adding magic to my everyday

Monday, May 24, 2021



 I had a conversation with my brother about his bedroom recently. He'd moved in with our dad three years prior and the room looked exactly the same as it did beforehand, barring his excessive collection of footwear and empty Dr Pepper cans. The floral bedding had been given to him by our nan, the walls were bare aside from a few wonky canvases he'd hung on nails already there and the bed was lumpy and uncomfortable. He had little to no storage and his bottom drawer contained loads of our dad's shit. I asked him why his bedroom was the same - he said he'd never thought about it. Sure, the bed was horribly uncomfortable and he had nowhere to store his games. Sure, the decor wasn't to his taste. But what could he do about it?

Change it!!!

I almost shook him in frustration (but I didn't. I am restrained and dignified.) 

I've been thinking a lot about active decision-making recently. I've been just coasting for a while, very passive in terms of my day-to-day life. I've haven't been unhappy but I haven't been particularly in love with life either. I realised I hadn't done anything new or interesting in a while. The same way my brother has subconsciously accepted his bedroom the way it is, I'd accepted my monotone lifestyle. And in the same way I told my brother he'd be able to transform his bedroom with £50 (mattress topper, new duvet, perhaps painting the wall behind his bed), I challenged myself to add some more sparkle to my everyday. 

I started in the smallest and most logical ways: I watched a season of Drag Race I hadn't already seen 18 times. (Season 5 for those curious.) I spent 90p on a summery shower gel because pineapple always makes me think of the sun. I created a new Sims 4 save and set myself a 'highest potential' challenge. I refreshed my skincare collection with bits I already had. S and I made a pact to take more photos together. I began looking for pottery and pole dancing classes. 

Once I started it began to snowball, effortless.

I added 100+ songs to a playlist for us to listen to throughout the day instead of existing in silence. I created a rotation of snacks and meals for our shopping lists because we've fallen into habitual eating and we wanna snap out. S hasn't been sleeping well so we've created a routine of reading chapters of Game of Thrones aloud to one another each night before bed. I finally allowed myself to buy Cosy Grove and I've spent an hour each day tending to my poor ghosty bears and it's genuinely so lovely??? I rejoined Bee's wonderful Patreon community after a few months away in a bid to restoke my passions (and support a wonderful creative) and felt the fires of creativity begin to stir inside of me.

These changes have taken place over the last few weeks or so and I'm already basking in the benefits. I feel reinvigorated, refreshed. Content. Such small things make a huge difference. Now I just need to learn to implement them regularly instead of allowing myself to stagnate ~

One thing at a time, though, eh?

5 mini book reviews

Monday, March 8, 2021

 


Announcement: I got a Kindle for my birthday and it's the best thing ever. 

99p books? A dozen of them stored on my little device that I can stash into my bag and carry with me everywhere? That I can pull out whilst I'm at work and accidentally read sex scenes in the staff room? I'm in. (This last one is a true story - I sent photos of it to my friends working so I didn't have to burn alone.)

Am I thrilled that it's connected to Amazon? Of course not. But I am going to do my best to balance my ebooks with purchases from independent book sellers, charity shops (eventually) and book swaps. My Kindle is helping me read more than I have in years. It's so accessible, especially for those of us on a tight budget. I'd been reading books on the Kindle app on my phone for weeks until I finally decided to commit my birthday money to one, so definitely take advantage of that if you're in the same boat! Allow me to report on a handful of the books I've read recently.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

This book had been on my peripheral vision for several years before I picked it up but I always remembered the premise - anything dramatic and drastic and a little bit dark always stirs my wicked soul and The Wrath and the Dawn did not disappoint. A Khaliph who marries women and then hangs them the following morning? A bride clever enough to weave stories to stay alive night after night? Hello. I'm in. It wasn't as dark as I wanted it to be (it softened once the romance started) but Shahzrad was such a bad bitch. I loved her. She was the highlight of the novel for me and was the only reason I dragged myself through the disappointing sequel. 4/5 stars. 

