November Journal.

November. I have a very strong belief in that everything happens for a reason. Things happen to teach you something, to make you grow, to protect you, to challenge you, to keep you evolving. Last month I wrote of October being a month of rest and taking life slow. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I know I needed that month to charge my batteries for what was ahead. I feel like I've had some pretty big months this year, but November takes the cake. It wasn't all bad, in fact, I spent lots of time celebrating life, housewarmings, babies and birthdays with some of my best friends in Sydney and couldn't be more grateful to have such wonderful people in my life.

I also found myself at a funeral, for the third time this year, and dealing with the loss of someone who had played a part in my every day working life for the last six years. My friend had lived a big and full life but met a swift end after his long battle with cancer intensified. He was someone that I looked up to very much, I enjoyed being in his company, hearing his stories - he was the most brilliant story teller I have ever encountered - and learning the tricks of the trade from him. On hearing how ill he was when he was admitted to palliative care, I didn't want to see him in a frail state and that be my last memory of him. I was also so overwhelmed with emotion and not knowing what to say, and fear that I might just combust into tears, that I thought I would let him go and remember him the last time I saw him, when he was jovial and happy, but concealing his illness. Sometimes I don't know what is best for myself and I need to be pushed by others who know better than me. I am so deeply moved that I have people in my life who spot me and push me to correct course because they know me that little bit better than I know myself. Hamish made me go to the hospital to say my goodbyes with him and I will never forget those last moments we all had together as a little work team. Saying goodbye forever is never easy but I now know to take the opportunity when it comes because it is so important to let the people in your life know that you love them and care about them. I will hold those moments, and my friendship with Hamish, close forever.

In the midst of helping where we could with the things that needed to be arranged, I went back to the Gold Coast for less than 24 hours to see my beautiful youngest sister graduate high school. My Mum had my sister when I was 12 years old and despite being all grown up and finished high school, she is still a baby to me. Occasions where we can get together as a family unit are rare, and for a good reason, but there is always something special about the five of us just being together for whatever time Mum and Dad can manage not to hate one another. We were even able to get a family photo together, which is the first one we've had since Ruby graduated high school nearly six years ago.

Despite all of the heaviness and melancholy this month, and as with life, there was still room for delight and enjoyment. The jacaranda trees on our street, and all across Sydney, exploded with their beautiful purple flowers. The millions of green jasmine bushes burst into white with their tiny flowers giving off the most exquisite scent. Feeding the pair of lorikeets who come to visit us daily. Creating an Instagram Story of my sourdough bread making process that so many people have reached out to me to say they loved it. Discovering a cool cafe near our place and making the effort to go once a week in the morning before work to have coffee and catch up. Trying out reformer pilates and living to tell the story.

Levi and I also found some time to walk to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the free public art exhibition that was on. The act of going to the Gallery, especially in times of grief and hardship, always give me solace, comfort and a small sense of wonder that becomes the spark of reigniting the fire burning within. Whether it is music, paintings, writing, film, comedy - these art practices play such a huge and important role to not only me personally, but to community, culture, society and life itself. Art, in all of its disciplines, is created by human beings who are trying to express and make sense of our existence. After all, Prince said it best with the lyric "Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to get through this thing called life" and what better way to do it than by enjoying art in all of its forms.

Throughout the month I let go of some of my healthy habits to see how I feel without them. Which is code for saying that my Headspace subscription is up and I haven't renewed it, and I've hardly been to yoga. At first I didn't notice anything different about whether I meditated or not, but as it's now been a couple of weeks I can see just how much meditation helps keep me focused, calm and clear. Even sitting down to write this journal has been false-start after false-start by all of the little distractions that my mind has come up with to get me "ready" to write - e.g. watch a video to inspire you, open blog, make tea, sit down, start writing, kettle goes off, get up again, sit back down, write a few more words, now I'm hungry, make breakfast, eat breakfast whilst watching videos to get you in the mood to write, now ready to write again, wait, no, you need to clean up your bowl etc etc. The best I have felt this whole year is when I was doing that two-week High Vibrational Challenge and I think about that a lot, and how I want to get back there. I just need to act upon it.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

There were actually two new things that I brought this month. As my closet is predominantly black and white, I needed something colourful to wear to the funeral. He loved colour so I wanted to wear something subtle but not black so I bought pink Lee Mathews top that was on sale. After purchasing it I realised that it might not arrive in time for the funeral so I ordered another midi-length dress as a back up. I found the whole idea of dressing for this funeral so stressful because I didn't want to wear black, and it needs to be appropriate, but I didn't really like anything that I found online or in-store. I ended up wearing the dress, and not being able to return the top so I kept both. Now I don't really want to wear the dress again so I'm not sure what I'll do with it... maybe just keep it for now and sell it down the track.

~ Read, watched and listened ~

The Sunday papers - I have been making an effort to buy The Sunday Telegraph and The Sun-Herald on Sundays to keep up-to-date with news, current affairs, and the industry that I work in.

The Crown - season three - The new era of The Crown didn't disappoint. I love the new cast and am fascinated by Prince Charles and Princess Anne's early 20s. One criticism that I have is that I feel the viewer has missed a lot of character progression and growth.

~ Eats ~

Primary Coffee's incredible, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside choc-chip cookie with flakes of salt on top. I want to eat one every day.

x.

October Journal.

Levi and I getting a good photo together is a once in a blue moon event so we have to make the most of it when we do!

October. I feel like October was a very intense work month, but in a productive way. Work has been good and challenging and fulfilling lately. I've been enjoying it.

As for my real life, it was pretty low-key throughout October. I have been prioritising weekends with little to no plans, to make way for taking it easy. Slow morning starts, reading in bed, visiting the park, having a coffee, and then getting another. It's been a month of that kind of thing.

There was one big weekend where we went to the beautiful wedding of Yvette and Dave, then I kept the celebrations going by heading to Hamish's birthday afterwards, and then finishing up at 4am on the famed Oxford Street. Sometimes, you need a big night out. You need a dance. You need to get naughty and let it all go and leave it on the alcohol-soaked floor. Despite being a zombie the following day, I still managed to make two loaves of bread and my lunch for the week so it wasn't all bad.

Our friends Meg and Ben came down to Sydney and we got to show them our new place and neighbourhood which was really fun!

Levi and I also went to The Other Art Fair and walked away crushing over two artists: Michael Stiegler and Marisa Mu.

The month finished with two black tie work events within two days. I'd never been to a black tie event before and then suddenly I had two back-to-back!

