Did you all have a wonderful Christmas?  Ours was quiet as it was just Himself, me and the cats (who spent most of the weekend eyeing up a robin’s nest outside the window), but lovely. And Santa bought me a much coveted Kindle.  As you know I’m a fan of Stephen King who writes books by weight so it will be a relief not having to hold those up anymore!

10 more reverb posts today by way of a catch up (read them all here) – enjoy and see you later in the week!

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16. What did you accomplish?

A new business, pregnancy massage certification, hot stone therapy certification, Foundation course certification,  Pilates teacher training. But you know all that.  What I really feel I accomplished this year is a belief in myself in a way I’ve never had before.  Granted, I still get all worked up about not doing enough, about other’s doing “better” than me, but ultimately I’m more content with myself right now than I’ve been in a long long time – sod what anyone else thinks!

17. When were you the most grateful?

When I finished Pilates teacher training. Honestly. I don’t think I have ever pushed my body quite so hard as I did in those trainings between September and November.  If I’m honest with myself I’m still paying the price.  Sometimes, while I have to remember that I am stronger than I think I am, I also have to remember this doesn’t mean I have to push myself to my limits all the time.  Lesson well and truly learned now I think!

18. Who touched your heart?

Every single client who has trusted their body to me over the last year!

19. Where did you visit?

London (more times than I care to remember – remind me why I moved again!?)
Cambridge Botanical Gardens – a lot
Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Singapore, Hong Kong
Durham (for training)
Leicester (for yoga conference)
Manchester (to see Black Stone Cherry)
The County Fair
And tomorrow I am very excited to be off to Solihull for the day

20. When did you cry?

When didn’t I cry?  I cry at Neighbours for heaven’s sake!

21. Where did you spend your time?

At the clinic.  On the sofa.  In front of my computer.  In bed.  On trains.  Driving.  Trainings + conferences all over the country.  At gigs.

2. What were your favourite songs?

“Dear Rosemary” by Foo Fighters was my song of the year.  It will come as no surprise to anyone that the Foos’ Wasting Light was my album of the year and this is the song that blew me away off that album.  Mostly because it has my long time hero Bob Mould on guitar and backing vocals and is very heavily Husker Du influenced.  As the Grohl always says – no Husker Du, no Foo Fighters.

Also noted are “Stay” by Black Stone Cherry, “The Adventures of Raindance Maggie” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (although most of the rest of their new album was disappointing), every single damn song on Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Coldplay’s “Paradise” (the only Coldplay song in history not to make me want to weep/kill myself).

23. Who did you miss?

Does London count as a “who”?

24. When did you take the easy way?

Ha ha ha!  Never!  I am not noted for taking the easy way.  But I’m working on it.  I have a tendency to think the only things worth doing are worth working your ass off for, but I’m starting to wonder if that is a healthy attitude, especially when I hardly ever get any time for myself!

25. Where did you eat?

Mostly at home. I’m not so big on eating out as a) the portions are ridiculously large and b) I have become so ridiculously intolerant to so many things.  Two meals do stick in my head though – one on our first morning in Sydney in a cafe in Elizabeth Bay.  I was so hungry and tired and scrambled eggs and smoked salmon have never, ever tasted so good.  The other was at The Banff in St Kilda, Melbourne on Easter Sunday, the day we flew back to the UK.  We sat outside in the warm autumn sunshine and ate eggs and bacon in Black Iron Pans sitting next to two girls from Huddersfield. It’s a small world. (Also the meals I remember always contain eggs).

Well the Big Day is almost here and as you read this I will be battling the supermarket for the Christmas food.  Lucky me!  I hope all my readers, both old and new, have a fabulous Festive season and I’ll be back with more Reverbs as well as my Word and Intention for 2012 next week.  Oh which reminds me!  Are you struggling to find your word for 2012?  You might like to try one of Amy Palko’s 2012 readings to help guide your way.  I did and it was fabulously spot on the money – read more here!

And so to the Reverb prompts, with the usual nod to Catherine! See the other Reverb11 posts here.

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11. Who surprised you?

Me.  I surprised me endlessly.  I surprised myself with my own undiluted passion and energy for my work, despite whatever health issues the universe threw at me.  I surprised myself by being much stronger than I thought I was and I surprised myself by keeping going when I thought I would give up.  Himself surprised me as well continually, as is his wont and the world around me continued to hit me with surprises, both welcome and unwelcome, but every single one necessary.

12. What did you learn?

I learned how to teach Pilates, I learned Pregnancy Massage and Hot Stone Therapy. I learned how to teach Foundation courses.  I learned my vertebral joints are inflamed and that there’s a chance I’m osteopenic.  I learned how to play poker and that long haul flights are still a nightmare even in the wake of so much modern technology.  I learned what true friendship is and what fair weather friendship is.  And I learned to never mix business with pleasure, however sure you are it will work out.

13. When did you feel the most relaxed?

Sitting in Sydney Botanical Gardens, nursing jetlag, watching the mighty Ibises wander amongst us and thinking “I’m home”.  6th April 2011.

14. Where did you leave a mark?

That’s not one I’m at liberty to answer really.  I hope I left a mark on some of my clients, that they walked out of the clinic feeling better than when they walked in.  I hope I left a mark on some of my yoga students.  I hope I left the occasional mark on a stranger by smiling at them or giving up my seat on the bus.  I hope I left a mark on some of my fellow trainees in the various trainings I’ve done this year (I know they have on me, especially my fellow Foundation trainees in October).  I hope I’ve left a little mark of love on those that are near and dear to me.

15. What movies did you see?

The biggest anticipated movie for me this year was the Foo Fighters’ documentary Back + Forth which, typically, was released in cinemas in the UK when I was in Australia.  When I eventually got to see it, it was as awesome as I suspected.  Although strangely it was the 20-year anniversary Pearl Jam documentary, PJ20, that made more of a mark on me (maybe simply because it’s Cameron Crowe).   I also saw Harry Potter + the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2 and a whole heap of dude movies and chick flicks that I can’t remember. Turns out I love music a lot more than I love films.  But we already knew that.

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Solstice Greetings one and all! As the new year begins to loom large over the horizon – another five prompts, slyly nicked from Catherine. Read the first five here.

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6. Who was important to you?

Himself continued to be my knight in shining armour as he pulled me up from drowning in the sea of my own anxiety and encouraged me to get some counselling. My brother and his awesome girlfriend gave me shelter over the three gruelling weekends of Pilates training, entertained me and fed me huge amounts of food to keep me going. My parents were supportive as ever and my clients kept coming back for the treatments that made this whole year possible. And a certain Melbourne-based blogger made me wish I lived a little bit nearer to her than 12,000 miles…..

7. What do you hope to remember?

The smell of kerosene and excitement on the plane to Australia and the taste of my own tears on the plane home. The sound of Wasting Light, especially the sound of it being played live with just 400 other people at Dingwalls in February. The triumphant return of the Chief. The feeling of that first client booking in the new clinic and the feeling, yesterday, of locking the door on my first successful year.

8. Where did you spend money?

Mostly in Sweaty Betty and on various training courses. I am now ridiculously overqualified and have a vast collection of bamboo leggings. Oh and those air tickets to Oz didn’t come cheap! 2012 is the year of The Spending Diet. More on that soon.

9. When were you most scared?

The day before the clinic opened. The last day of Pilates training. The day my neck blew a gasket. Before going to counselling.

10. What questions did you ask?

If I build it will they come?
(The answer, by the way, is always yes. The Field of Dreams Business Plan is a blog post begging to be written)