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The Wordcraft Blog Letter #1

Something different

It’s my blog and I do what I want to.

A Blog Letter

And why the hell not? It’s my blog, my domain, so I can make use of it the way I like it. Cutting the middle man to get people to sign up for a newsletter sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Surely clicking the “Follow” button is pretty much the same than to sign up for information? And no interface is needed. Pretty cool, right? Why complicate what is simple?

I can publish dedicated posts, or I can post generic ones: the blog letter. Associated with the delivery format, where you actually get the blog post alert delivered to your email, it brings out the idea of the newsletter which then becomes a post when you view it through the browser. This is a relatively new concept, and I like it.

And a very down to Earth view

My idea of the world around me is a very generalistic one. Being aware of all concepts and how these concepts apply to our real world comes easy to me. I can get a quick gist of any topics thrown at me, and am confident that I’m capable to dig in and understand it in more depth but it bores me, especially if it’s a subject that I’m not very fond of, which is pretty much anything to do with numbers. :D.

I have a good understanding of all social, political and financial affairs, enough to get me through the system able to gauge the good and the written about society, but I don’t debate it. I also understand everyone comes from different walks of life and our perception of this world will differ, as a result. And that’s fine. Maybe I was brought up under a very Stoic education, but I’m very sure this obliviousness can also be acquired with maturity. It just helps me move on, despite the illogical sense of a situation that I cannot change. Levelling up in understanding, I like to think.

Minding my business

(Click on the images for the whole post)

#life

The last mile

The closer we are to the reality of having our own house the farther away it feels we are. Living in a rented accommodation limits our possibilities, therefore it forcefully narrows your vision. Because it’s not our house we cannot make any structural, long-lasting changes that we believe would be life-changing changes. Most landlords themselves don’t make changes for the same reasons: “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”. The money goes in their pot regardless.

#family

They agree to disagree

They have a main PC – which has been literally PUT TOGETHER by Gary – because he’s a legend of a nerd and managed to tailor it to meet their gaming requirements – and laptops. They are also lucky enough to each have their own tablets AND phones. Last Christmas, we got them a Nintendo Switch. So much entertainment to choose from yet they still manage to disagree.

#food

My 5 Cheese Pizza

The pizza that we used to ask for at our old fave local, the Cookhouse. It was either that or their amazing Tex-Mex. Lush! You can make it using white flour too, like the originals. I just chose to try the wholemeal flour to start introducing healthier options, and it’s working. Everybody seems to be enjoying and not complaining.

#goals

Living on the edge… of the white noise

I’m reading an article on my computer. It’s interesting. I don’t really want to be interrupted. I get a message notification on my screen. “Oh, it’s just my mum, trying to find out if Charlotte has gone to school today… I’ll answer it later. “ Whilst I close the notification, in the back of my mind, that message will be playing on repeat, along with other voices. I wanted to let her know she went, that everything is ok. I could do that at that moment, but if she’s online, that message is going to become a chat, and potentially turn into a video one. And that will drill into my time.

If I mind yours

and you have a hair salon…

Whether it is because the hairdresser meets your hairstyling criteria or – it has happened to me before – because you know the hairdresser personally or he/she’s a nice person and makes a real effort in reaching that so desired hairstyle, we all go at one time or another. Ultimately…

Next: Landscaping Services

Menopausal Monday

Self Talk

Thinking about this coming year’s resolutions. Following on from last year’s “raisins”, I am keeping right about the same premise: me first. I probably need to explain the “raisins” reference. Every NYE, those of us who follow some Portuguese traditions (even abroad) set 12 raisins aside to be eaten by midnight on the 1st Jan, and each raisin is followed by a secret wish for the year ahead.

As a Gen X, I’m quite a low maintenance kinda woman, so my wants often merge with my needs. This carries a huge portion of that sustainability mentality that people around my age will share: nothing is wasted, not even time. Although this is sometimes a deceitful mindset that doesn’t correspond to reality, but there you go… It makes us feel accomplished that we’ve made savings 😂

So I’m going “dry” in January. I don’t have to go over the benefits it can bring; everybody knows. It’s more about whether those who enjoy a drink can put their relationship with alcohol to the test and go for a whole month without it.

