Root & Rise Rambles #9: A Little Pause in Your Week

Hello my lovely’s!

How has your week been?

Have you been spinning all the plates, remembering everyone else’s schedules, solving little emergencies, keeping the household moving and wondering when exactly you were supposed to fit yourself into all of this?

Before you carry on with your day, I’d love you to take five minutes. Make yourself a cuppa. Find somewhere comfortable. Put your feet up if you can. And come and have a little ramble with me. Because sometimes five minutes of stopping is exactly what we need.

And speaking of stopping, apologies for the lack of rambles last Friday.

We had no internet service at the farm, which made writing and publishing a blog somewhat tricky! Apparently even the most determined woman with a laptop cannot negotiate with a broadband connection that has simply decided not to exist. So, here we are, with a slightly fuller ramble this week.

It’s birthday month in our house!

Two birthdays down and one to go. And of course, it’s the most important one left…

Mine.

On Friday, I baked a Victoria sponge with apricot jam, dusted the top with icing sugar and gold dust. Because apparently every birthday cake deserves a little sparkle. I also baked a gluten-free brownie for me, because there is something rather lovely about making sure there is a little treat that you can actually eat too.

Saturday was a rather different kind of baking-related activity.

We began the mammoth task of moving the main chicken flock from Binley Woods to Hunningham. Thank goodness for good friends. John and his son, Jack, came to the rescue with a large trailer and plenty of muscle, helping Robin and I dismantle both the large and small enclosures.

There may have been chickens. There may have been chicken-related chaos. There may also have been moments when I wondered quite how many times I had agreed to move house.

Poppy, however, was less than impressed with the proceedings. Until she arrived at the farm. She is now living like a Queen in her own private mews, away from the riff raff. Quite frankly, I think she has the right idea.

I also found myself turning into Mary Poppins for the afternoon, as John’s nine-year-old son came to play Lego and entertain Ruth with me.

Looking after children has been part of my life for a very long time. I started back in 1995 when I was at college doing my NNEB, Diploma in Nursery Nursing, for those of you from the younger generations wondering what on earth an NNEB is!

Some things, it seems, really do stay with us.

Sunday brought another first.

Ruth attended her very first puppy training class at Wag n Train in Weston-under-Wetherley. And she was an absolute superstar.

We now have homework. Yes, you read that correctly. I have a dog who has homework. I suspect she will be considerably more enthusiastic about hers than my children ever were about theirs, as there are high rewards in the form of treats!

Monday brought the return to full school, education placement and work routines for all of us.

And this feels like a good moment to remind you to be gentle with yourself. Changes in routine can be surprisingly demanding, particularly when you are already carrying a lot. If you have found yourself feeling exhausted, stressed, tearful, emotional, or simply a little bit all over the place, please don’t give yourself another hard time for it.

Sometimes our minds and bodies need a little time to catch up with everything that has changed.

My advice? Feel the emotions, rather than fighting them. Become the observer. Notice what is happening without judging yourself for it. Allow the feeling to be there, and then allow it to move through you.

There are lots of gentle ways we can support ourselves through periods of change. Getting outdoors and connecting with nature, listening to a guided meditation, talking to a friend, creating a few quiet moments in your day, or booking yourself a massage can all give you some precious space to pause and reconnect with yourself.

And then there are the seasonal changes in September. You know the ones. The three-outfit-a-day weather. You leave the house in your winter woollies, need sunglasses and a fan by mid-morning, and are considering lighting the fire by evening.

Our bodies are navigating change while our calendars are filling up again.

So perhaps September is a good month to ask yourself:

What do I need right now?

Not what does everyone else need from me. Not what should I be doing.

What do I need?

If you would like to explore how Root & Rise could support you through times of change, simply get in touch with me by booking a call below:

We can have a chat about what you need and whether one of my treatments could be a helpful part of your self-care.

Tuesday was all about preparing for Matilda’s birthday.

She and I used to bake and decorate her birthday cake together, but over the past two years she has completely taken over the baker’s role. My responsibilities now consist of buying the ingredients and providing the candles.

Apparently her cake tasted delicious, so I think I can safely retire from the birthday cake department.

I was also back to my after-school childcare job, which was lovely because I got to show my charges around the farm. We even popped next door to see the three horses belonging to my neighbours.

It’s rather lovely being able to share this new chapter of life with the children I look after.

Wednesday brought even more excitement, following a rather crazy start to the day.

I overslept by nearly an hour. Somehow, despite this, I still managed to get Matilda to school on time and attend an amazing networking meeting at Boston Tea Party in Leamington Spa with the Warwickshire Wellness Warriors.

I’m not entirely sure how I managed that one. Perhaps adrenaline deserves more credit than it usually gets. And then came another little milestone here at Hunningham Hill Farm.

We welcomed the arrival of our very first Silver Campine chick.

Meet Alpha. The first of hopefully many little characters to hatch here at the farm.

Life really is rather full at the moment. Full of birthdays. Full of moving chickens. Full of puppies and homework. Full of school routines and work. Full of new beginnings. And, occasionally, full of oversleeping and running around trying to make everything happen.

Which is perhaps why that five-minute pause I mentioned at the beginning is so important.

You don’t always need to completely change your life. Sometimes you just need to stop long enough to hear yourself think.

So, before you rush off to the next thing, take that cuppa. Take five minutes. Breathe. Look out of the window. Notice what you can hear. Let your shoulders drop.

And ask yourself, gently:

“What is one small thing I could change today that would support my mental, physical and emotional wellbeing?”

It doesn’t have to be huge. It just has to be something for you.

That’s all from me this week.

Take care of yourselves, lovely.

And remember… You are seen. You are heard. You are loved.