this month's newsletter is going to begin a little differently, as I feel I cannot jump into our usual updates without first acknowledging the ongoing conflict and loss of life in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. This has been non stop in our minds and our hearts and I'm sure you all feel the same way. The daily updates involving innocent people losing their lives is devastating, and I know there are some frogs on our lilypad who are personally affected. My heart breaks for all those involved. As I look deeper into this situation I feel I barely scratch the surface, and I am told not to put the entirety of my trust in the medias reporting. No matter how much I learn there always seems to be more to uncover. 

 

What I see are innocent lives being lost wherever I look. Absolutely no one deserves to die or to witness family members die, and I write from a place of great privilege, that I am able to sit here with my family unharmed, not worrying for their lives or mine. I am disgusted with the people in positions of power that have allowed this to happen and to continue. 

 

I have heard people say that prayers aren't enough, but as someone who personally believes in the power of prayer, it is something I personally can do. I pray for peace, a resolution, and for a better way forward. 

 

I believe another thing we can do is support each other. Our lilypad is made up of individuals, people with different backgrounds, faiths, nationalities and more. We all matter. We are sending out all of our love to you all xxxxx

 

/ 1. Bedtime selfie! / 2. Birthday girl / 3. Coco monster / 4. Cuddly shy guy! / 5. Date night! 

/ 6. Happy with his apple! / 7. Our new shed! / 8. Sunday morning snuggles! / 9. My little gardener / 10. Story time with Grandad / 11. Nailed it / 12. Waiting at the dentist!

Happy October and happy spooky season, snuggly warm jumpers and hats and scarves season, pumpkin spice season and the beginning of Christmas music playing in shops season! YES the dark nights and the cold are depressing but YES I love the fashion, the food, the smells, the anticipation for Xmas, I love it!!!

So Rose, Ziggy and I kicked off this month with the most incredible experience of riding a tractor and doing some actual farming! Our farmer neighbour let us help to harvest his maize and then drive the tractor over it to flatten it! It was amazing and also really relaxing at some points! 😆 Ziggy absolutely loved watching all the tractors and being able to sit in one. It was a really fun, magical experience and then Ziggy slept for so long afterwards, as he was so tired out! 

Talking of Ziggy, we cannot believe how quickly he is growing up. After a blissful period where he seemed to stop growing for a while, Rose and I have noticed his clothes getting a little tight, his tops getting a little short and his socks no longer fitting... Our big boy is growing up and it's time to buy him some more outfits! 🥺 I have begun the process of stopping breastfeeding, and as I sit here I can report that yesterday he had absolutely no feeds at all all day even though it was Sunday and we were home together the whole time. He is now only feeding to sleep, which I will eventually phase out too. This is an enormous accomplishment for me, as I think you guys all know that Rose and I have issues with setting boundaries! I really struggle with it and then setting them with a toddler who you absolutely love and don't want to see upset is tricky to navigate! I really did everything I could to minimize any upset that taking this away from Ziggy might cause, and I couldn't be happier with how it's going! I often forget this myself, but as you all know I no longer have a relationship with my Mum or Dad. So when going through difficult times with Ziggy I don't have any parental advice or someone to turn to for guidance. Obviously I have Rose and my friends! But sometimes it's nice to have that parental comfort. So I truly am proud of how I'm handling these big periods of change! 

Stopping breastfeeding causes a change in hormones similar to the change in hormones post partum so I'm a little bit afraid of how I'm going to feel, especially as my post partum was so rough for me mentally! But I know over time I will adjust! But I have warned Rose. 😂

 

This month has been mine and Rose's 12 year anniversary since our first date! My phone sends me notifications of pictures of this day several years ago, and I've been feeling so nostalgic looking at photos of our different houses and what we've done. I feel like Rose and I have lived different lives, we've been through so much together and done so much, our relationship feels like this incredible whirlwind! As soon as we got together we began sharing our lives online and I feel like everything just ramped up to 100 miles per hour, when I look back and think how quick and crazy it all was! 

