A weekend miracle

Housework, gardening and chutney

Something happened last weekend, I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but it is not for me to question.

I was productive.

Yep, I got stuff done.

We did things we wouldn’t normally do.

Like housework, on a weekend!

Housework is not one of those things I save for the weekends. It’s a chore and so (if) it gets done, it’s on a week day. However, we had a big tidy up on Saturday on account of needing to do some filming for the family - a walkthrough of the house, the garden, Colin the caravan and Doug the crub. So, they all got a bit of a spruce up.

The weather behaved, while it was cold, it was also bright and sunny so we were able to catch some good footage although I do wish we’d done the garden & Doug during summer when everything was looking a lot more colourful and alive. Still, we still have red tomatoes on the vine and the chillis just keep on giving, although I did relent and pull a lot of it out, namely the borage, courgette & cucumber.

Doug looking much depleted

By Sunday the weather had turned and so it was time to tackle the new mountain of tomatoes. A friend had shared a chutney recipe from a classic preserve recipe book circa the 1950s, I thought I would give it a whirl. Turns out, it takes longer than the 40 minutes advertised on the recipe and I must have had that thing bubbling away for about 6 hours. After about 4 hours, I added more grated apple for the pectin and even tried the trick of adding a couple of peeled potatoes to absorb the water. Whether it helped or not I have no idea, but by 6pm I was finally popping it in jars and as of Tuesday it seems to be set. Now it needs to rest for a couple of months to mature.

Did I mention I don’t really like chutney? Or jam. It’s ok, but I’d rather just have a thick layer of butter on my toast and not taint it with sticky sweet stuff. Fruit is best in its natural form, give me a crunchy granny smith over apple crumble any day.

This productiveness is one of the reasons I’m three four days late with this week’s post, the other reason is simply general busyness. Earlier in the week I had a few words with myself about my general laxness and had been feeling guilty about it, then I had a few more words with myself because I’m not sure it warrants feelings of guilt. This is supposed to be fun and as soon as that added pressure starts the fun dissipates and it becomes a chore, NOT the idea.

That’s why I’m putting any ideas of pay walling posts to bed, for now. I had thought that maybe the Roots & Ramblings section of the publication could be a way to add a pay wall and encourage paid subscribers, but let’s be honest, I’m not likely to be making much money from it, so why turn it into another job – I have enough of those already! The option to upgrade is still there if you feel the urge to financially support my writing, but for now, it will remain entirely free.

Last Friday, 18^th October, was Menopause Awareness Day and I wrote something for my business socials, but it’s relevant to all aspects of my life. On account of the busyness, I haven’t edited here for flow, it is as it was…

Last March, I hit a wall.

My mood, motivation, and energy just fell off a cliff.

I felt like a fog had settled over me and I was really struggling with apathy and lethargy.

I didn’t feel like myself anymore.

So, I took myself off to the doctor and after a bit of toing and froing and multiple blood tests which didn’t reveal anything and constantly asking “could it be perimenopause?” I was offered HRT. Something I grabbed with both hands.

HRT isn’t the right choice for everyone but 15 months later, I can honestly say it’s been right for me. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s helped me find my balance again, plus my bald patch is less bald now! In fact, this stumble into midlife and perimenopause is hands down the best phase of my life so far. It’s a cliché, I know, but I don’t care, I feel like I’m coming into my power. I don’t feel sad about getting older, apart from that horrible crease on my upper lip and my expanding waistline, because so far, it’s been liberating.

I’m currently listening to Hagitude by Sharon Blackie on my morning dog walks, a fascinating listen. If you haven’t come across it yet, I urge you to look it up. I’m definitely up for embracing ‘hagitude’ – it’s not about giving zero f**** it’s about choosing what to care about. It’s about appreciating what getting older gives us – wisdom and resilience along with creaky bones and brain fog! 

Now as I sit here with my wee business, my wee house, and my not so wee garden, what I feel most is an incredible sense of freedom.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I’m incredibly grateful that women are talking about it more and sharing their experiences. If they hadn’t last year could have been much more difficult, but I understood what was happening and why. It enabled me to advocate for myself and I want to pass that on.

So, if you’re feeling like there’s a missing link, it could be down to a change in your hormones. Whether you want to go down the HRT route or not, it’s worth speaking to your GP, I know quite a few folk who feel more empowered just for knowing what it is and that’s it’s not all in our heads.

Take care

Han 🧡

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