~ New in - The Secondhand Edition ~

Camilla & Marc full length dress from eBay ($175) - because of said two black tie events, I needed a black tie dress. I looked into hiring one, but didn't find anything I really liked. I thought I'd try my luck on eBay and the secondhand fairies were on my side - I snapped up a beautiful full-length Camilla & Marc dress in excellent condition for a small fraction of the RRP, AND to recoup costs I have uploaded it to the dress sharing site Designerex!

Sol Sana white high heels ($190) - the Camilla & Marc dress called for open toe heels, which I don't own a pair of. I have been thinking for some time now that I should buy a second pair of high heels to interchange with the black closed toe pair I bought from Sportsgirl and have been flogging since I moved to Sydney nearly six years ago! Levi always says that you should spend money on good shoes so I followed his advice and splurged on this white, block heel, pair of sandal heels. They're simple, very comfortable (surprisingly) and classic. I know I will have them for at least another six years, and have already worn them three times within the first week of owning them!

~ Read, watched and listened ~

Baby - Season Two - I haven't binge-watched in such a long time but I couldn't resist starting and finishing season two of Baby in 48 hours. Baby is an Italian Netflix Original, that has been dubbed in english, about two high school girls from a wealthy area of Rome who at first unknowingly, then knowingly, fall into prostitution. Once you get past the english dubbing, a thrilling and often shocking storyline awaits, accompanied by beautiful cinematography and a killer synth-driven soundtrack that you'll need to seek out on Spotify!

~ Eats ~

Kindred, Darlington - A really quaint restaurant on busy Cleveland Street serving delicious homemade Italian. The homemade sourdough is the benchmark I hope to get my own bread to, and the carrot triangoli was sublime.

Levi's bibimbap bowl that he made at home, plated up, and then we took it down to the park for lunch. I love our little apartment by the park life so much.

x.

September Journal.

September. Is 'spring has sprung' the most overused phrase in September? Quite possibly. I suppose it's also another way of saying 'thank god we've made it to the other side of winter'. Both expressions reflect my current state of feelings for the month that was. The sun is rising that bit earlier (hello imminent day light savings), the days are a little warmer, and fractionally longer, and everyone just seems to have a bit more of a spring in their step... pun shamelessly intended. 

To pick up where we left off last month, with a sourdough starter coming into my possession, I think I've discovered a whole new passion in bread making. Whenever someone asks me "what have you been up to?" I reply excitedly saying "making sourdough bread" like it's an achievement of the same status as moving home or getting a new job. Like most good things that end up happening for me, I was really nervous before starting the bread making process. Mostly it's a fear of failure, which is probably my biggest fear if we're being honest, and if I failed making the bread, then the whole exercise would have been for nothing. After combining all of the ingredients and then kneading the dough I felt like I knew my bread was going to be somewhat of a success. Pulling out the golden loaf from the oven and hearing that hallow sound as you tap the bread was like winning the lucky door prize when you never win anything. For a moment there I felt so silly for having doubted myself and for having let my irrational fear of failure infiltrate something as meditative, enjoyable and humbling as making bread.

Since then, there have been some challenges with my breads not really rising so I've had to adjust my starter and things seems to be working better now. I've also started experimenting with making olive loaf, and plan on making a potato and rosemary bread very soon. 

The other highlight of the month was my trip to Brisbane and most notably staying at the divine Calile Hotel. It was an Instagram influencer's playground and aesthetically pleasing to all of my senses. From the marble and gold detailing throughout the lobby, to the curved archways in the room and the brass finishings in the bathroom all the way down to the pool and it's chic daybeds and matching umbrellas, the level of design and detail everywhere you turned was both thrilling and assuring. I truly felt like a queen staying for two nights at the hotel. It was worth every single cent. To make it all the more special it was Ruby and I who were staying and we had a lovely girls weekend. We went to GOMA, had a long lunch that turned into dinner at Greca, and then saw one of our favourite bands, The 1975, the following night. Brisbane had a real vibe to it that even Sydney seems to be lacking at the moment. I will most definitely be going back!

It wasn't all perfect breads and perfect interiors, there were some lows as well. At the beginning of the month I had some really intense feelings that everything I owned was gross and old and that I in turn was gross and dishevelled. I really feel this pressure, mostly put on by myself, of having to look and dress and speak a certain way to be worthy of my job and where I live. These sentiments were mostly true of my activewear and how it would make me feel getting ready to go and exercise. I knew going into my self imposed 'buy nothing new' year that I already needed to upgrade my activewear back in December. In my defence, I hadn't bought new activewear in over three years. It's not something I feel the need to be 'on trend' with because exercising to me isn't something that is a show. It's about moving my body and keeping it fit, healthy and strong. But my clothes were really starting to show their age and making me feel sloppy and unkempt every time I got dressed to go and exercise which isn't very nice. I knew I had to upgrade things and so I did. I recycled some of my old tops by cutting them up into rags to use around the house... yep, that's how bad they were! My new items, whilst not ideal and not in line with my goal this year, have made me feel better about myself when I get dressed to go and workout. And in turn, have made exercising all the more enjoyable again. I also haven't thought about wanting to buy anything new since I made those purchases. In fact, a part of me feels like I might even have my capsule wardrobe in a really good place now.

I'm also happy to report that I stuck with my meditation and morning routine for most of the month. I'm really enjoying having cared for myself and my personal interests before I set out into the day. It's a fairly simple practice - wake up, make tea, meditate, then drink tea and read a book - and I think that's what has made it work. I was so worried when I was doing the High Vibration Challenge last month that I didn't have a 'ritual' but I do, it just took me some time to realise those small things, and doing them daily makes a ritual - A series of actions or type of behaviour regularly and invariably followed by someone.

~ New In - sadly not the secondhand edition this time... ~

Girlfriend Collective set - I bought the Compressive High Rise leggings in black and the Topanga bra in black. I love this set so much, it's incredibly comfortable, the leggings really suck you in and make you feel supported, and both pieces are made with recycled plastic bottles and came in plastic free packaging. Plus you can send the garments back to GC when they've lived their life so they can be recycled!

P.E Nation singlet and t-shirt - I bought the Shuffle Tank (white) and the Ignition Cropped Tee (black) for the fact that I have access to a brand discount through work and that I know I'll wear them again and again and again. They were close to the cut and style of tops that I was after to complete my activewear line up. 

