OUR HOUSE COLLECTIVE

Promoting and encouraging positivity...
...evolving with the world slowly and gently...
...a platform for generating awareness...
...developing understanding...
...encouraging happiness and free thinking...

...sharing ideas and perspective...

...passion for humanity...
...passion for living..
...continuous learning and inspiration...

...no exploitation...
...no greed...
..fairness and equality...
 

Peace

Happiness
Simplicity



Keeping it real
Keeping it solid steel

Workplace love

I feel very lucky to spend my days in such a beautiful place. A lovely home made from Cotswold brick, out in the West Oxfordshire countryside. It looked particularly beautiful at Christmas...







This little guy often comes to bask in the Winter sun on the windowsill next to my office.




The gardener, Darren does such a great job; today he took me for a walk around the gardens, he pointed out the newly blossomed snowdrops and the naked Rose bushes, Lilac trees, Weeping Willows, Zinnias, Marigolds and hundreds of other flowers and trees that are soon to come back to life. Darren grows a lot of vegetables and herbs, I took some Rosemary home on Sunday for my lamb roast - things taste even better when you know exactly where they have come from, don't you think? Darren has agreed to pass on some of his gardening wisdom to me this year, a little 20 minute gardening lesson a few times a week during my lunch break will work wonders, watch this space.

I can't wait to watch the flowers blossom here and see how the place transforms as the seasons go by.





"There is pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea and the music in it's roare;
I love not man the less, but Nature more."

Lord Byron

My favourite past-time

Ello


Not sure about the sea, Broad Haven

Getting a dog was the best thing I ever did. Finn brings me constant joy I just can't imagine not having him around now. Like many people I have always had a pet dog, since my first little westie, Judy - poor little thing I must have tormented her as a toddler. Almost a year ago Dara and I bought Finn. We found him on the internet advertised as a Pug cross Cavalier King Charles Spaniel however as soon as we saw him we could see there was nothing puggy about him whatsoever. We since had him tested and now know that he is a Toy Poodle cross Cavalier, aka a Cavapoo! I am starting to think that maybe I followed up with a different website by accident as I had previously been looking up Cavapoo's. Either it was my mistake or this woman was telling porkies, I will never know but I am so so so glad it happened. I think Poodle's are a wonderful breed. All Poodle crosses that I have come across have been lovely natured. Finn is no different, he is absolutely perfect to me.
 

Dog club, Marloes Sands


If you are in a position to look after a dog and are thinking about it - don't hesitate, do it. There's so much information out there now to help you find the right breed for you. Training can be a bit challenging but it's very rewarding when you reach the milestones, much like rearing a child I imagine. Just make sure you don't get overcharged, breeders charge an absolute fortune these days. We are looking to get Finn a little girlfriend soon but all Cavapoo puppies seem to range from £450 - £1000 at the moment - insane!




Walking around Liddeston, Pembrokeshire.

Each morning I take Finn out for a long walk, Dara takes him in the evenings and we take him together on weekends usually. It's really one of my favourite things to do, it has many benefits, to name a few; you get some much needed fresh air at the start of the day before the hustle and bustle of working life commences, you get to explore, you socialise with other dog owners, your dog gets to socialise with other dogs (very important in their development), it's exercise - you can run if you like, your dog repays you with lots of love and definitely behaves more at home once they have used up some energy and had a change of scenery. Finn can get a bit loopy if he doesn't get walked - can't blame him though, I have realised that most times he plays up is when he's bored or wants attention - just like a child.

 

Low battery after a major walk in Shotover park, Oxford.


 

Frosty faced Finn.

Doors of Perception

Found this Aldous Huxley book in a wonderful bookshop found in Jericho, Oxford.



Any 3 books for £5 - seriously good.

Love from PJ's to Ashford Castle

For Christmas, Dara (my then boyfriend) told me he was taking me to Ashford Castle for two nights. Ashford Castle is so beautiful, he'd told me about it before as it's just across the lake from Oughterard, where he spent his teenage years.

