We too shall eat this elephant!

I often use the analogy of overcoming seemingly huge obstacles to that of eating an elephant- no matter how big, it can be done- one bite at a time!
Kirsty and I have adopted this approach to devour our elephant (the chaos that comes with changing work roles and moving house simultaneously)- with our mouthfuls being the mini goals we have set, and the countdowns to them that are getting us through this crazy time.

To give you a brief insight into the madness... both Kirsty and I have changed job roles at the same time... not only that, but we're both still sitting with one foot in our new roles, and one in our old roles... (slightly frustrating). With that, we are moving into our own place at the end of May, but due to renting two rooms in the current houseshare and boring lease details, we have had to move out of the biggest room first, and live for a month in (kid you not!) the TINIEST room; before finally being set free in our new home.

SO... our countdown at the minute, is MANCHESTER! It's a bank holiday on Monday and we both took Tuesday and Wednesday off to make the most of it. Her very entertaining (read completely crazy) grandparents live a short bus trip from the city centre and have invited us to stay with them for the full 5 days. We are both very excited about it, and are so looking forward to barmcakes (DELICIOUS, soft bap-type rolls) for breakfast! Last time i was there, they were quite intrigued by my love of jelly- her grandad made me a massive bowl of orange jelly which i (obviously) annihilated, much to their amusement! They have already text to say their cupboards are stocked with jelly for me and tea for Kirsty... i have a feeling this is going to be JUST what we both need- with nothing on the itinerary, other than some serious R & R!

Once we get back, we have two days to get through before our next exciting reward- a weekend with Angela in Northampton. It will be the first year since I've been here that we haven't spent our birthdays together, so great to be able to see each other so soon after. By the sounds of things it'll be a jam-packed weekend, so no doubt will be over too quickly, but plan to make the most of it!

This past weekend was a reward for us too-- Kirsty's dad came through for the day and night on Saturday. He lives really close to Angela in a little town called Huntingdon, an hour or so into London by train. The sun was out, and we made the absolute MOST of it! We spent a good 6 hours walking around London Zoo, having a picnic lunch on their lawns. That night Kirsty booked for us to go to our regular comedy club in covent garden. We casually sat down to some dinner and made our way around the corner to the pub they use as a venue... only to find the pub has been closed down for renovations. Some frantic googling on our phones, colourful language, and a jog down what seemed to be the LONGEST road, we arrived at the new venue with literally minutes to spare! Was great fun, but we were VERY happy to see our beds!

All in all, a very busy time for us both but the mini goals and countdowns that have become our mantra have made the world of difference! Both just looking ahead to when we have been able to land completely into our new work roles, coming home each night to our own home..... now THAT is a great thought!