However, this newsletter comes to you not from mid-summer in the UK (Northern hemisphere), but from mid winter in Zambia (Southern hemisphere).
I arrived here almost a week ago, and so feel I have spent this solstice straddling two different worlds, yet remarkably the UK summer temperatures match almost exactly with the Zambian winter ones this year!
As the summer solstice marks the longest day, so the winter solstice marks the longest night. Which means that the biggest difference my body is facing right now is not adjusting to the temperature or the tiny one-hour time difference, but the huge change in daylight hours. I’ve gone from long summer evenings in the UK, to the sun dropping from the sky at around 545pm and not rising again until 630am.
African sunsets are spectacular, but blink and you miss them. That glorious golden hour that photographers crave is seriously short out here and so everyone tends to make the most of it by stopping what they are doing, pouring themselves a drink and watching the sun as it sets. A twenty-minute ritual known as a “sundowner” – it does of course help that for most of the year, the sun is not hiding behind clouds, but shining magnificently all around us. A common ritual in Africa that I think is truly magical. |
|
| What has our jewellery brand Harmonite been up to? |
|
|
| The last month before my departure was spent making and shipping pendants off to the various Amazon warehouses to ensure we are fully stocked during the time I am away. It’s always a guessing game to work out how many might be needed, and with world economics the way they are, we remain hopeful for a good year. |
|
|
| Of course there is also the business side of things to get straight before a long time away; banking, marketing, annual accounts and getting everything square with suppliers and customers. It was a busy time for a small business like ours. |
|
|
| What have I been writing? |
|
|
|
Revive and Thrive
Is now available on Audible, having been narrated by my dear friend, Suzi Tatford, whose soft feminine voice has turned the book into something that I believe is a joy to listen to – of course, I may just be a little bit biased!
|
|
|
|
Aphantasia
I recently discovered a unique aspect about myself, which I never knew had a label – Aphantasia.
Having aphantasia means you can’t visualize images in your mind.
Whilst it felt like a huge disadvantage at first and I suffered frustrating FOMO for a long time, I’ve since realised that this curious condition is far from being a hindrance. In fact, it opens up doors to a unique way of thinking and experiencing the world. As someone who loves to research, write, and share, I decided to put my learnings and experiences into a short book on the topic.
Full of insights, scientific research, and personal anecdotes, this book will open your eyes to a different way of processing the world around you and prove that sometimes NOT seeing is believing.
|
|
|
| What have I been influenced by lately? |
|
|
Self-Disappointment
I reached a tipping point recently when my compulsion for wasting time scrolling through inane social media posts about topics I have no care for, or interest in, suddenly turned from mere annoyance to severe self-disappointment. That’s when I switched to substack A refreshing (uncensored) platform for writers and readers to share their opinions on just about anything, giving voice to real people with real news and often hilarious takes on life.
|
|
|
A particular favourite : Tom Cox
Within the platform, you can subscribe to writers and receive their newsletters direct to your email address, or simply follow them within the app on your phone. Although it’s been around since 2017 and is gaining momentum, substack has had mixed reviews over the years – but for me, I love the fact that there are no adverts and you pick your interests rather than an algorithm.
|
|
|
| One small business helping out another … |
|
|
Field Food
I had the pleasure of meeting chef Libby recently who was catering for a yoga retreat I had attended. I mention her here, because the food was simply incredible, mainly vegetarian and some vegan, but all cooked from scratch, grown themselves on their Sussex farm and presented in the most mouth-watering way possible.
Check our her website to see the amazing barn that can be rented for private functions.
|
|
|
A final word from the woodland…
So sad to have left our English woodland for the next 3 months, but also enormously pleased to have a team of friends and family who will be taking good care of it in my absence. The bracken has been pulled, the pathways strimmed and the badger cubs have been caught on the camera trap frolicking at the woodland edge.
I harvested more moss from the darker eastern side of the woods for drying and making pendants upon my return and with any luck the birds will have successfully fledged their broods to fill the woods with their birdsong next spring.
Now though, I am immersed in a totally different kind of forest … the Miombo woodlands of the Kafue National Park.
Plenty of trees to get to know and some old favorites to revisit. Until next time…
Blessings
Joanne
x
|
|
| If you are reading this and thinking who the hell is Joanne Hedger, then I sincerely apologize; your email address has reached my Google contacts list somewhere along the line and I have embarrassingly failed to keep in touch. For this I am very sorry and wish you all the best in life. (There is an unsubscribe link below).
If, however, you wish to continue receiving Elemental newsletters, (I send a maximum of 8 per year), be sure to whitelist my email address or mark me as an approved sender in your email inbox. This is to ensure that you will receive all updates and announcements and not have me sent to your spam box. My email address is: joanne@elementalretail.com |
|
|
|
|
