October 19th, 2017

Bye Bye Coco&Me.

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For quite some time it’s been on the cards.

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I need to round off Coco&Me and move on to pastures anew. 

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I hope you understand. 

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I always thought Coco&Me was gonna be going on forever but I’ve come to the decision that Coco&Me should remain essentially about my “baking/ market stall” era. It can not house the person that I am after the events in the past year and a half. It just doesn’t sit well.

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There is a poem by Jane Hirshfield that resonated with me. So I would like to share that with you: 

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Like Two Negative Numbers Multiplied by Rain

BY JANE HIRSHFIELD

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Lie down, you are horizontal. 

Stand up, you are not.

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I wanted my fate to be human.

Like a perfume 

that does not choose the direction it travels,

that cannot be straight or crooked, kept out or kept.

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Yes, No, Or

—a day, a life, slips through them,

taking off the third skin, 

taking off the fourth.

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And the logic of shoes becomes at last simple,

an animal question, scuffing.

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Old shoes, old roads—

the questions keep being new ones.

Like two negative numbers multiplied by rain 

into oranges and olives.

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Source: Poetry (September 2012)

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The beauty of poetry is that you can reflect your thinking to it and decipher it with own interpretation. And so I would like to use this poem as the means to describe my current thinking: 

– Is it a Yes, a No, or a Or. I’ve been toying with the idea for ages. And my decision was this. I don’t want to be housed within Coco&Me any longer, instead I want to be like a perfume which flows with free will. Because staying in the ‘old’ and ‘horizontal’ can no longer sustain and still be appropriate. And all I can think about is how to shed skin and move on to find new pasture. What I want is fruition (= happiness, contentment and re-finding myself) despite the tough time I had in the past year and a half. Because I came out of it as a slightly different but definitely a stronger person. – Just “like two negative numbers multiplied by rain (turns) into oranges and olives”. 

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Dear Coco&Me readers and supporters, it’s been an absolute pleasure to have you read my blog for so many years. The comments that you have left on here are my treasure and I will cherish it forever. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

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So what is next?

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Well, I am totally excited to tell you that I have created a new blog to document my next chapter in life. 

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It is called ‘Basics Of Happy’ and you can find it at www.basicsofhappy.com

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I very much hope to see you over there! 

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OVER AND OUT! 

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With love, 

Tamami Haga

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Thursday 19th October, 2017

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19 Comments »

  1. Yay, Tamami! Your decision makes total sense. Your purpose is new/different, so a clean break to a new site exmplifies that. And I am so glad your unique and wonderful voice will still be present on the Internet. I am a longtime reader and always enjoyed, in addition to the baking, your lifestyle posts about household items, tips and tricks, and general thoughts, so I am super excited for your new site! One side note— I tried to add the new site to my Feedly reader and it couldn’t find it; do you need to turn on some RSS setting? Thanks! – Liang

    Comment by Liang - October 19, 2017 11:19 am

  2. Awwwww….! Thank you so much Liang! I really appreciate you leaving your comment here! And I’m so grateful that you agree – it was a decision that was long time coming! And cheers for pointing out about RSS. I put together the new site myself this time with an online editor and so it’s a new skill for me to learn! – I’ll investigate!!!! xx

    Comment by Tamami - October 19, 2017 11:37 am

  3. The end of cocoandme :-(
    My twitter feed alerted me to this post.
    Nothing can last forever right?
    We should meet up in the Curve Garden one day?
    Xxxxxx

    Comment by Ariadne Ward - October 19, 2017 8:38 pm

  4. Ohhh Ari…, I guess it’s like the saying “all good things must come to an end”!? I’m not sad though, I guess it’s because I have the new things to look forward to for the next blog. Starting Coco&Me with you my darling was the best decision ever, so thank you. Isn’t it nice that we share such a special memory! :) And yes to hooking up!

    Comment by Tamami - October 19, 2017 9:33 pm

  5. Tamami,

    For a few months that I have read your blog from beginning to end I feel like you have made your mark and in doing so, spurred other people on to give things a go.

    I am so happy that you have not given up on blogging as I would totally miss your candid writing and your thoughts. It is very refreshing.

