My 2022 round-up

Although it is the middle of January, I loved writing my 2021 and 2020 round-up. So, I couldn’t resist writing my 2022 round-up as well! 2022 had some real highlights, but there were some devastating lows as well.

January

January was definitely the worst month of 2022 for me. My granny was getting more ill and then she passed away near the end of the month. I was quiet for most of the month as you can imagine. On top of that, I had exams which were very hard to concentrate on during all of this.

February

Following on from January, I was still obviously feeling very down so it was a slow start to the month. I actually ended up challenging a fear food of mine at the funeral. There were scones served which really reminded me of my granny, so I decided to eat one for her. It was hard because I hadn’t had one in years, but telling myself I was doing it for her helped. After this, I made scones myself and now I make them without a problem!

I went on my first date, and it was honestly horrible. I don’t think I will be meeting up with someone from Bumble again, it just felt so awkward. Flowers were starting to come out in the garden which I was happy about. I love seeing the crocuses and other bulb flowers come up.

March

I think March was the month I really started to get into birdwatching! I went to nature reserves more often, which was one of my goals for 2022. I even saw a kingfisher which was very exciting, and I hope I get to see another now that I have binoculars. And of course, more flowers were blooming. I call March tulip month because my birthday is in March and they are one of my favourite flowers. I turned 20 and I had a great birthday with my family and friends. I went to the cat cafe with my parents, and Pizza Express with my friends!

April

In April, I went to visit my auntie and uncle in Cornwall which was nice. This month, my mum and I went on a butterfly walk and I saw some butterflies I hadn’t seen before. I was very excited to spot an Orange-tip butterfly – we followed it until I managed to get a picture. Very blurry, but oh well! I visited a few new nature reserves and saw lots of birds.

May

May was a month full of assignments and exams, so very stressful! My friend and I went on lots of butterfly walks and spotted lots of wildlife. If you ever come to Bournemouth, I highly recommend Coy pond by the upper gardens. It is so beautiful there, we saw baby ducks and coots which were so adorable. There are also coy fish (hence the name). Durlston Country Park in Swanage is amazing for butterflies. We saw lots of Common Blues and Small Blues which was very exciting! (I did get very sun burnt that day too 😬).

June

In June, I started my placement at Four Acre Farm which is a vegetable farm in Ringwood. I absolutely adored it and it was honestly the best experience! I learnt so much and got to do it with my friend (who is now my best friend :)). My highlights were planting trees, moth traps, spotting butterflies, picking produce, sowing seeds etc. Lots of people don’t like weeding, but I find it so healing ♥. I posted what we did every day for like 13 days until I got too busy aha. Follow me on TikTok to see them! It was so hot during June (and July) so I went to the beach a lot to relax after work. Often I had a quick dip, got cold and went home haha.

When I went home, my mum and I visited another nature reserve that had lots of butterflies. My parents had built a new pond in our garden and it was attracting a lot of wildlife so I loved spending time near it. The birds, especially great tits, loved to have a bath on the steps of the waterfall. It was one of the cutest things I have ever witnessed! There were lots of damselflies and even a dragonfly or two.

Continue reading: My 2022 round-up

July

In July, I took part in Walk For Endo where I walked 8000 steps every day. This might not seem like much, but it was a challenge for me. I managed to raise £130 which I am so thankful to everyone that contributed! I share a lot about how endometriosis affects me on Instagram, but not so much here. March is endometriosis awareness month so I will be sharing a post or two then 💛.

I went to Nottingham to meet my friend, we went to the cat cafe and lots of charity shops. We went to a doughnut shop called Doughnotts where I bought the most delicious red velvet doughnut, and it was vegan! During the time I was at home, once again my mum and I went on butterfly walks. I spent lots of time at the allotment, planting radishes and digging up carrots and potatoes. I had previously sown a patch of wildflower seeds so it was nice to see them come up.

One of the great bonuses about working at Four Acre Farm was that I got to take home fresh vegetables and flowers! During the month we harvested more vegetables, made garlic plaits, identified moths and butterflies, and I discovered that I love courgettes. So many good meals were made with delicious organic vegetables.

My friends and I went to the beach for a beach BBQ which was one of my highlights. We had veggie hot dogs, halloumi, vegetable skewers, tortilla chips & salsa, smores, and of course our cocktail cans. I had a couple of dips in the sea and watched the sunset which was so beautiful.