Since having therapy both Rose and I have made the decision to try to lessen the hectic madness in our lives and we've been trying to slow things down and enjoy the now. Having Ziggy growing up so fast only adds to the whirlwind! So we've been trying to take it slower and we've really enjoyed being present with one another this month and spending time together. And it helps that we have a fantastic new babysitter!! 

 

But anyway, our anniversary was incredible and Rose hand made me a card, which I wasn't expecting and I really appreciated!! We went out to a Japanese restaurant and then went to play crazy golf. Rose is annoyingly good at everything so she won the golf but I was actually very impressed with my skills, they've definitely got better! 

Do you frogs play a sport? Rose and I are still deciding on which Women's football team to support. I believe Bristol is our nearest/local team that are part of the WSL but lots of people made the case for us to follow Arsenal. As I'm writing, I randomly had an email asking if I wanted tickets to watch Chelsea play! Of course I said yes, here's hoping we can get some childcare sorted! 

 

As always I'm constantly trying to improve my life, and I'm proud to say I've seriously lowered my screen time! I'm absolutely disgusted to say there were days where I used to spend 8 hours on my phone. 😲 Now in my defense, I do work from my phone, I'm writing on my phone right now!!! But I've got my screen time down to under 4 hours daily. I am allowed to go over if I'm using my Kindle app to read. Since giving up caffeine I've now found if I spend too much time on my phone I can't sleep! So perhaps I might introduce a no screen hour before bed! 

This month we have spent lots of time with family, and we took Ziggy to see his Auntie Laura Dix at a soft play near her house, then later on in the month we had a visit from Uncle John and Auntie Hannah. After catching norovirus on Xmas Eve last year we have decided to spend this Christmas just us, our little family, so we are seeing everyone now! We are scared to visit people before Xmas in case we catch another bug! 😂 We aren't taking any chances! 

 

In fact, in a video we have coming out soon, I surprised Rose with a 'Christmas Day' to make up for the one we lost last year. Afterwards we had a serious conversation and we decided we would always have a 'Christmas Day' in the middle of the year each year, just in case! We think it's a fantastic idea and a new summer tradition! 😂 Second Christmas, two each year!!

As the seasons change and we are getting ready to change the clocks back, Rose and I have said goodbye to our current harvest and have planted new veggies which I assume we won't see again until spring! We've also planted all our spring bulbs. I'm not going to lie I've totally gotten into gardening and can see why Rose loves it so much. There's something so magical about planting something and knowing it's going to pop up and grow later!!

Finally, as you all now know, Rose and I are undergoing IVF. We want you to know that there are no current updates. We are trying to relieve any pressure on her. If we manage to have another baby, that would be wonderful. But if we don't, that's ok too. I hope you frogs all take care and I'm wishing you a wonderful Christmassy season of peace, love and joy xxx 💕

1. Around 176,000 people took to the streets on 28 October for Taiwan Pride.In 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.

 

2. Johannesburg Pride, which was dedicated to LGBTQ+ people living in Uganda who face the world’s harshest anti-gay laws, attracted 24,000 people.

3. Sex Education writer Krishna Istha is set to perform in a theatre show in which they and their partner search for a sperm donor in the audience.

 

4. Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled requiring trans people to have sterilisation surgery is unconstitutional.

 

5. A new UK legislation will allow people living with HIV who have an undetectable viral load to donate eggs or sperm for surrogacy for the first time. 

on Instagram! I have followed Estefani and her family for ages and I am obsessed with them! They just seem like the most beautiful fun family and I really enjoy seeing their updates! 

 

on Instagram and TikTok - I have just discovered this lady and I find her content sooo interesting! She is a feminist who discusses the societal pressure women face when it comes to their looks. She brought up some interesting points that I'd never even considered before that blew my mind a little bit. For example she spoke about how little girls look at grown up women and see them wearing makeup/dying their hair/doing their nails/piercing their ears whereas little boys typically see grown men with no makeup and looking like them, but older. That little girls might grow up thinking their natural self is not 'enough' whereas little boys might not feel this way. I found it some interesting food for thought. 

