I’m writing this on the first Saturday of 2019. It’s bitterly cold outside, so I’ve got the fan-heater running as I type. The constant whir of its motor muffles the sound of Sigur Rós playing from my new Echo Dot on the floor below. The light in our attic-office is dull and gloomy, and I find myself wondering how the first week of January can feel so different to the final week of December.

I’ve been writing a version of this post every year since 2010. I take great comfort from the familiar ritual and relish the opportunity to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. This time last year, I was worried. Worried a bad year would follow a good one, that there would be storms to weather or struggles to overcome.

For the most part, my worries were unfounded – 2018 was a great year! Perhaps this should give me more confidence as we head into 2019, but as we’re all facing a degree of uncertainty in the coming weeks and months, I think cautious apprehension is an understandable response.

Love Audrey 5 Family Friendly Things To Do In Bristol

Looking back…

I did so much in 2018 that I’m incredibly proud of. Launching a new website, gaining new clients, selling new services, running two workshops with The Little Wedding Helper, and ending the year co-hosting a new podcast with my pal, Charlie Swift.

I was also featured by Unconditionally Nourished and Katie Morwenna, published on the State of Liberty blog, and interviewed for two brilliant podcasts, Work Like a Mother and Shoot, Edit, Chat, Repeat.

My word for the year was ‘thrive’. Professionally, that’s exactly what I did and I’m starting 2019 with my copywriting services in greater demand than ever before. I love the work I do, and I’m filled with gratitude, but behind the scenes, things have felt a little off.

The balance and simplicity I worked so hard to achieve after my CFS diagnosis has been out of whack for a while. I know I need to make some changes to my business, but for now, I’m still figuring things out. Wish me luck! Brother and sister in pyjamas cuddling and smiling

The children continued to grow and change in ways I couldn’t have predicted. Izzy turns 14 at the end of January and we’re still very much getting to grips with the reality of parenting a teen. Year 9 has been her best year yet at secondary school. I’m so proud of the way she conducts herself. She scored the lead role in the school play and shows unwavering commitment to the K-Pop dance group she attends each week.

Jesse fell hard for football in 2018 and his passion for playing and watching the sport dominates his every waking hour. Mr L.A. even overheard him commentating an imaginary game in bed the other night! He continues to work hard at Tae Kwon Do and after a bumpy start, he’s finally settled into Year 5 at school. I can hardly believe my baby boy will turn 10 in six month’s time!

As a family, the highlight of our year was definitely our trip to Koh Samui in July. As well as plenty of rest and relaxation, we had an incredible time exploring the island. I doubt we’ll travel as far in 2019, but sharing adventures together as a family will remain a top priority. The fact we purchased our first car in October should make this a lot easier to achieve. I can’t wait to embark on our first proper road trip!

Mother and children on a bridge against rainforest backdrop Lad Koh Viewpoint Koh Samui

Looking forward…

So far this year, I haven’t felt the urge to plot and plan my every move. My goals, both personal and professional, are still hazy, nebulous concepts floating through my mind.

Although January can be a useful jumping off point for change, I’m not convinced it’s the best time to overhaul my life. In winter, I crave calm, rest, and sleep. I think I’ll leave the goal setting till spring, when my energy starts to shift as much as the earth’s.

‘Nothing will give you a stronger, truer direction than yourself. Your gut, your intuition, your body, are all telling you what’s right for you.’ – Kayte Ferris, Simple & Season

For now, I want to focus on reconnecting with myself. Last year, I lost sight of how I want my life to look. I also failed miserably at prioritising things that have always brought me joy. The one thing I definitely want to do more of in 2019 is write for no other reason than to please myself. I give so much of my creativity to other people. This year, I’m determined to save some just for me.

As ever, I’m hoping for lots of travel and adventure. I’m planning a brief trip away during the Easter break and we’ll be heading to Dorset again in the summer. My mum and I are off to the Chelsea Flower Show in May and we’ve also got tickets to the Dior exhibition at the V&A. Mr L.A. has planned a packed weekend away for our anniversary later this month, so there’s plenty to look forward to.

How about you? What are your hopes and dreams for 2019?

Love Audrey xxx

P.S. Like Jesse, this blog will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2019! How crazy is that?!

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Love Audrey
Hello 2019
Love Audrey 5 Family Friendly Things To Do In Bristol
Brother and sister in pyjamas cuddling and smiling
Mother and children on a bridge against rainforest backdrop
Lad Koh Viewpoint Koh Samui
May in photos 🤳

1. Finally, some Franky weather. One of the best things about this month has been dusting off my summer dresses and being able to wear sandals ☀️

2+3. Coronation weekend. So many thoughts 💭 But the food was good! I made a vegan version of my mum’s famous coronation chicken and it was delicious.

4. Jesse staying upbeat during yet another trip to hospital. That steroid buzz though. IYKYK.

5. Some of the food served at the first meeting of Bristol Cook Book Club since 2020. It felt so good to get this going again. I can’t wait for our next feast!

6. Me among the cow parsley, snapped by Jesse.

7. I’ve been thinking about creativity a lot this month while working through the ‘The Artist’s Way’. 

8. Breakfast outside.

9. {Still} scrapbooking December. Fingers crossed I can finally wrap up this project in June 🤞🏻

10. Izzy’s final show at The Tobacco Factory. After tonight, she’ll be done with college {and compulsory education} forever 🤯

We packed a lot into this month. Enough to fill two carousels! This might explain why I’m so tired! I’m looking forward to June though. Everything’s better when the sun shines ✨
@_charlieswift has been raving about ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron for years. I finally caved, ordered the book and agreed to work through the course with her and some other artists. 