But alongside that, I will be taking a further three main actions to get myself back onto a healthy lifestyle:

  • 1) Water;
  • 2) Exercise;
  • 3) no white products;
  • 4) Three staple meals/day + Two healthy snacks;
  • 5) No carbs at dinner.

Sticking to these three and a few more I found work for me should do the trick. My body is screaming for a reset. Then the rest is all about doing more of what brings me joy and less of what gives me grief. This should be easy enough… (Just watch me failing. Lol!)

To 2026🥂

Menopausal Mondays

Self Talk

All-in-One Christmas

I want only ONE easy-to-prepare, ready-to-enjoy festive package. One that includes Christmas family fun activities, small-sized traditional Christmas (Portuguese and Brit) that covers the lot: snacks, meals, drinks and desserts. No fuss, no mess, no arguments. And everybody’s happy.

My patience is normally wearing thin by this time of the year. All I want is to do as little as possible, sit back, relax and enjoy quality time with the family playing games, watching a movie or having a LOL tipsy conversation.

So this year, I’m roasting a turkey for the first time. Roasted turkey and veggies. We got about five varieties of cheese, sundried tomato-flavoured toasted bread, cold meats, an olive mix, a cheese bake, and some sliced sourdough-type bread. Charlotte will be baking a biscuit, coffee and cream dessert and possibly brownies.

What can not go amiss is drinks. After personal research, I have five reds that I tend to stick to, to avoid disappointment. Five reds that I find sit in a good position of what you can expect from drinking a reasonably good wine, whilst not leaving you bankrupt. Mind you, some of these can be found online at an inflated cost, but the bulk of my shopping is currently done at either Lidl or Aldi, where I found these reds.

Christmas reddy 🍷

Unfortunately, there aren’t many good Portuguese wines at a reasonable price over here as you’d find locally, so we have had to compromise. A couple of Pinot Grigio Hardys, Sauvignon Blanc, and of course Echo Falls Rosé will be added, because sweet may go down easier for some of us… And last but not least, Desperados, Peroni, Leffe, Baileys and Fireball to end the evening. Nothing but the best!

Board games (Twister, Labirynth, UNO, Mastermind) and video games such as Street Fighter or just a nonchalant themed escape room game.

May all the leftovers take us straight into the New Year’s Eve 🙏🥘

Menopausal Mondays

Self Talk

All feels purposeless

I used to enjoy reading. I used to enjoy writing. Always loved to socialise and meeting new people. Even though I was a bit of a geek and loved playing around with MS Access and the primary scripts of web designing (yes, I found fun and sometimes mindblowing 😂). Our active life gets so busy that we can barely find time for what we enjoy. “Priorities” we call them. We get lost in the busy-ness of life and continue in auto-pilot, as if that was our most important mission. Our light dims, as we only do wat we need and rarely what we want and just forget about ourselves, about our interests. Hobbies are something of the past: “What, playing piano? Knitting? Where do I have time for that?”

It’s been hard to find the time and the motivation to read, let along writing… Social media feed news – humans most common first daily touch with words – are constant, unreliable, contradictory and 9/10 are utterly depressing. If I trust all I’m reading, the world is lost and there is no hope for the human kind. My contacts list is now reduced to half. We craved connection so bad that it exhausted our social skills. People don’t communicate unless it is to moan, to argue, to criticize or just to be polite.

As I wean myself off the social networks I decided to resume my reading by baby steps, by reading a happy eZine (the image holds the link). You can read the free online version or order the hard copy. The hard copy is always out first. eZine readers will be left in the dark for a few weeks before it is released but it’s well worth the waiting.

It is very carefully curated content around mental health & wellbeing. It is an easy reading magazine, addressing very current topics, all laid in a very positive way. If you are trying to find yourself (again), it’s a delightful read.

