WHY I NEARLY DIDN’T START THIS BLOG
If you’ve ever felt too old, too ordinary, or just not enough —or found yourself stuck in the September blues — then welcome, you’re in the right place.
When I first thought about starting this blog, I put it off again and again because I didn’t feel good enough. Why would anyone want to read what a middle-aged gardening nerd has to say about anything? You’re too old. You’re not clever enough. You look weird in photos.
These were the things I told myself.
But here’s the truth: I love to write, I love to grow wildlife friendly plants and I love to help people. If I can do all three at the same time, that feels like a win. So here I am, writing my third post — and hopefully, I won’t delete it before hitting publish.
OVERCOMING THE SEPTEMBER BLUES
September is a strange month for me. Autumn arrives with its obvious charms — stunning colours, falling leaves, pumpkin spice flavours everywhere. All very lovely, I know. But for me, it also brings with it the September blues, a kind of melancholy I find hard to shake. Maybe it’s the fading light, the sense of endings, or just the shift in rhythm after summer. Whatever it is, I always feel a little unsettled and a bit sad this time of year.
Maybe that is why writing this feels important to me right now — it’s something steady to cling to while the world shifts into low gear for the long winter nights. And I do love a new project, so I’m setting myself some winter goals. Ok, confession time: I do this every year and usually fail to achieve much of anything… but who knows? Maybe this winter will be the one where I rewrite the script
So here’s this year’s list of good intentions dressed up as goals — writing them down in public makes them sound official, doesn’t it?
WINTER GOALS TO BEAT THE SEPTEMBER BLUES
- Stop thinking of winter approaching as a bad thing — this isn’t Game of Thrones.
2. I’ve spent a small fortune on self-help books — time to put some of that learning to good use rather than ignoring it and wondering why I feel crap.
3. Make a proper plan for the garden: cottage-style wildlife haven meets urban oasis — out-of-control chaos is not a plan.
4. Do some yoga. Movement is good for mental health. Just do it — and regularly, because once is not enough.
5. Eat more healthily. Chilli Doritos and salted peanuts do not count as plant-based foods.
Easy, yeah? All I need is willpower of iron, three extra days in the week, and a fridge stocked with kale, hummus, and kefir yoghurt.
EMBRACING AUTUMN: CHOOSING GROWTH OVER SADNESS
Joking aside, I really want to make these next two seasons a period of growth and renewal. I want to embrace Autumn and banish those September blues rather than wishing my time away and longing for spring. You know that quote — “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”? (Supposedly said by Einstein, though the internet isn’t so sure.) Well, that has been me so far in life: same old, same old.
This year, I really am going to break that cycle. I’ll get myself some cosy socks, gorgeous chunky knitwear, and a candle that smells like Starbucks — and I’ll embrace this downtime like a boss.
Slippers on, world off.
Thanks for reading my ramblings, and if any of this resonates with you, I’d love for you to stick around as I figure this midlife, menopause, motherhood, and me thing out. Please feel free to join me, slippers and all 😊
If you would like to check out my first blog post, you can find it here
Garden planning for attracting wildlife with the RHS, find some great advice here