Just do it?

The cottage.

Have I ever mentioned that I’ve got a little guesthouse?

Yip, I do! 😀 And it is slightly misleading to say a ‘little’ guesthouse, because the cottage is actually quite large in square meterage, but it only sleeps two, so in my mind it is ‘little’. Very small. Too small.

Nearly four years ago, I bought an old house here in the Western Cape. It had always been a dream of mine to own and live in a house with a history that you can see and feel. The property is around 130 years old, and a part of the guesthouse used to be an old milk room – many years ago before the land was subdivided, the then owners kept cows on the land!

So, I’ve been thinking about this issue for some time now – probably at least a year – should I divide the place into two units? Make it a bit more profitable? But – you guessed it- Covid happened! Ugh… 😦

After we were allowed to open again after the first hard lockdown, I noticed that I had lots of opportunities to accommodate more than two people at a time, as I kept getting enquiries and calls after I’ve accepted a booking. The further the season advanced, the more certain I became of what I should do…

This morning I measured everything up, and planned exactly what I want to do, and hopefully I’ll get some quotations from a couple of builders this week, and depending on that, I am going to take that step. I am actually quite excited about it! Hopefully they won’t charge an arm and a leg, because then it will have to remain a dream, at least for now.

Whichever way it goes, I will start getting together the things that I will need to change it into 2 units – bathroom fittings, another TV, fridge and microwave, etc. And then a few months down the line, I’m sure I’ll be able to do the actual division.

I’ve always believed that you should go for the things you want, but at the same time I often felt that circumstances work against me. (Maybe that was just a perception, because I was scared of taking the next step?) Never stop dreaming, though, and planning, because you never know when the universe will smile on you and turn the dreams into reality.

Although I am slightly trepidatious, I am much more excited, and cannot wait to get started. I will be disappointed if I can’t do it right now, but then at least I’ll know exactly what is needed to make it happen. 🙂

Cheers to dreams, and turning them into reality!!! 😀

To fly…

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com

Don’t you sometimes wish you could fly?

I do, and I do so more and more often. What if I could just flap my wings and rise up into the sky?

Can you just imagine the total joy and the absolute sense of freedom?

Going slow.

Horses in a field, on one of my walks.

Slow down. Take a deep breath.

I know it is Monday and all, but do you have to be in such a hurry? If you are five minutes late for work, will it be the end of the world?

A few years ago I heard about the ‘slow movement’ for the first time. I was curious, so I tried to find out what it was and what it meant. I loved what I discovered!

“Slow living is a lifestyle that emphasises a slower approach to aspects of everyday life. It has been defined as movement or action at a relaxed or leisurely pace.” ~ Wikipedia

“It’s quality over quantity. It’s doing things with presence, being in the moment. ” ~ Carl Honoré

More than the above, it is also seen as an opportunity to be self-sufficient, and it has changed so many people’s lives. Moving out of cities into rural areas or small towns. Getting in touch with nature and the earth. Spending more time together as families and so much less time running around worrying about making tons of money.

It started in Italy (where else!) with the emphasis on traditional food production techniques.

It is HUGE at the moment – just take a look at YouTube channels. A lot, and I mean a LOT of videos about people moving to cottages, and planting fruit and veg, keeping chickens and generally enjoying a slower pace of life. All of them with soft, ‘calming’ music playing in the background, of course… 😉

I know, firsthand, that it is not always as easy and idyllic as it looks on Instagram or YouTube. You have to be very sure that that is what you want out of life. And then, if things get difficult, you have to stick it out, it will get easier.

Generally, I’ve noticed that the people that were successful at their jobs in the cities, find something in the country that rings their bell, and then they get very successful at that too! Like cheese making, or bee farming, or pickled quails’ eggs. It sort of defeats the purpose as far as I’m concerned, because that lands you right back into the rat race! But to each his own. I suppose that the difference is that now they work for themselves, and they don’t have to face the traffic every morning.

