Greenhouses
Delving into my past for more stories of ‘what did she get up to next’. In my late teens I worked for a specialist glasshouse company. I did all the usual office stuff, but I also got to fill the show house greenhouse with seeds and plants, which was great fun.
I also got to visit the Chelsea Flower Show a few times, working on the stand for the week. Being a part of the actual show I got to visit during the build-up, get in early each day and see behind the scenes. It was fascinating. I also got to drive a huge flat bed lorry through London filled with plants. I very nearly ran over Alan Titchmarsh on the site once, he jumped out of the way in time, thankfully. We also had a few famous people visit the stand too.
Part of my job involved setting up irrigation systems in the glasshouses we created so I got to travel around the country. This was in the days before sat nav, so I was armed with a good old fashioned map book. I always found my way to the site OK, but usually got lost on the way home. Once coming back from Oxford (an actor’s posh garden with one of our glasshouses), I got so lost I ended up on the middle of London…my sense of geography is pretty bad. The job did help to seal my love of gardening that my dad has already set in motion.
Speed Craft
I am reminded this week of taking time with our journey. When I was working through my Wiccan degrees (feels like a lifetime ago), I will admit I was a bit of a ‘certificate tart’. I was focused on the goal, quite often forgetting to enjoy the journey. It was a lesson I soon learnt, because if you speed through your learning you rush and in rushing you miss out important points. I also believe that rushing through the lesson means that you are not absorbing all the information and taking it properly on board. It is far more important to slow down and really immerse yourself in the subject, learn it, experience it and enjoy it! The important part is that learning journey and enjoying the ride.
The face
Part of my menopause journey materialised as rosacea, in case you are not familiar with it, rosacea usually affects the face and appears in the form of red bumps and very delightful (not) pustules. Your face appears bright red and lumpy and I can tell you it hurts, a lot. It began probably about six or seven years ago but only slightly. Then about two years ago it began to get worse…and worse.
You may not have noticed it when I was online as I covered it all with layer upon layer of makeup. I tried all of the products on the market, most with little of no affect. Then last year I found a product called Rosalique, this is used each morning as a foundation and it really helped to reduce the redness. Built into the product are also a lot of ingredients that help fight the rosacea as well. I also found that I had to try different cleansers and moisturisers too, anything that had any kind of essential oil or perfume in would cause a huge flare up.
Then I discovered the Natural Elements range and I went for the calming oil and non allergenic moisturiser, these both helped too. In the past few months using a combination of Rosalique and Natural Elements I have beaten the beast into submission, hopefully.
I share here a photo from May this year when it was at its worst. It isn’t easy for me to put this out there, but hopefully it will be of help to someone else. My face is pretty much clear now and I can happily go makeup free without scaring people.
Writing
Book writing has been slow this week, too many other things going on but the ideas are still swirling around in my head! Lots of the boring everyday stuff that life throws our way has happened this week and has taken my focus in other directions. But it will return, it is all about finding a balance and sometimes that balance is weighted in one direction more than others.
Stuff
Join me on my Wednesday morning chats if you are free, replays are on my author fb page and my YT channel.
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Kitchen Witch sponsor two daxies via the Red Foundation dachshund rescue - https://theredfoundation.net/
