Welcome !

I’m Holly and I started this blog as a way of documenting my trip around Europe in my handsome mechanical companion, Bert.

Since returning, I’ve continue to dabble in the odd piece of writing - albeit extremely inconsistently, with periods of complete silence, so please lower any expectations you may have. 

The Name: Just About Managing…

To me, the word managing is quite amusing because it can be interpreted in two rather contradictory ways. On one hand, it suggests being successfully in control - for instance, “I manage a business” or “I manage to sleep despite the sound of my husband crying.” In this sense, if someone expresses that they’re struggling, you can provide some incredibly insightful advice about control, such as: “It’s all about managing; managing your time, your resources, your emotions, etc.” Trust me, this kind of wisdom works wonders when someone’s feeling low…

On the other hand, managing can imply merely scraping by; just barely coping with all the perplexities that adulthood throws at you. For instance “I’m managing to live off £3 a week”. Sure, it’s technically true that you could survive living off £3 a week, but the question lies at what quality of life would you have in that circumstance. For those who may not be sure, the answer is: not good. 

The name Just About Managing therefore considers both evaluations, reflecting my simultaneous ability to feel entirely in control of my life whilst also being completely terrified about what the future holds.

Why?

The big question. If we’re talking why did I decide to write a blog? Well, I’ve always written as a hobby - not well, as you’ll soon find out, but it has always featured quite heavily in my life.

Initially, I saw an opportunity to start a blog as a way of documenting my time travelling around Europe. When I told my friends and family, I was met with a lot of “well why not a vlog?”. The truth is and as self-pitying as this sounds, I don’t believe I have the personality for it (or the camera skills). I’m not always the most enthusiastic or lively person. That, and I’m awful at reciting stories if I haven’t had time to prepare what I’m about to say, therefore I doubt sticking a camera in my face would suddenly change things. But perhaps I’m wrong - never say never !

Also - and I fully recognise how pretentious this may sound - through writing, you allow yourself time for reflection. When travelling, writing gave me the freedom to experience the moment, and then a couple of days later, I could document it in the knowledge that what I was expressing in my writing was deliberate and thoughtful.

I genuinely enjoyed writing those blogs, which is why I’ve continued. My more recent entries have taken on a stream-of-consciousness style, where I ramble about completely unrelated topics like employment, my favourite curry dishes, and the chamber psych genre (Google it). You might even stumble across a few silly features, so don’t miss out!