2. Speaking of which, this simple lemon pasta hits the spot on a hot day.
3. Douglas is Cancelled, an excellent bit of telly. It starts off being a bit of a so-so comedy and then the third episode hits you like a freight train and you don’t laugh once. And then all rounded up into an excellent finale where you reexamine every word and moment. Just brilliant.
4. Also, the latest series of Trying; I could spend hours with these characters.
5. Fantasising about candles to buy in the Autumn; the Overose ones are very pricey but also by far some of the best candles I’ve come across. Obviously, it’s the ones that smell like baked goods that have me in a chokehold.
6. I am really buzzing for the Wicked film coming out in the Autumn, not going to lie.
7. The Tory government got voted out and I’m not even going to pretend I wasn’t thrilled.
8. I finally got on the Bridgerton trend and it has been an excellent binge watch. I’m just about to dive into series 3… no spoilers please!
9. My sister got married, and it was the loveliest, loveliest day.
10. My baking brain has been consumed by planning and practicing the wedding cake for months now, so it has been nice to open it up to other ideas again. May have been a little overzealous in treating myself to some new cookbooks as a ‘reward’.
11. Alfie finally said ‘mummy’ for the first time and I really can’t see it ever getting old.
12. Also, Alfie getting really into cuddly toys and now having to go to sleep with several, including a bear that is practically the same size as him. It is very cute, if a little disconcerting when he comes into our bed during the night with an entire menagerie.
13. Oh little ones running in and out of paddling pools is so wholesome.
14. A week by the sea in Devon, where the weather was so kind to us.
15. Nothing can quite beat warm scones with jam and cream (IN THAT ORDER) whilst sat by the sea on a British holiday.
16. This year has been a bit weird and overwhelming in many ways and I feel like I haven’t had much opportunity to see friends so trying to pepper the calendar with plans over the next few months.
17. An end-of-summer glamping trip in the diary, booked on a bit of whim.
18. Eating delicious tapas sat by the river.
19. The ‘favourites’ feed on Instagram. It cuts out a lot of the noise and can make social media feel like a much calmer, nicer place. Also setting strict time restrictions on social media usage in general (restricted by a pin code that only my husband knows) is very good for me.
20. My The Simple Things magazine subscription. It’s like a little moment of calm and joy arriving in the post every month.
State of affairs in the UK right now feels pretty grim. Hope you're doing okay dear reader x
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