natjtan Happy Christmas!
I’ll keep the chit chat short and sweet this week and get straight into this week’s Weekend Friday Favourite or last week’s as I feel asleep editing last night. A mix of things that have caught my eye or made me smile this week.
Missoma Labradorite Single Wand Ring 
I came across Missoma looking for dragonfly earrings. They didn’t have dragonfly earrings, they did have a few items I liked enough to keep tabs open on on my phone and peek at until Black Friday. I got lucky and enjoyed 20% off 🙂 I really like the some of their unusual designs such as this labradorite single wand ring. According to legend, Inutis thought labradorite was some of the Northern Lights that had fallen to Earth.
Missoma Interstellar Drop Bracelet
My other Black Friday find! I‘m not sure if it’s because I’m wearing long sleeves that cuff bracelets are unappealing at moment or I’m opting for finer bracelets because I’m tired of cuffs, but this one caught my eye! White zircons cosmic drops! The star on the clasp also did it for me. What I like about Missoma is that all pieces are silver based and gold vermeil pave plated. So when the gold wears off, it’s not a cheaper looking material underneath. Plus Missoma offers a free replating service for the 1st year. 
Finding a paper only diary that doesn’t cost the earth has been tricky this year. Stradivarius was the last place I’d expected to find one in but it came up trumps. Being paper it’s more or less zero waste or less plastic as it’s easy to recycle in a year.
Winter Solstice
I caught the solstice cycling in! The sun’s now back in play for a few weeks after hiding behind clouds for a few weeks.
PAS Peluquerias Christmas/Seasonal Tree
My hairdressers are super creative and I love their tree this year using old product bottles.
Instyle Magazine USA
One of my favourite Instyle USA Magazine issue is the December edition. It’s usually filled with the best of the year and sneak peek into products, trends coming up in the year ahead. Spain’s usually a month behind so I’m happy it arrived before next year!
H&M Conscious Blueberry Lip Balm
Now it’s getting colder, my usual out and about lip balm isn’t always enough. Though this doesn’t contain SPF, I’m not too worried as I’m usually shopping when it’s dark. This is hydrating enough I’m not constantly applying lip balm. It does get a bit gloopy if kept in my pocket for a while, but that kinda makes it easier to apply and it does ‘taste’ like blueberries. It’s not 100% vegan as it contains beeswax, but I eat honey so I’m okay with that. I draw the line however at bee venom and snails slime.
Hermes Winter Display
Can’t say I was impressed with the posh shopping end Christmas decorations this year. Maybe last years electricity bill was too high though it’s probably peanuts for them. The best one was Hermes.
Door Way Graffiti 
Wednesday’s Run View
This is from HIIT 3 with Danielle from Studio Tone It Up. It’s super fun targeting abs, legs, bum and working the anaerobic cardio system. Start lying on a mat face up, bring legs up as if to do an abs raise but with legs more 45 degrees to your body, perform an ab roll to a low squat without using your hands, jump up and turn 180 degrees to face the mat. Squat touching floor with one hand, explore up jumping back 180 degrees, lower to a low squat again, roll back, repeat. It wasn’t clear in the workout if to alternate jumping left or right however each time, I switched alternating jumping left and right. It’s an explosive movement that leaves you a smile!
Internet Finds
How to live like a ‘superager’. BBC News. If you have a few minutes, watch this! Inspiration and motivation to the max!
Pigeons grasp the abstract concepts of space and time. Care2
Europe’s strange border anomaly. BBC Travel
The ocean is a strange place after dark. BBC Earth
Animal welfare: Animals to stop being ‘objects’ under Spanish law. El Pais in English. This is great news!
How Spain is losing the war against the drug trade in the south. El Pais in English. Minus the violence in Mexico, Spain could rival Mexico in the ways they smuggle drugs.
The fight against Spain’s increasingly brazen drug traffickers. El Pais in English. Again, great reading!
The Guadalquivir: a river of drugs. El Pais in English
Christmas morning Cinnamon buns. Tone It Up. The way I roll, these will probably be made on New Years morning, but I’m looking forward to making them!
What’s been making you smile recently? Happy Holidays!
I really appreciate how you make very conscious decisions keeping the environment in mind with purchases. I still use a paper diary, still a bit of “old school” that way.
Always enjoy your links Natalie. Very fascinated about the oceans and how the deep fish in the ocean swim to the surface at night for food. And learning about changing the animal laws in Spain including bullfighting.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas. All the best in 2018! 🙂
🙂 Hope you a had a great Christmas!
I try to make conscious decisions keeping the environment in mind as you say. It’s hard. The amount of plastic food packaging I or we at the moment get through as Paul’s here for few weeks is horrifying at times. Way too much plastic.
I use an old school diary and my phone. My phone’s for everyday reminders, ideas that pop in my head. My diaries for dates, scheduling, with another notebook for a monthly plan, things to get, do etc. Plus other notebooks for ideas, money etc. Oh and a daily to do list from all those lists and reminders on ‘scrap’ paper. I like lists!!!
I’m happy you enjoy the links. I didn’t think anyone clicks them, but it’s nice to know you do. I just think, I found them interesting so I’ll share them. You should see the amount of Safari or internet tab I have open on my phone as bookmarks for WFF. Way too many.
I keep meaning to and I’ll comment soon on your Mueller Hut Climb. That’s some adventure!
Wishing you a Happy New Year and a great 2018! Maybe you and your wife will return NZ in 2018 🙂
Thank you so much Natalie. My youngest daughter is in college and had 3 weeks off at Christmas, so she is visiting her sister right now. Wish it wasn’t so far. Probably be at least 2 or 3 years before my wife and I are able to return. Just love it down there.
As we have been discussing the environment, and plastics and that, they are so conscious of the environment down there. And so clean. You never see a candy wrapper or coffee cup that was discarded, even it the cities.
Tremendous that you keep an old school diary. Very few people do that anymore! 🙂
I hope your daughters are having fun catching up! 2 -3 years will fly by!
It’s great that NZ is conscious of the environment. Here’s not so much. The council and government’s trying, the people not so much.
I did a little research and paper diaries and agenda sales are still going strong, especially with 20-40 year olds! I think as its an easier way to organise everything. You can see it, you remember it more if you write it down!