Kowtow White t-shirt - the need for a white t-shirt was always going to get me. I can't tell you how heavily I rely on my white t-shirt throughout spring and summer. I wear it at least three times a week. My current white t-shirt from Uniqlo is starting to become see-through so it was time to upgrade before my dependency sets in. I went with my morals and ethics and bought from Well Made Clothes.

Away suitcase - Oh I really did have a breakdown to have a breakthrough this month. I also upgraded my year 11 and 12 pink Country Road duffle bag, that I have been using for the last six years as my carry on luggage, to an actual hard case suitcase with compartments and four wheels. It has been revolutionary and an excellent investment.

~ Read, watched and listened ~

Normal People by Sally Rooney -  I have been thinking about this book and its characters ever since I finished. I feel like we all know a Marianne and Connell couple, or have even been in a relationship like theirs. Now I fully understand the Sally Rooney hype, I can't wait to read Conversations With Friends!

The Loudest Voice on Stan - The Academy should make an exception for this show and give it an Oscar. Russell Crowe is terrifyingly good as the Fox News founder Roger Ailes and Sienna Miller is unrecognisable as Ailes' dutiful wife Beth. The show charts the events that lead to Fox News becoming the media behemoth it is today, and the tactics it uses to shape American conversation and in turn the American political landscape. 

~ Eats ~

Greca, Brisbane - owned by Sydney's The Apollo and Cho Cho San it goes without saying this restaurant would live up to the hype and millennial pink interiors. Make sure you order the saganaki cheese, it's to die for!

I'm going to finish this post with some pictures from The Calile because it really sparked joy throughout my entire being...

x.

August Journal.

August. I think I thought about writing this post for the entire month because I really had such a great time! Instead of entering the month thinking that there was one more month of winter left, I tried to embrace the season and enjoy the last month of the cold. With global warming, who knows how many more winters we'll get! I spent a lot of time doing indoor activities like eating at restaurants (which I really do more often than I thought I did), visiting art galleries, going to the cinema and seeing a musical.

I also went on a beautiful of walk through the Royal National Park to prepare for The Bloody Long Walk that I am doing in September. The day we (myself, Nicola and Tash) went walking was another perfect Sydney winter's day without a cloud in the sky. We kept stopping along the way to see all of the whales frolicking in ocean as they make their way up the coast.

During the month, and some of last month too, I felt like I needed to create some more space for myself to do the things I want to do more of, like reading and meditating. May sound boring to some but those two things are like my salve. In the way the world, or maybe just Instagram, works, I came across The Broad Place's two week High Vibration Challenge. The High Vibe Challenge was two weeks of meditating twice daily, no alcohol, no coffee, no sugar, mostly plant based foods, exercising five days per week and no negative communication (gossiping etc). That is an intimidating list, but two weeks, in the grand scheme of a month and a year, is not a very long amount of time. I'm very proud that I was able to stick to nearly all of the requirements. I honestly felt so amazing, clear, and in charge of myself after those two weeks. I've managed to keep up the meditating, only now once per day, and have even established a kind of 'morning routine' where I wake up, make tea, meditate and then read my book for 30 minutes before getting ready for work. Just having done something for myself, that I enjoy, before going about a day of doing everything for everyone else is a salvation that I am relishing.

During my two week High Vibe Challenge I went up to the Gold Coast for a glorious weekend with my family and friends. I attended the Eden Health Retreat Open Air Pilates class out the back of Currumbin Valley with my two sisters and two clients. I'd never been to a 'health retreat' property before but now I have and I want to go back and never leave. Even though we were only there for a few hours, I was awash with calm from being submerged amongst trees deep in the valley for at least a good two days afterwards. Pilates was really hard but I didn't actually mind it. I do still prefer yoga though. And in a crazy turn of events my sister Phoebe ended up winning a weeks' stay at the Retreat for two people.

With the deep sense of calm following the visit to Eden, Ruby and I headed down to another slice of heaven, Kiva Spa and spent a couple of hours in the bathhouse. Needless to say we probably overdid it with relaxing as we both couldn't keep our eyes open at 7.30pm that evening and both had deep 10 hour sleeps that night! The next day we ventured back out to Currumbin Valley for breakfast with Dad and Ashleigh Jane. Then I headed to North Burleigh for Meg's 30th picnic party. It was another stunner of a day. After the sun set, we packed up and headed out for pizza and wine to further the celebrations. It was one of those perfect dinners filled with silly jokes, laughter and love that you wish you could frame it in a photograph or relive that kind of night over and over. It was so perfect that I couldn't not participate in sharing the bottle of red wine, or the dessert. I would have regretted not doing that and so I broke my little challenge, but didn't feel at all guilty about it!

Meg's step mum also made me a sourdough culture that I brought back to Sydney on the plane. Levi and I have diligently been feeding the culture and I'll be able to tell you how it works out next month after we've attempted making our first loaf!

To finish off the month, my Mum came back down to Sydney for a girls long weekend. We did so much, wasted no time and ate ourselves silly. It was so lovely being able to have my Mum to myself and just do all of the things we like doing.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

I had the op-shopping fairies on my side when I went thrifting in Newtown last weekend. I spent under $100 and came home with: a pair of vintage Levi's 501s, a vintage pair of sass & bide jeans, a Veronica Maine midi skirt in excellent condition, a cream knit cardigan (inspired by Katie Holmes) and a gold glomesh over the shoulder handbag.

~ Read, watched and listened, featuring exhibitions! ~

Rake (on Netflix) - this show is fucking hilarious and brilliant and I only wish I had of discovered it sooner. I love Clever Greene. I really love seeing Sydney and Kings Cross on screen.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood... - I watched this movie with stars in my eyes. I loved it. Everything about it. It was fabulous and made even better by the fact you were watching Leo, Brad (shirtless), and Margot all on the one screen.

Vicki Lee Gallery - I was lucky enough to go along to the opening of artist Vicki Lee's own gallery. The gallery is in a sublime space in Surry Hills near The Beresford and is definitely worth a visit.

The Archibald at the Art Gallery of NSW - I think sometimes The Archibald can be a bit hit or miss and this year, for me, it was a hit. There were so many stunning portraits that I loved.

Shaun Gladwell at the MCA - Shaun Gladwell is an Australian artist who makes these incredibly expansive videos involving body movement in wide open spaces. His piece Inceptor Surf Sequence is a mainstay at the MCA and one of my favourites.

