Hello chic friends!
Last Sunday we had ladies afternoon tea at my Mum’s for Mother’s Day :)
It was a lovely afternoon with Prosecco, coffee, and afternoon tea treats.
I made the Edmonds chocolate cake again but instead of the icing being too stiff I made it too runny 🤭 Maybe the third one will be just right!
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| With love from Miss Nina enjoying the crisp Autumn sunshine here in Hawke’s Bay |
This is my darling 'kitten' Nina (now 14 years old, according to the estimated date of birth on her adoption records).
She healed well from her climbing injury a few months back (a little gash under her arm) and is her old self again - racing around, catching mice outside (and bringing them in 😮), plus scaring the dogs. She is the Queen Bee and the boss!
She is so tiny, and quite self-contained and independent too. Although she always sneaks up onto our bed at night after the dogs have gone to sleep in their beds.
Her current favourite food is Fancy Feast Petite Delights. Any other brand is left uneaten... She also doesn't mind a few slivers of fresh fish when we have it for dinner each week.
We adopted her in Auckland when we lived there, from a cat shelter along with her mother Jessica. (Jessica crossed Rainbow Bridge about 18 months ago, rest in peace my sweet princess.)
Nina was so stressed when we moved here since she'd only lived in the one house with us, but she's good now that we've been here seven years and loves her life in the country.
She really is a sweet girl, very gentle and friendly, and prefers affection on her own terms. She is a self-patter, meaning she likes to be in charge of the patting and not feel too smothered. You hold your hand out and she will deign to rub herself against you!
I regularly find her on my writing desk sitting under the lamp which has a halogen bulb so it’s warm, and if I get up she always steals my seat.
She's a funny wee thing and we love her 🥰 If you have a cat, Nina sends love and wishes your way, and even if you don't she'll share a purr. She’s generous like that!
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Inspiration for today 😊
I thought I'd share a little excerpt from my latest book "100 Ways to be a Chic Success and Create Your Dream Life".
This one is tip no. 43.
"Become the CEO of your life.
Imagine if your life was an organisation – mine would be The Fiona Company. And within, you would have many different departments: the health department, the finance department, the home department, the love department, the career or job department. How fun does that sound! And you’re in charge of everything!
As the CEO, you would want to oversee all these various components of your company and ensure they are running smoothly. Because if any of the departments are not going well it’s not good for business.
Just simple things like looking at the finance department and making sure it’s not spending more money than is coming in. Or the health department that enough fresh fruit and vegetables are being delivered to that floor, and are being used up!
It’s a little bit silly, but I often find that looking at things from a different angle can give us insights or Ahas that can help us a lot."
I love thinking about things using this tip, it really does give me a different angle to be inspired by if I'm feeling blah.
Think about your company - it's so fun to name it - and what departments you want to focus on at the moment.
Today I am going to tidy my writing desk and clear away all the financial admin (receipts and paperwork laying around etc), so I guess that would be the Finance Department.
I also want to do some writing on my next book (which is 2/3 finished!), so that would be the Career Department.
Even just dreaming up all the different departments of your company would be an inspiring journal prompt! Make them fun names too. Perhaps your Finance Department could be the Wealth Department, and your Health Department could be the Beauty and Vibrancy Department.
Please let me know the name of your company, and which departments you will be working in today!
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And if you are wondering what other ladies think of this book... (thank you to my readers who leave reviews for me on Amazon, it really makes my day, my week!)
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Another day, another dog walk! We like to go for multiple short walks a day instead of one long one.
I sometimes put leashes on to walk away from home, then let them off to run back. Otherwise it is a slow walk 😂 I tend to keep fluffy white Micky dog on his leash because he has zero road sense, and even though we don't get much traffic, we do get some. It could be a dogsaster for all concerned 😬
But Daphne and Chloe are very good at staying on the side of the road and I can trust them off-leash. Sometimes we walk in the paddock, but it's mostly just up and down the road. There is a slope so it's good for the heart rate!
I heard a great quote once that said to 'walk your dog every day, even if you don't have one', and it's true, walking a dog is a great excuse to get outside and absorb some Vitamin D, no matter the weather. And if you don't have a dog, still do it anyway 😂
Walking outside is such a happy pleasure of mine. When we lived in the city I used to walk around our neighbourhood listening to inspiring audios on my headphones, and I loved to go window-shopping downtown too. It was an exercise walk and a lovely look around all at the same time 😊
Are you a happy walker like I am? Where are your favourite places to walk?
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| Nature's beauty from our front lawn ✨ |
I hope you're having a lovely week as it draws to a close - the working week that is anyway. I've been so productive! Working on my next book, finishing up my next audiobook (Thirty More Chic Days), and still not managing to tidy my desk 🙈 Maybe tomorrow!
What are you proud of yourself for doing this week? I'm most proud that I've been writing my new book. I was letting my writing be further down the priority queue than it deserved to be. Once I'd done other things, often there wasn't time for writing, so it missed out for another day.
I started doing it first thing, before anything else, and it worked! Those productivity experts know what they are talking about 🤣
I'm off to take Micky dog for a long walk now, and then it's back to my beloved writing. Daphne and Chloe don't like long walks, it's a battle to get them going! So Micky and I, and a podcast, are taking a long walk today (by long, I mean 40-45 minutes, so maybe not long by others standards!) It's a beautiful morning, so peaceful, and mild too.
Happy weekend to you and I look forward to seeing you next week!
xx Fiona
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