001. I’m currently reading Dept. Of Speculation by Jenny Offill. I saw someone share a quote from the book on Twitter and immediately knew I would love her writing. It’s really unique – almost like poetry rather than prose, but some of the lines are so beautiful I can’t help but read, then re-read, then scribble in a notebook to absorb again later.
002. I’ve also finally dipped into the workbook section of The Desire Map and come up with a first draft of my ‘core desired feelings’. The Desire Map is a way of setting goals based on how you want to ‘feel’ rather than something material or something you’d like to achieve. So instead of saying that you want to lose a stone, you might say that you want to feel ‘strong’ or ‘healthy’ – that way you make meaningful life choices that align with your goals (or ‘goals with soul’ as she calls them), rather than just tick sheets and to-do lists that end up just burning you out. I’m excited to share my ‘core desired feelings’ when I’m 100% settled on them!
003. I made Sarah at Essbeevee’s Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Bars (are there even five better words in the English language?) again last week for a friend who was leaving work, and they were divine. This is just a rubbish phone snap but I feel it captures just how good they are….
004. I have been watching presentations and speeches from Steve Jobs lately (I now want a ‘Stay hungry, stay foolish’ tattoo after watching his commencement speech at Stanford University) and I love this quote particularly. Really resonates with me right now.
005. Particularly loving the band Broods at the moment – they’re rarely off my Spotify. They’re like sort of lazy, chilled, electronic pop. Really good for listening to on my journey to work! {Spotify link | YouTube link}.
006. I am mega excited that it’s September – part of me is praying for an Indian summer, and part of me is praying that Autumn arrives early! I’ve been looking again at my Autumn Pinterest board (some of my finest pinning, if I do say so myself) and getting excited for walks in the forest, cinnamon candles and making soups!
img credit: wildexpeditions.tumblr.com
007. I’ve been cheering myself up amidst all of this bad weather by planning lots of adventures. Tom and I are going to Porto in Portugal in a couple of weeks, and I’ve also booked a little weekend away camping in September (I say camping, I mean going away in the camper-van, tents and I are not friends after this weekend at Reading Festival!) We are also trying to plan a weekend in Paris with our Bournemouth Bloggers gang – I would love to get to Paris again before the year is out, I just love it. I’m definitely going to enter this competition by Leisure Jobs where you can win a weekend in Paris, a Michelin star meal, with flights and hotels included. I don’t think you should enter though because I want to win – ha! (You should really, and you should take me if you win).
008. It’s that time of year when I go coat crazy and end up buying ten different coats to get me through autumn and winter. I might already have picked up this beautiful Poppy Lux Duster Trench Coat – I almost wore it to Reading this weekend but it’s so beautiful I couldn’t bear the idea of it getting dirty!
009. I’ve not been able to do much running lately, as in order to run in the mornings and then get to work on time I have to be out and running at 6am (and I have been so tired lately!) but I managed a run on Friday morning and it was so beautiful. It was quite a cold morning and it felt really autumnal – the mist rising from this field was particularly picturesque.
010. Not really one favourite thing but three favourite things that I just can’t decide between, and I need your help choosing! I’ve been saving John Lewis vouchers from a couple of gifts and other bits and I now have enough to treat myself to something but I just can’t decide what! I was pretty set on a Michael Kors Selma bag, but then it occurred to me that I have enough bags to sink a battleship and I don’t really need another one. I thought I’d go for something functional I’ll really use and enjoy instead – but I can’t decide between the beautiful Canon f/1.4 50mm lens (I have the f/1.8 already), or maybe a videocamera for doing more filming – I like the idea of the TomTom Bandit and its mobile app, or also the Sonos Wireless Music System. Please help me decide! (This isn’t some kind of weird list of links, I genuinely am stumped on this – let me know if you have any of these and whether you love them!)
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