August has felt like one of those months where everything piles up at once — family, business, personal growth, and all the messy bits in between. Running Guinea Gourmet Treats (https://www.guineagourmettreats.co.uk
) is never just about drying herbs or packing orders; it’s about weaving my life into the things I create. And this month, that weaving has been intense.
Foraging & GGT Updates 🌱
The attic has slowly been turning into a treasure chest of dried forage. I’ve bagged bamboo leaves, carrot tops, dandelion flowers, rose petals, hazel branches, pine cones, sow thistle, ash leaves — basically anything the season offered up.
It wasn’t just about stock though — it was about the moments. Picking bamboo with the kids for Krista’s custom order, laughing at myself when I tried panda-style chewing the thick stalks (rock hard, don’t recommend), or carefully bagging the very last of the summer roses from the garden.
Every plant stored away is another reminder that GGT is seasonal, grounded in what grows here, now. It’s messy, imperfect, but it’s real.
Rescue Work 🐾
I’ve been reminded why I no longer run a rescue directly. The costs, the endless vet bills, the emotional exhaustion — they’re brutal. I poured myself into writing about it this month, not to complain, but to explain why I now support rescues in the way I do: through profit-sharing, bundles, and amplifying their voices. I can’t do it all myself anymore, but I can use GGT to make a dent.
Family Life 🏡
This month has been a rollercoaster. The kids have had their highs and lows.
Taylor has been navigating her ADHD traits, especially with focus and fairness. I’ve had moments of pride — like talking openly about ADHD with her and seeing it land well — and moments of pure exhaustion, like managing her frustrations in queues or school prep.
Ty and I have had deeper reflections too. Parenting him has never been straightforward, and revisiting those early memories of meltdowns and punishment made me face why I sometimes resist being as attentive with him as I am with Taylor. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to shift that.
And then there’s Jay. Let’s just say the dynamics continue to test me. This month brought up old wounds and new manipulations, but it also gave me clarity. Clarity that I can hold my own power, not just survive but play chess when he’s still stuck on checkers.
Personal Growth 🌸
This month has been about noticing cycles — in mood, in family, in myself. I’ve danced alone with vodka and music when I needed release. I’ve pushed myself back onto the bike, sweating through HIIT sessions while tracking every calorie. I’ve felt the weight of my past creeping back when old traumas resurfaced, but instead of sinking, I’ve used it to fuel awareness — for me, and for my kids’ safety and resilience.
Even my reflections on society — from ADHD to changing rooms, immigration protests to gender dynamics — all fed into the same thing: questioning. I was raised to not question, to comply. Now I’m learning to speak, to dig, to flip the board when the game is rigged.
The Thread That Ties It All Together 🌿
At first glance, forage, family, and personal reflections don’t connect. But they do. The resilience of a guinea pig finding joy in a rose petal. The grounding of a rabbit crunching hazel. The fragility of my kids learning how to self-regulate. The chaos of my mind swinging between highs and lows.
It’s all nature. Messy, cyclical, seasonal, alive.
And if August has taught me anything, it’s that I don’t have to polish it all into a perfect story. I just have to keep harvesting the lessons, like I do with the forage — drying them, storing them, pulling them out when needed.
✨ So here’s to September. To more leaves, more lessons, more questioning, and more growth — for me, for GGT, and for every tiny paw that tucks into what I’ve foraged.
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