On Friday I was very excited to head to London as a guest of St Martin’s Courtyard and Mercer Walk, a stones throw away from Covent Garden, to celebrate London In Bloom as part of this week’s Chelsea Flower Show. From flower arranging classes at the Academy of Flowers, fragrant scents from The White Company, floral cocktails at Dalla Terra and dreamy craft supplies from London Graphic Centre, St Martin’s Courtyard and Mercer Walk are in one of my favourite areas of London to visit. I’ll show you my highlights below. For those of us who are unable to make it to Chelsea this week, I thought i'd include some also take home floral tips too. As usual, all links will be at the end of the blog post.

I used to walk through Covent garden every day for years when I lived in London, but I haven’t been back in the city, for anything other than a really busy styling job with no downtime, for months and months. I also haven’t taken myself shopping for pleasure, in over a year! So spending a rare morning shopping making and drinking cocktails was flipping lovely.

I have been thinking recently about the importance of making space for ourselves, both figuratively and literally.

I have recently swum the rather choppy waters of sleep deprivation, crippling anxiety, and a hiccup in our finances. Quite the toxic combination, and one that has resulted in vivid (and sometimes hilarious) anxiety dreams; think Game of Thrones style peril, but wearing only flip-flops and undies. I realised in the middle of the squall, deep in the doldrums of February, that I was lacking space from which to gain some perspective. Lacking time to think about things rationally, time to create a plan. But when I finally made some proper time to sit with my journal and just think, I gained clarity and such a feeling of lightness.

It became apparent that sleep was the single biggest thing I needed. So I created a space for it. I made space mentally by stopping all work and blogging in the evenings. Other than half an hour of essential housework which I did with Dave, I went to bed, wrote in my journal, and slept, every night for weeks. We also night-weaned Auden and Dave took over the night parenting.

I created a literal space in which to sleep; a simple mattress on the floor of my study, away from Auden and Dave. I plumped and zjujed it and threw some favourite cushions and blankets on it. I put a lamp on an apple crate and put some magazines and favourite books on there- a symbolic act- even if I have only managed a few pages at a time! I gathered my favourite essential oils and put some flowers in a jar. I created a sleep retreat. It’s very simple but it makes me smile when I walk past the room; I literally silently thank it for giving me a space to rest and sleep.

We need space.

We need space to think.

And we also need spaces in which to ‘be us’ in, to feel held in.

HURRAY, MAY! Warmer weather has been unusually late in the UK but it’s here and to that we say YES. I have been sitting in my garden every morning and soaking up all the magic Spring energy. The leaves on the trees are entering adolescence and are a joy to watch with all their bounding growth. The ground is coursing with life, and the insects and birds are milling about happily, in increasing numbers.

I have been focussing on internalising and expressing this burst of magnificent creativity and energy, after a very long introspective winter. The sun just feels like the most welcome, healing blessing at the moment and I am turning my face toward it at every opportunity. #suntherapy

Spring weather is historically much more temperate and reliable than summers fickle effort, so remember to get outside and enjoy it as much as possible!

I am writing this whilst shivering at my desk. The wooly layers are on and the wind is quite literally howling at me. through the cracks in the window frame- and somehow managing to pierce through my layers. Brrr. Just last week we had 30 degree sunshine; our little island is truly an eccentric one, isn't it? I actually quite like it's weird weather habits (infuriatingly true to the #embracingtheseasons brand, I realise!). Anyway: it's hard to believe, but May Day is tomorrow! This will be the 7th year I make May posies for friends to celebrate Spring; an idea I originally learned about on Lou's blog, many moons ago. The first day of May was once a cause for a big celebration. It's the official first day of summer according to the gaelic festival, Beltane, and featured May pole dancing, a May Queen, village fetes and May posies amongst other things. The 1st May is also Labour day; a day to mark labour rights, and to me these things work well together in a weird way. I like marking both.

This winter has been long and cold. The UK has had unprecedented ice and snow right up until this normally mild month of April.

But finally, Spring is starting to make herself heard and we couldn’t be happier to nod along to her chorus.

I reckon Spring is as good a reason as any to have a celebration, no? Spring flowers, spring food, pink gin cocktails, yes? There is so much delicious seasonal food around at the moment and the May bank holiday and Royal Wedding (if you're into that sort of thing) is round the corner too.

Welcome April, Month of true Spring. Welcome to the rain showers and the new life bursting out of the ground and sprouting on the trees, the first warm sun on our faces, and bird song ever-escalating in volume. I have been drinking my coffee in the garden all week and it transforms my days, no exaggeration. I feel like I have finally woken up from my winter hibernation, and am suddenly ready to launch all the things I have been dreaming about. Details of some of those are at the end of my newsletter. But you can expect news of residential retreats, day retreats and an instameet and I would be honoured if you chose to join me on any of those occasions. Hurrah for Spring!