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

Turns out I'm a slut for silly little regency romances. The smuttiness of them all just emphasises that. The Viscount Who Loved Me is the second novel in the Bridgerton series and it was a huge step up from book one. Our main characters were fiesty and sexy and complex. Fears, both logical and illogical, were explored in a way that felt real both in their own right and within the romance and I loved that layer to the plot. Julia Quinn adds some truly questionable instances to these stories, though, and there's a scene in particular that made Anthony seem like a predatory prick. I hate the way men act in these regencies sometimes, but I suppose it makes it authentic to the era. Could still do without tho! 4/5 stars. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I truly had to drag myself through the first half of this book. There was a lot of torture experienced by one of the main characters and it was hard to read because within her narrative she was so weak minded. She suffered and I felt it and I didn't like it. She irritated the fuck out of me at points, too, and I really disliked reading her chapters. Despite that, I did quite like the book on the whole and it was written incredibly well. It's a little outside of my tastes these days, though, and were I still in my dystopian Hunger Games phase I would have eaten this up. 3.5/stars. 

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Regency romances are truly the easiest books to read in all the land - The Duchess Deal being one of the easiest yet. It was silly and romantic and sexy and exactly what I needed. I love that there's always such coldness and arrogance within the men of these novels but what they all really want is a woman to dominate them. It never fails to thrill me. Emma is probably my favourite regency heroine to date and I loved the inclusion of her weird and eccentric friends. All the yesses to this one. 4.5/5 stars.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Have you ever read a book that unexpectedly comes for your heart and soul and demolishes you so thoroughly that you just sit and stare for a while after finishing? This is the second book by Taylor Jenkins Reid that has made me feel this way (the first being The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.) Does the woman write anything but masterpieces? Daisy Jones & The Six is comprised of interviews giving the full story on the beginning, middle and drastic end of one of the biggest imaginary bands from the 1970s. It's full of drugs, sex and rock n roll but also vulnerability, addiction, trust and heartbreak. I inhaled it. I read it through the night into the small hours until S pried my Kindle from my weary hands and I finished it the second I opened my eyes the following morning. 5/5 stars all. day. long.

I'm currently 9 books deep into my reading challenge for the year which means I'm almost halfway to my goal already! Yaaaaas. However I've kinda reached the stage where I've read everything good I own soooo... I guess that means I need to buy more books. What a colossal shame. Can you recommend anything for me?

{ Currently playing ; Like That by Doja Cat }

in bloom

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

 


On February 1st 2021, S and I moved into a place of our own and my life began again. My home life has always had such a significant impact on my mental health and I almost felt like I couldn't leave. I imagine many survivors of domestic abuse can relate. You feel guilty for those you're leaving behind, you feel it's your duty to protect, to sell yourself, body and soul, to take the brunt of it. The way you've always been told you deserve to. But it turns out: you can leave, and it will feel like you've taken a deep breath after holding it for the past twelve years of your life. You will eventually grow used to the peace and quiet of it all. I'm not hugely familiar with the feeling of being in the right place for yourself and your soul and your life but I'm indulging it. I'm thriving within it. Basking in the sunlight of it. 

I've been expanding rapidly since we moved in and I'm uncovering so much about myself. My tastes and interests and imagination are being revved up and I'm rolling through them all faster than I can keep up with. I'm reading and cooking and looking after my skin. I buy candles for my coffee table and Argan oil masks for my hair. My routines are still being established, but I'm indulging myself like never before. I have never loved myself more than I do right now. I have never cared and tended to myself the way I am right now. 

The sun is shining and Spring is coming and the petals on my branches are beginning to bloom. I am beginning to bloom. And I love it. 