Since the kids have become teenagers and more self-sufficient, I stopped engaging with other parents and it has become increasingly difficult to make new friends. Not that it is easy to build friendship with other parents (all parents think they’re doing a better job), that will probably explain why those acquaintances have not been kept. I have struggled a little with some British ways of raising children… The lack of rules and discipline are just a couple… So my options are reduced. Unless I find a hobbie I really enjoy, going to the pub regularly or attending a local church are not that appealing options.

We did used to go to ballroom classes. That was kind of fun. Fun (and romantic) cardio. Maybe I should add that to my 2026 resolutions. It is the time for it. So, 2026 notes to self:

  • Read more
  • Write more
  • Hobby more
  • Socialise more (OFFLINE)

Sounds like a solid plan 😉

Big little gestures

Giving way, holding a door, using “please”, “thank you” and “sorry”, supporting someone for a greater good without advertising.

And pay it forward.

The proactive kindness has seen better days. The psychology around it is interesting though…

I’d like to believe most of mankind resonates with that. These small gestures nowadays are, in fact, an acknowledgement of our own existence.

In a world that seems to be headed to a utopic hermitism, an unconscious social isolation, it’s these small gestures that help us staying grounded, connected.

Of course, they also help make sense of our social nature, that we only make sense together, as a whole. Would you not agree?

Menopausal Mondays

Self Talk

No motivation. No energy. No joy. This is what it comes to most middle aged women every 22/30 days. All we want is for everything arounds us to slow down…

Joints start to hurt, nerves cramping up, our temperature swings,  brain fogs, we become more irritable, patience shortens…

We look for all the ways that can speed up our weekly routine, just to get to the weekend. Easy tasks at work (the less responsibility the better) easy (but quick) dinners. We try and evade any complex or repetitive boring job.

Comes the weekend and we forceably take refuge in sleep, lots of coffee and wine, avoiding as many house chores as we can, unless the 80s or 90s music is playing in the background.

Memories are our comfort and fuel… 🥰

Skilled Trades are Back!

I’m loving the news I’m coming across lately. Finally we’re starting to see a career rewind 🥳

Our society was begging for a more ruthless shift in global future professional framework. It was about time we headed back to the drawing board!

To slower and happier days for the younger generations 🥂

Handy work is fighting the AI jobs flooding

Menopausal Mondays

Self Talk

The reasons why I can’t sleep are typically related to five things:

  • Stress or ongoing worries;
  • PM coffee;
  • More than a glass of wine the previous night;
  • Consumption of something unusual;
  • Not enough physical activity.

(Often related to item 1 and 3 for me 😬, and more often than not in a double wammy).

I keep trying to convince myself to be kind to myself and to take it easy, to accept that not everything is within my control and to let it go. That exercise becoming easier and that does help with sleep. To be fair it helps in other aspects of my life. I hope this helps someone in a similar situation. The solution to a problem is 9/10 times right under our nose and is simpler to implement than we think.

Menopausal Mondays

Self Talk

” I’m exhausted.”

I try and stick to all the right things on autopilot, so I don’t have to make choices (or wrong ones). It helps me stay on track.

Some days it works, others require a bit more effort. I reckon that if I’ve got the healthy food and exercise plan right, I’ll only need a few tweaks to make it flow painlessly 🙏

It really helps keeping my energy levels up just by following a few simple rules:

  • Start the day exercising
  • Three healthy meals a day (carbs and proteins in the first two and no carbs for dinner)
  • Two healthy energy-boosting snacks (mid AM and mid PM)
  • A good after-dinner grounding walk
  • No later than a 10PM bedtime

What makes my day worse:

  • Spending too long doomscrolling
  • Drinking more than a glass of wine
  • Not saying “no” when I already know it’s not going to work
  • Trying to take control of what I cannot control (ie thinking twice before starting an argument).

And the fact that I’ve turned 48 yesterday (although feel 30) makes me once again reevaluate my priorities, for my wellbeing and that of those around me.

Happy birthday to me 🎂🥳