| I was recently asked two related questions by clients: |
| Where do you find the time to create content for this blog? And do you have a method — or do you write when the mood strikes? The honest answer is that time has found me, rather than the other way around. Weather, work, and enforced pauses This winter has brought persistent rainfall across not just Kent, but much of the UK. For gardening, it’s been deeply disruptive. Gardens in Sandwich are an eclectic mix of styles, which brings character, but doesn’t always lend itself to a consistent routine, particularly where lawns are concerned. Many lawns have reached what I can only describe as the “soup stage” — simply not safe or sensible to walk on. The result has been a constant game of catch-up: zig-zagging between showers, rescheduling work, and occasionally being forced into unplanned time off. That unexpected downtime has, at times, been redirected into writing. Over the past ten days in particular, I’ve produced a significant amount of content to launch and stabilise the new business website. [Some content has now been removed and transferred back to the website.] That initial push required focus and momentum. Now that the structure is in place, the blog will move back into a steadier rhythm — typically between 2 and 3 posts per day – 07.45am, 11.15am and 16.45pm slots. One personal reflective series planned for the summer of this year will occupy the 23.15pm slot. Injury and stillness Over the Christmas period last year, I was also dealing with an injury. While it isn’t fully resolved, it’s now manageable. At the time, though, it meant more time at home than I would have chosen. That slower pace created space — not just physically, but mentally — to organise thoughts, revisit old notes, and begin shaping ideas into something more coherent. Tools, not shortcuts It’s now quicker for me to create content using a small set of tools — primarily ChatGPT and Grammarly. That said, the ideas aren’t generated out of thin air. I’ve built up folders of notes, observations, photographs, and half-formed thoughts collected over years of gardening and paying attention. Because of that, I’m rarely short of something to write about. AI doesn’t replace thinking. It helps with structure, refinement, and clarity. From time to time, readers ask whether artificial intelligence plays a role in the writing here. The short answer is yes — but not in the way automated blogs or content farms tend to use it. Writing usually begins in rough form, with most of the article shaped before any AI tools are involved. AI is then used as a thinking partner: to test clarity, challenge phrasing, and improve flow. Research is checked, facts are reviewed, and final responsibility for what appears here always sits with me. In practical terms, AI reduces friction in the editing process. It allows more time to be spent thinking, reflecting, and working outdoors — rather than wrestling endlessly with drafts. The method (such as it is) If there is a method, it looks roughly like this: I write around 50–75% of an article myself. I then raise the piece as a discussion in the AI editor and spend time refining drafts — questioning phrasing, tightening the flow, and removing anything that feels unnecessary. Once a final draft emerges, it’s carefully checked, run through Grammarly, and paired with generated AI imagery or sourced material that genuinely suits the piece’s tone rather than simply filling space. Each article is also run through a specific remit — one that took about a week to refine. That framework keeps the writing consistent in tone and intent, even when the subject matter shifts. Alongside this, conversations themselves often spark new directions I might not have found on my own. A quiet challenge for 2026 For 2026, I set myself a personal challenge: to create and post-date roughly 700 articles — effectively building close to a year’s worth of content in advance. Partly, this was simply a challenge to myself. But it was also a practical response to the reality of seasonal work: when drier weather returns, time to sit and write becomes far harder to find. At the time of writing, I have just under 300 posts prepared. Most of this content is evergreen, written to support both the gardening blog and the wider website quietly. A smaller proportion is personal and reflective — not instructional, but observational. It isn’t about volume for the sake of it. It’s about using the time that appears, rather than waiting for the “right” moment to arrive. This site isn’t automated, outsourced, or mass-produced. It’s written slowly, edited carefully, and grounded in real work, real places, and real seasons. AI is simply one of the tools used along the way — no different in principle from a notebook, a camera, or a well-worn pair of boots. |
| About our writing & imagery Many of our articles are written by us, drawing on real experience, reflection, and practical work in gardens and places we know. Some pieces are developed with the assistance of AI as a drafting and research tool. Featured images may include our own photography, original AI-generated imagery, or—where noted—images kindly shared by other creators and credited accordingly (for example, via Pixabay). All content is shaped, edited, and published by Earthly Comforts, and the views expressed are our own. |
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