I am distinctly aware of the seasonal shift; mornings are darker and there is a chill now that definitely wasn't there a few weeks ago. We came back from holiday late in August to sunny days, where bare legs were still a possibility. Now, the weather is starting to close in and I am mentally preparing myself for the long British winter. Elements of it I love; the Sunday roasts, fire-lit evenings, the glut of autumnal apples from our small orchard. But the dark mornings and the cooler days, along with the rain, can make it a hard season to endure. I think I was made for living in the sun. Now as the seasons ebb from summer to autumn, I notice that my mood also shifts. More inward-looking and with the addition of extra time on my hands; it's a pensive but good time.
My life experiment continues. Breaking from the normal work patterns has been just...wonderful! Not because I disliked my job, but because my need to be good at it (and juggle everything else) was so wearing. A spate of hard work can be good for the soul; to maintain it for ten years is a mistake. Well, it was for me anyway. So now there is time. I am making the most of every moment.
I wanted to write about what is happening withL'Apothecary. As with all new things, we have needed time to bed in and to develop. Paula has been working on new blends; oils that have skin-solving attributes and in-built natural goodness. Our lab is bursting with different sized brown bottles and new packaging possibilities. My mind is inventing product names and descriptive blurb as I go about my daily life. I notice that when it's your own business, the whole emphasis is different. How can I capture it? It's always with you. Always in your head.
When I started with this business I didn't know where it would go. It was impossible to judge. There are days when I think that in every household there should be a bottle of L'Apothecary oil, for use wherever it is needed! Other days I wonder if I am deluding myself that I could break into this industry and have a place in it. A good friend told me there is room for me in the beauty market - and I like that sentiment....
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