    Cheers
    Lily

    Comment by Lily - October 20, 2017 2:55 am

  6. Hi Lily! Thank you so much for your kind words! Despite the fact that I don’t post so regularly or frequently, I really like blogging! So giving up will never be an option! :) Stay tuned for the next chapter!!!!! ^ – ^

    Comment by Tamami - October 20, 2017 6:35 am

  7. Hi Tamami!
    First of all I’m feeling sad that Coco&me is over but I am very happy to hear that you will be blogging still. I have followed you for many many years and I often check in on you and see how you are doing. I understand that things move on and it is only natural to do so. I am in love with the poem above and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s now going to be my favourite poem too!
    All the best for your future!
    Louise xx

    Comment by Louise - October 20, 2017 10:35 am

  8. Hello Louise!!!!
    Amazing comment! Thank you!!! :-) It’s so heartwarming to hear that you’ve been reading this for so many years. I have so much gratitude to you for this. Yes, the poem above is special isn’t it? xx Hope to see you in the next blog! xx

    Comment by Tamami - October 20, 2017 10:55 am

  9. You’re one gutsy lady Tamami! Although I am very sad to hear that coco&me is no more, I must congratulate you on moving on. It takes a lot of courage I am sure but it makes sense to move on! All the best for the future Tamami and I will follow you on to the next blog! Helen xx

    Comment by Helen - October 24, 2017 10:33 am

  10. Hello Helen! :) Hahaha yes I’m gutsy~! I like that, thank you! :) It seemed like a natural progression to move to another blog, so I don’t feel too bad about leaving Coco&Me. I’m so happy to hear that you’ll follow me to the next blog!!! Thank you so much!! T xx

    Comment by Tamami - October 24, 2017 3:02 pm

  11. Hello Tamami! Oh no, I feels so sad… I still use your lemon drizzle cake recipe! It is the best and I always get great feedback! This might sound a little weird but it even feels like an era has ended for me also. Thank you very much for your wonderful writing. I have been a follower for many years and I am sure to follow the next blog too. All the best for your future! Maya xx

    Comment by Maya - October 24, 2017 4:56 pm

  12. Awww Maya…, bless you! What can I say, a decade of writing here is definitely significant. But everything that has a beginning, has an ending… I very much hope to see you in the next blog! ;-) xx
    Ps: I remember that lemon drizzle cake made me one belt-hook bigger when I was testing the recipe! Lol.

    Comment by Tamami - October 25, 2017 12:17 am

  13. Thank you Tamami for Coco&Me. Over the years I’ve enjoyed reading about your adventures with running a market stall, and I loved your detailed recipes, but I also enjoyed how you shared some of your personal life with us. But you have been through a very difficult time and handled it with such courage, and that changes us and our priorities. So I’m looking forward to seeing where the future takes you and I’m so glad that you are doing another site and letting us follow along as you find your new path. I wish you good health and much happiness. Stephanie

    Comment by Stephanie Jaworski - October 25, 2017 12:17 pm

  14. Dear Stephanie! Thank you so much for leaving an amazing message. It was my absolute pleasure to write this blog and to have fantastic readers like yourself who’d give me such encouraging messages. I absolutely loved the baking job AND having this blog, but those two go hand-in-hand, and so when the baking job was no more, then this blog became… a sore reminder of the loss. – I’ll still blog, probably very similar stuff, like the personal life and recipes, but just on a different site. Hope to see you there!!!!! xx

    Comment by tamami - October 25, 2017 11:06 pm

  15. Dear Tamami, Like all your other followers I am sorry to hear you are finishing your lovely Coco and me blog, I have so enjoyed it over the years, as you know. But life moves on and changes, so we must change with it, I too have had some life changing things happen in the last few years which make me think and act differently to how I was before. I wish you all the best in your future and I will click onto your new blog from time to time to see how you are, I’m sure I’ll enjoy reading the new blog as much as the old one. xxx

    Comment by Jeannette - October 30, 2017 4:06 pm

  16. Hi Jeannette! First of all, thank you so much for leaving amazing comments over the years! I always looked forward to hearing from you. – Yes, life has to move on… (wether we like it or not!). I hope this reply finds you well and happy. And I hope you enjoy the new blog too!!! Best wishes from the heart, Tamami xx

    Comment by tamami - November 1, 2017 1:02 pm

  17. Hey Tamami, I’ll miss this blog, but I love the idea of a fresh page. I can’t tell you how much your story has meant to me in some dark moments. See you on the other side :) and thank you.

    Comment by Caf - November 17, 2017 10:35 pm

  18. Hello Caf! :)
    Thank you so much for saying so! There is a part of me who still miss Coco&Me still too, but… yes, fresh page! Right? Gotta move on!!! I’m really touched to hear that this blog meant something to you… I will try my best to make the next blog something worthwhile too, so I very much hope to see you there!!!! T x Thank you! ;-)

    Comment by Tamami - November 18, 2017 10:06 am

  19. among them acquired “Moral

    Comment by Securityuvk - September 22, 2021 3:47 am

 

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