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I'm Grateful For: Autumn Joys

I did it again, I went nearly a whole year without posting anything, because I'm rubbish. If you're new here, I do this. If you're not new, you know this.  I have no real excuse this year - last year was the year of opposites, I had a lot on at work, my mother and father in law died 21 days apart, I got married four months later, there was grief, there was a Canadian honeymoon, there was stuff going on. I'd be lying if I said this year had been smooth sailing, but there's been more of a sense of calm.  I get to autumn and I get all airy fairy and contemplative, it's no longer about making it through the year, it's, as my boss beautifully put it this week, limping towards Christmas.  Years ago, and about three blogs ago - if you can be bothered scrolling far enough through the archive I've uploaded here - I used to write happy lists of all the things that made me happy, because I was a bit like Joy from inside out - happy because happy and even when it...
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Rewatching Gilmore Girls - I'm not a Rory, I'm a Lorelai

I've watched Gilmore Girls in its entirety several times, too many to count. I'm word perfect in some scenes and know from a frame or a line which episode it is. Roughly eight years ago I wrote a blog post professing that I am a Rory , I can't really judge the Rachie of eight years ago, because she probably was a Rory.  At that time I had limited bills, limited life experience and a desire to write.  35 year old me despairs at the thought of being a Rory.  No harm to Rory, in the earlier seasons I very much identified with her quiet nature, her penchant for literature and her desire to create. As she grow older and spent more time in, and gravitating towards, the world her mother ran fast and far from, she became less like someone that today's me would want to be.  These days I'm more of a Lorelai, quirky, a little more world weary, more of an idea of what it's like to have responsibility, a desperate need for morning coffee despite actually hating it.    T...

A wedding, bereavement and a puppy: 2023 so far!

This is year so far has been a bit like a rollercoaster - actually no, Rachel doesn’t do rollercoasters, too much of a fearty - make that waltzer ride I got on but never stopped spinning.  It occurred to me in the midst of that, I haven’t posted on here at all!  I’ll start with the fun stuff, I got married a few weeks ago and became a wife! Went on a lovely honeymoon to Toronto on as much of a shoestring as we could! It was lovely and we absolutely want to visit again to visit the things we didn’t manage because there is so much to see and do.  I was particularly pleased with myself for doing the CN Tower - I normally get scared walking up the stairs to a slimming pool slide because it’s ‘too high’  Rewind a few weeks to the wedding, a similarly lovely time for me; though a little bittersweet.  To explain, we have to rewind a little again to March.  In March, my now husband lost both his parents just 22 days apart. We toyed with postponing but my husband fe...

Reflecting on 2022

  I’ve seen a lot of reflective ‘last post of the year’ content on my social feeds this week so decided to jump on the bandwagon since I’m nearly at the ‘Out of Office on” point in the week. I didn’t come into 2022 with any new year resolutions because when I haven’t magically transformed into Beyonce by the 9th of January, I conclude I’m rubbish and give up.  I came with a mindset of 2021 and 2020 were mental, come in quietly and don’t startle or spook anything! Looking back, I’ve done some cool things this year:  šŸ“š  Started and will soon finish a short course in understanding autism - close to my heart as my stepson, nephew and a few of the kids I volunteer with are autistic šŸ‘©‍šŸ³  Extended my cooking reportoire beyond eggs and pasta - James Martin I am not but the fiance says my curry is better than his mum’s and she can reaaaaallly cook.  šŸŽ¤  Sang in front of people on my own at a Christmas service - while looking at a christmas tree so as not to ...

Today I’m grateful for

So, I’ve been following Alex Marrah on Instagram and moat days she kicks off her stories with how she’s going to show herself love or be kind to herself that day - like taking it easy, seeing a friend etc, and ends it with what she’s grateful for that day.  I’m channeling that today. Head has been buried in data for a lot of this week and my brain has maxed out.  So I’m being kind to myself  by allowing myself to eat as many of the peanut puffs (think cheetos but peanut) as I please and rewatching AJ and the Queen on the ‘ol flix.  While we’re on the subject, that was an epic little gem of programme and not renewing it was short sighted. Sort yourself out ‘flix!  I digress.  Today I’m grateful for: This morning’s hairwash. I’ve checked out on my curls a little over the summer. Hair feels a little more like mine today.  Pesto gnocchi, because pesto gnocchi The knowledge that tomorrow is Saturday and I don’t need to set my alarm 

Morning cup of nonsense

I’m forty-ish minutes into my working day, I’m not dressed yet, my curly hair has succumbed to bedhead and needs washed and I’m still wearing my muppets pyjama top. However, my morning cup is filled with caffeine and enough flavour that I can’t taste the coffee, so I decided it was time for a blog! Here we!  I was reading an email the other day - I always read mailing list/marketing & comms emails as I know a Rachie somewhere has worked on that and that the stats will help whether I’m a converted to end goal reader or not. Anyhusan, it was about how to get buy in from colleagues for your work and to be honest, I don’t think that’s as big a struggle as getting buy in from myself.  I am forever telling myself not to try things, not to suggest things, not to experience things. And why? Because it might not work? Because someone might think it is or I am rubbish? So what?  Other people try things and it doesn’t work - generally speaking, no bad thing happens. So what’s st...

Uncertain musings.

Clearly, I’m rubbish at blogging. I haven’t written once since September! I think my problem is I use up my creative streak during the day or can’t be bothered when ideas come to me when I’m lying awake at night.  I came on to write a post because I watched a webinar today, yes - another one. I know that’s pretty much all I’ve posted on this blog, I do have original thoughts sometimes and I’ll find a groove eventually. I digress.  The webinar was on uncertainty, how we respond to it and how we can reframe it and convert uncertainty to opportunity. That gave me a wild hair up my butt to write a post, not because I particularly have anything new to add to the conversation but because I was feeling reflective and what do I do when I’m feeling reflective - write it down! I don’t think anyone particularly likes uncertainty and I’ve certainly never thrived on it, I like knowing the script. However, the last few years have given us zero choice but to exist within it. I don’t even nee...