Boy am I glad that it's Friday. This week, in fact the past couple of weeks in general, have been a struggle for me. Mentally but also physically Ben and I have been fighting off some kind of virus and felt so so exhausted. With the non-stop rainy cold wintery weather, hormones, the house/building site, some anxiety and probably a bit of SAD along with the not feeling well with tiredness/headaches all mixed in to one I haven't felt myself at all. I haven't even wanted to take photos or blog or even see family or friends {which is when you know something's wrong!}. Thankfully, over the past couple of days I feel like I've come out of the other side of it and feel so much better. I wasn't going to put anything on here about it but I was talking to a friend and I think actually we all need to realise that nearly everybody can suffer with mental health, on any scale, and really we should never ever feel ashamed to talk about it. There's always that voice saying 'but I have so much I should be happy for' or 'other people have it so much worse than me with mental health' so I shouldn't feel bad, which of course internally then makes you feel worse. I'm going to get some vitamin D supplements which should help for the rest of Winter and focus on alll the positives to which there are many. Some highlights below;

Last Saturday we went out to pick up fresh flowers and treats and then got back for friend's coming over with their gorgeous baby. We hadn't seen her for a few weeks and they hadn't seen the new house which was nice. 

Then we had the most indulgent afternoon, we planted a couple of new bits in the garden then I caught up with some magazine reading and baked brownies before seeing the girls in the evening. 

S U N D A Y 

Sunday was forecast to rain, a lot. So we got out early and found a new walk near us, the lake was frozen and covered in mist. With the clouds rolling in it was so atmospheric. We got home, made soup then went back to bed all afternoon to plan Australia before a roast at Ben's Mum's. Pretty good Sunday. 

M O N D A Y 

I stayed home for most of the week so this weekend edit isn't quite as lengthy as others. It pretty much rained alll week so other than the odd run/dog walk/pilates class I've been working from the sofa or feeling pretty sorry for myself. Not much fun.

By the end of the week it got better though and I'm in love with this new jumper. Fresh flowers and candles also always save the day.

Since Wednesday, we've had the puppy to stay! He's with us for a couple of weeks and whilst we've had to puppy-proof the house a little, I adore having him around. He makes us laugh so much and is pretty cute most of the time {when not having to shower him off from all the mud}

He doesn't like our builders much and barks every time one of them walks past, which is pretty much all the time haha.

House wise the extension has come on well this week, it's been a lot warmer and I think all of the block work is finished now. The steels are on order for next week, the floor will be raised and concreted on Monday so it's all go. As soon as the steels go in then Ben will be taking over and I can really crack the whip {joking. Kind of}. Our paint has arrived {more on that soon} and we went worktop shopping. 

Last week we sold our marble fireplace {post on all of this coming soon with before/after pics} which we hated ever since we bought the house so we've been patching up the area around the fireplace and filling the opening with logs. We've got a new mantle shelf and I look forward to finishing it off this weekend. We still have a load of chaos to sort out juggling the spare rooms around upstairs but we're getting there! 

Today, before the storm, the sun came out for our walk at last and the weekend forecast looks good yay. 

Also cheering up my week is an office rearrange with a new noticeboard {from Sainsburys! don't think it's online though} and displaying a few favourite cards and calendar. 

Do you have anything nice planned for this weekend? We're staying in tonight then have a couple of nice walks with the pup planned for the weekend, I'm thinking we should stop for a pub roast too given that both of our sets of parents are away this weekend and we don't have a proper kitchen! I look forward to sharing the latest house projects and some new photos with you next week. Also Valentine's is coming up, my favourite 'holiday' with all things pink and hearts. We're heading off for a night away next week which I cannot wait for. Have a good one whatever you have planned. Will you be watching the Super Bowl? My husband is obsessed {!}.

R <3 xx