Understanding, when it’s complicated.

I’m not lucky because my husband always agrees with me, he doesn’t. We argue and fight and we certainly don’t always get along. But, that’s what makes us...us. We are real and human, who share one emotion – love, after all.  

Enjoying the secluded beach at Thorpe Bay this morning ♥

On Instagram a few nights ago this post from EarthyAndy grabbed my attention, because it was so incredibly accurate and relatable to my life. Andy described how her husband had gone ‘health food’ shopping with her and even though he didn’t understand it, he ‘played along’ to support her regardless, and that in itself was enough to show his caring nature.

I’ve definitely been in this situation, once, twice, so be it one hundred times before. Because, I am extremely selective with food. I generally surround myself with healthy food, I have a desire to stay fit and healthy that often makes life difficult. I’m also vegetarian, which means we rarely cook meat at home, meaning my husband mostly eats meat free – not through choice, but circumstance.  

He understands that gone are the days of convenience food, or a cheeky ‘takeaway’ and I think its okay to talk about it, because in life we have choices. What car we drive, what colour lipstick we wear – all these little choices (as irrelevant as some of them are), become a part of who we are. My biggest choice – is food.  

I choose to eat healthy, vegetarian and mostly organic as it’s my passion and I feel as if almost the biggest misunderstanding is that it’s a diet or quick fix. Y’know it’s actually my life.  

This weekend we took a trip to Southend-on-Sea; we walked down the pier hand in hand, visited the infamous set of Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast, and ate ice cream on the pier. It was lovely, and I felt at ease. We both felt relieved and happy that we could eat ice cream together, and it not cause an argument or some sort of problem.  

Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast was filmed here! I have wanted to come here for so long, it's now being used as an ice cream parlour.

  I know it might sound bizarre and almost alien for anyone who has not experienced it. But, I do find it so difficult balancing life and living my lifestyle in a constantly ‘junk fuelled’ environment.

Just as much as I enjoyed the ice cream, health is about balancing moderation and happiness.

You can’t deprive yourself of the food that makes you happy, but you also cannot eat food that makes you desperately unhappy.

I’ve learnt the hard way and carried a lot on my shoulders for a long time. But, I fought this hard to get here and will always be proud of who I am and I wouldn't be half the person I am without an incredibly understanding husband.

♥ 

On Being Fierce

 I have been feeling all kinds of emotions about fulfilling my passions and fuelling my ambitions lately. I feel a sense of wellbeing and clarity has come into my life at a point which is so defining...

On my run this morning I felt a lot of compassion, especially when I passed a lady, who I warmly greeted with a confident 'good morning' - two simple words, which can simply uplift somebody.

 Up until only recently I never put myself first. There was always something or someone to answer to. I was a bit of a goody two shoes in all respect – I was scared to stand up for myself.

I think I have realised that, sometimes standing up for what is right (even though as complicated, scary or horrible as it can be) is crucial to self-improvement and development. Through my shyness I often dismissed disagreements or problems as my own fault. I never fought for a resolution. 

When a friend told me I had a fierce streak in me a little while ago – I looked in the mirror that evening and looked carefully and paused, because she was right - I saw the raw fierceness staring back at me. Fierce wouldn’t be a word I would have ever associated with myself and I do worry that the definition of the word could suggest anger or aggression – I am definitely not in any way those. 

I am a hugely heart-warming person, and I do get along with people well – the key point, as difficult as it might be to admit is that I don’t always get along with everybody.

I often find myself in situations where I relentlessly have some kind of conflict. Life shouldn’t be a battle or a fight – I know as much this and I do remind myself often - I am not ignorant in that sense.  I think as a woman we all have temperamental personalities - it’s what makes us human after all, but maybe I'm just more temperamental than most. 

I don’t know if I will always feel like this, I know my husband relentlessly wishes I would often be a little kinder and soften my personality. I think one day, my emotions and feelings will definitely change – instead of always immediately putting up barriers.

I really do believe in the saying that ‘what doesn’t kill you – makes you stronger’. In so many ways, I can feel this has been strongly tied into my life, emotionally, physically and psychologically. I downright refuse to let any negativity of the past creep into my present, and I guess in a way, this is where my fierceness stems from. 

I’m both strong and fierce – they are my deepest personality traits by far. Using them in a positive way is my number one priority right now, and I know one day I will see things differently, but reflection and awareness are definitely a blessing. 

 I'm learning.

♥ 

 

Dear Rose, Lilium & Germini

When I got married I set out in my mind a little list of permanent to do’s – which would signify a change in my life and the beginning of a new chapter, if you will. One of them was to always have fresh flowers in the house. Flowers to me – are a sign of being a grown up. Because, I never imagined one day I would live in a beautiful house, with a spouse!  My younger self would have spent her spare change on the latest OC boxset, not flowers. It’s nice to be able to appreciate the change in expenditure.

