Intentions

Happy 2022!

Obviously we’ve had Christmas, and it’s now a new year, and things of course have been hectic. Plus my computer’s off to be fixed this afternoon because it’s dying a slow but very premature death and if I don’t get it mended and running properly I might end up putting a hammer through it…

I did just write a whole lot of text which then was lost again. So here’s a list of things we’ve done during this past few weeks (accompanied by the usual stack of photographs).

Said goodbye to Joe’s old teacher as she moved on to pastures new (ALL the emotions for Joe)… Went out gathering greenery for the house in Midgeley on a gloriously pink, wintry afternoon… Dressed the tree in our woodland fairytale theme… Enjoyed a very Minecraft Christmas (Joe)… Baked our own lebkuchen (amazing, and gluten free)…

Made candles for gifts… Bottled the sloe gin from autumn, again for gifts… Planted hyacinth bulbs in jars (yes, gifts)… Worked on Christmas Eve for a few hours (me) fuelled by good cheer and prosecco… Baked cake and made trifle… Used garden snippings for wreaths and table decorations with Joe…

Watched Elf again, plus a lot of other TV… Read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase together… Went for breakfast with my brother in one of my favourite places… Switched off the TV and played card games… Met with friends in Irwell Vale… Saw my two nieces…

Went on local walks and enjoyed the lights in Hebden… Ate hearty food to keep the cold out at Vocation Brewery… Had a few quiet nights when Joe stayed with his grandparents…

Took lots of hot baths and ate lots of chocolate (and mince pies)… Had gammon for Christmas dinner, all cooked by Jay - his favourite part of the whole year…

Walked through Oxenhope to Haworth in ankle-deep mud (we all wore wellies, fortunately)… Admired the sprinkling of snow on Boxing Day from the warmth of the house… Watched the amaryllis bulb grow and start to open… Spotted the first of the snowdrops we planted come into flower… Realised that the paperwhite narcissi are only going to produce leaves (disappointing)…

Started making plans for the new year: to slow down, simplify and focus on what really matters after six months of stress… Cleared out drawers and desks…

Last year I was so stressed that I was struggling both mentally and physically with the symptoms of it. I sat and wrote down all the things that were either causing or contributing to it. I very quickly filled two pages and could have written more. But it confirmed that my state of mind was entirely justified and that I was, as ever, trying to do too many things and please too many people. A good proportion of those stressors haven’t magically gone away but I need to reframe them and rethink my approach and reactions to them.

I’m happy to share some but not all of that, but I think it’s a whole other post rather than one of these ‘Here’s what we’ve been doing’ updates.

Next time.

But, back to the here and now.

I was featured in the winter issue of Bloom and Folk magazine, which was nice - my Instagram feed was one of a selection of ‘inspiring’ accounts.

I’ve actually had a bit of a digital detox and suspended my Facebook account a few weeks ago (don’t miss it one little bit). I don’t venture into Twitter territory anyway, and I use WhatsApp only because it’s how my colleagues communicate any work-related stuff.

Instagram I wasn’t sure about. I do like it; there are some really lovely and inspiring posts. But it’s difficult not to get drawn into feeling pressured to post on Stories every five minutes, or take and edit stunning pictures to share every day. Still, the only person suggesting I do that is me so I’m keeping Instagram and having a word with myself instead.

Pinterest, obviously, stays. It’s pretty much therapy as far as I’m concerned.

More on that next time, if you fancy joining me on a little voyage of self discovery and ‘essentialism’ (new word I discovered).

Have a lovely few weeks - I’ll be back when my computer’s better. Trying to edit photos and write blog posts on my Chromebook would be nigh on impossible, and I’m not doing that to myself!