 

We began the journey with Oscar Wilde

 

 

While we were on this little 5 star break - getting quite comfortable being looked after in such a way - we went for a walk around the castle grounds; in the old lookout looking out on the Lough Corrib, Dara made me very happy by popping the ole question... I said with no hesitation YES yes YES yuss yaay! It felt quite surreal to become fiancé's - can you even say that?

This tame little robin came in just after it happened.

We had to move rooms the second night due to a
leak in our room, this was our view. That's the spot.

 

 

While it felt unusual after the climax of the proposal, I always knew I would be with him forever, right from the start. It sounds cheesy but it's true. I've never been one for being in consecutive relationships, I only ever had one other actual boyfriend which was my first ever boyfriend at 18. I have been quite particular over the years, avoiding getting deep into anything I knew wasn't right, I preferred to be with friends rather than wasting time on any relationship that didn't feel right. This tactic worked pretty well for me I think. I found that you can suss out the potential in the first handful of meetings - you may get on really well with someone but often you're better of keeping them as friends if it doesn't feel complete for whatever reason. Better to have a load of good friends than go through the turmoil of breakup and hurting someone, perhaps yourself. Of course there are instances where you may feel someone is right for you and it's only once you've pursued it that the cracks start to show, then it becomes more difficult to get out. Sometimes cracks in relationships are caused by external factors outside of your relationship, often couples give up in these times when really they should try to be optimistic, strategise - try to address and improve other aspects of their lives that may be having this negative effect on what once was a perfect relationship. What has changed? Give it time and work together to get back to where you started. A close family member of mine is the perfect example - she and her husband went through a couple of years of hell together yet they kept trying and trying and now they are back firmly in love and set to continue living a happy life together, like they promised on their wedding day. Divorce is too accepted these days. Be sure before you marry - don't rush in to something with a fickle mind, consider the rest of your life, how circumstances change - do you work well together as a unit to get through it all? We mustn't make promises we can't keep. Oh god I sound smug. I hope I'm not jinxing myself! I have picked all this up from conversations and observations of people I've known over the years, relationships around me... it's just my opinion..

I found Dara in an Irish bar in Australia, we both worked there. Some time went by, I went to work on a farm and while I was there we spoke over the phone most nights, really we got to know each other quite deeply without even seeing each other much before. I fell in love with him while I was working on a sheep farm in Western Australia and I couldn't wait to get back to him. When I got back to Melbourne we became pretty much inseparable and I haven't been able to get rid of him since... ;)

Now 2 years later, I am so excited to get married to this man; his family and friends, my family and friends all together in this love filled celebration.. oh it's going to be special. I'm a little saddened by the prospect of losing my fathers name, but looking forward to becoming a Molloy.

I didn't used to want to get married; I thought, "what's the point? If you know you love eachother and want to be together then surely that's enough? It's such a waste of money!" While I still think weddings cost way too much, I'm in love with the idea of celebrating such a special thing and making a big deal of that promise with everyone in my life that I love. Such special memories can keep you happy later in life when times are hard.

With such a wealth of inspiration, ideas, temptations across the internet distracting me from my work - particularly on Pinterest - I haven't been able to stop collecting ideas and dreaming of the big day.

Now to save for a mortgage and a wedding in 2 years.. EASY!

XXX

A beautiful card from one of my bridesmaids.

Cosying up to Finn and getting used to something new.

doodles

 

Found some time to do a few more drawings last year,

not as much as I'd have liked to get done,

perhaps I'll find more time to draw this year.

 

 

Romance

 

 

. . . and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes
and then he asked me would I yes . . .
and first I put my arms around him yes
and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes
and his heart was going like mad
and yes I said yes I will Yes.
                                                 James Joyce

  

Healthy livin'

I started this new year feeling good, really good. I had been surrounded by people I love very much over Christmas and New Years, I had recently started a new job in December, my boyfriend became my fiancé on the 30th, my dog was still cute as ever and actually behaving surprisingly well considering how spoilt he had been by my mum. All was good. The only thing bringing me down, as with 80% of the worlds population I imagine - I had put on a load of weight! Those turkey sandwiches and pigs in blankets are impossible to resist... I just felt a bit bloated and just not as healthy as I'd like to have been.

