January Encouragement and Inspiration

As I write this, I am sitting in my cosy study looking out at frost-coated branches and frozen spider webs that look like works of art. The sky is heavy with cloud, but it's bright and there is a glint of sunshine peeking through, making everything sparkle. We are nearly half way through January, a month that for those of us in the northern hemisphere can be quite gloomy and cold, so these sun-dappled days are especially precious.

Those of you in the southern hemisphere are in mid-summer, but despite the disparity in our seasons, early January is normally the time of year that we can all use just a little encouragement and inspiration.

Before I continue, I must mention how front of thought and mind my friends, colleagues and everyone affected the California wildfires are. Sandi of Fearless Dining shared a post on her Facebook page which I found very helpful in terms of offering some help from afar. If you are affected by the wildfires, my heart goes out to you.

Embracing the Season We Are In

Of course, embracing the season we are in does not have to just pertain to the weather, it can also refer to different times in our lives. You may be considering a career change, or you could be in a phase of being a caregiver for elderly or unwell family members and juggling the logistical and emotional implications that entails. You might be knee-deep in nappies (diapers), feathering an empty nest, finding yourself after the kids have left home or navigating a physically and emotionally challenging fertility journey. Perhaps you are regrouping and reinventing yourself, whether by choice or after a change in your circumstances. Wherever you find yourself, I hope the ideas I am going to share will help you embrace some little joys and take extra good care of yourself.

Self-Care Inspiration for the Start of a New Year

1. Do something nice for yourself

It's all too easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life and forget to look after ourselves. Aside from the usual things like getting enough sleep and eating well, one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is to allow ourselves to have a little fun. Allocate even a little bit of time to do the things you really love. Whether that means baking, reading, writing, doing puzzles, visiting a local gallery, library or bookstore, painting or drawing, watching a favourite movie, playing board games, put an appointment (even just a short one) in your calendar and spend some time immersing yourself in whatever it is you love to do.

2. Embrace a small challenge

Without putting pressure on yourself, why not embrace a small but beneficial challenge - perhaps plan to take a short walk outside every day or a few times per week, write down three things you are grateful for every day, or join me and others in the Happier Podcast community in reading 25 minutes a day in 2025. (I'm off to a slow start with this one, but I am planning to catch up as the year goes on!) Whether you are curling up by the fire or poolside, reading is good for us! The idea of the small challenge is not to beat ourselves up if we do not achieve it every day, but to celebrate ourselves on the days that we do.

3. Expand your horizons

It can be so easy to get stuck in our comfort zone, going to the same coffee shop, making the same recipes, reading the same genre of books, or anything we do without thinking. Why not take a new route on a regular journey, visit that new local café, or pop into the gallery that everyone comes to your city for but you never manage to visit? Try a new flavour of tea or a new genre of book or movie. Love historical fiction? Consider a biography of a historic figure for a change. Take a class, try a new restaurant or recipe. Variety truly is the spice of life - especially in January!

On The Website

Pancake Day

Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) is fast approaching. I have an easy family recipe for delicious homemade pancakes on the website now.

Easy Pancake Recipe

Easy Scones Recipe

You can be enjoying fresh, warm from the oven scones in less than half an hour with this easy recipe. (The raisins are optional.) Don't forget to brew a cup of tea to enjoy with your scones!

Orange and Raisin Scones

Vegetarian Comfort Food

I love a meaty winter stew, but hearty comfort food can be meat free too. I have compiled some of my favourite vegetarian comfort-food recipes all in one place on the website now.

Get the recipes

Behind the scenes...

Last week was my first week back to writing properly after the holiday break. The first week in January marks birthday celebrations for my son Alexander and his partner, Hannah, so the four of us took a little trip to Paris to celebrate. I particularly enjoyed visiting Shakespeare & Company on the Left Bank.

Links marked with an asterix (*) are affiliate links - If you purchase using these links I make a small commission. Your purchase price is unaffected.

Shakespeare and Company has a fascinating history and I have wanted to visit for years - particularly since I read The Paris Bookseller *about the very first Shakespeare and Company in another location, established in 1919 by Sylvia Beach. The book is also available on Bookshop.org*. (*affilate links)

If you are visiting Paris soon or fancy a virtual trip, you may enjoy my tips for visiting Paris (including some of my favourite places to visit) and my favourite Paris restaurants. (I'll be updating these posts with more details from our recent visit soon too.)

Reading - Falling Cloudberries* by Tessa Kiros (affilate link)

Watching - A Man On the Inside - My husband Guy and I are enjoying this light-hearted comedy starring Ted Danson on Netflix.

Listening to - Everything Cookbooks Episode 115 - Cookbook Trends
I'm working on my cookbook proposal so it's important to me to keep abreast of what is happening!

That's all for now. Until next time, remember to seek out little joys and be gentle with yourself as you navigate the first month of the year.

Thank you so much again for being a subscriber. Remember you can reply to this email with any questions, comments, suggestions or just to say hi. I love to hear from you.

Warmly,

April x