Our house is a working progress - we are currently redecorating the kitchen which has left me a little bit lost in the midst of it all. Flowers in our house have been abandoned – I’ve stopped myself buying any, or even picking any (wild). When this stunning bouquet arrived last weekend – I was perplexed and so excitable, because flowers delivered are always intriguing for one. When unpacking the carefully assembled bouquet and detaching the flower food sachet was such a delicate task (not to mention the free chocolate...). I was so inspired by the namesake ‘Summer Garden’ bouquet, I decided to do just that – take them into the garden!

Summer Garden Bouquet *

The bouquet consists of miss piggy roses, scented salmon classic la lilies and dalida germini with a lovely array of foliage, and is bursting to the brim! This is such a generous bunch and wholesome selection of beautiful flowers. I must admit, I always look for the weak, or slightly unloved leaf, or petal and pick them out, but there was not one, the quality was exceptional and everything I would expect from a flower company.

Blossoming Gifts create the most beautiful bouquets – and offer such a diverse selection of flowers - from Sunflowers, to Roses – they cater for every need. Bouquets range from under £20 at £16.99 to £44.99.

Every time I’ve caught a glance of the flowers (now they are sat in our clear cut vase - a treasured wedding gift) I have smiled. Flowers really do seem to uplift me, and bring around a welcome sense of clarity. I think it’s about time I significantly changed this for good.

Thank you Blossoming Gifts for a delightful bouquet and as a gesture they have given all Fig Love readers 33% off a bouquet of their own (Excluding the 'flowers by post' range) using the code BGIFTS33

Do flowers make you happy?

♥ 

 

Summer Days

I feel almost as if summer has swept by without me even realising. It’s been a busy year, and without a doubt a life-changing one.  

Running Wild ...

I always knew the year following our marriage would be different; the aftermath of such an enormous event in our lives was going to take some adjustment. When we took our vows and dreamt of a future together we were very naïve – we didn’t know what lay ahead. But, we were set on embarking on adventure and making our dreams a reality. 2015 has seen us lay the foundations for fulfilling our path and journey through life.

I’ve made bold and wild decisions, built a resistance against my own self-doubt, conquered a lot of fear and above all followed my heart.
Intertwined with my passion for a long and everlasting marriage, and respect for my incredibly wonderful husband, we have remembered to love and care each day.

Seasons bring new feelings, new emotions, and most certainly new adventure. I’m looking forward to the last few weeks of British summertime, but most of all the anticipation of autumn. 

 

♥

Above all, Love.

World Elephant Day

'It is estimated that 36,000 elephants are killed each year - roughly one every 15 minutes.

If the killing continues at this rate, campaigners say, there could be no elephants left in the wild in 15 years'.

 

I was fortunate to meet the most beautiful, intelligent and loving elephant named Pang, whilst in Thailand this year. I knew my time with her was truly precious and rare. I remember staring into her deep dark eyes - wondering what she could be thinking. 

All I wanted to do was love her with all of my heart. Because so many elephants are treat unfairly and are killed in the most awful and horrific circumstances.

I respect elephants, and will always store a deep love in my heart for Pang and many others like her.

♥

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Nurturing Dreams

If you have ever read my blog before you will know my writing always comes from the heart – I am an extremely passionate person. I always express my deepest emotions.

When we travelled to Thailand in May this year – I didn’t know what to expect or how I would feel. What followed was a life-changing trip around Asia. I experienced a mind-blowing culture that quite honestly stole my heart. 

 

Every step of the way I lived like there was no tomorrow, from exploring the bustling streets of Bangkok to absorbing the tranquillity and karma of Ayutthaya. When we arrived in Phuket, in the early hours of the morning I was overcome with a desire to write. I then stayed up the entire night writing. It was mad, and a little bit crazy, but in every way essential. I wrote this post and cried almost the entire time whilst typing.

 

And then, something inside of me changed. I began writing with a meaning, a purpose, a force of passion and the 11 year old Harriet the Spy in me had been let free. This time determined to fulfil the desire she’d carried in her heart for 15 years.

When we arrived home my mind was bursting with thoughts – I told everyone I saw that I still felt my soul was in Thailand – The Land of Smiles. I was beaming, and so overjoyed that I had so much passion and enthusiasm about my travels.

One afternoon after a 8 hour shift doing my 9 to 5 job, I came home, set up a desk in the garden and poured my heart into writing a travel log. The words flowed like a waterfall, before I knew it I had written a full page.  

Coupled with delving into my picture heavy Thailand folders – I had produced a piece of writing that I was proud of. It felt almost like being back at school working on one of those incredible history projects for Mrs Sharples.

This wasn’t homework though – this was real. This was a true story of a girl who had discovered a new continent, a new culture, but above all a deep sense of herself.

I then submitted the article to Travel3Sixty magazine (AirAsia’s inflight magazine).

Which brings me here...

I never dreamed I would see my name in print (my married one) not so long ago this girl would have never dared pose for a photograph or even think of being seen in public.

But, this is further proof that destiny and dreams do exist. They take a lot of hard work, and believe me a lot of nurturing.

You can view the article here
August 2015 > view Magazine > p118  

Dreams are precious. Never stop believing in them.

♥

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