The Wednesday Hodgepodge #32

I hope you are all having a good week? It's Wednesday which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. What do you like most about your family?

I am going to go with my wider family and not just my fella and two girls. We're not the closest family, it has been like that since my brother and I left home and we all live our own lives but at the same time at the drop of a hat we are always there for each other when needed. Everyone rallies to help whoever needs the help out and go out of their way to do it. It’s the kind of support that makes me feel like no matter what life throws at us, we’ve got each other’s backs and it doesn’t matter if we haven’t spoken in a few days, a week or a month!

2. What's something nice that's happened to you recently?

Just over the last week my girls have made me happy and appreciated. They were at the fair they thought of me and bought me fudge. They are really stepping up around the house, like if they see a bin filling up they will empty it and they now bring their washing downstairs and put it in the washer without me having to ask. It's the little things like that which I find nice. They also include me in a group chat online and send me funny memes and videos throughout the day. It makes me feel so lucky to see them growing into thoughtful, caring humans.

3. Do you like the color orange? Besides a pumpkin and an actual orange, what's something orange you love?

I don't dislike it but I wouldn't say I loved it. I sat here a good couple of minutes trying to think of orange things that I love and it was hard. I came up with carrots, sunsets, orange fizzy pop and of course Terry’s Chocolate Orange!

4. What's something you have now you couldn't have imagined having five years ago? How does that make you feel? What's possible now because of it?

This time five years ago were in the middle of the Covid pandemic. We were all wearing masks, washing our hands obsessively and living in this weird, anxious bubble. We'd just came out of a lockdown and by 5 years ago next week we were going back into another. My dad became really ill with the virus and we lost friends. Back then I couldn't have imagined still having all of my loved one's and myself still being in good health.

Before the pandemic life felt like a constant rush but the lockdowns forced us to stop! It was strange but also gave us chance to reset. I wrote a blog post five years ago, Somebody That I Used to Know and much of it is still true today. I have less patience for nonsense, I love gardening even more and I really do appreciate the time we have together as a family. Because of the pandemic I find it easier to say no, to prioritise my mental health and to savour the small things. Life feels more intentional now which I never thought I’d say five years ago.

5. Let's wrap this one up with an October this or that...

Pumpkin bread or Apple cider donut - I have never eaten either but I really want to try an apple cider donut!

Cozy sweater or Cozy hoodie - Sweater! Hoodies are not my favourite, the hood annoys me.

Apple picking or Pumpkin picking - Apple picking!

Scary movie or Hallmark movie - Hallmark movie! I don't like scary movies at all.

Hay ride or Corn maze - I haven't done either but I do like the sound of a hay ride, the corn maze sounds stressful, I don't like the idea of being stuck in a maze.

Twinkle lights or Candles - Candles! Twinkly lights seem to give me a migraine.

Autumn hike or Autumn bonfire - Autumn bonfire, I love the smell.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve decided that this is my favourite time of year, temperature wise. Most days it’s sitting around 14C, which is about 57F and it’s perfect. It’s Goldilocks weather, not too hot, not too cold, just right! It’s the kind of weather where I can go outside and not feel like I'm melting in the heat or shivering in the cold. I can go out with just a cardigan with no coat on if the sun is shining and the best part is I can then come home and slip into my fleecy pj's and under a blanket without it feeling over the top. It’s far too early in the year to be putting the heating on all of the time so when it does get a little chilly it feels like a treat putting the heating on and not like a normal every day thing that we do.