Eating green, feeling great

A little update on the New Year's resolution front. Things are going surprisingly well!

I'm not sure how many I've completed yet - but so far so good. At the weekend I cracked open my first ever batch of pickled garlic which tasted delicious. Never again will I have to purchase overpriced 'Snoggable Garlic' from the deli or Farmer's market. And in other garlic-related news today at luncthime a colleague and I planted out some garlic in our new Grofun plot. The plot behind the office is looking great with 2 turdy raised beds and plenty of room for all sorts of fruit and veg. There are loads of birds around, especially around the new feeder I put up (a lovely present from J).

I'm also feeling really great in myself. I've been eating super-healthy all month - mostly because I've been on a totally veggie diet as part of my 10:10 challenge. I seem to have lost quite a bit of weight lately too, and I guess that's partly down to a healthier diet and because I've been cycling to and from work every day (up a very fucking-big hill).

Wohoo, long may it last. Still lots of resolutions to work on - including winning a major campaign victory, telling it like it is to Ed Miliband's face and sharing a skill with friends and colleagues (got that one lined up). I've also yet to write and perform my own song but have been inspired to start trying since visiting the Cabaret Clandestino last month at EOCC. I did make a short film this weekend as a Valentine's Day presie for J, but didn't quite achieve resolution no. 11 (which is still censored, Bobbie!)

On the campaign front - we're up in court against the Treasury at the end of the month - so who knows what will happen. In a way I'm not looking forward to coming into contact with our 'justice' system again after being so disillusioned last time. But part of me feels we can't possibly be as unlucky with our judge this time. People & Planet vs Treasury round 2 - bring it on! A cleaner RBS is within our grasp...

Oh, AND, I definitely reconnected with an old friend (resolution no.17). Yesterday I spent about an hour catching up with Mohamed (and his wife and TWO kids). We met in Aix-en-Provence back in 2000 - he was over from Tunisia finishing his PhD in Arabic Philosophy and recovering from a brutal spate in jail at the hands of the Tunisian regime, I was a young thing on my year abroad, discovering new horizons and having my eyes opened to some of the world's realities (including watching in disbelief as Bush got 'elected'). Anyway, he was a great friend and we would chat for hours daily over mint tea and cigarettes about life, love and the universe.

We kind of lost touch about 5 years ago after his wedding to our mutual friend - a truly amazing (and very beautiful) French woman. She was pregnant at the time and had their first daughter shortly after the wedding. Yesterday over Skype (in my now very broken French) I met her for the first time - she's now an intelligent and sweet 5 and a half year old with her mum's striking blond hair and blues eyes. I also 'met' their new baby - Wijdene - who only arrived 2 months ago. It was a great feeling - and even after 5 years incommmunicado, we reconnected with such ease that it gave me a very warm and nostalgic trip down memory lane back to those warm Aix nights in P7!

I've been trying, and failing, recently to catch up with my old flame C as well. She also had her second child recently and has been busy moving house and living life. We'll catch up when we're meant to.

Anywho, life's feeling good at the moment. And even though work is incredibly stressful and full-on (as always) I can't really complain about anything. I'm exactly where I want to be, with the people I want to be with, doing the things I want to do.