On Loving the Boring Life, Embracing the Messy Middle & The Time Between

Summer is in full swing here in the Somerset countryside. I’m writing this while sitting at the new, wooden, very solid table in our soon-to-be dining room. This table symbolises so much... All my hopes, dreams and hard work coming to fruition, just like nature all around me.

Search engines love all the “5 ways to…” and “10 steps for…” types of blog posts, but more than searchability, I value my connection with you, my dear reader. So I thought it was time for another post from Adriana’s Diary.

The Home

I’ll never forget the amount of kindness, well-wishes and even prayers I received when I shared that we were hoping to buy a house. Since so much love has been sent our family’s way in recent months, I thought I ought to share a little home update here first, before anywhere else.

We’re getting so close to the house being completed! The furniture in the kids’ rooms and our bedroom is already up. Andrei is finishing repainting the corridors and bathroom, so soon the entire first floor will be fully complete.

Downstairs, we had a slight delay with the plastering - it began two weeks later than expected due to unforeseen circumstances, but the building company managed to start a little earlier than rescheduled, so we’re only about 1.5 weeks behind overall. Today (12/06), the plasterer was in and we’re now hoping the kitchen might be fully completed in just a few short weeks.

There’s still the garage, which will become the new home for YR Studio. It needs to be insulated and we’ll be installing new floors, lights and an AC system. We’re hoping to have that done by the end of July too.

It’s all so exciting, but also exhausting. I feel like we’re living between two houses. I take things to the new home, then miss them in the old one. I keep making plans for the future in the new house, yet I still need to properly function in the old one.

I know this is an incredibly privileged and fortunate situation to be in and I’m deeply grateful, but I also can’t wait to finally be settled in the new place.

This whole move has only confirmed what a “boring” (in the good way, lol) person I am. I really thrive on order, routines and predictability and I’m realising just how little I wish for adventures or surprises haha!

1. (Upper Left):
Our kitchen now has a ceiling and most of the walls have been plastered, yay!

2. (Upper Right):
A big family table has been my dream for many years and now it’s come true. It symbolises so much to me: my love for our family, home and cooking... But also patience, working on your goals quietly and refusing instant gratification.

3. (Bottom Left):
Dad is Dad-ing :) I love watching Andrei grow over the years from a gym bro into a husband, father, business owner and investor. I swear he gets more attractive with each passing year and every grey hair. It’s wonderful to see him stepping into this new role as a homeowner, running around with a paintbrush and a bottle of WD-40. I’m so grateful for this man every single day.

4. (Bottom Right):
A tiny peek at our new bedroom. I promise to show you much more soon. The goal is to make it feel like a cosy cottage, but with a modern country feel. It’ll take time, but I’m not rushing anywhere...

Autumn Countdown

I’ve been truly touched by all your enthusiasm and comments. I’m so sorry I didn’t manage to reply to every single one, but I promise I read them all!

I’d been thinking about doing this countdown on the blog since last year. Instead of catering to short attention spans on social media, where people scroll by without remembering my name or brand, I decided to create for those who actually care and appreciate something more substantial in the online space.

I’m so incredibly happy and excited to have you on board for the next 12 (well, 11 now) weeks! Each week will bring us closer to our favourite time of the year, but instead of wishing time away, we’ll enjoy the journey together. I hope to see you on the blog again this Sunday for week 2 of our Autumn 2025 countdown x

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Nature

This brings me to the last part of my diary - nature. I just can’t stop ooh-ing and aah-ing everywhere I go. The pears in our new garden are taking shape, the first wild cherries are turning red and blackberries are beginning to form where flowers once bloomed… Everything around us is growing and maturing.

Soon we’ll celebrate the Summer Solstice, after which the days will begin to shorten, and the natural world will mature even faster. The harvest will be here before we know it, but don’t worry, we won’t miss a thing. Observing these changes is all part of our weekly Autumn Countdown series.

I always get a little nostalgic at this time of year, seeing the beginnings of all the “Autumnal” joys in their current form: baby chestnuts, green oak leaves, tiny apples and pumpkins. Soon we’ll be collecting shiny brown chestnuts, the oak leaves will turn yellow and gold and we’ll be cooking and baking with apples and pumpkins.

It all makes my heart beat a little faster. Watching this quiet, steady progress in nature is one of the simplest pleasures of my life. And this year, for some reason, I’m especially excited about brambles: we actually have some growing just behind the big red rose bush - expect lots of blackberry baking from me this late Summer and Autumn!

To close this post, I just want to thank you for being here: reading, watching and for ordering from our little shop. It means so much. Andrei and I are deeply grateful for your support.

Much love,
Adriana x

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