From The Pumpkin Patch

If you pull the Wheel of Fortune card during a tarot reading, you can be guaranteed that change is on the way.

I love looking at this card. At the top of the wheel sits a sphinx, while Anubis skulks around at the bottom. These two Egyptian figures represent the wisdom of both the Gods and the underworld. The wheel rotates continuously; as one comes up, the other comes down.

Over the past few years, I felt like my Wheel of Fortune had gotten stuck at the bottom. Life seemed to be permanently set to hard mode, no matter how much I tried to change it.

But something feels different in 2026.

My wheel is moving again. Good things are happening. Problems that have plagued me for years are being solved.

In short, January was a good month. Here are just some of the things that made it so special!

Positive health results

On New Year’s Eve, I received the letter I’d been dreading. The results of my smear test.

I hate smear tests. For the past five years, mine have come back positive for HPV and abnormal cells. I’ve had to undergo two colposcopies, and it’s a really anxiety-provoking experience for me.

So you can imagine my relief when I opened the letter and finally got the news that I’m HPV-negative, with no abnormal cells! It was a great way to start the new year, and I’m still overjoyed about it.

Started HIIT classes

I’ve been sticking to the same gym routine for over a year, so it was definitely time to switch it up for 2026.

On Monday mornings, I now wake up at 6am and head to a HIIT class. It’s pretty hard work (although, the most difficult part is getting out of bed) but I’m always proud of myself afterwards.

I’d like to add another class or two, but I’m starting small for now.

Won an award

This month, I won an award at work!

We hold a digital team awards ceremony every year. There are over 100 of us, so we end up taking over a large space at the Google offices in London. The theme is the Oscars, so it’s a great excuse to dress up.

The categories are sent out a month or two in advance, and we all vote for the colleagues that we believe deserve to win. I was incredibly touched to win ‘Best Script’ due to my writing skills, and received my own little Oscar statue.

I struggle quite a bit with imposter syndrome at work (although, I’ve made big improvements) so this award meant a lot to me.

Received some amazing news

We’ve been dealing with a house-related issue for almost three years now. I don’t want to give away too many details, but it’s been incredibly stressful and frustrating.

At the end of January, we received the news that we’d been waiting for. It was such a relief, and I’m so excited to move forward and put this all behind us.

Made some home improvements

All I wanted for Christmas was the cutest set of shelves I’d ever seen. I could just imagine them hanging on the landing wall upstairs, holding some of my favourite books and little trinkets.

So of course, my husband bought them for me. And my in-laws surprised me with the most perfect full-length mirror, which I’d been wanting to fill another space on the landing wall. It was a lovely Christmas!

My husband and father-in-law hung them both on the wall for me after the New Year, and I just love seeing them every day. These new home touches inspired me to purchase a couple of plants, some new bathroom accessories and complete my work space makeover. Everything looks so lovely!

Became obsessed with Sonny Angel

I love cute Japanese trinkets, and Sonny Angel is no exception. He’s a cherubic little boy with a variety of adorable outfits, and I really tried hard not to buy one.

But when they came out with the Pumpkin Patch series, I cracked. It started when my friend bought me one for Christmas. Then I got another, and another…

Now I have four, and I love them so much. I just need to get the last two in the series, and then I’m done. Promise.

Did my first tarot card readings

One of my 2026 goals is to learn tarot, and I made a great start in January. Every weekend this month found me studying the basic meanings of each card and attempting some simple spreads.

I did a past, present and future reading on my husband and a friend, and it was so rewarding to see the clarity and optimism it brought them. The readings were also spookily accurate…

When I first decided to learn tarot, I thought it would simply be fun and self-reflective. But I’m also discovering how fulfilling it feels, and how much it can help others.

Brought my short stories to life

I wrote two short stories last year, and I’m so proud of them. It’s like I created these little pocket worlds in my mind, put them down on paper, and invited other people inside.

These stories currently live on my laptop (although I am taking steps to try to get them published) but I wanted a visual representation, something I could look at every day.

So my talented husband created two incredible pieces of artwork to symbolise each of my stories. They’re exactly what I imagined. I want to frame them and hang them above my desk, to remind myself just what I’m capable of.

Got a tax refund

As if this month hadn’t brought enough good news, I found out that I’m due a pretty substantial tax refund! This will go a long way towards helping me hit my savings goals in 2026.

You see? What a wonderful month! And there’s more to come, I can just feel it.