10 wonderful things to make, do and celebrate in April!

March, by Emile Maguin for HannahBullivant.com

It is currently quite hard to believe that March is really here; the UK is recovering from a Baltic blast of ice and snow that is only just melting. Schools and work places closed for much of the week (we do not have the infrastructure to deal with it here) and it has been sobering to realise just how much we are at the mercy of Mother nature. We were all forced to slow down, something I needed. But temperatures are set to rise quite quickly over the next few weeks and suddenly March, The Spring Equinox (20th) and a new season is before us. A whole new season!

My oldest baby turns 6 in a few days and underneath the thawing ice and snow hopeful daffodils open. The bird song will get louder and louder every morning from now on, and the increasing light is very welcome too. Spring is a wonderfully energising month, ripe for creativity and growth. I AM HERE FOR THAT.

Here are 10 wonderful things to make, do, and celebrate in the month ahead!

This week we celebrate St Valentines Day, Galentines Day AND Pancake day, *does a quick frantic dance*, so feasting has been taking up many of my waking thoughts, and even featured in my dreams (not even a joke!) I'm hopefully heading to a girlfriends house this eve to hang with some of my besties, and Dave and I will have a meal cooked at home this week at some point too. Galentines and Valentines don't have to be tat-fests, and they also do not have to be celebrated today/tomorrow. If you feel so inspired, you could arrange a gathering of gals/a dinner with your loved one, at any point this month. I personally love a pink themed dinner, or pink cocktails .

So with thoughts of feasting, a newly stocked props cupboard and a new studio, I set up a photoshoot to shoot some styling ideas for you.

I’m thinking about calling February the new January. With me? I’ve felt a bit arse-about-tits throughout the whole of this month, and still do, a bit. Bursts of excitement and activity like a couple of wonderful workshops, followed by bouts of being unable to face anything other my duvet. Sleep deprivation has hit really hard this month too- which has not helped anything. Ever. So I’m calling February, my January. A month of action, movement and progress- even just a little- is what is called for. Onwards! Auden turns one this month so I am so full of soppy nostalgia for this time last year.

The first tender signs of Spring are apparent, and I am allowing them to seep into my psyche. If I think about it, meditate on it, I start to literally feel the grounds swelling energy in my bones. The mornings and evenings are getting ever lighter, crocuses and snowdrops are sprouting and trees are budding hopefully. Spring is so very close now.

February holds some wonderful celebrations to tide us over until the spring solstice next month. Here are 10 of my most favourite things to do this month. I have now been sending out these monthly prompts for three years! Can you believe that?! Without further ado, here are 10 wonderful things to make, do and celebrate in the month ahead.

I first fell in love with the quiet glories of winter in my mid-twenties. Before that I associated winter with prolonged bouts of sickness (hello recurrent tonsillitis), mine and Dave’s mum’s deaths (I know, sucks, right?) and a general feeling of etiolation (“pale and drawn out due to a lack of light, having lost vigour or substance; feeble” -the most wondrous word). But since I decided to stop complaining, embrace the darkness and look at winter differently, I have come to adore this season. Yep, adore; strong word, there. (read more about how I did this here). So, I can say with great confidence that the single best way to embrace these short cold days is blessedly simple; cook delicious food, and have friends over; preferably both at once

We spent last weekend at our favourite place, Elmley Nature Reserve, retreating from January, going through our January Book, resting, talking, eating, laughing and just connecting again. Oh my, it was a sweet piece of heaven on earth. We have been doing our January book for 9 years but for the last two we have gone away for a weekend in January to do it; something we have now decided we can't do without

This year, I also finally made a downloadable guide to my January Book so that others can go through it too and I have been blown away by how many people have downloaded it, it has far far surpassed my hopes! Thank you so much to those of you who have downloaded it, and also to those who have sent such lovely emails and DM's too. I have had a surprising number of messages from people who have done it with their partner with amazing results, quite a few formally not very talkative boyfriends/husbands have been really into it. Amazing. (The January Book can be done alone or with your partner/family. Link to download below)

Elmley

But, let me think back to Elmley. To The Damson, their newest hut. To the huge

January has been pretty slow and sleepy for me, and that is just how I like it. I have been slowly working away on a few projects in the background when I have has the time and inclination to do them. One of them is writing a guide for you, dear readers, about the end of year review process may husband and I have done for the last 9 years; a process that I have been asked about so much over the last few years, and one I have now written about!

So, what is The January Book?

Put simply, it is the notebook my husband and I use to review the year that has passed and plan for the year to come. It is both an individual and collaborative process.

But it has led to some incredible things. See my last post for a taster.

We first did this book in 2009, and over the following 9 years we credit this process for being the basis for many of our mega life decisions-from having babies, to changing careers, hiring coaches, and making better health decisions.