Things which happened to me in 2021…

New Year In Lockdown

2021 started in lock down, I remember Dexter saying it was “Halloween Time” within 15 minutes of waking up on New Year’s Day and wishing the 3 year old was right.

January also saw the passing of my father, which whilst devastating, was also bittersweet knowing he was no longer suffering from the horrible disease that is dementia.

On The Up

Matt and I took a big step forward with Hand Forged Hearts in February, by purchasing a fire and anvil. We were kindly gifted use of an outbuilding to use as a forge in which to make our products, courtesy of my mum and stepdad. This also cued a surge of evening admin, creating content with lots of social shares. We are delighted with how this business is coming on, to the point where we don’t call it a side-line anymore. It is very much a business in its own right.

Luckily, the last lock down didn’t affect my client hours, for it was business as usual for them. Nurseries were able to remain open. Dexter loves his new nursery too, so I’m glad he’s had some real consistency there.

Finally Hitched

Late spring finally saw Matt and I marry, in a small, Covid friendly ceremony and perfect reception at the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne. There were probably only 10 people more we’d have wanted to join us than we were allowed. However, we celebrated with these people in our own way at another time. We had an amazing honeymoon where we climbed to the summit of Mount Snowdon and ate lots of good pub grub.

From Bride To Groom

Within a week of returning, I accepted a job offer of grooming in the Netherlands for a client. They’d been invited to compete in the Cannes leg (moved to Valkensvaard due to Covid) at the prestigious 2021 Global Champions Tour.
Tops International Arena in Valkensvaard is probably the most impressive equestrian venue I have ever seen or had the privilege of working with horses in. It was exhausting coming out of grooming retirement, but we came home with a win and it was an amazing experience.

Time For Change

The summer came and my client quite rightly wanted to exhibit at as many international shows in the UK as possible. Whilst I love the buzz of public relations at shows and exhibitions, I really wanted to be closer to home and enjoy married life. I also had the realisation that I’d not done a lot of personal or professional development in the last year or so. Through Covid, I’d been willing to take on all tasks which weren’t always specific to my areas of expertise. I just wanted to get as much income for my family as I could. However, this led to missed opportunities and being out of the loop of social media and digital marketing trends. I therefore decided the time was right to move on from my major client of the last two years.

I’m proud to say though that I invested in online and face to face training. I rebranded and had a new website built. I’ve got a part time employed position as social media manager for a wildlife trust. I have some new freelance clients and an abundance of ideas and skills to share.

2022 We Are Ready For You

2021 hasn’t been kind to a lot of people. However, I have a lot to be thankful for. My mind is bursting with new projects where I can help small and start-up businesses. I aim to provide budget friendly bite size nuggets of support. I’m excited to share these across 2022.