My Valentine’s Day: Tidying, Training & TV

Today has been a productive and satisfying Friday, and as the day winds down, I thought I’d share a journal-style post after posting a none journal style post this morning.

The mornings are definitely getting lighter now that we’re in February, which is always nice to see. It makes early starts feel a little easier when the sun is beginning to rise rather than stepping out of bed into complete darkness. My day started with a black coffee and an iced water from my new glass tumbler and straw. I actually bought the tumbler last week—it’s glass with a handle, a wooden lid, and a glass straw—but my daughter saw it and wanted it, so I gave it to her. Naturally, I then bought myself another one while out shopping yesterday, so now we both have one, which worked out well. 

As I finished my coffee, I spent some time planning a few posts for next week. I like to have at least a rough idea of what I’ll be writing in advance, even if I don’t stick to a rigid schedule. Once that was done, I got my workout out of the way. Being Friday, it was my lower body session, which included goblet squats, leg extensions, and Romanian deadlifts. It’s not my favourite workout day, but I got through it, knowing that tomorrow is a rest day. Once my workout was done, I had an apple and some frozen mango, followed by my protein shake. 

After that, I went up into the loft to retrieve a bag of old clothes, ready to take to the tip tomorrow. That makes five bin bags full now, with the four I sorted through yesterday. My mind already feels clearer knowing I’ve decluttered the walk-in cupboard in my bedroom, the coat cupboard in the hallway, and now the bits in the loft. Both today and yesterday, I’ve been going through the house, minimising and getting rid of anything I don’t need. I prefer to live with a minimalist mindset anyway, but after three and a half years in this house, things have naturally accumulated, and it felt like the right time to have a proper sort-out. It’s always surprising how much can build up, even when you try to keep things simple. I’m glad it’s done now, though—the house is looking much better for it, and it’s one less thing on my mind.

With that out of the way, I vacuumed, did a deep clean of the kitchen, and mopped both the kitchen and bathroom floors. I like keeping on top of things, and I always feel better when everything is fresh and clean. After all that, I was more than ready for a long bath. 

My first proper meal of the day, aside from the fruit, was around 3pm—scrambled eggs with mushrooms and another pint of water. It’s a meal I’ve been having quite often lately. Quick, easy, and keeps me going. With everything done for the day, I decided to sit down and watch the final episode of Cobra Kai. I watched four of the last five episodes last night and saved the very last one for today. Overall, I really enjoyed the six seasons, though from season five onwards, there were a few parts that got a bit silly. But Cobra Kai has always been one of those easy-watch shows that isn’t supposed to be overly realistic. It’s more about nostalgia and fun than anything else, and in that sense, it does its job well. I liked how they wrapped up all the loose ends in the last episode, and it felt like a fitting conclusion.

From what I’ve read, they’re working on a new Karate Kid movie that ties in with the one featuring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, but this time, Ralph Macchio is involved too. That means the old and new Karate Kid films exist in the same universe, which is interesting. It's hard to believe the franchise has been running since before I was even born.

After finishing the episode, with all my tasks done for the day, I turned the TV off, switched my phone off, and spent a couple of hours reading. It’s something I’ve been making more of an effort to do—stepping away from screens for a while and just getting lost in a book. Around 7pm, I had my main meal of the day—rump steak with sweet potato mash and cabbage. Simple but really good. Once I’d eaten, done the washing up, and given the kitchen a final wipe down, I headed to bed at about 7:30pm. I did get back up briefly when I remembered I had strawberries in the fridge and decided to eat those before properly settling in.

As I write this, I’ve got Arrival on in the background. I’ve seen it before, though, so I’ll probably switch over to YouTube shortly, followed by my audiobook before I sleep. I’ve only got about an hour left of Zombie Road by David A. Simpson, so if anyone has any recommendations for good post-apocalyptic books, I’d love to hear them.

I hope everyone’s had a great Valentine’s Day and has a good weekend ahead.