CHANGE

With each new month comes a feeling of change, of refreshment and of clarity. Especially at this time of year, when spring is just around the corner. The first two days of February have bought with them the most beautiful weather. Crisp cold days with the brightest blue skies and a warm low sun shining through our windows. There is sign of new life in the garden and the excitement of new adventures to look forward to in spring and summer. I have to admit, whilst in the lead up to Christmas I adore the cold weather, the need to wrap up warm and the desire for snugly days and nights on the sofa, when the new year arrives I crave a change in seasons. For being in the garden and at the park all day and late into the evening; for bare legs under flowing skirts; for trips to the shop without the inevitable layering of jumpers and scarves, coats and blankets; for fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the garden and for colourful blooms on the table. 

With the little teasers over the last few days of what spring has in store I've felt a burst of energy and have been ticking off jobs round the house that have littered my to-do list for months. We've made some changes in Josephine's room (more of which to come next week) and I've made some changes to this space too. 

I've decluttered, simplified and, you may have noticed, decided to remove the adverts that have sat here for the last three months. And I'd like to tell you why. When I was approached by a number of companies asking about advertising here on the blog, I have to admit - the temptation of a little extra money and a few freebies was one that was hard to ignore. But very soon after I'd launched advertising on my blog, I felt uncomfortable about what this now meant. About how I now felt obligated to blog to ensure I was keeping up to the number of posts I'd commtited to in my media pack; about what seemed like, at one point, sponsored post after sponsored post. This space was always meant to be a diary for Ben and I about our first years as a married couple, as parents, and all the adventures we'd have. Suddenly having adverts here changed that. So I've decided to take them down. 

Don't get me wrong - I loved supporting small businesses with products we love, so from time to time you'll still see the odd shout out to such companies. Because, as the owner of a small company myself, I know how invaluable such support can be. But these will be without obligation and purely for the love of a product, person or business. 

Sometimes I think I can forget about the real reasons I blog. I can get caught up in stats and the number of comments under each post. But right now I'm reminded that this space is our space. To record the small and mundane and the big and beautiful. And while I adore being part of this awesome online community, it doesn't matter if one or one hundred people comment. These words and pictures mean something to us and that's all that's important. That said, we truly love to hear from you and I still feel a pang of excitement with every comment that pops into my inbox, so thank you all so much for visiting and for taking the time to say hello :)

Pictures by Tori. Oh, and Ben would want me to point you in the direction of the little footnote I've added to this post...