Blogging Goodbye to Butterflies

Tag: summer

  • When life gives you lemons, take a break 🍋

    When life gives you lemons, take a break 🍋

    I’d reached that level of tired where everything was making me cry. In the warm evenings, I felt even more hot and bothered than I usually would. I felt constantly hungry and run down, but didn’t really fancy eating anything either. Smoothies became my best friend – I find when I’m low on energy having lazy pre-made smoothie in the fridge can really help pull me through.

    I’ve got five days off work in total, the weekend included. I felt better the minute I left the office on Thursday. I knew I was feeling more myself, because I spent the whole journey home looking forward to tucking into a big ol’ portion of pasta bake.

    Friday was for catching up on jobs around the flat, although not before I’d watched all five new episodes of Emily in Paris. – It was amazing! I swear it just keeps getting better season after season and it was the perfect dose of life in Paris after the Olympics left me craving a visit.

    Yesterday, Dave and I went into town to grab a cheap lunch, watch the football and have a wander. It was sunny, but not too hot and the flower beds around town were looking lovelier than ever. It felt so nice to just be able to spend a Saturday on home turf and we had such a good afternoon, even if the pub’s TV kept losing signal at crucial moments.

    Today we’re up and at ’em and off to my grandparents for lunch with them and my immediate family and then we’re popping in to see a couple of our closest friends and their adorable little man, who just turned two. 

    And tomorrow?… *Drum roll please* Tomorrow I’m going to see Taylor Swift at Wembley!!

    Confession – I’m not a massive Swiftie. One of my best friends and I decided it’d be a super fun way to celebrate turning 30, but neither of us know Taylor’s library inside and out. We got through high school together listening to Taylor’s early hits on repeat and obsessing over how cute the music video for ‘You Belong with Me’ was. But unlike most Swifties, we haven’t been studying the line ups of her other recent shows, we’ve been swiping past every TikTok video from her tour so far and we’re looking forward to being surprised. I have a feeling therefore that we have no idea what we’re in for and we are going to be absolutely blown away. I feel so incredibly lucky to be in a position to be able to go and I’ve no doubt I will cry many tears.

    It’s been impossible not to pick up on the fact that friendship bracelets are a must, so we are going to make some of those. I’m so excited to be sat at hers tomorrow, making our bracelets, listening to Taylor and experiencing that pre-concert buzz that is unlike anything else.

    Right now though? It’s time to hit the road for my grandparents and the early start has hit me a little harder than expected. Whilst I felt so much lighter leaving the office on Thursday night, my butterflies this morning feel like a gentle reminder that I still need to take care. Tiredness doesn’t go away just like that.

    Early start aside, a day at my grandparents may be exactly what I need. My Granny’s roast is better than any other, her garden is most beautiful in the summer and it’ll be so lovely to see everyone.

    It’s a couple of hours drive in the car to get there – I wonder how Dave would feel about a couple of hours spent shuffling Taylor Swift songs on Spotify. There’s nothing better than music when you need a little boost.

  • Daydreamer 💭

    Daydreamer 💭

    I Just Turned Thirty and There Are Some Exciting Life Changes Ahead: I’m Trying to Stay Present and Make the Most of This Summer while Dreaming of a Future House with a Garden.

    I’ve been trying my absolute hardest not to grumble about the heat this week and I’ve felt better for finding a way to be positive about the fact it’s summer. And that’s not to say I haven’t loved all of the autumnal content popping up from my fellow autumn/winter lovelies, but embracing summer and all the joyous things that come with it has helped to turn my frown upside down.

    I’ve enjoyed iced coffees and sandals and summer dresses and hummus and salad and smoothies. I’ve always loved seeing green leaves against blue skies and I’ve spent more time outside this week, which has meant I’ve been able to appreciate clear skies to the fullest.

    I really don’t want to wish the time away, but I’ve also spent a lot of time day-dreaming about what life will be like if we can find ourselves a house with a garden that we can afford. It’s looking like that could be on the cards for us at the end of this year and I’m so excited. It’s the little things that would make summer with a garden even better… Tea or coffee outside in the fresh morning air. BBQ food for dinner with friends or family. The cats rolling in the grass and playing amongst the trees.

