A mid-month catch up: September

Hello there one and all.

This is the first in a new ‘regular’ post of sorts that I’m going to do – a monthly catch up, where I’m planning to just chat, diary style – the kind of everyday stuff that probably gets lost in other posts. It might be what I’m doing, what I’m working on, or how I’m feeling. It might touch on what I’ve been reading, watching or otherwise consuming. It will certainly be what I’m thinking and it will certainly be what I’m wearing (as it’s also a good way to use the sort of outfit photos that I know I want to post but don’t have anything in particular to post with).

The reason for choosing the middle of the month to do such a thing is that I am very prone to all or nothing/new start mindsets. Instead of knowing that I can in fact make changes at any time, I tend towards jumping ship rather than dusting myself off if I fall at the first hurdle, and assigning myself a new and often laughably distant ‘start date’ for whatever I want to work towards. I fear that having any kind of start/end of the month goals/review post would probably encourage that sort of ‘well, I haven’t achieved this, so I might as well give up until next month’ way of thinking, rather than getting straight back on the horse (there won’t be any horses, but you know) and changing things when I want to. Does that make sense? Perhaps not, but this is what is going to happen, so let’s get cracking. 

So – September. How did we get this far through the year already? May feels like it was yesterday, which is, I suppose, one result of my lack of motivation over the summer. My last blog post – a lengthy whine that I published on the internet, is probably more apt – was all about this, so I won’t delve into it again, but the long and the short of it is that my get up and go is still taking leave of me for significant proportions of time. I’m hopeful that two weeks off work will help.

Because two weeks off work (and indeed day to day life) is exactly what the end of September holds, so necessarily the start of it was all about preparation for that, particularly where work was concerned. My joy at announcing ‘I won’t be here until October after Friday’ to everyone, whether they’d asked me to do anything that fact would impact or not, was unparalleled, and setting my out of office to cover such a lengthy period was a particularly gleeful moment.

Aside from that, it’s been fairly quiet, bar one incredibly loud night for a friend’s birthday which saw me screeching along to spectacularly cheesy music for so many hours that my voice has basically only returned to me now, a week later. I’ve started a couple of blog posts, and failed to finish them. I’ve learnt how to bake vegan scones, and tried a few new recipes for weeknight dinners. I’ve used ten thousand* tissues during a cold that very conveniently presented itself in the week before my time off and still hasn’t disappeared. I’ve consumed a book and a half in short pre-sleep reading sessions, a habit I’ve only picked up again recently and that I really hope sticks around; my bookworm child/teenager/young adult self would have been disgusted by how little I read in the two years preceding this. 

Of course, the most exciting part of my month is to come, because for those two weeks I’ve just been banging on about – practically the rest of this month (until the 29th), I’ll be on holiday. We’re off to Italy – we’re already there, actually, since I am expecting to publish this after we fly  – for a couple of weeks exploring. The itinerary is as follows: two nights in Milan, two nights in Cinque Terre, three nights in Florence, three nights in Venice and three nights in Malcesine, Lake Garda. A change of scenery is very welcome; I’ve spent too much time solidly in Norwich this year and the things I love about my home town are starting to fall flat because of it. I’m hoping some time away exploring somewhere new will allow me to return refreshed and see where we live with new eyes. In terms of the trip itself, I’m looking forward to a last dalliance with summer before succumbing to autumn, seeing places that have been on my travel list for a long time, and stuffing myself silly with vegan pizza and gelato. 

And, finally, here is without question one of my favourite outfits this year. I’m beyond delighted to have been sent a few pieces from Miss Selfridge – a blogging highlight in a time when I’ve not felt at all positive about anything I’m doing on the internet – and since it’s autumn now, it seemed an appropriate post to feature rust. 

How’s September going for you so far? Do you have exciting plans or anything you want to achieve by the end of it? I’ve rather enjoyed the total lack of pressure than comes with tapping away at this style of post, so I hope it wasn’t too boring for you. Until next time x

What I’m wearing

Suit – C/O Miss Selfridge | Top – Primark | Bag – Topshop | Shoes – Superga

Photography: Robert Poor