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Bicycles and burlesque

by | Sep 7, 2017 | Burlesque, carlalouise, Personal Development | 0 comments

I’ve been in a real funk for what feels like ages now, and while I know some of this is because tomorrow marks six months since we lost Dad, which is normal and natural, some of it is more inexplicable and just annoying.

I’ve struggled to create, to sleep, and especially to do the everyday things that have to be done – laundry, cooking, day job tasks, ongoing business tasks, blogging…

It’s always a warning sign for me when I can’t find my blogging mojo – for most of my adult life I’ve had a blog, so any time when I don’t want to post for an extended period usually means I should take a long hard look at what’s happening, and maybe talk it out somewhere. (Ironically, not necessarily online…)

Last week, I felt like this and just didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything, but managed to force myself out of the house, into the car, and across town to burlesque.

Carla in Harry Potter/Night Circus burlesque gear | carlalouise.com

If you’re a long term reader, you’ll know that I’ve always danced, and that burlesque has been a passion for nearly six years now. My lovely friend Lizzie now co-owns Love You Burlesque, and alongside shooting them for a year (over at my business & branding photography biz), I dance with them too.

Lizzie and Gennie often talk about how their classes give ladies an hour to themselves every week, and I never really understood how important this was… I live on my own, so I spend a lot of time happily by myself! But that evening, I managed to leave behind all my sadness, anxiety, stress and general meh-ness for a whole hour, and lose myself in frills and feathers and sass.

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This week has been hard, because it’s approaching a significant anniversary that I don’t want to think about. But tomorrow is going to roll around all the same, and walking aimlessly from room to room, wondering what I came in for, is not going to help.

I skipped burlesque yesterday as I just wasn’t feeling myself, and today although I had a lovely lunch with friends and a surprisingly good day at the day job, I got home and felt… meh.

So I got out my bike, shooing away the spiders that were lurking. Dusted her down, pumped up her tyres and went for a short ride to quite literally blow the cobwebs (on her) away. It’s the first time I’ve ridden this year and it was a great reminder of connection.

Bluebell the bicycle | carlalouise.com

Riding a bike (or a horse) means you’re out in the open air, you can feel the wind rush past your face as you move, and you are closer to the road than you ever are in a car.

You can see the leaves and the birds, the conkers (when the hell did it get to be conker season already?!) and the marks on other people’s cars. You are going quicker than you would on foot, but slow enough to notice pretty shutters, colourful front doors and various things for sale from the front of people’s houses (I love village life).

I only went to the shop and back, and yet I have come home feeling freer, calmer, and much less angsty about everything. Luna and Clover got to be outside till just now, instead of me panicking and hauling them in early (they get very silly around dusk, I think it’s a cat thing), and I have written this post, blitzed my bullet journal and answered some customer enquiries instead of just wandering around aimlessly.

It appears that next time I feel rough, things beginning with “b” are helpful… bikes… burlesque… bullet journals…

What do you do when you have an attack of the meh?!

A cure for a bad mood – Out of the Blue?

by | Apr 25, 2012 | Creating | 10 comments

(warning – wordy post)

I have been, for a while, in a toweringly bad mood that seems to be lingering, and I think the way to get rid of it might be to take part in the Curiosity Project’s new venture, Out Of The Blue.

This involves leaving a random gift for a stranger, photographing it and then hoping they will find it and come and tell us about it. Of course, if they don’t, you’ve hopefully still have made someone’s day with an unexpected treat.

I don’t know if it will cure my malaise (which I suspect has been brought on by the diet and the unrelenting crappy weather) but we’ll give it a go.

I considered leaving a present in my office, but there are so few women here, and I am so unlike the majority (all?) of them, that I think it would be too obvious.

On the train is a terrible idea, because I do not want to be arrested, nor for it to be thrown away because commuters are too frightened or otherwise occupied to pick it up.

So that leaves the following: somewhere along my walk to the train station (preferably on a dry day, of which there are frighteningly few at the moment); on the stairs in my building (but there are only six flats so it’s not so random); on a car in the car park (but I’d be furious if someone touched my car without my knowledge/permission); one of the approximately forty-nine coffee shops within ten minutes’ walk of my work (I’m not even exaggerating that much) or somewhere totally random on the weekend.

I’m leaning towards totally random – this weekend I’m away at a friend’s birthday, next weekend I am at home. Perfect.

Now for what to leave….

Both inside and outside Ducking Fabulous, I make things. I’ll probably add chocolate to whatever I leave, but for the main part I’m thinking something small and pretty, and perhaps themed… I’m a little obsessed with my new domino necklace range, so maybe a pocketwatch print in a clocktower? A leaf print in a woodland? A unicorn print in a stableyard? An abstract print in a coffee shop?

Hmm. I’ll keep you posted!