I am a huge fan of slow living. That does not mean that I am successful at it – however that ‘success’ may be defined. I plant veggies, like I told you in a previous post, so far spinach, tomatoes and runner beans. I sometimes try to can/pickle/cure – sauerkraut, preserved lemons, olives, etc. Once in a while I bake.

I do a lot of the things that people have stopped doing over the years due to a lack of time. But I do not always spend my time purposefully, that I have to admit. I spend a lot of time doing nothing, which is not ideal. I probably spend too much time on my laptop, but to my defense, I am trying to create a following for my blog!

I also play with my dog and take her for walks.

What I like the most – I get up slowly in the morning. I have a quiet mug of coffee outside in the garden, in my pj’s. And I start the day slowly, at my own pace.

Until next time, slow down, breathe! 🙂

Jack of all trades, master of none?

I’ve been concentrating on writing about wellness lately, maybe because that is where my mind is at, for the moment at least.

I am not an expert on wellness, or psychology. I read up about a range of different ways to relax, to keep calm, and not to let the stressful times we live in impact too much on my life and health. I am getting to the point of being very knowledgeable about my own wellness, but other than that I am still trying out different things to see what works for me.

I am also not an expert on cooking and baking, although I love doing both. I watch a lot of cooking and baking programmes on TV, and I’ve tried some of the recipes – some came out brilliantly, some less so. I do not have the time, in my days or in my life, to perfect my techniques in the kitchen, but I haven’t had many complaints about my food and I’ve received quite a few compliments, so I think I’m doing OK.

Some of my efforts in the kitchen, during lockdown. Bread, rusks, pancakes, rolls and sauerkraut. The sauerkraut was something new for me…

I adore knitting and crocheting. But, you guessed it! I am not an expert in knitting or crocheting. That’s fine – I’ve made quite a lot of things that have made people happy over the years, so I’ll carry on doing just that! I have made coats and jerseys and beanies without patterns, but I’ve never ‘designed’ patterns or made videos on YouTube, and I can live with that.

Some of the projects I’ve made or finished during lockdown. Beanies for my son, beanies for my granddaughter, and some jerseys for myself.

I also love photography, but I am very far from being an expert at that. So I will keep taking pictures, probably until I die, and nothing much will ever come of it, but that’s fine, I enjoy seeing things ‘in pictures’, and I love saving moments for myself, and maybe for the people that love me, for after I’m gone.

I wonder if it’s better to be okay in a lot of things, but not an expert, or should I have focused my attention on one of my interests early on – maybe I could have earned more money out of that? But that’s a moot point, since I will never know what the alternative could have been!

I will keep dawdling on in my own way with the things that bring me joy – maybe, in the end, that is all that counts.

Until next time, stay safe and be happy. 🙂

Perseverance

Dewdrop catching the early morning sun.

 

What a good quality to have!

According to the Oxford English Dictionary it means: ‘the quality of continuing to try to achieve a particular aim despite difficulties.’

I tend to bail out when things get tough, or when it doesn’t work out quickly enough to my liking, which really is not to my advantage.

So many achievements in history would never have happened if the achievers didn’t show some degree of perseverance.

Think of writers that had to submit countless manuscripts to many editors before eventually getting published, and it turned out to be a best seller!

Think of scientists that had failure after failure before they achieved success, to the advantage of the whole world!

You might say that you don’t want to become famous, so why should you persevere? I will answer that with, why would you not want to? For yourself? What if you started selling your art because you wouldn’t give up? Maybe, because you tried and tried again, you fall pregnant? Or you finish knitting that sweater that you started years ago? Or you finally managed to bake that perfect loaf of bread? Maybe something as small (and as huge) as finding a job, so you can become self-sufficient, look after your family…

I am quite certain that through perseverance, most of us would be able to achieve WAY more than we ever thought possible…

Until next time, stay safe. 🙂