Devon Update - Feb 2022

OK this is it - for all of you who've been asking about Devon...

I know it's taken me a while.

But in my defence, I can only now make it to the bathroom in the middle of the night without falling over a box.

I think that is what they call a significant milestone.

 

The last year has been full of change for everyone.

And I suppose that was the start.  

Lockdown gave me time to re-evaluate, that little voice in my head asking if not now, when?

 

I look back now and think about where I was.

Work life balance nil.

Stress levels, rocket high.

Which is pretty ironic when you think I run a wellbeing business.

It was definitely time for a change.   

 

I'd reached my fifties, and despite all of the advantages of my generation, and millions of things to be grateful for, the same questions kept popping into my head.

What next?

Is this it?

How can I run my business and have some level of work life balance?

And is this normal?!

 

I should add here, that I haven't miraculously managed to answer all of these and turn my life inside out - but I have made some small, significant changes and continue to focus on taking small steps.

 

Denbury is a tiny village between Totnes and Newton Abbot with a lot of fields, a lot of sheep and views of Dartmoor.

But it's not so far removed to feel too remote and isolated - and so far I am in love.

 

I've settled for a larger house, with a permanent guest room and much more space to work on TRT.  

More making space.

More dreaming up new products space.

And more storage space.

 

It hasn't all been plain sailing.

Finding the right location last year was tricky.

I spent a lot of time driving around the length and breadth of Devon.  

For those of you familiar with my complete lack of sense of direction, suffice to say, me and the sat nav have reached an uneasy truce.

The moving process was pretty stressful also.

OK slight understatement here - I think it might have reduced my life span by several years.  That's how stressful it was.

 

But in July 2021 I landed in my new home with a rather traumatised cat and chicken.  (Better not to ask - or at least that's for another story).

 

 

You know there are some women who land on their feet, and instinctively know what to do next?  Well that's not me.

After spending 6 months focussing all of my efforts on the move, arriving was a bit of a shock.

And the dirt!  The house was filthy.  I stuck to everything I touched.  The kitchen was buried under a sea of grease.

Thank God for good friends.

I think if I'd stopped to think more about what I had done at this point, I might well have got back in the car and run straight back.

And it rained.  A lot.

I was definitely wondering what I had done. 

 

By the time it does stop raining, finally,  I remember why I am here.

The views are gorgeous, everyone is so friendly, and I am an honourary member of 'the old gits' the name my neighbours have given to their weekly coffee meet up sat in the street.

Admittedly, I did test my new neighbours patience when I headed off to the post office down one of the single lane tracks, met a tractor and got stuck in a ditch.

Slightly panicked that I might have to wait a long time for the RAC to arrive, it's not long before I have half the village out to get me unstuck, proof I've got very lucky with my new village location.

 

I've been getting my DIY groove on.

Leaking conservatory, a new boiler, radiators, loft insulation, new blinds, window repairs, the list seems endless. I'm still waiting on the new bathroom...

New purchases are all on the practical side - waterproof walking boots and wellies.  Not as glamorous as I was expecting, but oddly satisfying nonetheless.

 

As for what comes next, I'm still working that bit out.

I'm crafting a couple of new products for you arriving later this year.  I'm taking the time to think about what these should look like.

 

 

For me the creation process is a labour of love, iterations, ingredients research, and concocting aromatherapy loveliness that will really make you smile.

 

My new life continues to be a personal search.

I'm aware that from the outside in,  life looks perfect, independence, a thriving business, health, friends and family.

But on the other side, there are days of uncertainty, which I hope you can relate to, fighting to keep my head above water and to live up to my own expectations of myself.

I feel that I've been working hard for years, and where I used to have balance,  passions and hobbies, now it's to-do lists, mood swings and fine lines. 

So here's to new-ness, and a dash of uncertainty.  Because anything could happen next.