Mystify: Michael Hutchence at Golden Age Cinema - I haven't thought so much about a documentary this much since Amy. It breaks my heart that such a talented and deep soul wasn't able to see through his life and work to it's full potential. Highly recommend seeing this documentary if you're a fan of music, culture or even fashion (there were lots of fabulous outfits!).

~ Eats ~

Cornersmith, Annandale - The cinnamon waffle. My only complaint is that I wish there were multiple waffles with the order!

Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills - So cool it hurts. Mum told me to get the pancake and she is usually right so I followed her orders and she was right.

Chin Chin, Surry Hills - Order the 'Feed Me' menu and don't look back!

x.

July Journal.

July. The first day of July was spent on a boat with old and new friends, driving around the Sydney Harbour, drinking beer and eating snacks on a clear and sunny winter's day. In terms of what Sydney has to offer, a sunny day out on the Harbour is very close to perfection. It rivals the constant stream of European Instagram posts that are flooding everyone's feed at this time of year. The ocean is a magnificent deep blue, and the vistas of the harbour are just as good as those looking back on Positano.

After such a busy June, I spent the early parts of this month trying to settle back into my routine that keeps me on track, but it didn't last for long. Mid-week events kept popping up and throwing me off course. In the beginning, I was resistant and frustrated with not being able to keep to the things I normally do. Routine keeps me on track with my exercise, nutrition and spending, but after a while, it does become repetitive and monotonous. With encouragement from my Co-Star app push notifications - there was something about shaking up routines - I eventually let go and ran with whatever came my way.

Levi's grandmother sadly passed away and we attended her funeral on the Central Coast on a Monday. That night we drove back to Sydney, returned our hire car, and took up the offer of free tickets to a Mark Ronson DJ set at The Star. After the day we had, it felt like a fun, freeing and frivolous way to shake off the solemn day we had.

I also went to see a play at Hayes Theatre, which is around the corner from our apartment, with Katie and Tash. We saw Razorhurst, a play set in Sydney in the late 1920s about the two women who ran the underbelly of the city and started razor gang wars between their two fractions. It was a fantastic two woman show that really pulled you into the tension and sinister nature of the time in Sydney.

We also had a trip to the Gold Coast. The occasion was to celebrate some dear friends who are having their first baby. At the end of the afternoon, after the co-ed baby shower had wrapped, it was just the six of us left - me, Levi, Rachel, Jackson, Sarah and Jay. We all lived and fell in love with our respective partners in the same house. It was our first home out of home, it was our very early 20s, it was the beginning of our lives. We share memories and moments that will intertwine us close to one another forever. Even though we don't live together anymore, we aren't each other's housemates any more, we share the same feeling that no matter what, deep down, we have one another, and despite times where we don't get to see or talk to one another as much as we'd like, we always have one another. The type of friends where you just pick up from where you left off.

Before and after the baby shower was spent catching up with all of our close friends who squeezed us in for a fleeting visit. I had breakfast with Ashleigh and baby Evie, we were also joined by my Dad. Mum was busy walking 60 km through the Gold Coast Hinterland for the Kokoda Challenge. Levi and I also got to catch up for coffee and croissants with our dear friends Meg and Ben before they headed off on a road trip for the weekend.

On coming back from the Gold Coast we had the week to be lived like we're in Europe on summer holidays and not at work, grudgingly trying to get through winter. We ate dumplings and had wine and beer at the cheap and cheerful Chinese Noodle Restaurant on a Monday night before seeing the ultimate high-summer vibe band Friendly Fires. They haven't released new music or toured in a really long time so the gig almost felt like a battle to win the crowd over. The crowd was all diehard fans who were in it for the long haul. Friendly Fires won us. It was the best concert I've been to in a long time. Then on the Wednesday night of that week we went back for more, this time starting our night at the new Mary's in Circular Quay. We had burgers before heading to the Opera House to see Tycho, an American producer who makes this wonderful ambient tempo driven music. In all of Tyco's older music there are no words, just instrumentals, and I often put it on to work to as it gets me into this really deep mode of concentration. Tycho were great however I didn't think the Opera House was the right venue for them, as my much as one loves the Opera House! It was too big, and it was all seated, and the music made you feel like you wanted something smaller and more intimate where you could move your body more.

To round out the busy month, my Dad was in Sydney the last weekend for a friend's party. He has been wanting to try Totti's since Merivale took over The Royal so this time I booked in advanced and we got a table, on a sunny Sunday out in the terrace no less. We were joined by our family friends Ross and Janine, and much to my relief, everyone loved the food, the service and the terrace.

After so much eating this month, I am straight back onto my trusty broccolini, mushroom, tempeh dish.

I have tried to stay on track with my budget as much as I can and I think I am doing OK. I know I splurged a bit last month but I figure that I'm not going on holidays any time soon so I may as well enjoy myself. After not buying clothes, I seem to buying more and more tickets. In some ways that's great, because it means I'm having more experiences, but they are also quite expensive and add up after a while!

My yoga practice has also taken a hit. I have been going where I can and feel this overriding guilt of knowing I should be going when I am doing something else.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Two new secondhand pieces from eBay, a Witchery knit top ($30) and a lovely white linen dress for summer ($40). Both are simple, in excellent condition and I know I will get  lot of wear out of both. I've stocked up on my knit jumpers now so I am happy with where my winter wardrobe is. The only thing that could improve it is a pair of black skinny jeans, but they're proving difficult to buy in good condition second hand!

~ Read, watched and listened ~

I saw The Lion King and Booksmart, loved both!

To Live and Die in LA podcast - I gobbled up this podcast over the course of two weeks. It's been some time since I've listened to a crime podcast and this one reminded me how incredibly thrilling they can be. In this podcast, you follow journalist Neil Strauss and a private investigator Jayden, into the disappearance of Adea Shabani, an aspiring young actress who goes missing without a trace. What unfurls is a meticulous real-time account that pieces together close to exactly what happened.

~ Eats ~

Despite all of the dining out this month, I managed to make a new recipe. We bought a box of risoni for this pasta salad I'm obsessed with but I was looking for what else I could do with it. I tried this Tomato Risoni with silverbeet, feta, walnuts and honey from Good Food. It was pretty good... Levi said it was a little confusing but it still tasted good.

x.

June Journal.

(All pictures this month edited with HUJI app)

June. My favourite month yet and I can't believe I just said that about the first month of winter, my least favourite season!