    There’s little things about simply living in a house too… Going upstairs to go to bed and back downstairs in the morning. Having bins at the end of the front garden and a slot for post in the front door, so the post just lands on the hallway mat. Hopefully, being able to pop cut flowers in a vase on the kitchen table without worrying about the cats, who will have already dined on the grass outside.

    Oh dear, there I go again.

    I love our flat and I really am determined to make the most of our remaining time here, however long that is, but it’s okay to daydream about the future too I reckon. As long as you remember to come back to the present frequently enough to enjoy the now as well. Right now for example, I’m curled up in my comfiest PJs, I’ve a cup of tea on the go and I’m looking forward to a day with family. Happy Sunday all!

  • Fake it ’til you make it 🍹

    Fake it ’til you make it 🍹

    My cheeks feel warm and rosy, in that way they only do after a couple of days out in the sunshine. Those chilly gale force winds seem to have passed through and this weekend has been verging on summery!

    It turns out Angel, Islington is the perfect place to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. Yesterday was spent window shopping, brunch eating and wandering around with a bestie and what felt like the entire population of London. So many people had decided Angel was the place to be! People watching on the train on the way in, I couldn’t help noticing how energised people were by the sunshine. I noticed some people had proceeded with caution – opting for layers – whilst others had gone full steam ahead into flip-flops, dresses and summer hats. My outfit landed somewhere in the middle and I was grateful for my cardigan by the end of the day.

    I was certain I’d been to Angel before, but if I have I’ve clearly never stumbled upon the markets and the cute shops because I’d have remembered if I had. I was absolutely in my element! I could have bought the entire contents of one particularly cute book shop and nearly everything in an independent home store.

    We were in Angel to view a space above a pub, which we’re booking to celebrate our 30th birthdays in. It’s absolutely perfect and I’m now more excited about my birthday than ever. We both left absolutely buzzing and headed straight to a pub with outside seating for an Aperol Spritz each and a couple of glasses of wine.

    I spent today wandering around town with another bestie, fuelled by coffee and nattering about work, life and all that we have to look forward to over the next few years.

    It really feels like we’re proper grown ups nowadays. And yet there’s still so much I’m trying to figure out. On one hand, I can’t wait for what’s to come – I know I cannot wait to buy a house and decorate it the way I like, but on the other, I’ve quite enjoyed renting free from worries about decorating and handling repairs. I feel almost ready to be a Mum, but at times I can barely handle worrying about the cats. Sometimes I feel like I’m really acing it at work and others I feel like I’m just faking it till I make it. I walked down the Superdrug make-up aisle today and realised I may know which mascaras I like and don’t like, but I’ve still no idea how to use lip liner or a highlighter pen. I can walk into a pub and confidently browse the wine menu, but I’ll still pay closer attention to the prices than the descriptions of the wines themselves.

    I guess even when you’re all grown up, you’re always learning hey? It’s kind of comforting to think that being an adult isn’t something you can just level up into. I think the closer to 30 I get, the more I realise that even real, proper grown-ups don’t have it all figured out. We just take the lemons life gives us and we get better and better at making lemonade. It helps to have good friends that’s for sure. Especially the kind of friends who will take your picture when your drink perfectly matches your blouse or who will help you search for the perfect pressed powder when the make-up aisle has you feeling clueless, flustered and like you’re 16 again.

  • One scorcher of a day at a time

    One scorcher of a day at a time

    There’s absolutely no doubt it’s summer now: I’ve got an insect bite on my elbow which is so itchy I could scream, I have tan lines on my feet where my sandals should be and I’m running out of summery enough clothes to wear. As a winter girl, I’m trying to make the best of it. I am admittedly loving that our weekends are full of outdoor plans in the sunshine and I’ve not yet tired of BBQ food and Pimms.

