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WEST GREEN HOUSE GARDENS
+ A QUICK WORD ON PERFECTIONISM.

12 April 2017 4 comments

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T H E   F I R S T   S I G N S   O F   S P R I N G

I had another post planned for today but I just have to share with you this gorgeous little garden F and I recently popped along to.




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Is this not, the quaint, walled garden of dreams? And it's set among the rolling fields and worn, dusty bricks of my new favourite village, Dipley, Berkshire. For a slow-liver, and an appreciator of gardens/The National Trust, this is my heaven! And we were oh so fortunate to visit on the most glorious of sunny, Spring days, when the fruit tree blossoms are out in full force and everything is turning lush and vibrant green.

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Even the chickens here live in blue and white chicness!

In other news for this week, and oddly related to today's post, I've been really trying to battle my demons regarding 'perfectionism'. I am just the worst, honestly, in setting standards for myself that are beyond unachievable, and needing every last detail to be exactly as I want it, or else the whole thing is a write-off, you know? So lately, I've been taking baby measures.

Take today's post:

- I've been playing around with my camera settings recently, and accidentally left the saved file option on 'Standard', several slots below my usual RAW captures, and was bitterly disappointed when I got my photos onto my laptop and realised my mistake. Whereas ordinarily I wouldn't want to upload them, because I know I can do better, I'm posting them anyway. I'm brushing it off and moving on. I know this seems like a very small thing and you must think I'm bonkers!

- I fully expected to be going for some kind of woodland hike, instead of our impromptu visit to the gardens so wore 'comfortable clothing' and extremely 'appropriate footwear', aka, hardly an aspirational outfit choice! Again, ordinarily I'd be shying away from the camera, or thinking these are hardly photos to be posting on my blog, but this time, no, in the grand scheme of things, it's a detail that really doesn't matter, and I'm not going to let it stop me sharing pics of these beautiful gardens with you. (I also had a cute pair of tan flats in the car so there's a small success to celebrate ;)

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- I also think my 'chunky monkey' appearance is particularly present in these set of photos. I've put on so much weight from comfort eating, stress and eating out far too much, and it's only just hit me looking at these photographs, how big I am. I felt bloated and puffy, and I think that's translated fairly well onto the camera. But, it's fine. I'll sort it. With diet and exercise etc. But in the meantime, life is too short to be be putting off opportunities and moments to create cherished memories, right? I feel a tinge of discomfort 'putting myself out there' when I'm unhappy with how I look, but should I really be fretting about it? So I don't think I look great in these photos? So what? (at the time of writing, these are more words I'm trying to convince myself with, but it's a start?!)

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Do you suffer with perfectionism, or perfectionist behaviour patterns?

I feel like mine are deep-rooted, thoroughly embedded, like some kind of virile, perennial weed. But I'm also extremely logical, and I know what kind of dark mess being a perfectionist can get you into, and how it shifts your focus from growth, improvement and self-love, to worrying and punishing yourself about the negative. And that's no way to live. I might actually do a post talking about the topic a bit more thoroughly (instead of just rambling as in this one!), including my experiences, tips (both from professionals and what's worked, or not, for me) and coping methods etc, so let me know if you'd like to see that.

It's actually quite funny how I feel a small sense of empowerment, just by giving myself a good talking to.

I didn't really expect to veer off on a perfectionism-related tangent, so I'm just amending this post's title! But back to enjoying Spring..



Tell me, how has your week so far been? I hope it's being a lovely one!



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xx



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