It all started off on the very first weekend of my Mum, Nana and my youngest sister Phoebe all coming down to Sydney to join Ruby and I for a long weekend to celebrate Mum's 50th birthday. We hired an AirBnb terrace house in Darlinghurst and set off exploring the city like tourists with local knowledge. I'm very proud that we didn't settle with tourist fatigue and give into eating at any tourist traps. Instead we made the bit of extra effort to go somewhere that was worthy of our empty stomachs and special to Sydney.

My Nana was the MVP of the whole weekend. On the first day she, with the rest of us, walked 15km around the city from Martin Place, to the Royal Botanic Gardens, then the Opera House and finally The Rocks. We stopped and scored a table on the rooftop of The Glenmore and ate our lunch under the warm winter sun. After heading back to the Airbnb for a rest, Nana came out and backed up all that walking with a stroll around Vivid. We decided to forgo all of the Vivid food carts, with their long lines and marked up prices, and head back to Darlinghurst. It was an incredibly chilly night and all we felt like was something warm and nourishing. It was the right time to try out #eatfuh on Victoria Street and it didn't disappoint. We each had a regular (more like a large) bowl of the most delicious pho I've ever eaten. The broth, which is what makes or breaks a pho, was light but warming with lots of star anise.

(l-r: me, Mum, Phoebe, Ruby & Nana)

(Nana walking to the Opera House)

The following morning we tried our luck to see if we could get a table at Bills in Darlinghurst. There was five of us, and everyone knows Sydney loves brunch, so I thought our chances would be slim. As luck would have it, we were seated after waiting only 10 minutes. Basically a miracle! We splurged on Bills' famous ricotta hotcakes and Mum had their scrambled eggs. From there, we took a ferry over to Manly and wandered around for a little bit. Although still full from the ricotta hotcakes, I really wanted to go to Rollers Bakehouse and try one of their pastries. I'd heard so much about them through my friend and colleague Hamish and they had also had a couple of good write-ups online. They had sold out of most of their pastries before we arrived but they did have some Monkey Bread left. Monkey Bread is the leftovers of their different kinds of dough, mixed with some herbs and cheese. It was to die for.

(Rollers Bakehouse, Manly)

(Happy 50th Birthday Mummy! In her element at Mr Wong)

(Deep friend ice cream is always the highlight of eating at Mr Wong!)

On the Saturday night, we tried our luck at getting into Mr Wong, during Merivale's 49% off drinks month, without a reservation. I love to roll the dice with getting into to restaurants without bookings. You never know where the night will take you. The restaurant fairies were on our side again, we scored a table, and had a one and a half hour window to make the most of all of the delicious food and the electric atmosphere. It's one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney and it didn't disappoint. Mum didn't stop talking about it for days so it really made her trip, like I thought it might.

The Sunday was very chilled. We checked out of the Airbnb and came back to my apartment to store everyone's luggage. We explored my new neighbourhood and had a lovely rest in Rushcutters Bay Park. Then just like that, it was time for Mum, Nana and Phoebe to head back to the Gold Coast. The weekend couldn't have gone any better. We had our way with everything we did, Mum gushed for the whole week after about how amazing her weekend was and even bought flights to come back down and see me in August. Nana had a great trip, her highlight was the Royal Botanic Gardens and her giant fish and chips on the rooftop of The Glenmore.

The following weekend, Dad came down, and it was his turn at all of the dining out and adventuring. It was also Levi's birthday that same weekend. Dad arrived on Levi's birthday, a Sunday, so we went and had a lovely brunch at Bills in Bondi. It was a beautiful sunny winter's day so we walked along the beach and up to the terrace at Bondi Icebergs where we scored a table overlooking the water. We had a couple of beers and marvelled at the beauty of Bondi Beach. I even saw a whale breaching out the back. It was the perfect afternoon. For dinner, we headed to The Corner House in Bondi, where I have heard so may good things. We shared pizza and a bottle of shiraz, Dad's pick.

The next day Dad came and saw my new apartment, then we went for a walk around Rushcutters. The weather wasn't as nice this particular day so we just sat in the park for a little bit before retreating back to my place where I made us lunch and then we do what our family does so well together, watched TV. I don't know if this is just with my family, but there is something that makes me feel so whole watching a television show or a movie with your immediate family members or significant other. To me it's not time wasted but time well spent, and it's times like that that I wish I could have all of the time because they are so simple yet hard to have with others who aren't your family members. I didn't buy enough food that day to make dinner so Ruby and I took Dad to #eatfuh and had big bowls of nourishing pho for tea.

During the week, Dad came over for dinner again and I made a few things from Smitten Kitchen. I found Smitten Kitchen through the Highly Enthused podcast and I am obsessed. The recipes are so easy, with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in the cupboard. So far, I've made: Perfect Garlic Bread, Cannellini Aglio e Olio (my new mid-week go-to), Cozy Cabbage and Farro Soup (made with brown rice instead of farro) and Quick Pasta and Chickpeas.

(Me, Dad, Ruby and her air mattress)

And just as quickly as it had come around that my whole family would be in Sydney over a two week period, it came to an end. For Ruby's last night in Sydney, we celebrated her (and her job offer!) with half-priced drinks at The Beresford, followed by a quick visit to Brix Distillery, and then dinner at Via Napoli in Surry Hills with two byo bottles of red wine. As predicted, Ruby leaving left a hole in my heart. I absolutely loved having her here and really miss her a lot.

The night after Ruby left I had a date with RUFUS DU SOL and it was just what I needed to snap me out of my homesickness. I met up with Hamish and his group of friends because I didn't know anyone going to the concert the night I went. It was so invigorating to have a good dance and release all of the energy that subconsciously builds up. I left with a huge smile on my face and made the trek home in the rain and wasn't bothered by it one bit... until the next day where I felt off, and then came down with the flu that would have me in bed for the next three days.

My recovery from my colds is always slow. In the past few years I've gone from getting throat infections to sinus infections which are not pleasant, nor subtle. It takes me a good three weeks to clear the passages. Thankfully I'm out the other side now and am feeling grateful that having a cold once a year is the only illness I suffer from.

To top off June, Levi and I celebrated our eight year anniversary with dinner at The Apollo. Eight years doesn't feel nearly as long as it sounds. In fact, I still feel like it's the beginning, and maybe that's why we've made it so far. Levi lights up my life. He makes me laugh every single day. Even the days we have that aren't our days, which are thankfully few and far between. Levi is smart, curious, free-spirited, creative, funny and fun. He makes me think, he challenges me and he always pushing me along to have new experiences. I'm not too sure where I'd be without him.