    We’ve finally figured out how to keep the flat cool, which is a relief. We know which windows to open and close when and where to place the fan to optimise it’s impact. And just in time too, when we’re on the cusp of a heat wave.

    Is anyone else in England feeling a little anxious listening to the news at the moment, or is it just me? Between reports about the ongoing war in Ukraine, the fight over who’s going to be our next PM and the heatwave that’s going to cause road closures, power cuts, train cancellations and also sadly, lots of illness too, I feel like it’s hard to stay focused on the present.

    But in Dave and I’s little bubble life goes on. The cats are happy as ever. If anything, they (Mambo in particular) seem to be loving the sunny weather and are often choosing the hottest place in the flat to sleep in. And we are not yet over just how AMAZING the latest season of Stranger Things was. We’re hooked on Love Island, even though we said we wouldn’t get sucked in this time and I’m all excited, because I just got a new meal planner which sticks to the fridge.

    And I guess that’s all we can do really? Keep ourselves educated and grounded and do what we can, but also focus on ourselves and taking our own lives one scorching day at a time.

    Excited for a pub lunch with lovely people this afternoon and an ice cold lemonade or three. Bring it on!

  • A Fab Time in Dublin

    A Fab Time in Dublin

    May is one of the best months of the year and I’m very happy it’s here. The sun starts to shine a little warmer in May. The trees are leafy again and the flowers are all out and about. Summer is officially on the horizon and it feels closer every day. We’re all a little more cheery again come May time. And this year we’ve two bank holidays to enjoy! And whether we love our jobs or not, the weeks always feel long and hard and the odd Monday off here and there helps us power on through.

    Talking of work… I’ve officially been in my current position for more than a year. MORE THAN A YEAR I TELL YOU. I can hardly believe it. Time does fly, but I must admit that my first day feels like it was a very long time ago now. I still remember it very clearly and fondly. I feel as though I’ve come a long way in a year. And I’m pleased to report that staying put is doing me all of the good I hoped it would.

    Somehow, it’s been nearly a month since Naomi and I were at Rhossili beach in Wales. Since then, Manchester United lost to West Brom, Dave and I bought furniture for the balcony, Britain was hit by a mini heat wave (perfect timing dontcha think?) and I went to Dublin for a few days with one of my best friends.

    Dave, myself and his parents journeyed all the way up to Manchester to see United lose and we were not happy bunnies. However, that same weekend we bought the furniture for the balcony AND a shoe rack for the hall way and triumphantly put it all together. You lose some, you win some. SO excited to play host this summer and make use of the new set up.

    The mini heat wave was simply amazing. It came just as we all felt like we couldn’t take one more day of doomy gloomy skies and chilly temperatures. It was just what we all needed. Besides me, everyone seemed so prepared too! Summer clothes were out in storm and the smell of sun cream filled the tube I got in the mornings. There I was stood in black trousers and a black blazer because my summer clothes were still hidden away and my legs were not in any state to be shown off to the world.

    We had a fab time in Dublin and I’d recommend a visit. The people are simply lovely for one thing! I highly recommend the free walking tours, the Guinness Storehouse and the food, in general.

    Our walking tour guide was GREAT. He gave us heaps of insight into Ireland, it’s history and it’s people. Dublin Castle, St Patrick’s Cathedral, the infamous ‘Spire’, they all have amazing histories and they’re all excellent spots for photos too.

    I reckon the Guinness Storehouse had to be the highlight of our trip. (Although, one evening spent in a pub in Temple Bar listening to traditional Irish music was particularly magical too.) The storehouse experience was so great, because it was all new. I’d never tried Guinness before (believe it or not I actually quite liked it), never learned how to properly taste a stout before and never poured my own pint before either. You have to breathe in through your nose, then sip, then breathe out through your nose… that’s the secret to the tasting. Thank me later.

    I loved literally everything I ate while I was in Dublin, but I particularly recommend a little place called ‘Boxty‘ where potatoes are cooked to perfection. This place is proof that potatoes are truly the best of all the foods.