Comfort zones - gym and networking

Last night I did two things that, a year ago, would have been beyond me.

First of all I went to a gym class. It was a new Tabata class at my gym, Wye Leisure,  really hard but good fun. A sort of circuit training, working in pairs. A year ago I couldn't have done it. I mean, physically I might have just about managed it - you kind of work at your own level - but I don't think I'd have been brave enough to walk into the room in the first place. But these days I love these sort of classes, they are good for me in so many ways.

And then I had a quick shower and headed off to a WiRE meeting - Women in Rural Enterprise. Again, 12 months ago I would have been seriously out of my comfort zone - anxious about networking, worried that I'm not professional enough blah blah blah. But I enjoyed last night so much. It was only a small meeting but some really lovely, interesting women - I'll list the businesses at the bottom - and as ever there was coffee, cakes, confessions and laughter. Again, good for me in so many ways.

I didn't take my camera to either so here's a little recreation, starring some Maileg mini bunnies (available here, along with their gym wear - check out the leg warmers on uppy-eared rabbit!)

At the gym....

 

Quick shower and change, then off to WiRE...

The WiRE members at the meeting were:

Rayeesa (our host) who runs an Indian cookery school and makes frozen cooking sauce, Anna who does something financial to do with payroll (baffles and impresses me), Anne who runs a fabulous sounding business rearing pigs and creating ethical pork sausages and so on, and Katie and Charlotte from Lime Green Marketing - it was seriously good to listen to proper marketing and PR people in action, just the ideas they came up with over a rock bun were brilliant!

And finally, a note about the long-promised new website. It is nearly, nearly, nearly ready. Honestly. I fear I am starting to sound like the boy who cried wolf, but trust me there is a wolf and I am very much hoping he will be ready to meet you this weekend.