Every month throughout this year, I’ve written a blog post looking back on the month just gone.

It’s been a helpful little reminder during some difficult times that amongst the shit, there have been plenty of good times and lot’s of new memories made. 

I have to admit, September feels like a bit of a blur, and not just because I’m later than usual in posting my review of the month. 

At the beginning of September, I was close to burnout and in desperate need of a break. Thankfully, there was a break on the agenda, which I’ll elaborate on shortly, but that break left me with bucket loads of fresh ideas for my business. I had so many ideas that I’m now struggling to find the time to look into them properly, with my current workload booming too!

I feel like I’m entering an exciting time for The Mindful Gingernut. The key in October will be to ensure I set aside adequate time to plan whilst balancing clients on top of my own self-care.

Here’s a look back at some of the lovely things I did in September:

At One With Nature

At the beginning of the month, I felt myself getting a bit bored of the scenery on my doorstep. I had done well over August to up my step count and had been out walking most days. I was determined to keep this up in September but felt like I also needed a change of scenery. On a bit of a whim, one weekday afternoon, I shut the laptop and got in my car and headed towards Richmond Park. I spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the park, listening to the parakeets and immersing myself in the local nature.

It was such a lovely escape and something I hope to make more time for in the future. I’m lucky that I have some beautiful walks on my doorstep, but now and again, it’s good for the soul to go somewhere a little bit further afield. I especially love spicing up my walks as the season’s change. It was lovely to see the autumn colours starting to come through, albeit very gradually, as we are still experiencing some unseasonably warm weather here in the UK.

The change of scenery gave me the headspace I needed, and as I headed back home (after I’d indulged in a piece of cake, of course!), I felt much lighter.

Back On Your Airwaves

I was lucky enough to get invited back onto the Liam Davis Show on Shoreditch Radio in September. 

I had first been invited onto his show back in April this year. Liam got back in touch to see if I’d like to go back on the radio to provide his listeners with an update on what I’d been up to since then.

Long gone are the days where I hesitate about this stuff, so I jumped at the chance.

As with the first show, I talk about the journey the Mindful Gingernut has been on, both as a blog and more recently as a business. I also talk about issues such as mental health and the challenges we faced throughout lockdown.

To find out more about my first experience on the Liam Davis Show, click here.

You can also find the recordings from both my appearances below if you’re interested in checking them out:

April – https://www.mixcloud.com/liam-davis3/sky-sports-football-commentator-rob-hawthorne-and-blogger-becky-greaves-joined-me-for-a-chat/

September – https://www.mixcloud.com/liam-davis3/headteacher-andy-webster-and-well-being-enthusiast-becky-greaves-joined-me-on-the-podcast/

Somerset

Until September, I hadn’t taken a week off work all year! Why I ever thought that might be a good idea, god only knows!

Thankfully, my parents came to the rescue, as they had booked a family getaway for five days to enjoy some September sunshine. 

Not only did we get five lovely days away, but I also gave myself the weekends on either side off, and I treated myself to a social media break too!

The time away from my desk and laptop, as well as the social media break, had been badly needed. I felt instantly better the moment I reached Cheddar Gorge, the first stop of my trip.

It was lovely to spend some quality time with my family. I was also able to celebrate with my brother, who had been out of work for a year and had just landed himself a new job. It gave us all time to unwind, relax and switch off from normality.

I’d only visited Somerset once before, so it was great to have time to explore one of the largest counties in England. It’s somewhere that doesn’t always get much of a mention, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

To read more about Cheddar Gorge and to check out some of my photos, check out my blog post, ‘The Best Way To See Cheddar Gorge‘.

Catching Up With Friends

I didn’t have any walks planned for September with my walking group, so this freed up some time to catch up with other friends. 

I had a lovely day out at Wakehurst Gardens in Sussex with my friends James and Sean. It had been a little while since I had seen them both, and as we all love a good walk and a look around some gardens, Wakehurst seemed like a good choice.

None of us had ever been before, so it was nice to go somewhere different. 

Wakehurst happens to be owned by the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. I had visited Kew a couple of times before and always found it to be overpriced and overrated. Wakehurst, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. The landscape and planting are much more varied, and it has a much less formal feel to it than Kew.

Another place I will be adding to the ‘Return To’ list!

Towards the end of the month, I also met up with an old colleague from my previous job whom I hadn’t seen before lockdown. We met in one of my favourite London pubs and had a great evening catching up on all the work and non-work gossip! After such a lovely evening, it turned into a bit of a nightmare a few days later when he contacted me to say he had since tested positive for covid! After a quick test, I found I was negative! Phew! I know there are still really mixed feelings out there about taking up the vaccination offer, but I’m incredibly grateful to have had both my vaccinations. It’s not worth thinking about how ill my friend could’ve been had he not been double vaccinated!

As I said at the beginning of this post, September left my brain overflowing with new ideas for my business. I’m really excited to start working on these plans, and I look forward to sharing more with you sometime soon.

In the meantime, I’d love to know how September was for you? What exciting plans do you have for this month?