{ Currently playing ; So Good by Dove Cameron }

snapshots of home

Thursday, February 18, 2021

 


At what point in the moving in timeline do you finally live free from cardboard boxes? Asking very much for myself who, at three weeks in, is still surrounded by the little bastards. Empty ones, half-full ones, ones still crammed with stuff I have no idea what to do with. Our local recycling centre is probably sick of seeing our masked-up faces, arms laden with folded cardboard. Who knew we had so much stuff?

A thing I keep reminding myself of, when I'm full of frustration and exhaustion, is how lucky I am to own so many beautiful things. How lucky am I to have a bookcase soon-to-be stuffed with interesting and sentimental reads? How lucky am I to have so many intricate and exquisite pieces of glassware to wash and put away? Gratitude over everything, always. It certainly does the trick when I'm in the kind of head space that cannot see beyond the sea of stuff surrounding me.

Despite the amount of stuff we haven't sorted, we have sorted quite a lot, actually. I'm writing this from the comfort of my own desk, music playing through the Alexa, sunlight streaming through the curtained window. We've got the king-size duvet set up after two weeks of fighting over the double and Sam finally has a bedside table. So allow me to give you the briefest tour of what we have sorted so far...


Metal Ikea bed: Facebook Marketplace. Floral kingsize bedding: Asda. Face cushion: Sainsburys. Mimikyu plushie: gifted from a friend.

The first thing we did when we found out our move date was upgrade to a double bed. I'd only had a small double at home which was perfectly fine for my short ass but when your man is 6ft7 you need to accommodate him (I guess). We scoured Facebook Marketplace for weeks until we found this metal Ikea bed for £25. Firstly: hello, what a BARGAIN. Secondly: she pretty! It wasn't the style of bed we were looking for but it's sturdy and pretty enough for now. 

My bedside table setup remains unchanged but still fabulous. 


Bookcase: Ikea. 'Change your life' Mountra: Sighh by Polly.

At the foot of the bed we set up my bookcase because there's nothing more comforting to me than being surrounded by books. She's adorned with Pokemon plushies and crystals because duh but I also have my Alexa set up here as it diffuses the sound really well. Sam's acoustic guitar is tucked down next to it and I finallyyyy put up my Sighh Mountra! I'm still a little uncertain on the layout but it's good enough for now.


Desk: Ikea. Wooden drawers: Tesco. Star candle holder: Sainsburys. Pink ceramic pots: Tiger. Mermaid vase: Indie shop in Brighton. 

My desk setup is also completely unchanged, although I re-arranged the position of my paintings. Rather than finding it intimidating or egotistical to display my own work, I find it oddly comforting. I work with a lot of the same colours and styles so they're all quite cohesive in a way. Eventually we're going to put some prints up on the walls but I'm going to keep my desk space for my own pieces. It's inspiring! Love your own work! Champion your imperfect brush strokes! Cherish the mistakes! Art liberation front 2021.


Plant pot: Edinburgh Botanical Garden gift shop. Vase: Tesco. Candlestick holder: charity shop.


Coffee table: B&M. Marble coaster: TK Maxx. Vegan chowmein: me x.

Navy cushion: B&M. Pink fluffy cushion: Tesco. Grey fleece throw: Wilko. Pink blanket: Primark.

We were blessed as Sam's parents were getting rid of their huge grey sofa around the time we viewed the flat and our move date coincided with the date their new sofa was arriving. So thus we have a lovely grey fabric sofa with a chaise! It's delightfully comfortable and big enough that we can both snuggle together without fighting for space. I want more pops of colour in the living room, as opposed to the scandi-boho scheme in the bedroom, so we're going with whites and greys with hints of navy, pink and mustard yellow. I've found some incredible art prints online which tie in with the colour scheme so they'll hopefully be going up soon!

Despite all of the tears and exhaustion and complaining, I am so truly grateful to be living with my love. Waking up to him every morning makes it all worth it.

I'm sure I'll share more as we progress, but that's all for now gang. Also: Happy 2021! 

