What a week!

You know those weeks when a series of unexpected events happens that kind of hit you for a six. One of those kind of weeks.  Because life doesn’t stop still and let you catch a breath does it. There are still work commitments, we have to eat, animals in our care that rely on us. I return to what anchors us inbetween dealing with those unexpected events.

Tending the cottage and garden. Looking for the beauty in the everyday moments.

Making sure we have nourishing meals and snacks. Cooking from scratch.

A clean and tidy cottage. The beds made every morning, the bedding changed regularly, a small posy of flowers beside the bed to wake up to.

The vacuming and dusting done when it starts to need it, not when it is beyond necessary.

The wash hung out on the clothes line to dry, folded and put away.

The garden watered.

Limiting screen time. Making sure there is lots of family time.

Cooking some sweet treats and batch meals to freeze for when it is the holidays.

All these things are looking after our future selves and in the present moment looking after myself and my little family.

When it feels like I am walking through treacle I ask myself – what is the next best thing to do, how can we support each other, look after each other. Step by step getting things done. It can feel hard can’t it. And so I get up and just start doing something and that flows on to the next thing that needs tending. Focusing on what I can do.

Part of this is resting, finding time to relax, and oh I tell you what it seriously doesn’t come easily to me. I’m grateful that Michael and Lil encourage me to rest. Grateful that we look after each other. Grateful that we prioritise each others wellbeing because at the core of it all that is what a family does, care for each other, help each other.

Five things I’m grateful for this week:

1. Genuine people who help other people. Like I mentioned at the start of this post, it has been a big week with some big challenges. I am so grateful to people who take their jobs seriously and helped our family. I know those people are paid to do a job but they have gone above and beyond to keep our family safe, helped our family move through stressful times and times of grief.

2. Having a cosy cottage to call home.

3. Listening to the bird song. There is a family of finches in the camellia tree and oh gosh are those tiny chicks noisey in the sweetest possible way and they are so much fun to watch.

4. Being able to refill the bird baths as I potter about watering the garden. With all the baby birds about they sure do empty the bird baths quickly.

5. Honeybee! She is in fine form and started laying eggs again, following me around the garden is none negotiable for her.

I’ll send you much love,

Jude x