After a very long break from My Life Journal, I’m finally back online and ready to share the little moments, big adventures, cats, work, creative projects and everyday life that have been keeping me busy.
Well… hello again! It feels slightly surreal to be sitting here writing a new post for My Life Journal after such a ridiculously long time away. And when I say long, I mean really, really long.
The funny thing is, I didn’t exactly decide to stop blogging. Life, technology and one very frustrating website access situation had other ideas. Somehow, I lost access to my own website, and what I thought would be a relatively simple process of getting everything back under control turned into an incredibly long saga.
But finally, after what felt like forever, I am back online!And I honestly couldn’t be happier.
There is something really lovely about having your own little corner of the internet where you can sit down, write about life and share the things that make you smile, whether that’s a beautiful road trip, a new project, something exciting happening with work, or simply a quiet afternoon at home surrounded by cats. And believe me, there have been plenty of those moments.
So, What Have I Been Up To?
Quite a lot, actually. When I look back over the past year or so, I’m amazed at just how much has happened. There have been road trips, work projects, events, new clients, websites, creative projects, plenty of time at home with my cats and lots of those ordinary everyday moments that somehow become the memories you treasure most.
I’ve also been thinking a lot about how quickly the seasons seem to pass.
It doesn’t feel that long ago that Sydney was sweltering through summer, followed by one of those beautiful autumn periods where the days are warm and golden and the evenings start to feel just a little cooler.
Then came winter. And what a strange Sydney winter it has been!
We’ve had freezing days where I have genuinely wondered how Sydney managed to feel so cold, followed by days where it suddenly felt like summer had returned. There has been a lot of rain, a lot of sunshine and an awful lot of cold wind. And just when you think winter has finally arrived, along comes a beautiful warm day to confuse everyone again.
Now we’re supposed to be heading properly into spring, but Sydney seems to have other plans. One minute it’s warm and gorgeous, and the next I’m reaching for a jumper and wondering whether someone forgot to tell the weather that it’s spring. Perhaps that’s just Sydney.
Road Trips, Little Adventures and Stories Yet to Come
One of the things I have really enjoyed over the past year has been getting out and about on a few road trips. There is something about getting in the car, heading somewhere different and leaving the usual routine behind for a little while that I absolutely love. Some trips have been planned, some have been more spontaneous, and all of them have created stories that I want to share here. I’ll be writing more about those trips soon because there are definitely some places, moments and little discoveries that deserve their own stories.
One of the things I love about road trips is that they aren’t always about the destination. Sometimes it’s the drive, the scenery, stopping somewhere unexpected, finding a cute little café, taking a completely unnecessary photo of something because it looks pretty, or simply enjoying being somewhere different.
Those are the moments I want to remember.
And Then There Are My Cats…
Of course, I couldn’t possibly return to My Life Journal without talking about the cats. Because let’s be honest, they are a pretty significant part of my life! There is something wonderfully calming about being at home with the cats. After a busy day, there is nothing quite like settling down, having a quiet moment and suddenly finding a furry little companion appearing beside you.
Sometimes they want cuddles. Sometimes they want food. Sometimes they want attention. Sometimes they want absolutely nothing to do with you. And sometimes they simply sit nearby, quietly keeping you company. Those are the moments I have missed writing about.
Life can be incredibly busy, particularly when you’re juggling work, websites, writing, social media, clients and creative projects. But the quiet moments at home are often the ones that bring everything back down to earth.
A cup of tea. A comfortable couch. A cat curled up nearby. A little bit of sunshine coming through the window. And absolutely nowhere you need to be for the next hour. There is a lot to be said for that.
Work Has Been Keeping Me Very Busy
There has also been plenty happening on the work front. I’ve been lucky enough to work on some really exciting projects, from events and new clients through to websites I’ve been creating and content projects that have taken me in all sorts of interesting directions.
