With pancakes, daffodils and the promise of balmy weather, I couldn’t be happier to see you!

I normally find this time of year really hard, with the cold, rain and relentless greyness, but here I am hurtling towards the summer, and I haven’t even got my body t-shirt ready yet! There are lambs gambolling in the fields, birds nesting in the trees and, when it deigns to put in an appearance, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I can almost hear the popping of buds and the pitter-patter of tiny insect feet as the hedgerows come alive again. I find myself excitedly exclaiming “Still light at 6:15!” every evening and taking photos to prove to relatives that spring is just around the corner.

I’ve been so busy since Christmas that time has flown. I’m LOVING freelance life and feel incredibly lucky to be trusted with so many people’s words. Every day is different – I can be writing copy for a corporate website one day and then immersed in a Tudor tale of treasure and mystery the next!

Setting up on my own has been a long slog of admin which I wasn’t quite ready for – creating a website, business banking, pricing; they’re not my favourite parts of the job! By far the hardest part is invoicing – for some reason it seems really hard to ask for money. Is it imposter syndrome creeping in?  So far everyone has paid promptly and given great feedback, so hopefully it will get easier as time goes on. I’d be interested to hear if others have found this hard too?

I’m trying to crack the holy grail of the perfect work-life balance, which can be difficult when you’re self-employed. I’m enjoying being able to play tennis or go to pilates during the day, as I can fit my working hours to suit me. Strangely, I seem to do my best work between 3 and 5 in the morning and 5 and 8 at night, but it’s hard to ever really switch off. I have thoughts whizzing round my head constantly, whether I’m in the bath or walking the dog.

For those of you that haven’t been formally introduced to my dog, Mo is a small, wonky Labrador that was born blind. She’s recently undergone a cataract operation in her left eye and is beginning to see things for the first time; just watching her staring intently at a sheep can reduce me to tears!

Her operation was only possible due to a successful ‘GoFundMe’ campaign, with Mo receiving donations from our very dear friends locally and also her Twitter and Instagram followers – some from as far away as America and Australia.  At the time of writing she has 6,637 followers on Twitter which is exactly 6,050 more followers than I have. I find myself assuming the role of her PA, spending hours responding to messages and posting witty captions. There’s something a little strange about pretending to be a dog and chatting to other grown-ups who are also pretending to be dogs… or cats, ponies, possums or dormice (I’m not speciest). But what a lovely life-affirming group animal twitter is. As soon as I mentioned Mo’s operation we were inundated with offers of help, heart-warming messages and even cards and presents through the post.

With the world a scary place right now, I feel lucky to have such good friends, my health and the option to lose myself on Dartmoor for an hour or so after a busy day. (Not literally, I am writing a book of walks so it’s imperative I know where I am at all times!) Somehow worldly problems feel far away when you’re windswept and standing on top of a tor, chanting affirmations! I thank my lucky stars every day that I live here in Devon.

As the weather (hopefully) picks up and my spirits begin to rise, I’m reminded of the quote “Nothing ever seems impossible in the Spring”. Let’s raise a glass to the possibilities ahead. And my mantra for this month? I am happy. I am safe. I am loved.