ended up with just the one small pocket on the jersey to hold everything.

I was also lucky enough to get to hang out with the brand Canyon on one of the gloriously sunny days riding their RoadLite hybrid bike around Victoria Park. The brand sell online only, direct to the consumer so there is rarely an opportunity to try one of their bikes before you buy.

It was a great opportunity to learn more about the brand too; they focus on making high specification bikes but at a lower cost for us buying. My biggest worry about buying a bike online would be putting it together but their bikes come built in a box that you can keep to use for travel.

It’s a quick turn of an Allen key (or something similar) to pop on the handlebars, seat post and front wheel… and pedals of course, your bike is ready to go.

They also offer a returns policy whereby if the bike doesn’t meet your expectations you can return it; they assured me that they’ve had much less returns than they ever expected so that speaks for itself.

Needless to say I fell in love with the bike and the whole “n+1” is in my head even more than before…

I’m working on building my YouTube channel so I can get a unique URL… as if there isn’t enough else to do! In order to have a unique url you have to have 100 subscribers so that’s my next goal! It’ll look much better and be easier to share rather than a random bunch of characters.

You can follow me here to help me get there a little quicker. I’m also aiming to hit 4K on Instagram soon, 5k on Twitter one of these days and 1k on Facebook.

So guys, what have you been up to these last few months? And anything fun / big on the horizon?

Elle x