The book focuses on ‘guiding you through the process of recovering your creative self’ to ‘help you unleash your inner artist’. It’s early days {I’ve only read as far as week two and I haven’t even started my morning pages yet - IYKYK}, but I’m enjoying the process so far. 

Today I took myself on my first Artist Date - ‘a block of time… especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist’. I decided to treat myself to a solo cinema trip to see ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ The film was brilliant and taking time out midweek to do something just for me felt… kind of naughty? And fun! It definitely filled my creative well {again, IYKYK}.

Have you read ‘The Artist’s Way?’ Where would you go on a date with your inner artist?!
Franky weather ☀️🌅🔆🌻✨

That’s it, that’s the caption.
April in photos 🤳

1. Our trip to London over Easter was a definite highlight this month. Here’s the obligatory ‘flowers outside Liberty’ shot.

2. Finally! Some sunshine! More of the same please, Mr. Weatherman ☀️

3. Dressed for a day of sightseeing in my new favourite pink jacket. It’s Boden and I bought it in the sale 💖

4 + 5. Scenes from a trip to the big Waterstones in Piccadilly. This poem by @charlycox1 floored me. Crying in a bookshop. Not awkward at all.

6. I was proud of these steps, so I’m posting them here for posterity 🚶🏼‍♀️🥄

7. The Easter holidays also featured lots of lazy days 🎮😴

8. We bought a nutribullet and I’m officially in my smoothie era.

9 + 10. Dinner and drinks at @thecoconuttreeuk with our IzzyBee. Taking your daughter out for cocktails is a season of parenting I’m very much enjoying.

Not pictured: a family funeral and the chest infection I’m still getting over 🤒 How was April for you?
Easter weekend in my hometown 💃🏼

No trip to London is long enough for me to see all the people and do all the things I want to do while I’m there, but we always manage to pack a lot in. It’s 17 years since I moved away, but somehow it still feels like coming home. Here’s some of what we got up to…

1. Being tourists.

2. Shopping at Westfield.

3 + 4. Hanging out and eating at Southbank.

5. Refuelling in Chinatown.

6. Enjoying the big Waterstones in Piccadilly.

7. Admiring the spring flowers outside Liberty.

8. Visiting the Imperial War Museum for the first time since I was a child.

9 + 10. Seeing Elton John at the O2 with my mama 👓🎹🎤🪩✨

I hope you’ve managed to enjoy the long weekend, whatever you’ve been up to! That sunshine though!☀️🤩
March in Photos 🤳

1. How it’s going…

2. How it started.

3. My in-laws were involved in a terrible car crash earlier this month. They’re very, very lucky to be alive. It was a horrible time, so I’m grateful there was a happy ending.

4. My husband sent me this photo of a photo from our wedding day while he was visiting his parents. Turns out his mum carries it in her purse ❤️

5. While I was waiting for news from Derby, I took myself out on a walk and ended up in @thesmallcitybookshop. It was like my feet knew books would bring me comfort.

6 + 7. Just spring things.

8. Vegan lemon and almond loaf and a green smoothie from @theorchardcoffeeco 🍰🌱

9. I bought it 🌸

10. Other music? I don’t know her. 

How’s March been treating you? Personally, I’m ready for April and spring PROPER!
There is a past version of me who cannot believe I get to do this every day 💭📝💻

She’s around 12yrs old, working on her first novel in a little ring-bound notebook, dreaming up stories, devouring books and trying to imagine a life filled with words. Everything that makes my business possible now barely existed then, so even she’d struggle to conjure up  an image of what my life looks like now.

I’m grateful that I get to do this, for the clients who trust me to find the right words, and I’m grateful to that past version of me too. Without her, I wouldn’t be here now. Sure, she’d probably want me to hurry up and get back to that novel, but I think she’d be proud of the business I’ve built and the way I’ve managed to create a life filled with words.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Lockdown memories, three years on 🦠⏳

Very little of my life made it on to the grid in 2020, so this is the first time I’ve shared these images. They’re all from the first lockdown and most were taken between March and May. I think the arrival of spring will always remind me of this strange time.

When Boris made his announcement on the 23rd, our children had already been out of school for a week. Jesse, who was initially deemed clinically vulnerable, spent the next 6m shielding. He left primary school one day not realising he’d never go back. He did not see another child his age until the summer. Like many kids and adults in the same situation, the experience had a deep impact on his mental health. 

Izzy was in Year 10. As the pandemic raged on, she did most of her GCSEs online, celebrated her 16th birthday via Netflix Party, finished secondary school with minimal fanfare and missed out on prom completely. When she finally had a normal night out with friends in the winter of 2021, I cried quietly in the kitchen when she got home. Seeing her so happy and animated after a simple ‘cheeky Nando’s’ only highlighted everything she’d missed out on in the previous 18 months.

It’s easy to forget how little we knew about the virus in the beginning and how frightening that was for everyone involved. We had it easy in comparison to some, but I still marvel at the way we coped with it all. The way we isolated, home schooled and kept our businesses ticking over. My goodness it was hard! As my children often joke, I hope we’re done living through major historical events for a while.