So it’s been a little while since my last blog post. A lot has happened, in my personal life (which I’m sure you’ll learn about reading further) and also around the world: the Queen has passed.

Of course I’ve never met the monarch, but the thought of being invited for afternoon tea at the palace brings me great joy. I’ve watched and love The Crown, obviously fiction, but still, I like the royal family.

August has been a busy month, perhaps one of burnout. New installation to the house, new member to the family, colleagues moving away. My perspective sure has changed a lot this month. So here is my gratitude journal for August 2022:

1 A couple of things today. Grateful for the hubby for giving me soothing hugs, as it has been an overly stressful day that could have been easily prevented – le sigh. And grateful for speedy meals, as literally I had no time to cook or do much else today.

2 ABBA: grateful for ABBA today, listening to some classic hits and somewhat dancing to them whilst working. I’ve been listening to piano instrumentals of Disney songs lately, but felt like I needed to go old school to get some epic work done today – such catchy tunes.

3 Music: grateful for music today. Playing some upbeat poppy music, helping me concentrate and work faster – also super catchy and dance-y tunes!

4 A few things today. Grateful for honest conversations with my line manager today, talking about workloads and processes, and I’m so grateful to have a nurturing line manager where I know they’ve got my back. Grateful for colleagues in general today, as there was a nice buzz in the office and also it was someone’s birthday so people roped in to make it a little special. Super grateful for the company I work at: the people are all lovely and supportive and the culture is so warm and welcoming – it really does feel like a family sometimes.

5 Hubby: grateful for the hubby today, helping me out and carving out some time for me to tie up some loose ends.

6 A few things today. Grateful for catching up and having good conversations with friends. Grateful for apple crumble and custard too, as I haven’t had it in so so long. And grateful for up-to-date apps, as charging the car on the public network in an unknown area can be rather difficult.

7 A few things today. Grateful for sleep, as I was able to fall asleep quite easily last night and also had a little lie in this morning. Grateful for nature: we did some epic gardening today and it felt like a proper work out. It was nice being outside, smelling the green-ness and nurturing what we have. Grateful for The Sandman, as we have been binging this TV show a little and it is really interesting seeing this story presented in yet another medium.

8 The body: grateful for the body today, usually carrying me through the day pain and ache free – not today though! A little achey from the epic gardening yesterday, definitely feeling all the muscles that were used!

9 A couple of things today. Grateful for an enlightening conversation today, relieving the burden that I unnecessarily put on myself. And grateful for work being done to help make my home more environmentally friendly.

10 A few things today. Grateful for water, hot water, in fact, as we are installing things and getting things operating. Grateful for drinking water too, as I am currently in a building with not much around – including taps – so a working water fountain has been amazing. And grateful for having access to a car, giving me the means for convenient transport.

11 Reading: grateful for reading today. The book I’m reading at the moment is really insightful and I’m learning lots – it’s non fiction. Most things in this book speak to me and I have lots of post it notes stuck on so many pages as so many passages have rung true to me.

12 Eco friendliness: grateful for eco friendly things, as we have finally installed a heat pump! One step closer to being an environmentally friendly household and doing our bit.

13 Air conditioning: grateful for air conditioning today, as it is super warm. Cool and gentle breezes have been really good.

14 A couple of things today. Grateful for sleep and a lie in, went to sleep pretty late and was pretty shattered, maybe even a little burnt out. So grateful to catch up on some sleep and get some recuperation. Also grateful for a little perspective, as I looked at some things and it turned out to not be what I expected, so it’s given me some perspective.

15 A couple of things today. Grateful for the physical feel of writing, I haven’t picked up a pen or touched a note book in a while and it felt quite therapeutic actually writing things down. And grateful for reorganising checklists, I love checklists, they really help me stay organised so I’m grateful that I feel a little less chaotic and a little more organised today.

16 Rain: grateful for a little rain today, breaking up the static heat. Grateful that the rain kind of cleaned the car a little too!

17 A few things today. Grateful for the justice system, as I’ve been sitting on a jury and have a better understanding of the ins and outs of things. Grateful for diplomacy and the ability to share opinions and discuss in a safe space. And grateful for our old dog Merlin, I was reminded of him today and grateful for the time we had together.

18 A couple of things today. Grateful for a lovely colleague who I will miss, as they are moving hemispheres – sad times. Grateful for something happening and giving me some perspective.

19 Brownies: grateful for brownies today.

It’s the first time I’ve baked in this house and the oven took a little longer to bake the brownies, but the smell of freshly baked goods is absolutely divine. I remember the ex-colleague who gave me the fail-proof recipe, she probably doesn’t remember me, but I remember that she was a lovely person with a rocking brownie recipe. It’s interesting how some people are in your life for so little time yet can have a big impact on you.

20 Dogs: grateful for dogs today.

We met a dog who was the sweetest ever – absolutely adorable and the fur was so so soft! Such a lovely temperament and loving personality – she won our hearts, for sure.

21 A couple of things today. Grateful for friends, as we caught up with a few, talking about life and houses and DIY – adulting essentially. And grateful for the hubby today, helping with directions as I was driving today, as well as reassuring me about some changes that are about to happen very soon.

22 A few things today. Grateful for unexpected phone calls that are life changing. Grateful for rain, as it has been really dry lately, so some rain has been good. And grateful for carving out time to listen to the body, I have been quite lethargic of late, so an early night seems like a great idea.

23 Dogs: grateful for dogs today, reminding me to stay present, so my mind is where my feet are.

24 Several things today. Grateful for bumbags, wouldn’t have thought that would ever be the case, but they are super useful for dog walking. Grateful for driving and being able to quickly nip out to shops. Grateful for speedy postage, as we keep thinking of new things to buy online.

25 Calmness: grateful for a little calmness today. Things have been super hectic lately and today there was a little breather so I’m super grateful to manage to catch my breath in this stormy sea.

26 Exercise: grateful for a little exercise today, getting the heart rate up – also saw some fellow exercisers too, doing their own thing.

27 Shoes: grateful for shoes today, as a trusty old pair of trainers is finally seeing its last days. I’ve had the trainers maybe 15 years, and they’ve clearly served me really well. And so the task begins to find another pair of trusty new trainers.

28 Routine: grateful for routine today, as we have had to change and reschedule some things recently.

29 Knowledge: grateful for knowledge today, as there is so much helpful information out there and I am learning lots.

30 Vets: grateful for vets today, as our fur baby caught her dew claw and we managed to get seen super quickly. The vets sorted everything out, as well as giving our fur ball a check over. The nurse-receptionist was also super helpful, reminding me of our old vets who had a lovely team of people.

31 A few things today.

Grateful for sofa snuggles in the evening, stroking our dog’s super soft fur. Grateful for pre-prepared dinners, as I was so exhausted this evening that the thought of cooking tired me out even more. Grateful for a podcast episode I listened to recently, where it talked about trying to only do one thing at a time to better focus, and I’m actively trying to do just that.