Celebrating 30; Planting Trees

Earlier this year I interviewed for a job which was basically planting trees. A huge, massive undertaking by a charity, to plant trees to create a new broad-leaved woodland, stretching across the middle of England. To replace what once was, to create new habitat, to releaf England, and to help mitigate against the effects of climate change, flooding, CO2 emissions, and also to make new spaces for people to explore.

I didn’t get the job, but I did get inspired to do something similar.

I wrote a bit about this on my Instagram for #30DaysWild this year:

“Slowing down and weeding the herbs, looking at the oak baby on its first steps to living, and knowing what I do now may be present on this earth for hundreds of years to come, sort of makes this life bearable.”

With this in mind, to celebrate turning 30, I decided to plant a tree. One tree soon became two. Then six. One each for me, my partner, and for my nieces & nephews. The plan was to plant conker trees, however, when I was walking in a park last week I found the biggest, juiciest, most solid sweet chestnuts I’ve ever found, so I decided to plant them too!

I now have 12 trees, ready to start growing. They are just in little pots with compost, and gravel to act as a mulch. These pots are just to start them off and get them growing; I will pot them up when the time comes. There are two each, all labelled and dated.

Hopefully they will all grow and will travel with me as I move through life and relocate. They may be planted somewhere, they may remain in pots. Who knows? Hopefully they will outlast all six of us and be here for hundreds of years.

Celebrating 30; in Crochet

I decided a little while ago to make a temperature blanket as a record of my 30^th year. I never thought I’d live to see 30, so I want to celebrate it every day this year. It is a long process with a lot of step backs and downers, but generally I feel a lot happier, calmer and content, compared with my teenage years and early twenties. I guess the medication is working.

I came up with a colour scheme and attached each colour to a temperature range. I check the temperature at 2pm for wherever I am, make a note, and then do a row in that colour. I started with a foundation double crochet (FDC) row wide enough to cover a double bed (I haven’t and don’t intend to count the stitches), and each row is made using half treble (HTR). I am using a 4.5mm hook, and Stylecraft Special DK.

So far it is very green! I started on my birthday, October 15^th, and I will do a black double crochet (DC) row between each month. I am stitching over my loose ends every time I attach a new colour so I don’t have any sewing in to do at the end.

Making the Seasons; My First Attempt.

I have been inspired by Lucy from Attic 24 for a long time. I started making wreaths because of her, and I have recently started to try ‘making the seasons’, which is inspired by both Attic 24, and Emma aka Silver Pebble who I follow on Twitter.

The simplicity of it all and the slower pace of life is something I want to work towards, and it gives me an excuse to wrap up and go outside, go exploring, and fill dog poop bags with all the things I can find (but not poop). I just can’t resist fresh conkers, or peeling open the green husks to pull them out. I love crunching through the leaves and feeling the fresh, brisk, cold air on my face.

My first attempt at ‘making the seasons’ was fairly simple. I took a large vase (thanks, momma!), some orange fairy lights (Poundland), and loads of conkers & cones that I had collected. I now have a display centrepiece which also acts as nice, calming, ambient background lighting. 

It is very relaxing, even if it did take four attempts to get the light placing right.

Instagram is also a huge source of inspo for me. Silver Pebble makes me want to draw even though I can't, and Attic 24 makes me want to quit work and just crochet All. The. Time.

Turning 30; Pledges to Myself.

So, I’m 30 now. I am still full of anxiety and panic about this. I still feel useless, full of imposter syndrome, sad, lost, old, achey. I still feel unaccomplished and like I’ll never amount to anything.

I have decided that I need to make some pledges to myself to live a happier, calmer, more relaxed, less target driven life. I am doing this to slow down, to take control, to readdress my work/life balance, to enjoy things as they are right now. One day at a time.

For my 30^th year I pledge to;

- Spend less time on social media. I spend far too much time aimlessly scrolling. Sometimes it inspires me, sometimes it makes me laugh, sometimes I share cartoons with people, but overall it doesn’t really add anything to my life and I am constantly distracted by it. So, less social media. More time engaging in things that fulfils me.

- Make time for things I enjoy. This means several things.

- I want to spend more time at my allotment, getting dirty, getting fresh air, being outside, watching the world grow and develop and pass through the seasons. I will spend at least two hours a week at the allotment, doing Something. My list of winter jobs is growing ever longer and I want 2019 to be my most productive allotment year yet.

- I am currently working on several craft projects. I have four blanket works-in-progress. I have a wreath project. I have a list of things I want to do and make for people in my life. I want to learn new crochet skills and practice what I already have. I want to hook slow & die cold. Crochet is a meditation for me and taking time out to chill and slow down is often a perfect remedy for a busy life.

- Following on from this, I want to make new friends. I don’t know how to make friends. I never leave the house unless I’m going to work. I joined a new crochet group earlier this year and I have yet to go to a meet up. I pledge to attend once a month (Yolanda you may need to remind me of this!)

- I am going to feel better about myself and I am going to take steps to make myself feel better about myself. I hate myself. I hate my body, I hate my belly, I hate my chunky thighs. I hate my double/treble chin and my podgy face.

- I am going to exercise more often. I have started going swimming again this year after my local leisure centre was knocked down and rebuilt. I only aim for 10 lengths, and for me this is a good target. I enjoy getting out and spending time with my momma. I like doing something. I like swimming. I am also starting to hula hoop more often, aiming for three times a week. I want to start a pilates class but keep finding excuses. From November I will stop making excuses and I will go to pilates at least once a month.

I will start slow and build up – I know how good I am at saying I’m going to do something and then not doing it because I’ve built myself up to a huge task but don’t know how to start. Small steps lead up to a big leap.

I also want to use this year, this decade, to learn new skills and to develop myself. I really want to become good at green woodworking but I never practice it. I am going to look at courses so I can learn how to hold a knife properly without taking a chunk out of my thumb. I am going to start practicing more.

I also pledge to do more that makes me happy. Currently this involves buying Disney movie soundtracks and listening to them while I drive. No shame.

Living a simple life also means that I have made the decision to dye my hair brown, and to let my hair relax and grow and be healthy without being bleached every eight weeks.