Personal Highlights: What Scared Me, What Inspired Me, and What I Read
This isn’t something I have done before but I thought I would give it a try. A more personal account of my last week, the highs the lows, the book I read and HATED etc.
It feels rather self indulgent to do this. Not sure why anyone should or would care about some of the nonsense that goes through my head. But then again I love it when someone isn’t all business all the time but actually shares a bit about themselves.
So I thought I would do the same. Here we go:
I have done a few things that felt scary but I am glad I did them! I hadn’t done an Instagram Live in a long time (we had wifi issues and then other issues and then I got WAY TOO into my own head about it). I just kept talking myself out of it. Do you ever do that? Well I do. ALL THE TIME!
But I put my big girl pants on and did it anyway. It wasn’t smooth and it wasn’t perfect. In fact it was SO FAR away from anything that I had in my mind. But practice is the key, right?
Incase you wanted to catch up on it: Here it is ⬅️.
One thing I did like in it is the twinkly lights in the background! I LOVE twinkly lights at this time of year! From October to March I NEED twinkly lights. After that? NO THANK YOU! (But having said that I still HATE over head lights all year round. My husband things I’m nuts for my hatred of overhead lights (and lots of other things probably.)
I am planning on going live every Saturday at 8am. It is a time that I can consistently commit to so I thought I would put that out there and stick to it!
Easy Hosting and ‘Baking’:
I love baking and cooking and hosting and all the Martha Stewart esc things BUT life just gets in the way. Reality means that I am not spending hours in the kitchen doing all of the baking. On Saturday my husband was due to go to the pub for the annual “Dads Day Out” so I invited the wives (who are also my good friends) and their kids over while the husbands all got merry on the streets of Edinburgh.
I had planned to bake something but it didn’t happen. The kids and I just ran out of time. Also my son came back from P7 camp on Friday after having been away since Monday so we had to catch up etc etc.
So I went for the easiest thing I could think of:
Chocolate Melt Fun
This is a great one to do with kids because they can do so much of it themselves. I bought A LOT of chocoalte, smarties, pretzels and sprinkles.
The great thing about this is that kids can do most of this themselves and I always get the sense that they feel such pride at doing things themselves.
The kids broke the chocolate into small pieces
In a large bowl they microwaves the chocolate pieces for 20 seconds, stirred the chocolate and repeated that process until the chocolate was all melted
We then used a silicone Gingerbread House mould as well as laying out baking paper to make chocolate creations. Sprinkles, smarties and pretzels can be laid out and then drizzled with chocolate OR stuck into the still melted chocolate
My friends and their kids stayed most of the afternoon. The kids ran around the garden and climbed our climbing tree. It hangs over the road so they LOVE to look out onto the road and get passers by to say ‘hi’. My friends and I had a great chance to catch up and discuss a book we are reading for book club (this is the book I hated that I mentioned earlier). They left just in time for Strictly Come Dancing.
Currently Reading:
So I mentioned a couple of times now that I am reading a book that I HATE. I am also reading one book that has grown on me and there is a book that I am really looking forward to.
So the two books I am currently reading couldn’t really be more different. One is: Little Women and the other is: All Fours. Little Women is a lovely book that I hadn’t read before. I watched the movie as a child and adored Jo and so wanted to be like her. Growing up I realised I am not a ‘Jo’ - she is all spirit of adventure which I am not. In reality I am probably more of a ‘Meg’. I didn’t really enjoy this book at first but it has really grown on me. The message of the book of devotion and hard work for your family and looking after those you care about really resonates with me. Especially as a mother.
All Fours on the other hand… wow. I can’t really put into words how much that book annoyed me. The main character as so few characteristics that I can simpathise with. I found her incredibly selfish. I just kept thinking that she really needs ‘Marmie March’ to sort her out. I spend the whole book feeling incredibly sorry for her child.
The Main Differences:
Themes:
All Fours focuses on a modern, midlife journey of self-reinvention, exploring taboo topics like sexual freedom and the emotional complexities of leaving a traditional domestic life. It's raw, introspective, and provocative.
Little Women, set in the 19th century, emphasizes family values, sisterhood, and personal growth within societal norms. Its themes include sacrifice, ambition, and love, framed within a moral and community-centered perspective.
Characters:
July’s protagonist is a solitary, flawed woman grappling with aging and freedom. Her narrative is intensely personal and unorthodox.
Alcott’s March sisters navigate life together, showcasing diverse but interconnected journeys of self-discovery and their roles in society.
Tone and Style:
All Fours employs humor, absurdity, and boundary-pushing storytelling, reflecting contemporary anxieties about identity and fulfillment.
Little Women uses warmth, sentimentality, and earnestness, creating a nostalgic and moralistic portrait of 19th-century American life.
While Little Women idealises relational and personal growth within constraints, All Fours boldly challenges them, offering a brash and modern lens on reinvention.
Have you read All Fours? What did you think?
The Other Brave Thing I did:
I posted another YouTube Video.
I’ve been thinking A LOT about being in the garden in winter. I know it isn’t for everyone.
So many of my clients tell me that being in the garden is just not for them in the winter.
BUT I think the garden is truly magical at this time of year.
You just have to think a little bit differently about it.
By adding lights, making the garden cozy (with blankets by the back door) etc you can make your garden a really cozy space.
I did that this week by stringing up lots of fairy lights.
Anyway, I will end my ramblings here.
Thank you for stopping by and tell me, should I do this again?