[Currently playing: Shut Up by Ariana Grande.]

once the dust has settled

Sunday, November 8, 2020

 


It's been a while since I wrote, perhaps a little self-indulgently, about my overwhelming battle with change, but I feel the dust is finally beginning to settle upon this little life of mine. I'm about to step into my third week working in my new (temporary) position and am getting my bearings together before my foundations shake a little more and I start my new-new job in November. It's been a hard few weeks, but they've been difficult in quite a gratifying way. Short term pain, long term gain kinda difficult. It makes the anxiety easier to live around, and I'm prioritising rest above all else rn. 

So we've been metaphorically sitting in this half-empty house for a couple of weeks, watching as temporary furniture is brought in and a patchwork of paint swatches appears on the walls. I still don't recognise most of what's here, and a lot of it doesn't bring me as much comfort as I'd like, but the foundations are solid. At work, I now have set hours and weeks and breaks which is something I didn't realise I needed so desperately. I have a structure which I can now build a life around. I have a schedule I can build a life around.

What do I fill it with? How do I spend these three hours each morning between waking and clocking in? Will I do yoga on my working days, or the days off? Where will I find contentment? Where will I find alone time? Where do I start? 

For once, I am not in a rush to answer these questions. I work, I see my Dad each Tuesday, I have therapy each Thursday. I see S as often as I can. I have mini projects kept to the tiniest scale as everything feels like a lot right now, but at least I'm working on something. I journal when I can, I read when I can. I watch a lot of television. I take a lot of baths. And I forgive myself when I do none of it. 

I follow the lead of the seasons. I am embracing autumn's every facet. I am beginning to fall into the rhythm of the moon. Good things are coming, and the promise of them excites instead of scares me. The blank page before me is beginning to excite rather than scare me. 

So, the dust is beginning to settle on this little life of mine. I sometimes lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel, when said dust clouds my eyes and my mind. But I never lose sight of my own resilience, and that bitch has seen me through worse before now. 

Written 18th October 2020, when I had a little more hope inside of me than I do right now. Note to self: just because I can't feel it rn doesn't mean it's never existed. 

my november to do list

Thursday, November 5, 2020

 


And just like that, November descended upon us, bringing with it fur coat weather, Lockdown 2.0 and hopefully a new President of the United States. October was a chaotic lil month with potent full moons at it's beginning and end and I was maybe hoping for a more chilled November? Please, universe? 

Despite my initial overwhelm when I watched Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce our second national lockdown of the year, I fully back his decision and I'm glad that we're hunkering down in this second-to-last month of 2020. I'm using this time as breathing space, although I'm anxious that working through it is going to be it's own kind of nightmare (again). I've been feeling incredibly out of sorts for months now, and I'd like to rectify that before this year comes to an end. I want to step into January feeling somewhat refreshed and sure of myself (a feeling I can hardly remember) and I know that will only happen if I put in the ground work now. 

So. This is me pressing that 'reset' button good n hard. (Lucky him.)

My November to do list.

1. Try out 4 new recipes. 

2. Re-establish my morning routine.

3. Reply to messages within 24 hours of receiving them. (Guilty as charged.)

4. Finish off my Christmas shopping to at least 90%.

5. Brush up on my skincare knowledge - create flashcards and a bible to refer to. 

6. Document all of the insane vegan snacks I've discovered of late on Lunaswren. 

7. Paint Freckles, Mimikyu and Snoofy (my new Teddiursa plush) in watercolour. 

8. Add fairy lights and candles to every available surface in my bedroom. 

For the first time in a while, having this list written out in front of me is stirring some kind of life in me. Excitement? Motivation? A promising start!

october favourites

Sunday, November 1, 2020

 

Happy second-to-last month of the year, y'all! October felt like it passed in a blink, but the days themselves felt oddly long. I've been looking to comfort to get me through these past few weeks - as I'm sure we all do when new seasons and jobs come along - and I've managed to source it from many places. So in a bid to reclaim my 'happy' and embrace the smallest details of life, I thought it time I resurrect my most beloved of blog series: the monthly favourites. 

contraction // expansion

Monday, September 21, 2020

 


June. That's when I first felt it.

