December 2025

We kicked off December with a Christmas market trip to Prague with my parents. We also visited the Castle and the Natural History Museum. We ate a lot and even visited some Absinthe bars. The Christmas market was busy but a great way to kick off the festivities for Christmas. It was lovely to get away from home for a bit. 

It was James' sister, Lucy's, birthday when we got back and we had a chilled night at ours with a takeaway pizza and we watched Paul. A simple and comforting little evening , we love having lucy round.

I started my new job this month and it's been really welcoming. I can already tell this will be a lovely company to work for. I met the HR team that I'll be working with face to face as well. We had a Christmas meeting in the office and then went for lunch at Nandos. It was really nice to meet everyone properly and for the office to only be in Southampton is such a blessing, although it took me an hour and a half to get there in rush hour. The train only takes 20 minutes, so I'll probably take the train next time.

I popped by Jordan and Megan's afterwards for a cuppa and catch up and some panettone, which I've never had before. It was so nice to see them and just have a proper catch up. I hope we get to do more together next year. Also, it was lovely to see their home all christmassy, Jordan had drawn these cute Christmas scenes on their window and it inspired James and I to do the same!

I joined a country club gym to give myself a little boost and get back into my fitness routine after a few months out of the gym. It's been good to have the gym to myself and just pace myself how I want to as I reconnect with my body after having surgery last month.

I also finished and published my book on amazon. It's fully out there now for all to read. I've already had some people tell me they've enjoyed it which has warmed my heart. It was more of a hobby, like this blog is I guess. It feels strange to have finished it and have it out there in the world.

James and I took a rainy walk through Titchfield and down to Breezes café for brunch one day. The weather was typically awful but we wore our waterproofs and embraced it. The sea was so rough, we spent most the time laughing at how ridiculous the weather was. It was somewhat cleansing after everything we've been through last month.

Girls night was at Persia's house this time and we had a cute evening catching up about all sorts. It was nice to be able to talk about the things that have happened and part of me wished I'd isolated myself less but I'm so lucky to have them. Our next date is in the diary too and it's Persia's Birthday!

James and I took a short trip to Brighton to have a little break. We went to the aquarium and then for Christmas dinner at the Ivy which was so nice. James bought me a couple of dresses too, one for Christmas and one for new year. I felt very spoiled but so lucky. 

Imogen and I went to see the second part of Wicked in the cinema! We saw the first part together as well. We wore pink and green and bought pick n mix and ice blasts and made a proper evening of it. We went for a 'friendsmas' dinner with Imogen and Ed to the Fox and Hounds nearer to Christmas. This was really wholesome, we had crackers and it was so nice to spend time with them.

Christmas Eve was very wholesome, we had lunch at the Titchfield Mill and then went to the church for the nativity followed by a couple of drinks and a catch up at the pub. It's a sweet tradition we've done for years.

Christmas Day was wonderful, we had drinks with the whole family in the morning and then back to my mums where it was just mum, dad, nan, grandad, James and I for Christmas dinner and games. It was really chilled this year. Mum bought us all matching jumpers, even the cats!! 

The day after boxing day, we headed up to Kent to spend time with James' dad and his wife and Lucy. We had a walk around the outlet shopping centre and then a roast dinner. The next day we went for brunch in Canterbury, I've never been to Canterbury before so it was lovely to take a wander around. However, I'd started to feel a cold coming on that morning so needed to take some medicine. 

That evening, the flu took over and I struggled to do anything. I was supposed to be working the next day but I struggled to stay awake, so I took the day off and tried to just recover. Nan had messaged me to say she also has the flu which worried me as I knew how awful I felt. 

I was back to work on new years eve, still with a bit of flu lingering. Seeing the meetings piling in for the first week back gave me a little bit of anxiety but after getting back into work, I gained my confidence back. None of the meetings that start off 2026 are out of my capabilities. It may be a new role, but I know I can do it and do it well.

New years eve was smaller than usual as mum and dad didn't host a party this year like they usually do. It was just mum, dad, Lucy, James, Alex and his girlfriend. We started off at mums house where we had some drinks and played roulette and then walked to The Mansion in Coldeast for the final hours of 2025. It was nice to get dressed up and it was really special to spend it with James and Lucy. 

I guess that concludes my last little monthly memoir of 2025, I must admit, the final blog post of 2025 has caught up with me quicker than expected. What a year! God knows how 2026 will go. If I've learned anything this year, it's that I can't predict anything but I can only ride the wave that comes at me.  Bring on 2026 and all of its twists and turns.