Some days are potato days

I know....we haven't put up a new blog post since Christmas. The fact is, we haven't been travelling as much as we did last year. I think it's fair to say we haven't had just a potato day...we've had a SEASON of potato days. A potato day is a day people prioritise self-care to rest, relax and accept the lack of productivity. 

In our last post we mentioned that we were all down with a mysterious bug on Christmas Eve/day. We felt like we were on the mend...But the fever came back with a vengeance and took us out for WEEKS after that. We really looked forward to all the festivities and winter exploring we could do but we only managed a visit to the nearby Bradgate park. 

On the way home, the kids were shivering and it turned out to be a fever. Just when Debra and I thought we were feeling better, we got hit with another bug too. As you can imagine, having a high fever in the darkest, coldest months with the least sunshine was utterly miserable. It felt like we were stuck in a never ending cycle of being poorly. 

My birthday was basically spent being a complete potato. It made us really anxious that we spent an entire month doing absolutely nothing to restart the business or get much homeschooling done. As the temperature fell below zero, so did our productivity. That said, we are very thankful that there weren't that many days that were brutally cold (below -5c). We've only had less than a week of snow days as well. 

Growing up in a culture where calling in sick is almost a cardinal sin, it felt criminal to be out of it for an entire month. Although we did eventually see the end of that dark tunnel, the post sickness(s) exhaustion would remind us from time to time we weren't fully ready to go full steam ahead. We did manage to get started on conceptualising the relaunch of our shop, meet with our friends, teach children at our local church and make gluten-free pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year. 

By February, we were really frustrated at feeling stuck. On top of 4 really poorly people, we had a very temperamental car that didn't give us confidence to make long trips. Unsurprisingly, we decided to take a trip anyway! 

Perhaps it was bringing the yummy little golden goodness that brought us some luck. Our trip to Yorkshire reminded us of how much we loved being in the great outdoors. It was freezing but it felt absolutely refreshing. As we enjoyed the stunning landscapes, we couldn't help take photographs of our little handmade creations against that backdrop. 

This is Gordale Scar, a limestone ravine in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. If you want to visit a really stunning place less than 60 miles from Manchester, this is it. It is a really low effort but high reward kind of place. Pretty flat terrain from the carpark and won't take longer than 90 minutes to explore the place. We managed to really enjoy ourselves there despite being so unfit after coughing, sneezing and lying in bed with a 39/40 degree fever the entire month before.   

​We were absolutely stunned by the sheer size of the rock formations. 

We couldn't resist popping by Grassington to see the actual filming location of  "All creatures great and small". It was so surreal walking along the cobbled streets and among buildings built in the 18th century. I think this trip was partly due to the evenings when Debra and I just crash in front of the tele binging on the series. Sometimes I wonder if we were just meant to live in a village because we love the countryside so much. 

I must say that the trip to Yorkshire really inspired us with design ideas and calm to get on with the shop relaunch. You'll find these prints very familiar....

We did spend most of early March trying to move a HUGE mountain of work. I think we've forgotten how intensive it was to go through an entire product cycle. Planning, drawing, digitising, editing, printing and selecting fabrics, handcrafting product, testing, photography, more editing, marketing and finally putting it on the website. We had to learn to manage our time between homeschooling, chores and work once again. I must say that 7 years of prior experience really did help us. I don't think it would have been possible if we were just starting out. 

What we are just starting out with is the art of gardening and growing our own food. At the moment i've just been told by Gwyn that my garden doesn't look quite as good as the one above so i am suffering from garden envy...i'll keep on working hard i guess...​

​We also had a different kind of potato day. We lovingly sowed potatoes! Stay tuned to see if we end up with more potatoes in late summer. 

Selling the old car and finding a new one meant i've had so many days i just felt so defeated. We needed something bigger than a supermini sized car and it had to be reliable. I was doing a lot of research and negotiations but i had little to show for after two months. Some days are just potato days. Days with no results. Days with bad results. I've learnt to prioritise my own mental health and give myself a break. Insisting and rushing never ends well. 

As with a lot in our lives, it is when i just surrender to God's timing when things happen. I was suddenly able to find a good car and secured a deal just 15 minutes into a discussion. Just like that, Matt and i took a train ride up north to bring home.....

AN ELECTRIC CAR! We are now starting our journey of living with zero tailpipe emissions vehicle (aka electric car). A longer trip will now consist of 2 or more quick charging stops. It feels like a divine inspired lesson to slow down and slow down we did. 

Amazingly, we've been blessed with a good amount of cool, clear and sunny days. It is taking those potato days that allowed us to regroup our thoughts and plan our moves. It is the rest days that allow us to make wonderful memories and do something different.

We squeezed in a day trip to Manchester's Science and Industry Museum to experience the Operation Ouch exhibition. The trip showed us that we can take long trips with an electric car. The trip showed us how our body works. The trip showed us that slowing down is worth it. 

We've learnt that the days that seem wasted are not actually wasted. They are the days that fuel the productive and intense days. I cannot feel prouder to see the result of the potatoXproductive days. They are all in store now!

We met our goal of getting the collection out in spring despite facing exhaustion, sickness, an unreliable car and not being able to find a replacement vehicle. We met our goals despite having to stop, rest and just let go. 

When we finally sorted out work last weekend, we were looking for another adventure. Matt suggested we took our car on its first trip to Wales and we did! After all, Wales will always be our first choice for a relaxing day out in nature. A short 5 mile hike brought us to look at amazing feats of engineering, wonderful creatures and the mighty river dee. 

The surrounding areas around Poncysyllte Aqueduct in Trevor, Wrexham are very scenic and it was just amazing to be back in Wales for the first time in 2025. Here in North East Wales we did find a friend having a potato day too haha! We also met other adorable animals at the park and we were all spellbound by the guinea pigs. On top of requests for getting ducks, goats and chickens as pets, the guinea pig requests are now coming in too...

As the sun began to set, we explored the highest canal aqueduct in the world. It was mind boggling how people managed to build something this massive in the late 18th century/Early 19th century without all the modern equipments.

Perhaps they did take things at a slower pace. Perhaps that allowed them to think and flourish creatively. It certainly did work for us. It might work for you too!

The next time you are worried about having potato days, don't!