(Levi joking around and stopping us from having a nice picture together)

Looking back on June I can't help but feel so incredibly lucky for the love I have in my life. I have my person, and I have my family, all healthy and happy (including Jaja who is doing better than expected).

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Yoga Mat Bag (new, not secondhand) - $65 from The OM Shop

So I bought something new... a yoga mat bag, for my yoga mat. BodyMindLife have a policy that all of the mats stored at their studios need to be inside bags. I had been storing my mat without a bag and getting away with it for a little while now. That was until they sent me an email saying my mat had been put aside for me to collect and I wouldn't be able to store it at the studio until I bought a bag for it. The problem with this is the mat I bought off Gumtree at the beginning of the year is actually huge and heavy. I had looked for a bag for it without any luck, and I knew if I had to carry it around with me everywhere that I'd just stop going to yoga, and I don't want to do that. So, after hours of searching the internet for a bag that would fit my mat, I found one. It's cotton, it's black and it just fits my mat. It also ties in with my all black activewear aesthetic that I'm going for.

Viktoria & Woods jumper - $50 from eBay

I'm desperate for some new winter clothes. I feel like I've been wearing the same five outfits on repeat weekly and I'm tired of seeing myself in them already! I also really needed a cosy knit after selling most of my knits in my market sale (which I now realise maybe I shouldn't have... anyway).

~ Read, watched & listened ~

RUSSH Magazine - The Soul Issue. There is a fabulous article written by my friend and former housemate Victoria on 'soul mates' and if they exist. I also loved the article on Vedic meditation.

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (an Your Children Will be Glad That You Did) by Phillipa Perry - I ordered this book immediately after hearing Dolly and Pandora speak about it on The High Low. Whilst I don't plan on becoming a parent any time soon, the ideas that are explored around childhood and how your childhood experiences go on to effect you in later life is something I'd love to understand further.

~ Eats ~

After all of the above eating, I've been craving broccolini, mushrooms and tempeh with some tamari and brown rice. Easy, simple and healthy.

x.

May Journal.

May. The month flew by in an absolute blur. The kind of one that at the end of the month has you feeling shocked that it's almost June, and where has the year gone? Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way?

The last month of autumn was surprisingly warm, allowing us Sydneysiders to hold onto those warmer days before the damp cold sets in. We have finally settled into our new apartment. I'd forgotten how long it takes you to settle again after a change until you've had time to process and reflect - this always takes me around three months. Some things you just have to give time.

We had friends over for dinner parties to show off our new little home. We put a white table cloth over Levi's desk and used it as a dining table, and surrounded it with the chairs we bought from Lunatiques. I broke all of the rules of cooking for a dinner party and made dishes I'd never made before like whole roasted cauliflower, tomato and eggplant rissoni and a rhubarb and pomegranate tart.

Then there were the events: seeing Meg Wolitzer speak at the Sydney Writers Festival, attending the P.E Nation fashion week show through work and being invited to the RUSSH magazine F*ck Fashion, Let's Dance party at The Lansdowne by our dear friend Victoria. 

I was also incredibly lucky to be visited by my best friend Ashleigh, her partner Adam and baby Evie. We went to The Grounds of Alexandria on a Saturday morning (and survived to tell the tale). Despite the chaos that is The Grounds, we had an amazing catch up over coffee and pastries in the courtyard, lots of cuddles with Evie and took some freshly fried doughnuts for the way home.

Finally, my sister Ruby came to stay with us for a few weeks as she does one of her uni pracs in Sydney. I was apprehensive at the thought of having to share my space with someone other than Levi after so long living in a share house, but after Ruby arrived it was like we were teenagers again living at home. We are so similar and familiar with each others dispositions and nuances that very little is hard work between us. In fact it's so easy. I'm really going to miss having her here when she leaves.

May was exactly the month needed after April. It was and is everything I want from life; focused on the people, the places and the memories created from time being well spent with one another. And good food, of course!

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

I’m on a roll! There is nothing to add here this month! Although I am starting to feel the “just buy something” itch. I want to buy something, anything, but I don’t know what so I’m just observing the feeling and hoping it will pass, or that I find the something I’m looking for (a ‘going-out top’ and a weekend cross body handbag).

~ Read, watched & listened ~

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer – Like most good things I come across, I found out about Meg Wolitzer through The High Low (aka my favourite podcast in the world). Pandora and Dolly speak about Meg’s writing all of the time so I knew it would be amazing and worth checking out. To be honest, I haven’t read a lot of  ‘feminist’ reads so I was a little unsure what to expect her but once I got started, I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the characters so much (one of those ones where you wonder how they’re doing after you’ve finished) and also how the novel explored feminism in all different ways. It was both educational and an enjoyable read.

Killing Eve Season 2 – can I please have Villenelle’s wardrobe! Didn’t love the season as much as the first. Wasn’t sure about the ending, but will keep watching because I love the characters and the humour and spy drama/thriller shows!

Highly Enthused – a much needed breathe of fresh air in my podcast line up.  Although it’s a female duo, they have not blatantly ripped off The High Low’s structure and content and tried to make it their own, which so many other have done and it really makes me mad!  Highly Enthused is the kind of podcast I have been looking for. I really wanted to listen to something different but still about books, recommendations and maybe even food, and I’ve found it in spades with these two girls!  I love how passionate they are about the little things that make life richer, that’s exactly what I’m trying to be more about!


Joe Rogan’s interview with Russell Brand - my first time listening to Joe Rogan and he wasn’t what I was expecting. Throughout the  interview Joe and Russell would often differ with their views but managed to stay so respectful of one another and have a healthy, and insightful, conversation. It goes for about two hours but it’s worth it.

~ Eats ~

As mentioned above, the Good Food Rhubarb and Pomegranate Tart was so easy to make and heaven with some vanilla bean ice cream!

x.

April Journal.

April, hey. I don't want to start with the beginning of this month because it still hasn't sunk in. The world lost one of the good ones. One of the best ones. One of the ones who you look up to, want to be like, want to be their friend and are completely elated when you remember that you are indeed their friend.

It's still unfathomable to me that what happened happened. It's even more unfathomable that it happened to the least deserving person, and his most undeserving family and friends. There is no explanation. I'm not sure how you make sense of it. I still haven't been able to. I think about him every day. I think about his family and friends every, single, day.

It's hard to even admit that we said goodbye. It just can't be. It felt like yesterday since I'd last seen him, albeit it was nearly 12 months to the day ago. The farewell was solemn. The sky cried its own tears but the ocean was shined upon by the sun because that's where he was.

