Our plans for the coming weeks…
Oh hello there, March! I have been counting down the days until you got here, let’s hope you don’t let us down eh. March is such a promising month; the beginning of spring, better weather, longer days… I definitely feel like I’m getting out of the funk of winter and feeling more like myself.
If I could sum up how I’m feeling right now… actually I’m not sure I could. It’s probably a mix of hopeful, hopeless and overwhelmed. Last weekend I deleted all social media from my phone in a bid to get some time away from the world, but in the end all I did was read the news for hours every day which did absolutely nothing for my state of mind.
I guess the take-away here is that social media provides a bit of escapism when you need it, and having time away from the news cycle doesn’t mean you don’t care. It’s a tricky balance to get right but there’s ways you can help without sacrificing your wellbeing.
This month I’m working on finding a balance between staying informed, providing some joy online, and spending time off my devices altogether. I want to get a few jobs done around the flat, enjoy some sunshine, have some good times with friends and start reading again!
After a bit of a slow start to the year, a year which Jord and I are calling ‘Our Year Of Change’, we’re starting to see some pieces of the puzzle fall in to place. There’s so much we want to do this year, after two years of feeling like we’re at a standstill, but there’s a lot that needs to come together before we can make any progress!
Operation House Hunt
This month we were supposed to put our flat up for sale. I had the photographer and surveyor booked, and then we realised we didn’t want the stress of having to find somewhere else to live under pressure, so we scrapped that. Who needs added stress!! Not me.
For now, I’m going to concentrate on finding our next home because we’re still a little unsure about where we want to end up… we just know we need a change! We’ve lived in our neighbourhood for almost eight years (oh em gee, we old), and we’ve seen the area absolutely boom in that time which has been wonderful. I honestly think if the pandemic had never have happened, we’d have stayed here forever – but after so long living in one place, we feel like it’s time to move on – I’m sure everyone gets me on this! It’s been a wild time.
I’ve been combing rightmove day and night for the past few months, looking anywhere and everywhere in the hopes that we’ll find our new home. I would say my criteria is a little tricky; I’m not ready to renovate a property again so soon, so I’m not looking for a fixer-upper. I also don’t want to move from our “done” home in to somewhere that needs a lot of TLC… and we don’t need a big place so a five bedroom, two storey house is pointless, but ideally we would like a house of some sort.
I’m also not really interested in a period property either, I feel like we’ve done that now, so I’m hoping a cool 70s bungalow comes on the market – ideally with a beautiful garden and no loft conversion! I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know what I don’t want… so I think I just have to hold out hope that we find something soon!
Mantras For March
Find joy where you can right now 🍊 get some fresh air, google dogs in tights, take time away from the news, drink wine on a Wednesday, be mindful of others, call your bff, listen to a 90s playlist, have meaningful conversations, eat your greens, volunteer, sleep late, buy yourself flowers, read a new genre, laugh at your old facebook statuses, do a crossword, have a small cry when you need it
Getting Ready To Shut Up Shop
A house move means it’s time to say goodbye to our coffee shop, Market, after four wonderful years. The shop kept us, and our regulars!, going through the pandemic so it has been a hard decision – but I keep reminding myself that it was never something we wanted to do forever.
We’ve been hoping to find someone who will take over the space and keep it as it is – a humble coffee shop with connections to the area. Our worst nightmare was someone taking over the shop and turning it in to a vape shop or similar… to see our hard work ripped out would be so sad.
We’ve also got some wonderful regulars who are devastated to see the shop close, but I’m hoping we find someone with similar values who has a dream of running an indie business. It would mean they could keep our suppliers going (all of which are small, local bakers etc. whom we adore!) and keep the neighbourhood running on excellent coffee!
If you’ve been in to the shop at any point, you’ll know how special the shop is – Jord knows everyone who comes in and always has time for every customer so it really has such a nice vibe. I’m so pleased that it won’t all be lost!
A Few Flat Updates
I know eventually we’ll find somewhere new to live, but until then I fancy shaking things up in the flat. It’s mainly painting I want to do – first the arched shelves and then our spare room which serves as my office.
I know there’ll be a lot of people who will be upset that I’m changing the shelves, but I only painted them green because I told myself I’d switch up the colour again at some point! It’s nearly two years later and that… has not happened, so now seems like a good time. I mainly want to do this just to see how it looks – a change is always good if you ask me! But also I’d like to brighten the room up a little, and I think a lovely bright shade would be perfect.
I also want to paint our hallway (Jord likes F&B Setting Plaster) and our spare room which is currently a terracotta shade I’m not huge on. I hate painting though so we’ll see.
A Trip Away
I am so, so eager to go away again, I just cannot survive without sun! We booked Lisbon for the end of the month, a city I’ve never been to but always wanted to visit, and I can’t wait to get away.
As I said, this year has been quite slow so far but now it feels like it’s picking up a bit – probably after this month it’ll be all go and I’ll wish for some downtime again!! That is just who I am as a person.
So if anyone has any Lisbon recommendations, let me know – I can’t wait to explore a new city and have some time in the sun!
So that’s our month at a glance. I’m currently finishing up this post in my sunny living room with my favourite candle burning feeling so good about everything to come!
What’s on the cards for you this month?