I’ve also been working on a new ebook for one of my clients, which has been particularly exciting. There is something very satisfying about taking someone’s ideas, knowledge and stories and helping turn them into an actual book. And that has also inspired me to keep pushing ahead with something of my own.
My Own Ebook Is Finally Happening
For quite some time, I’ve been working on my own ebook, which is something completely different again. It is a fictional story, and I’m hoping to get it published by Christmas. I’m both excited and slightly terrified by that!
Writing something fictional is such a different experience from writing articles, website content or blog posts. With client work, there is usually a clear brief, a subject and a purpose.
With fiction, you can create an entire world and then suddenly realise your characters are doing things you hadn’t planned for.
It’s been a really interesting creative process, and I’m hoping that by putting this little goal out into the world, it will give me the extra push I need to get it finished. So… fingers crossed!
My Ongoing Battle With YouTube and Instagram
I also keep telling myself that I am going to become more consistent with YouTube. And then life happens. I have ideas. I film things. I think about videos I want to create. I make plans. And then somehow the days disappear.
Instagram is much the same. I love creating content, but keeping up with Instagram consistently can be surprisingly challenging when you’re also working, writing, building websites, looking after clients and trying to have an actual life outside of your computer.
I think there is something to be said for accepting that you can’t always do everything at once. Sometimes you have to step back, breathe and remember that social media is only one small part of life. That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on it.
Quite the opposite. I’m hoping to get back into a rhythm with both YouTube and Instagram because there are plenty of things I want to share. I just need to find that magical extra five hours in every day.
From Summer to Spring… and Everything In Between
Looking back, we’ve gone through practically every mood of Sydney weather. A hot summer. A beautiful autumn. A surprisingly cold winter. And now a spring that seems to have temporarily forgotten what season it is supposed to be.
There has been sunshine, rain, cold mornings, warm afternoons, windy days and those gorgeous Sydney days when you open the windows and think, yes, this is exactly why I love living here. And somewhere amongst all of that, life has just carried on. Work. Cats. Road trips. Writing. Family. Projects. Quiet days. Busy days. Plans that worked. Plans that didn’t. And plenty of little moments in between.
And There Is More Coming…
One of the things I’m really looking forward to now that My Life Journal is back is having somewhere to share all of these things again.
There are some exciting projects coming up, some new stories I want to tell and quite a few things happening behind the scenes that I can’t wait to talk about. And there is one other little project that I’m particularly excited about…
My Guided by Light Merchandise
I’ve been working on my own Guided by Light merchandise line, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.
At the moment, I’m waiting for my own orders to arrive, because naturally I want to see everything, try everything and photograph everything myself before I properly update the shop. Once it arrives, I’ll be giving the very, very outdated shop here on My Life Journal a much-needed makeover, as well as updating my Etsy store.
And yes, I will absolutely be modelling my own merchandise. Because if you’re going to create your own little line, you may as well have some fun with it. I’m really excited to finally see the ideas I’ve had in my head become actual physical things.
So, Hello Again!
It feels really good to be back. I’ve missed having this little space to write about life without everything needing to have a particular purpose. Not every post needs to be about work. Not every photo needs to be perfect. Not every day needs to be exciting.
Sometimes it’s just about the cats, the weather, a road trip, a cup of coffee, something funny that happened during the week or a little moment that made you stop and smile. That’s what I want My Life Journal to be again. A collection of life’s moments. Some big. Some small. Some exciting. Some completely ordinary. And hopefully, a place where I can look back one day and remember what life actually felt like during this particular chapter.
So, if you’ve been here before, welcome back. And if you’re new here, welcome to my little corner of the internet. I’m very happy to be back. There are plenty of stories to catch up on, road trips to revisit, projects to share, creative adventures to talk about, merchandise to reveal and, of course, plenty of cat stories coming your way. It feels like a new chapter for My Life Journal.
And I think I’m ready for it. Here’s to getting back to writing, sharing, creating and enjoying all those little moments along the way. And hopefully, this time, I won’t lose access to my website again!
Stay tuned. There’s plenty more to come.
