I NEED SOME SUNSHINE!

I should be sitting on a beach in Lanzarote right now but like so many people, I had to cancel the trip. So instead, I’ll be spending the week taking a couple of trips around Ireland. I’ve seen so many posts over the last few weeks on social media of stunning views and exciting adventures around the country, with many of them asking: ‘why would you want to go somewhere else when we have this on our doorstep?’ And I’ll tell you why. Because when I’m on holidays, I want to do nothing. I want to lie by a pool with several books saved to my Kindle and podcasts downloaded to my phone, and just while away the hours relaxing, then go for a nice meal, some tasty cocktails, then bed and repeat. That’s not so much fun to do when it’s cold and rainy outside – even the most beautiful of views can be rendered lifeless by low cloud and persistant, misty drizzle. I love the sunshine and miss it so much. The two weeks we got back in May made lockdown so much more bearable. The relentless misery of the weather ever since has really put even more of a, well, dampener on things. You’d think at this stage we’d be well used to it but when I looked at the weather app last week and it predicted rain for every day of my holiday, my heart sank. We can’t even hide away in a spa for a few hours a day as most of them are still closed! But then I thought, it’s been months since I’ve had a proper hangout with my friend who I’m going with and I’m really looking forward to chats, laughs and gossip. And we can do that no matter where we are. So my suitcase is filled with warm clothes, masks, hand sanitisers and umbrellas, instead of bikinis, shorts, sunglasses and sunscreen. But all that really matters is that we’ll get a much-needed break from work and a good catch-up. And I’m sure that bar in Kildare will mix us up a Sangria...

In today’s cover story we speak to Gabriela Peacock, who has a very healthy outlook on weight loss. She’s not preachy or judgmental, and her advice is informed and her goals achievable. There’s nothing more dispiriting than a diet that’s so restrictive you can’t enjoy anything. As she says: ‘Stress hormones can be far more damaging to your body than a couple of glasses of red wine.’ Amen to that!

Enjoy the issue.