I went on a solo trip to Wimbourne for my last day in Bournemouth before moving home. I visited my granny’s tree and lots of places that we used to go to. Some of them had gone, but I got a cream tea in a cafe/bakery that we used to go to. Of course, I couldn’t resist looking around a bookshop and all the charity shops.

July was a good month.

August

August started out nice because I was back at home for a couple of weeks. My family and I went on lots of butterfly walks. We saw some butterflies I hadn’t seen before including the Silver-washed fritillary, Large Skipper, Chalk-hill Blue (my favourite), Dark Green Fritillary and Green-veined White. I was on the allotment a lot, picking red currants, raspberries, blackberries, chard and flowers.

I met up with my friend in Birmingham and we went to the botanical gardens which were really pretty. Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold but we had a nice time. They have a butterfly house which I was really looking forward to, but I think we came a bit end of season. Still, I saw some amazing butterflies.

The rest of August wasn’t so good for me. I went to the Lake District intending to be there for 3 weeks for a placement with the RSPB. Unfortunately, on day 2 or 3, I got a bad endometriosis flare-up. I literally just had a flare-up the week before so I was hoping to get through the weeks without one. But it is very unpredictable and I was in too much pain. The team at RSPB were very understanding, but I ended up going home. I was in bed for a few days, so physically and mentally exhausted.

September

My September was quite relaxed because I hadn’t intended to be at home. I was happy to have some time to relax with my cats before university started again. Since I was at home, I spent a lot of time at the allotment again. I was picking cucumbers, corn cobs, chard and lots of different flowers. We went on our last butterfly walk of the year and spotted the Brown Argus butterfly which I was excited to see!

I moved back to Bournemouth for my final year of university which I still can’t believe is here! My friend and I went to an ABBA night and dressed up in 70s clothes. It was fun, but we think that’s where we caught covid 🙁 so we quarantined for I think about 10 days. I facetimed my parents a lot during that period.

October

My sister visited me for the weekend which I loved. We went to the beach, bought pic n mix from the sweet shop and went to Zizi’s for dinner. Then in the morning, we went to a cute breakfast place which I have been wanting to go to for ages! I joined a volunteering beach litter thing where we organise beach cleans throughout the year. We had our first beach clean and picked up 15kg of litter!

My friend and I visited a pumpkin patch and had some pizza there too, it was a lot of fun. At the end of the month, I went to 2 Halloween parties which were a lot of fun (and I got a little too tipsy). My highlight of the month was seeing Six the musical! I booked and then cancelled to see it about 4 times due to covid, so I was very happy to finally see it. It was amazing, highly recommend booking tickets.

November

The start of November was reading week so I went home to spend some time with my family. My favourite thing was going to Westonbirt Aboretum which is so pretty and we saw lots of beautiful autumnal trees. My friends and I went pottery painting which I really enjoy doing. I made a mug and wrote ‘take time to smell the flowers’ and I love to use it every day. I decided to put up my Christmas decorations in mid-November since I was going home early.

Related post: 7 ways nature can improve your mental health

December

December started with our house Christmas party! We each made one or two different dishes and then shared them together. I made a Christmas tree garlic bread tear and share, you have probably seen it on Instagram as I ended up making it 3 times across the month. I volunteered at the Pull-a-pine event that RSPB Arne holds every year. December was a very bready month for me, as I also made an olive loaf which was delicious. I’m planning on making focaccia next.

Then we had that snowy period, but on the day it snowed very heavily in Cheltenham, I was on the train back to Bournemouth. Gutted to have missed out sledging, but I had a lovely time in Bournemouth too. I got to go on a nature walk at my favourite reserve, ice skating with my friend, Christmas movie night, Slug and Lettuce and another Christmas party.

My siblings and I made our annual gingerbread house! This year we went for a butterfly theme, making a Red Admiral, Peacock, Clouded Apollo, Chalk-hill Blue, Gatekeeper and Orange-tip butterfly. We also made moths including Jersey Tiger, Cinnabar, Speckled Yellow and Manchester Treble Bar. A lot of fun.

I hope you enjoyed reading my 2022 round-up. Here’s to 2023 🥂

How was your 2022?

Best wishes, Cx