Joey goes to Barcelona

I love Barcelona. My second time in this wonderful city and I'm once again convinced I could live there. Happily. If not forever, almost forever.

As a Portuguese person living in the UK, visiting Barcelona in January means one thing and one thing only - an obsession with its AMAZING bright blue sky! I spent so much time looking up my neck hurts, but hey my soul is filled with happiness and light. Gotta agree that's a good trade-off!

The good thing about second visits is that you don't have to do the touristy things and instead you can get lost in the city. You can wander around; oh the joys of just wandering around under a bright blue sky. You can absorb the city's atmosphere, people's grumpiness and all and think it's endearing. You can fall upon a certain fabric shop (yep, it's Nunoya) which you can still remember how to reach and indulge in a small adorable purchase. You can people watch and appreciate the little things. You can be happy. And you're even happier if you can enjoy a fantastic hidrotub in your hotel room at the end of a long day of wandering.

I ate ever so well in Barcelona. Always. Everything is fresh and full of flavour. Tapas are a current favourite and I have a few recipes in my book to make us go back to Cataluyna without leaving the sofa; even if I would much rather leave my sofa and go there frequently. 

The trip wasn't all perfect. Sadly, I've realised my photography has really gone backwards. I mean, really! Whilst I still think I have my eye, I don't feel creative about it nor able to achieve what I have in my head when I do. So glad it's an aim for the year to go back to photography and let my camera capture what my eyes see.*

I saved the absolute best of this trip for last and will largely save most of it for myself. I met up with a very dear Portuguese friend and her adorable Cataluynian family. We went for one dinner and one lunch by ourselves, so much catching up to do, you know? It never ceases to amaze me how things work between good friends, that feeling you met up yesterday whilst you enjoy every minute you have with them now knowing how much you'll miss again when you leave. And as much as our time together as two was wonderful and precious, my absolute favourite was going for dinner at her home, her family of three and my family of two, and knowing life can be this good. Yep, it really can. 

*This is what explains the lack of variety of photos in this post.

February goals

Starting February in Barcelona was a great choice! We had sunshine, quality time with dear friends and superb food.

Planning monthly goals when one is happy and surrounded by blue skies is such an easy task. Life is smiling at you and you know it. Inspiration just flows!

:: choose to accept these grey skies of ours and be happy.
:: start and finish a happy baby quilt for my god-daughter.
:: start and finish a mini baby tunic for my god-daughter.

As I look at this list thinking how small it looks, I realise how larger than itself it really is. It’s the little things... the little things that make life huge.

choose :: January update

January has been a wet month in Oxfordshire. We had (and still have) grey skies and rain, lots of it, and floods. All of the above ask for indoor time, with tea and cookies; or ice cream under a blanket while watching Breaking Bad. We’ve also had Barcelona and blue skies and a good relaxing break. So much can fit in a month, hey?

I have thought a lot about my one little word – choose – and what to make of it. There were times when I paused and took a deep breath and made a different choice; and there were times when I didn’t. But I always thought about it! I’ll count that as progress, if I may.

I had been reviewing this space only to realise I don’t have to. This blog is evolving naturally and I write about what makes sense to me when it makes sense (or when I can, but that’s a different story). I write about things that are important to me right now, in a variety of ways; hopefully, some of it can amuse/be helpful to someone else.

Project Life; no need to plan my approach, it sort of planned itself. I still need to finish last year’s and haven’t done anything this year… guess I’ll be documenting it monthly then. Solution found! 

Wet January, there have been a lot of good things in you!

Guiva

Things that have been keeping me busy. Guiva, that is (not the paper).

January goals

Goal setting was a major thing for me last year, so I'm really excited about doing it again in 2014*. Yay!

To start me off well with my one little word - choose - I've been considering it more this month and really appreciate all it means to me at the beginning of the year. I also want to have a rough plan to my year in terms of my business with my brother, as well as think about this blog and my online presence.

:: absorb choose and all its potential as my word for 2014.

:: plan my business year with Little Brother.

:: review this blog, its content, and direction.

:: plan my Project Life approach for the year.

I am excited about my goals for January, very excited. And I'm excited about having another one little word to guide me through.

Little disclaimer:  Whilst this post is only coming out at the end January, my goals for the month have been decided in late December and I have been working towards them.

* If you'd like to know how I've addressed monthly goals in 2013 and get a few tips on how you can do it this year, you can read my monthly contribution to Fe-line here.

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You can read all my 2013 monthly goals posts here, my change :: one little word posts here, and my choose :: one little word here.

2014 in dreams and goals

I have goals for 2014. I do. And I have dreams and plans and hopes which will carry on past 2014 and into the rest of life. Some will come true, others maybe not, others yet I may forget along the way. Such is life. It all changes, always, slowly and yet so fast you can barely grab a moment.

In addition to my monthly goal setting, which I will be keeping in 2014, I also want to set goals for the year, embracing my dreams and one little word - choose. 

:: Guiva. Make our dream business a reality.

:: Run a half-marathon this Spring and run the Lisbon Half-Marathon in the Autumn.

:: Embrace my role as a godmother and finally learn how to hold a newborn. 

:: Keep in touch with dear friends.

:: Reconnect with my camera and let my lens capture what my eyes see.

:: Be happy.

As you can see, my plans for the year are a blend of dreams, goals and aspirations which are making my heart tick and my eyes smile. 

choose :: my word for 2014

Choose.

For 2014, I choose choose as the word to focus on. Life is made of choices. Simple, hard, quick, slow, spur of the moment, pondered choices that can change our path and the way we feel about our life.

Last year, as I focused on change I realised that part of the process to dealing with change is choosing how to deal with it. Sometimes, our options are limited and so will our choices be; sometimes, things will happen and we'll be left feeling we have no choice... But we do, small as it may be... We can choose to deal with it.

Last year, both my parents had health problems; that made me think of all the change that is forced upon us. The kind of change that makes you feel powerless even when your word for the year is helping you deal with it. The kind of change we have no choice over, other than be the best people we can for them and for us.

This year, I want to feel empowered by knowing there is always a choice, no matter how small. I want to choose how I deal with what comes my way. I want to choose how I speak to people, especially the ones closest to me. I want to choose how I spend my time. I want to choose to launch a business with my brother. I want to choose to enjoy life. I want to really choose by knowing I have a choice... No matter how small.