That odd and uncomfortable squeeze of the soul that preludes periods of expansion. The feeling, deep and unsettling, coiled itself around my feet, the way my cats often do, waiting for attention after I've told them off. I try not to notice. If I ignore it, it'll go away, and I won't need to pick the headless squirrel up off of my bedroom floor. 

Change is always dramatic for me. I'm sure I can blame this on some placement in my birth chart, the way I blame every tear that escapes my eyes on my beloved Pisces Moon, but in reality I know it's my own fear that makes it so. 

I sat in discomfort for months. The kind of discomfort that lodges itself deeply and resolutely in your soul. I felt off, wrong, uncomfortable in my body and in every word I said. I cried to S more often than I'd like to admit. I knew change was coming. And it will come, whether you're ready or not (I am very often not). I will delay it for so long that it grows teeth and comes to drag me out on its own. I fear the pain, the discomfort, the darkness of it all. I fear the loss of things and the gaping blank spaces those things will leave behind. They intimidate me. A blank canvas ready to be decorated before I've chosen the paints. And as I delay it so long, change becomes a purge so absolute that only the purest things for my heart remain and I'm left with very little. 

It's been a week or two since the ice in my lungs began to thaw, since I woke up in the morning not dreading the day ahead. And what's changed? Well. Quite a lot, actually. 

I've taken many steps towards many things that will be healthier for me, including an entirely new work environment that offers much more balance and routine. My obsession and anxiety over money is dwindling, although I'm gonna be taking that mess to my therapist. Ah yes! I'm going back to therapy. S and I have made a pact to try and clean up our diet after an indulgent Summer. My metaphorical plate has emptied as I give myself permission to scale back on plans and spend the time alone instead. I'm creating more than I have all year. My health and happiness are my main priority and I'm getting real about what actually elevates and depletes them both. 

There's still a lot I don't know. (Like what will fulfill me in life and how I find that out.) (Or how much I can sacrifice for a house deposit without restricting to the point of unhappiness.) But I think making my health and happiness important today will help me figure those things out tomorrow, and all the days beyond. Right?

How do you deal with change? 

soy in the summer

Thursday, September 10, 2020

 

Since y'all last hopped on a metaphorical sea plane to Soy, she has undergone the most drastic renovation. I don't think a single building is in the place it was when we last spoke all things New Horizons. We've been through Summer updates, I've received fraudulant art from my villagers, Luna dyed her hair pink for the Summer (which colour for Autumn tho?!) and I have a whole new roster of villager babies. Tie up the laces on your walking shoes, kids, we're off on a tour!

To the left of Resident Services, the inhabitants of Soy now have a tiny vintage market to explore on a Sunday morning. Bob's house is now directly behind this, along with an outdoor pizza restaurant, and it's on my list to finish! (I never finish anything. Chaotic-good energy come thru.) I'd like this area to look a little more cluttered in it's final form. Who knows - it'll probably swap places with the pizza restaurant by the time we next speak!

Moving Nook's Cranny early on in the season meant Melba had a few months to get used to her new garden. She loooves her rocking chair. 

I welcomed Lolly to Soy sometime in July, and she and Melba are now neighbours. They live one hop across the river away from Freckles and I - I love to have my favourite babies close by!

Speaking of Freckles and favourites - here she is in all of her glory. Is it possible to love an animated duck too much? Don't answer that.


I tweaked the picnic area early on in the season. It now sits prettily between my home and the clifftop palaces of Roscoe and Diana. It's very simple, with only a few furniture pieces, but I love how sweet it looks. 


