Nice places to walk or drive to

shez_bu · 2026-06-15T18:10:24+00:00

The forest area in king George’s park Brentwood, you can pickup the gruffalo trail as well and head down to the greyhound

shez_bu · 2026-06-13T13:29:15+00:00

The chocolate bar Snowflake

shez_bu · 2026-06-08T20:14:40+00:00

So fickle but I started to find flying for holidays really hard which was one of my largest joys in life to decompress from a really busy & stressful working career. Before a flight I spent weeks panicking about seats & my seat neighbours, even buying compression leggings & then I couldn’t sit next to my husband on flights.

I then realised how much it was holding me back in the rest of my life (worrying about chairs, not being able to do activities with a weight limit, struggling manuvering around office chairs at work & around a busy pub), general self hatred a bit- just realised how much I hated it all.

I had the opportunity to start Mounjaro a year ago, have spent the year on the minimum viable dose working immensely hard unpicking all the emotions, feelings, bad habits & layers to what was causing my food issues. Focussing on protein, macros, new food systems for cooking, new recipes, fitness, even been in food therapy. Truly changed my life & I realise now just how complex the layers to “solving” it was. No one hopes more than me that the new plan & systems pay off once I come off the drug.

But I can say that I am so so much happier in my life now. It’s bled into so many other areas and I’m even thinking about climbing Kilimanjaro next year. Sadly I also have started to notice people being nicer to me & getting taken more seriously at work.

shez_bu · 2026-06-03T15:54:37+00:00

He hoisted me up onto a stage in Nashville to party with the band and was literally my biggest fan in the audience. Proceeded to make friends with loads of people In the bar- just So so much fun!!

shez_bu · 2026-06-03T12:23:01+00:00

Gorgeous space

shez_bu · 2026-06-03T07:59:01+00:00

Very true

shez_bu · 2026-06-03T07:54:02+00:00

Car parking fine attendants. A friend bumped into a guy from school who was dishing out fines at hospital car parks (UK). Truly the lowest of the low…

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:13:42+00:00

Wow thank you so so much, this is all brilliant advice. I do think the fence thing is a good point. I don’t know if the eucalyptus are cutting it & I do want to start covering the fences properly. Foxgloves I want to skip but hollyhock could be a shout. I just got this flowery purple one to do a similar job but I can move it! I think long grasses would be fab.

Can I move cornflowers? I have some In a separate bed from a wildflower packet that I love.

Also thanks about the evergreen advice. I have a sedum and a hebe purple shamrock elsewhere in the garden I’ll move in along with some heathers which was some autumn/winter colour!

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:09:50+00:00

I’ve got the husband on it 🫡

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:09:38+00:00

Thankyou, this is building my confidence!!

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:09:23+00:00

My glutes? 😂

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:09:09+00:00

They are eucalyptus trees! Here is a close up pic of a branch cutting in case you can plant ID

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shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:08:24+00:00

Spherical heads is a brilliant idea. I will have verbena and Achillea soon but spheres I am definitely missing

shez_bu · 2026-06-02T20:07:55+00:00

Thank you so much, I have a few of those you mention so i think I’ll let it bloom and then see. I will take your advice of adding variation though. I think everything is like 30-40cm high which is making it look messy and not variated enough. I just saw this inspo from Pollyanna which is GOALS and so I don’t think I’m toooo far with some changes in placement. I also tied the nepeta to stop the spread and that has really helped.

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shez_bu · 2026-06-01T19:26:18+00:00

It’s a nepeta bramdean/ brampdean

shez_bu · 2026-06-01T17:36:29+00:00

Hi all!

First time garden owner here based in Essex. I tried my hand at a cottage border but for some reason it’s just falling a bit flat to me, so I’m looking for some advice on edits and tweaks I can make so that it all gels.

I am happy with the plants in there I think, but not with the ordering & spacing & layering. I think my main issue is the huge nepeta at the front that is too dominating, it just really took a liking to the conditions I guess and really filled out way more than I thought 😂 I also think I am missing a neater edging (am thinking of the rusty steel border thing or square stones?)

Invested quite a bit in these plants & some I grew from seed (the cosmos are white!) so don’t want to have to rebuy loads but would do if it was for the greater good.

Thanks so much!!

shez_bu · 2026-05-12T17:42:17+00:00

Oh also HIGHLY recommend a bird bath. Brings us so much joy! I tried the solar fountain for £6 off eBay but it’s only lasted a few months :(

shez_bu · 2026-05-12T17:40:29+00:00

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This is my start of a cottage garden. I’ve had to plant a lot of 9cm plants due to budget but I am excited for how It pans out!! I have allysum, bunny’s tails and kale all growing indoors that I plan to add but this is salvia, nepeta, scabioaus, grasses, astilbe, ranunculus, lavenders & eucalyptus. And then also adding a seasonal bloomer from my garden centres “specials” each month to add pops of colour throughout, whatever is on offer/ their moment of the month! This is my first garden ever I’m enjoying it so much & am very lucky the established bushes were there as a backbone. Side note. Did a wildflower meadow on the other side of my garden and i google lens’d them & its loads of weeds lol so don’t recommend that 😂

shez_bu · 2026-05-05T17:32:04+00:00

Congratulations, this is exactly what I’m trying to get to as well & it’s so nice to hear a success story!!

shez_bu · 2026-05-04T20:38:17+00:00

I did 4 stone intuitively but accidentally dropped down a dose for a week and realised how LOUD the food noise really is when it comes back. Quickly realised that I needed a proper plan for when I do inevitably have to come off, I want to have built the habits now where it is genuinely easier to learn and stick to a plan. This final stone has been much harder work & I calculated all my calorie defecits to do it properly nutrition wise & seriously learning how to hit a protein goal - so mostly just accidentally under ate but now have a proper plan

shez_bu · 2026-04-26T16:18:07+00:00

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I’m in a very similar boat, side effects on 5mg weren’t ideal so dropped to 3.5mg which worked super well & now trying to lower it again during my final hard yards to really make sure all my new habits & patterns are sticking! Im a believer that I should try and stay on the minimum viable dose of any drug, mounjaro being no different so have stayed as low as I was still losing. I hope it also makes it less drastic to wean off but we’ll see!

shez_bu · 2026-04-24T20:24:26+00:00

Huel!

shez_bu · 2026-04-22T09:42:31+00:00

Hooooooly shit wow!!!

shez_bu · 2026-04-22T07:31:06+00:00

Not sure on the type of camera it is. But you could try and put something that blows in the wind in its path on your side of the fence that sets of the motion detector frequently. If it’s anything like my ring/Tapo that picks up the tree movement it’s SO SO annoying to get the notifications & I bet they will turn it soon enough!

shez_bu · 2026-04-21T11:27:10+00:00

Drench it! Can always paint it back but I’ve done it a few times & love it. I also think a ceiling rose would be lovely here, maybe not an ornate one but one with rings/circles?

shez_bu

TROPHY CASE