I have been reminded of the brevity of life. Some days I feel the fire in me, to do all of the things I want to do, to be all of the things I want to be. Other days I feel numb and can't get past the fact that 'nothing really matters'.

Mostly, I just want to be with my loved ones. I want to be with them, wholly present, enjoying the simple pleasures of our modern life. I want to remember every single moment that happened while we ate dinner, caught up over coffee or spent time together. I hug everyone a bit longer and a bit tighter because who is to say when it will be the last time. I am more self-aware than I've ever been, only wanting to give the best, most present, caring loving self to everyone I encounter.

I may not know what I want from my career, but I know what I want from life - to give and receive love. To be present. To show and feel gratitude for every second and minute that I get with those I love. To make the most of every interaction and opportunity. At the end of the day, that is all that truly matters to me.

With everything in focus, the hunt for possessions has never felt so foreign. Why would I want to waste my time doing that? Instead, I am eating, a lot, and taking in everything that surrounds me every time I go walking. I have got back into my yoga rhythm. I'm present enough to know how much joy it truly brings me instead of being something that you "do". I feel like I could do yoga all day and not be sick of it. And I've picked up reading again. It's something that makes me feel productive and productive feels good. These things, the little every day things, are all in my control and I have the choice to be mindful and observe them for how wonderful and joyful they are. I think if we're not showing gratitude for the simple things then we can't truly appreciate and enjoy the wonder of the bigger things.

-

My friend Jess and I did a market stall at Glebe Markets to sell some of our no longer needed clothes and bits and pieces. It was a beautiful, long day in the autumn sun. Tash, Nicola and Sam came to visit us. We watched all of the people come and go. After we finished our day of trade, we celebrated by catching up with our former housemates at a Mexican bar in the city. It was a really good day.

For Easter, Levi and I hired a car, rose early, and headed for nature and the ocean - Levi to surf, and me to breathe and read. We also headed into the only antique store that was open over the long weekend so we could finish furnishing our new apartment. I wasn't content to keep the TV collecting dust on the floor so we bought a mid-century Danish coffee table for the TV to sit on, and hide the hideous internet modems and cords underneath it. We also purchased four mid-century chairs which we're using as study chairs and dining chairs for when guests come over. All secondhand and vintage for extra feel-good measure.

I had a lovely girls Easter lunch that turned into a dinner. We drank organic wine and ate fresh hot cross buns from Bourke Street Bakery.

I got nostalgic for a time gone past and made a pizza from the restaurant where I spent nearly six years working as a high school and uni student.

I went and saw an indie play at a theatre in the back streets of Newtown with Katie and Tash.

For ANZAC Day, Levi and I went to the Martin Place Dawn Service for the first time. The service started at 4.30am. The crowd was large, but silent and still. It was so moving to be amongst so many peaceful and respectful people. Levi's parents were also down in Sydney and attended the service. We walked down to Circular Quay afterwards to see the sun rise and had breakfast at a touristy 24 hour restaurant. Later on in the day we walked through the Botanic Gardens and stopped in at the Plants With Bite exhibition at The Calyx. By 3pm, I was a complete zombie and passed out for a two hour nap.

To round out the month, Levi took me to see David O'Doherty at The Enmore for the Sydney Comedy Festival and I went on a $15 million super yacht for a work function.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Four mid-century chairs
Mid-century danish coffee table

Both from Lunatiques

*Still haven't bought any new clothing!

~ Read, watched & listened ~

FINALLY FINISHED Principles by Ray Dalio - I have been reading this book on and off for a long time and I finally finished it this month. I need to go back through it and type up notes because there is so much wisdom in this book.

Ray Dalio, The Steve Jobs of Investing - The Tim Ferris Show podcast - I saw that Ray had done a podcast with Tim Ferris a couple of days after finishing the book so naturally I had to check it out and I'm glad I did. There is a lot happening in the book, a lot of dense information, so it was good to hear Ray talk at a high level without getting into too much nitty gritty.

After Life by Ricky Gervais on Netflix - I bawled from beginning to end of every episode. I also burst out laughing in every episode, which after sobbing isn't very pretty. This is the most beautiful television show I have ever watched and my life is better for having watched it. This isn't hyperbole.

Jameela Jamil on Emma Gannon's Ctrl Alt Delete podcast - I kept seeing Jameela Jamil pop up on my Instagram and wanted to know what the fuss was all about and have discovered my new idol. I've so far listened to two podcasts featuring her, have scrolled endlessly through her Instagram account, and her @iweigh account, and am teetering on the edge of a full on YouTube rabbit hole of Jameela Jamil videos. What a women, I could listen to her all day. She is so eloquent and smart and amazing!

~ Eats ~

A home made Mullumbimby Maddness (if you know, you know)

x.

March Journal.

March. Change can sometimes feel like it's taking forever to happen. Change can also come around really quickly. I've always been hesitant about change. I like to be comfortable, I like a routine. I feel secure with the things I know. I also know that without change you don't grow. Without change you stop living and just exist. Life gets a bit stagnant, almost like it's on repeat.

March, for me, was a month of change and it was very welcome. After living in a share house for five years, the only house I'd lived in since moving to Sydney, my boyfriend and I took the leap and moved into our very own place. Given we'd both been living together, in the share house, it still felt like a big, grown up, step to take. Being at the end of the month with the power of a little hindsight, I can see that it was a big step, but like most things between us, it happened naturally and to our own timing and not anyone else's.

I feel a little guilty and a bit arrogant for saying how magical and perfect it's all turned out. Our new place is perfect mix of us both. It's new but it has old charm. There is wood floors and white walls, all I've dreamed about since I left my family home shortly after my parents separated 10 years ago. There are lots of windows that we can open to let all of the fresh air in. There is plenty of natural sunlight, and just like my old family home, we have a view of treetops, buildings and the sky. In some ways I feel like I have very subconsciously manifested this apartment and the small things that already have me feeling like I'm 'home'.

This is also the first time I've ever lived with less than five people. It's a little strange to come home and not always have someone to chat to about your day, to share the kitchen with or negotiate who's having a shower and when, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I was enjoying the space. With the space, both the new physical space, and space between other humans, I feel like I have an opportunity now to be productive and not distracted. I have already been cooking more at home, taking my lunches to work more regularly, getting better at reducing my food waste and keeping everything neat, clean and tidy. It's much simpler when there is only you and one other to look after!