The most dramatic change to Soy involved the relocation of darling Blath's museum and some experimentation with mini cliff formations. The museum now sits where Luna's home used to be and I reworked the entire landscape around it. This little bug study area is one of my favourite areas on Soy. I'm so thrilled with how it turned out! It's isolated from the island entrance through some nifty cliff work and sits just above one of our mini beaches, which is soon to be a fish study.


Luna and Samwise loved the Sunday evening fireworks displays. Aren't Luna's deely-boppers precious?! The area above (where Luna is gazing aesthetically into the distance) is Freckles's beach bar, complete with staff. The shell bed positioned behind it is momentarily acting as my Aphrodite altar until I can find the perfect settling place for her.


And here is where our tour concludes, dear friends! The campsite had been left untouched since it came into fruition this Spring but I always felt it looked 'okay enough' compared to other parts of the island. Once those spots had been prettied up, however, I felt it was time to give the campsite some tender lovin'. I added a campfire (complete with a fresh meal) and a bench bearing a painting set should the camper feel creatively moved by Soy's scenery. The ukulele is a cute touch - I'm keeping an eye out for a tambourine to join it!

Soy's first taste of summer has been such a delight. I loved the addition of diving - something we had early-on in New Leaf - and the Sunday evening firework displays. The summer shell DIYs have come in so handy when crafting my Aphrodite altar, too! I'm sad to say goodbye to it - to the vivid colours and flash storms and gladiator sandals. But Autumn is on its way, and then comes my favourite season to experience in the Animal Crossing realm!

july

Monday, August 3, 2020



I've been hestitant to write this post for a lil while now - I didn't want to look at the feelings and discomfort and frustration I felt during July (hello avoidant nature). I didn't feel like I did much, achieved much. I spent a lot of time feeling depleted and worried. I spent a LOT of time working on myself. I spent a lot of time helping someone close to me who wasn't feeling their best. But now that I'm reflecting, now I've scrolled through my camera roll and my @soyisland feed, I see that July wasn't so bad after all.

The month started off with a long overdue reunion. My oldest, dearest friend and I met up for lunch and a wander around Clifton one afternoon and it was lovely. We laughed, we walked a LOT, we tried our best to find somewhere cute and indie to eat but ended up in Spoons for chips and a burger. I also marvelled at the utter radiance of her, with her five-month-old bump! I have never seen a more goddess-like soon-to-be mama in my life. (I know she's reading this - love you T!)


We also saw new features drop in Animal Crossing: New Horizons on July 3rd! Luna invited Samwise over for a swimming date and subsequently spent most of her month diving for sea creatures and scallops.


I got some new lingerie! Monki's basics cotton bra is my holy grail. After spending months wearing uncomfortable and painful bras that didn't fit me, I finally gave in, took some money out of my savings, and refreshed my lingerie drawer. Going up a size is always a difficult thing for me, but I know that that's just the ED talking and we're bored of her and in love with new bras and that's that. This set is the Organic Cotton Bra & High-Waist Undies in 'blue skies' and I wear a size S in both. They're out of stock in that colour, but there are several variants! I also have the white and black and they're both divine.


Brighton Brighton Brighton. Quirky aesthetics galore. Beachy wanderings by day and RuPaul's Drag Race + New Horizons all night. The house was beautiful, the company more so and the whole vegan and indie scene of the place made my heart full. I wrote a city guide for the trip which you can check out here.


S and I both found the Brighton trip a little difficult mentally - we were both on the verge of burn out tbh - and we experienced what I call a 'mental health hangover' (ie the exhaustion and depletion that comes from feeling anxious for a prolonged period of time) that lasted a couple of weeks mid-end July. We battled through it as best we could but it took a while for us to feel back to normal. I started going for walks, we worked hard to balance our time better, we ate better and spent more time resting. We slowly but surely returned to ourselves.

We also spent a lot of time playing Last of Us II. I'm so invested but Christ Ellie makes some questionable decisions.


