I’ve done something very mid-2010s today and taken my laptop to a cafe to blog between yoga classes. I used to love doing this in London and today I’m still sitting in a branch of Starbucks, swapping my soy cappuccino for a coconut matcha latte, and still writing this online diary of sorts.

February was always my least favourite month in the UK (the insult of Valentine’s day being slap bang in the middle for a single-for-29-years girl) but here it’s a chance to mark the bittersweet anniversary of three years since I left London, to welcome five visitors (not all at once) in a fortnight and to eat as many meals as possible outdoors – sometimes even wearing a jumper!  

Three Years In Dubai

I took a one-way flight to Dubai on 10th February 2017 and since then I’ve moved apartments three times, had three jobs, met one boyfriend and acquired one kitten. My life hasn’t panned out how I thought it would do at all but my actual present is a lot nicer than my the future I had planned in my head. Three years really isn’t that long out of an entire lifetime but at 32 it’s almost ten percent of my life so far, the same length of time that I was at university for. With each year the distance between the version of me that had her leaving drinks at The Queen of Hoxton and me now, sitting in Starbucks realising after teaching a yoga class earlier that my black lettings are covered in cat hair, grows and it feels both easier and harder to acknowledge the time passed. 

Having my friends in town recently made me so grateful for the friendships I built in London. Of course some of my old friendships have drifted in the last three years (and making new friends here has been far from the easy ride I expected), but exploring the city with friends I met some 9 years ago as law students and trainee lawyers reminded me that friendship transcends distance, circumstance, career goals, lifestyle and relationship statuses. Kit has received a record number of cuddles and I’ve had my fill (for now) of long conversations over coffees, lunches and slightly bizarre Dubai cocktails to last me almost until my return to London In June.

The Dubai 10k

I ran the Dubai 10k for the third time in January. It isn’t the most thrilling route but this year the weather was kind (clouds, sweet clouds) and there was more support along the route. I didn’t train as much as I wanted to but I guess teaching 4-5 yoga classes a day and taking dance classes a couple of times a week has helped somewhat as I felt really good while running and accepted every high-five offered to me! I didn’t check my time afterwards, and I still haven’t – I’m pretty certain it isn’t anything to shout about but that’s not why I run. In London running was a big part of my life so it’s nice to have created this little tradition for myself here, although these days I don’t think I’m going to be running any more than 10k anytime soon!

Graduating From IIN 

I finished my course with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition a couple of weeks ago. I’m already missing having a new module of content to delve into each week and the feeling of community that I didn’t expect to find when taking an all-online course. An entire year of studying with IIN means that I now view every area of my life a little differently to how I used to and it’s given me so many avenues to explore further. I will write a longer post soon once I’ve ordered my thoughts a little more on my experience, and  on my next steps.

Reading

I recently discovered that there’s a library (well a room filled with bookshelves) in the complex where I live – it’s only taken two years! I’m hoping it becomes a source of some free future reads and that I can donate some of my old paperbacks for others to enjoy, too. 

I found a copy of Just Eat It by Laura Thomas on the shelves and spent a week or so working my way through it. It’s a huge book and while it does get a little repetitive, I liked that it was an easy read, written in an informal tone, and that it gave me a few things to think about (yes I almost wrote “food for thought”…)  in terms of how what and how we eat has become so damn overcomplicated.

I picked up Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce in the 99pm Kindle sale and devoured it in two days, the type of book I read one-handed while eating and while walking around the house. Written by a criminal barrister, it’s a fast-paced read which follows the career and personal life of…a criminal barrister. While the ending was a little too tied-up-with-a-bow for my liking I immensely enjoyed this book and loved speeding through it.

Finally for my bookclub, I’ve almost finished When All Is Said by Anne Griffin. So far I’m finding it…just ok. It’s well-written and I enjoy it while I’m reading it but it not one that I’m finding particularly compelling or a huge page-turner. I’m wondering if the ending will wrap things up in a way that changes my mind, or if the discussion will.

What Else…  

I went for my annual horse ride at the weekend, watching my friends gallop off into the sunset as my horse refused to trot for more than 5 seconds at a time… I wore my new crop top from Pineapple Clothing and it was definitely horse-riding suitable (20% off your first order with my link or use code “lilmir”*)… I cat-sat for my friend’s beautiful ginger boy, Abbas… a yoga client of mine touched her feet to the ground in halasana for the first time and I was almost as happy as she was… I’ve booked flights for a trip to Turkey in April and I’m already researching every (veggie-friendly) thing that I want to eat there…  

*affiliate link but a product that I genuinely love and a brand that was very helpful in making sure my order made it through the Dubai postage system!