Welcome !

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

Sadly, I have now returned from my four-month tour. If you were curious to learn a little about where I went, what I did and how it went, please feel free to browse the first 17 posts found under the blogs title in the menu.

The Name: Just About Managing…

Since returning, I have continued writing and opted to rebrand the site to better align with life in its present form: Just About Managing (or JAM for short). To me, the word ‘managing’ is quite comical because it can be interpreted in two - rather conflicting - ways. On the one hand, managing suggests that you’re successfully in control. For example “I manage a business” or, “I manage to sleep despite the sound of my husband crying”. Therefore in this context, if you hear someone complain that they’re struggling, you can offer some extremely helpful advice about control like:  “it’s just about managing; managing your time, your resources, your emotions etc.”. Trust me, this really works like a charm when someone is feeling down. 

On the other hand, managing implies that you’re just about getting by through life’s difficulties; just barely coping with all the perplexities that adulthood throws at you. For instance “I’m managing to live off £3 a week”. Yes, it’s 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 and is reflective of my ability to feel completely in control of my life and totally petrified about the future at the same time.

But Holly, Who Are You?

I ask myself this daily. In terms of the practicalities, my name’s Holly and I was born and raised in sunny North Wales. In 2019, I finished school and moved to Liverpool for university where, despite the Covid cloud, I had an amazing time and I’m extremely grateful to my incredible friends who made the experience even better than I could ever have imagined. From scuba-diving and skateboarding to surfing and skiing, I have a range of hobbies that entertain me through the year!

Otherwise, there isn’t much more to say… the blogs will reveal more about me than anything I could write here!

WHY?

This is also a question I ask myself regularly. If we’re talking relevance here, I decided to write a blog to document my time travelling around Europe. When I told my friends and family that I was starting a blog, a lot of people responded with “well why not a vlog?” (a video-blog for the oldies reading). The truth is and as cliché as this sounds, I was worried about missing the moment, or at least not being completely present in the moment. I didn’t want the strain of constantly having to get my camera/phone out trying to get content.

Furthermore, 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 accurate.

I really enjoyed writing my blogs and have therefore continued. My more recent blogs take a stream of consciousness mode as I blather on about completely unrelated topics such as employment (or lack of), my favourite curry dishes and the chamber psych genre - don’t worry, I don’t really know what it entails either. These blogs may even include a few daft features so don’t miss out!