One of my non-Dreamie villagers told me she was leaving Soy midway through the month so I spent a couple of hours one morning scouting for a newbie. I ended up settling on Lolly who 1) is a cat and 2) shares my childhood nickname. In essence - she's perfect.


I forced myself to paint more this month - tying in with S and I's pact to make better use of our free time - and I'm quite content with the outcome of some of the pieces. I never really aim to finish anything, I just free paint and doodle and play around. I love mindlessly painting moons and flowers and leaves. It's so meditative. Once I work up my concentration levels I want to start painting Pokemon and Animal Crossing characters again! Who knows - maybe I'll even bring back my painterly monthly favourites!


S and I took a trip to Bath one morning before I started my evening shift. It was lovely. You can check out some more photos and ramblings here if these have whet your appetite for pretty architecture.


Soy underwent some serious reconstruction last month! I've been trying to style up specific 'zones' one at a time but my chaotic-good energy can't commit to that so everywhere is kinda half-finished. Lots of 'still in progress' Instagram captions were written for @soyisland let's put it that way. One of my new favourite little areas is this floral-pond-waterfall situation right below Nook's Cranny. Freckles loves it. Almost as much as I love her.

What else happened in July... ah! I spent a solid couple of hours with my best gals J, M and E one incredibly warm afternoon and we have the cutest pics to show for it. I bought Ring Fit and am committed to making it a regular habit. I need work outs that are fun and distracting enough that I don't realise I'm exercising... so far, Ring Fit is doing the trick. (I say this. I've played it once.) I've also been learning the chorus choreography to Kill This Love by Black Pink which is exhausting and fast and so fun.

As for my hopes for August... Well, a little R&R never hurt nobody! I want to keep resting, keep balancing, keep working on myself. I want to build better routine and schedule in my hobbies. I want to practice discipline each time I start to doubt myself and retract. I want to create the things my soul is begging me to. I'm going to work through the resistance until it feels effortless to let the paint and ink and words to flow out of me.

My word for August is discipline. What's yours?

a few hours in bath

Thursday, July 23, 2020

It had been weeks since our schedules matched up. We'd catch each other for a few hours here and there: a cheeky Chinese on a Monday night when I finished at 8pm, a thirty-minute walk to the river together before he started at 2pm, two episodes of Drag Race before I started once again. But our days off were - and still are - rare. So when one of his correlated with me working the night shift, I knew we had to ~ seize the day ~.  

 We ended up on the next train to Bath, and spent a few hours wandering.

Bath is a quaint little city on the edge of Bristol, just 11 minutes away by train. I've visited a handful of times within the past few years but its beauty always strikes me - the greenery, the beautiful pale architecture, the dainty shops filled with quirks, the wide, rushing waterfalls. 

There's so much culture and history in Bath - it's full of independent eateries and museums and galleries. The Roman Baths are it's namesake, and I've heard it's worth the entry fee. Bath Abbey is towering and beautiful. The Jane Austen Centre is a mini museum dedicated to her life and writings. There's a charity shop on every corner - or so it feels like. It's somewhere so close to home that I didn't think to explore as a tourist, but the next time I go back I'm going to have a loose itinerary in hand!

The little cobbled alleys and tall houses reminded me of Cambridge in a lot of ways. 

The Roman Baths and Bath Abbey are cosy neighbours, although we didn't head into either that day. The good thing about this little city is how tightly-knit all of the iconic monuments are. You can easily hit everything within an afternoon.

It's so interesting to me that this same river - the River Avon - sweeps through my own home city as well. Good to see you away from home, boo! The view is quite iconic - you may recognise it from Les Miserables. 

This little trip was the exact break from the daily norm that I needed. I want to take advantage of my time like this more often - I tend to waste my day when I'm working the close at work, but a few hours out with my love did me so good that the tiredness the next day was worth it. 
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