A New Chapter and Lots of Hot Chocolate

Hello friends! Finally, I am back to join the land of the living. On social media at least. And on this blog, which I feel I have neglected lately. Naughty me!

The past month has been the most stressful and exciting time. A lot has happened, and I felt I really needed the space to be able to do everything I needed to do without the distractions that social media can bring. As such, I decided to take a month off. I have spent the past 4 weeks going over and signing contracts for the purchase of our property, getting Söpösisu ready to launch with Heidi and trying to get over a very, very bad cold. I have been quite sick since Easter time, which has made it difficult to get through the day sometimes and achieve anything. But I feel I am coming out of the other side now, and feel much more able to get on with things. I will never take my health for granted again!

I have not really been active on any social media platforms as I wanted to focus on getting the business up and running, and to do that well I felt I needed the space, especially from Instagram, which can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, and take so much more time than I have had spare these past weeks. But all the work and stress has been worth it, as we have finally launched Söpösisu, a project that has taken us twelve months to get up and running. We are really excited to have started and to continue our creative, entrepreneurial journey. Anyone who has ever started their own business will know the excitement (hard work, stress and sleepless nights) that comes with undertaking a venture like this. It feel like it’s a big step towards a very different kind of future. Inevitably, it will bring challenges, but challenges that we are excited to face. Bring it on!

But, running a business will also bring change, as will moving to rural Victoria, to the property we have bought there. 

It feels like a new life is about to begin for us. It’s quite surreal to think we are the owners of two properties in the country and that soon, our lives are going to change so much. Will we even recognise ourselves in two months time? I don’t know. What I do know is, I’m very much looking forward to the challenges, whatever they might be, because we will be living in a house that is our very own, on land that is our own, where we can plant and grow our food and create a place that is everything we want it to be. I know it will be hard, and the challenges will be many because the houses are so old and run down. Still, I am excited and so happy to be able to fill them with love and to bring them to life again. More so, I am excited to be able to put our own mark on the houses, which consist of a main house, and a smaller cottage on two acres of land. It’s not a huge parcel of land, but it is big enough for all our needs. And there is a little creek running through the property, which is a feature both Sandy and I absolutely adore. There are also two lovely old out buildings, which we will turn into studio space. I think we will renovate these first so that we can get to work as soon as possible. I can’t even describe how thrilled I am to be able to have a dedicated studio to create, study and work. There is also an abundance of mushrooms to pick in the forests nearby and plenty of fruits to pick down winding roads. I don’t think I will ever run out of ingredients for preserve making. I might run out of jars though.

So finally, after what feels like an eternity, we are finally moving to the countryside, to sit in a kitchen with altogether different views, and to make new memories around a well loved table. Sometimes it feels like a dream, and if it is, I hope I do not wake from it.

So I say again, the past month has been busy and stressful and cold. It’s like winter crept up on me when I wasn't looking. And I certainly wasn’t prepared. I thought by now I’d have baked a thousand pies and made endless hearty stews. But this has not been the case, much to my disappointment. I have been eating well, but not so much for pleasure as for simple sustenance. But I have had one pleasure these past weeks, and that has been hot chocolate. I have made more that I can count. I’ve no doubt been stress drinking, but when it’s cold, you are pressed for time and you need something comforting and a little bit decadent, this is what works for me. It might work for you too! You can grab the recipe here.

Love and light,

Susanna xo