Many times in my life I have felt this way and like most people I think about my weight and figure quite a lot, we are all our own worst critics. Somehow though, the craving for chocolate and biscuits and crisps and crisps and crisps just come in to my mind and say "you're fine, it's fine, eat me" and I do, I eat the biscuits and the chocolate and aaaaallll of the crisps, and I love it and life goes on and then a while later I'll be looking at myself in the mirror thinking, "I would feel so much better if I didn't have that there, or this here" etc. It's a constant battle. (Sorry if I sound like a greedy westerner, I'm being a little sarcastic)

This time though, oh this time things are different. Somehow I have managed to control the cravings, I have been focused on eating healthily and managing my portion sizes and I've cut out naughty snacks (admittedly with a few lapses). I quite liked something I heard recently, it was something like; to maintain a healthy diet you shouldn't be looking at certain foods and thinking "I really want that but I can't have it because it's unhealthy" this is not a sustainable way to carry on, you should allow yourself to eat whatever you want to otherwise you'll end up feeling deprived by your own diet ideals, instead you should learn about the pros and cons in foods and with that understanding, you should be able to think "I can have that if I want it, however I don't want it".

It's not that I have had to try really hard to manage these changes, t's been quite easy and fulfilling this time around. I have weighed myself each morning which has been encouraging as I have been heading towards my ideal weight. I thought about what is different this time, what has inspired me to really stick to it, I came up with the following;

1. There have been a few extra snippets of motivation and support in my life in the form of the foodies and fitness bloggers that I follow on Instagram. There are so many, they post all sorts of diet and food tips, a lot of home exercise tips too.

2. Ordering my food shopping online and having it delivered - saves a lot of time and stops my from buying crap (as previously mentioned I do try to avoid actually going into the store as I end up buying like 5 bags of crisps and 2 packs of cakes) it's a lot easier to say 'No' to an image of Hobnobs on a website as opposed to having to put them back on the shelf in a supermarket - it ain't gonna happen. I've ordered a HelloFresh box to arrive next week, it will be the first time I've tried it - The box will contain recipes and ingredients for 5 random evening meals - I'm really looking forward to trying it.

3. Over the last year I have really started to enjoy cooking, finally getting alright at it, so that helps - getting enjoyment out of preparing healthy, tasty meals. The foodies I follow on Instagram have really helped boost this aspect!

4. My job also helps, I am a PA and I work from my boss' home so I have access to a full kitchen to prepare what I need to and store things in the fridge. I usually work alone so I can break whenever.

5. My current lifestyle -  admittedly it is quite quiet and systematic in ways, but I like it - I don't leave for work till 9 so I have a couple of hours in the morning to do what I need to, I go to work, come home, make tea, prepare lunch for the next day, chill and go to bed. I fill most weekends with dog walking, cleaning, seeing friends/family, catching up with my other half, watching movies - I allow myself the weekend to eat the naughty stuff; I'll buy some crisps, a custard slice, some milkshake, chocolate... I will soon start to bake my own cakes for the weekend and make my own tasty drinks in order to cut out the manmade crap, save money and improve my baking skills, but even still - 5 days out of 7 is not bad for avoiding crap, compared to my old all consuming ways!

I'm not saying I'm the cleanest eater, and who knows I may have given up by next week... I am not one for going out for a meal and ordering a plate of lettuce but the way I see it now is if I can be healthy and eat clean when it's easy to be, then at the times when I want a juicy steak with an unhealthy dose of cheesy garlic potatoes or when I reeally fancy a KFC for dinner *cough* last night... I won't feel like I'm punishing my insides too much.

That's all from me this time around... Thanks for reading.

Eat well, have fun, keep smiling!


XXX