 

I'm so glad we tried this on a whim one day because it is DELICIOUS and they do a vegan option too! We are OBSESSED!!

 

I've just started this and although it is slightly triggering in the second episode I'm really enjoying it!! I do love Brie Larson!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all of you celebrating! 

 

In our Halloween survey, we asked you what's your biggest fear out of the choices below…and apparently, spiders aren't very popular in our community! 🕷️

Now this is where it gets more interesting 😂…you've probably met someone before who was scared of bananas or seemingly normal stuff that's not considered to be scary by the general population. We wanted to know what unusual phobias you might have and there were plenty of them!!! 😂 

 

These are some of your unusual phobias: sandpaper, cow's milk, automatic hand dryers, balloons, sharks in the pool, men in lycra, statues, liver, belly buttons, people eating crisps, someone touching a back of your knees, kitchen mandolines, umbrellas, swimming with fish, the smell of mildew, glacé cherries (the type on Bakewell tarts), being framed for crimes that you didn’t commit, fingernails, clusters of holes or bumps, yogurt, clowns, slugs, snails, butterflies, Piers Morgan, fish, hermit crabs, someone eating raw meat in front of you, rats, snakes…there were so many answers!!! 

 

Honestly, it's all valid! This just shows that many of us have these strange phobias or fears and they are probably more common than you might think. 

 

Someone also mentioned ‘filling out forms’ ooops! 😂 

We asked you..'Can you guess what are Rose's biggest fears? 😱'

The correct answers are: caving, shipwrecks, and the vastness of space!

And (of course) we also asked you..'Can you guess what are Rosie's biggest fears? 😱'

The correct answers are: the dark and a 4th degree tear! 😂

…and finally, these are the most popular Halloween/scary movies according to you: 

 

Scorpio season brings a unique energy that affects everyone, regardless of their zodiac sign. In essence, Scorpio season challenges us to confront our inner depths, explore our passions, and embrace transformation. 🔥 It's a powerful time of personal growth, self-discovery, and empowerment for all. Scorpios are known for their deep and intense personalities. Emotions run deep during this time, and relationships may take on a more profound significance. 

 

Blue topaz is believed to enhance qualities associated with Scorpio, such as emotional depth, introspection, and transformation. It is thought to help Scorpios find clarity in their emotions, navigate through complex situations, and balance their intense feelings. 

Was on a waitlist to get into my master's, lost all hope when i got my acceptance letter last week. Never thought I would ever go to university (late ADHD diagnosis), now I have an urban planning degree and going to get an urban planning master's with a concentration in transportation planning. I'll be 31 when I finish, but I finally found what I'm passionate about, been with my girlfriend for 4 years, life couldn't be better :)

I went to my first queer event and had the best time ever! ❤️ I was really nervous but it was just one of the best nights of my love. 

Thought you might like to see photos of ‘Hugo’ my cocker spaniel for the newsletter. You can also follow him on instagram @hugothechocolatecocker. He’s such a beautiful dog and extremely intelligent and so well behaved. He’s basically a human with furry skin. Lol.

However when he was 18mths old he got lost on a walk in the countryside and was missing for 18hrs. !! Worst night of our lives as you can imagine. With help from, locals, family and the game keepers from a nearby stately home we spend the night combing the hedgerows and fields with torches.

However with the help of Facebook we found him when he finally turned up 5 miles away barking to be let in to the ‘Dog Groomers ’ where he had been the day before!!
We feel so lucky to have got him back, and the help and support we got from local people and Facebook gave us faith in humanity. He was very scared when we got him and his paws were red raw and it took him about a week to recover from his ordeal.
He now wears a GPS collar so we don’t lose him again.  So far so good. !! 

Hugo wants for nothing and consider ourselves blessed to have such a beautiful dog.

Did you enjoy the newsletter? Let us know, we would love to hear from you.

Don't forget to email us if you want to be our next ‘Frog of the month’, have your pet featured as a 'Pet of the month' or if you want to add a message to our noticeboard. We also welcome any other ideas that you might have. After all, we do this newsletter for you and we want you to enjoy it.