Moving out into our own place also meant saying goodbye to share housing. For some, saying goodbye to share housing is the sweetest thing imaginable. For me, it was very bittersweet but to counter the bitter and not let myself get too upset about the change I reached for gratitude. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to live in a share house for as long as I did and for all of the people that I lived with and met during that time. My life would have been all the poorer had I not got to have this experience of sharing a rundown terrace house on a leafy street in Redfern as it's given me some of the greatest friendships and shared memories that will last a lifetime. I'm truly grateful that I didn't grow up too fast and miss out on all the fun, frustrations, trials and tribulations of share housing because it was worth every second, even when we were faced with the housemate from hell.

Everyone always speaks about 'moving' with a lot animosity but I really enjoyed the process (please don't think I'm a smug bitch... it's been a long time between moves!). It was so good to do a full audit on everything I own and take stock of all of my belongings. I feel like I don't have an awful lot in comparison to other women, but I definitely did. It was especially apparent after walking all of my things up six flights of stairs. After this, I imagined straight away what having to move out in 12 months would be like, and then started to edit down my belongings from there aiming to only keep the ones that I love, or that "spark joy". I have since put together enough items to take out a market stall in a couple of weekend's time, and the rest I donated, sold on Gumtree, recycled (you can recycle old clothes at H&M now!) or for the unsalvageable, send it off to landfill.

To be completely honest with you moving wasn't the most environmentally friendly exercise. I really wanted to make our move a fresh start and it clouded my thought process at times where I should have been using what I already had instead of giving it away and buying new things. Some of it was unavoidable, like purchasing a new mattress and then dealing with all of the packaging that comes with it. At the end of the day, I think we met in the middle. We bought a lot of the big ticket items secondhand (lounge, fridge, desk, barstools, and a storage trolley for the bathroom) and used the book cases and desk chair we already had. We did buy a new rug for the lounge room as it was very echo-y, and a few things for the kitchen: solid base fry pan, stovetop kettle, baking dish, mixing bowl, cutlery, bowls and glasses. Everything else we kept from the old place. Of all of the new things we bought, we decided on those items together, as a couple, so I believe we will have them for a long time to come.

-

Due to the move, my regular yoga practice took a hit. I didn't practice for over two weeks because of the constant disruption that is ending one lease and starting another. I've redeemed myself and have been twice this week and am going to try and go every day in April. Wish me luck!

Same again with meditation... I do it one day, and then the next day I'm lazy to get up and do it and then the next thing you know it's a week later and I do it again! It's becoming apparent to me that I lack a bit of self discipline...


~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Ikea Lounge chair (Facebook Marketplace)
Haier Fridge (Gumtree)
Matt Blatt Bar stools (Gumtree)
Ikea Desk (Gumtree)
Ikea storage trolley (Gumtree)

*Haven't bought any new clothes since January!

~ Read, watched & listened ~

Loving Trash is for Tossers website. So many great tips and tricks there for reducing waste!

How to handle your Saturn Rising by Anna Harrison for RUSSH (slightly freaking out about this)

Sarah Wilson's kitchen waste hacks on Good Food

That's all for this month. It was a big, busy blur and I'm exhausted. 

x.

February Journal.

February. There is a cool change in the morning and late evening air. It lingers and you know what comes next, but you're just not ready to let go of summer just yet.

The month has been a big, fun blur. It started by farewelling a good friend who is off on her own adventure on the other side of the world. The goodbye closes out a chapter in my life that I'll always look back at with rose coloured glasses because they very may well be 'the good old days' but who knows.  It feels bittersweet to leave those days of humour, heartache, and revelry, but I also know there are many wonderful things that are unfolding for me. At the moment, the page is being turned, and in the next month or so the new chapter will begin.

This month my best friend had her first baby, a little girl. Seeing my friend, who couldn't believe she was pregnant when she found out, to now being an incredibly easy going, fuss free, confident new mum has been an incredible experience. I am once again reminded how women are incredibly strong, resilient and adaptable. They never cease to amaze.

My sister turned 23 and my Dad turned 59 within the same week. We celebrated my sisters birthday listening to a covers band, eating fresh pizza and drinking endless espresso martinis at a grungy bar in a back street. Dad's birthday celebration was a seafood buffet, which if you knew him, you knew he loved every minute of that.

Sydney's summer has finished up early. The temperature has dropped off and we've had lots of rainy days, so unfortunately there is no holding onto those summer days as we transition into autumn, in a week no less!

-

I have been going to yoga as often as I can. I am well and truly, deeply, in love with the practice. It's always a challenge, some days I feel like I'm getting better, and I always leave feeling a million times better than I did when I entered the room.

Although I have fallen off the wagon of daily meditation and need to be more disciplined around this practice. It's easy to think because it's only 10 minutes a day that it's not worth doing, but it most definitely is. I notice a huge change in my focus and concentration, and lack of it, on the days that I do and don't meditate. The days that I meditate are clear, focused and calm - nothing stresses me out, there is no little rushes of anxiety. I'm so incredibly stable. It's wonderful.

-

In other environmentally friendly news, I've taken my period completely waste free. I know that's probably too much information for the internet, but I'm really proud of it. I've invested in a menstrual cup, which has been game changing, and a pair of Thinx (period underwear) after being 'influenced' by one of my favourite green Instagrammer's Venetia Falconer. I honestly feel so proud for having implemented these changes because they have not only improved the dreaded time of month, I'm no longer contributing piles and piles of waste to landfill or spending at least $20 every month on single use pads and tampons that all come covered individually in plastic.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition (occasionally feat. new enviro friendly products) ~

Who Gives A Crap box of toilet paper

~ Read, watched & listened ~

The Cry (ABC) - LOVED! I love a psychological thriller! This one was especially dark, sinister and sometimes hard to watch but I particularly loved the beautiful scenic backdrops of Australia and Scotland. The whole cast is fabulous too.

Call My Agent! (Netflix) - A French television series on Netflix about a busy talent management firm who have to please their actor clients, whilst keeping their agency running. It's very funny and I think I enjoy it that bit more as it's a similar industry to what I work in. I can relate to a lot.

The Girls - Emma Cline - Finally finished this book after what felt like months. I'm really not a good consistent reader, still despite wanting to be. This book was a bit of a slow burn, mostly because it was a bit wordy, but I did really like it in the end. The novel is set in the late 1960s California and it loosely mirrors the Manson Family cult.

x.