I’ve made myself a green tea, got super comfy on the sofa and since I’m feeing really chatty, I thought I’d do another happy things post! I always enjoy these because they feel like mini catch-ups with you guys, whilst also telling you about some things I’m really loving lately.

#1 A new Netflix obssession. I started watching Dynasty this weekend, and now I’m 5 episodes deep and fully hooked. Guys, it’s SO good. It’s about a rich family in America who own a family business, and all the scandal that follows it. Ignore the first crude 5 minutes into the first episode though!

#2 Lighter Spring days. We’ve arrived fully in Spring and the lighter evenings are finally here. It feels so good to have lots of daylight hours after work before the evening arrives, it always makes me feel productive too.

#3 Headband love. After buying one as a fluke from New Look and really enjoying the little hair change, I ordered a bunch of more hair accessories online and I love the little touch they add to outfits. They make me feel nice and confident too which is always a bonus 🙂

#4 Hashtag Authentic. I’ve been waiting a while to read Sara’s new book, Hashtag Authentic, and over the last week or so I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sitting down on the sofa with it and an afternoon cup of tea. I feel like I’ve learnt so much and it’s really inspired me with my photography too.

#5 Fresh flowers. With the arrival of Spring, it’s time to bring some more gorgeous fresh flowers into the house. I’m making it a ritual to pick some up every week or so, plus they make pretty photo props so it’s a win win, right?

#6 Weekend sheet masks. I’ve been treating myself to a sheet mask every weekend and I’m loving them! The last one I used was the Hydralon shot from Garnier and it was great, highly recommend!

#7 Getting my hair done! A little trim and a root touch-up always makes me feel so much better, especially because it also means I get to sit there and read my book for two hours, which always feels like a little slice of me-time in a busy week.

#8 Estee’s podcast ‘On The Line’ My current podcast obsession. Especially loved the episodes with Gel cream and Callie Thorpe.

#9 Peanut butter flapjack. I’m back in my baking flow and this past weekend I cooked up some damn good flapjack. That good in fact, I finished the whole thing in 2 days straight!

#10 Getting my blogging mojo back. A post to come on this, but I feel like my passion for blogging has finally come back and it makes me so happy to be invested again on here.

What’s made you happy lately?

With a new season, brings with it a time of reflection. For me, anyway. I love the clean slate, fresh feeling that Spring brings, so I wanted to chat a bit about my intentions for this new season too.

Connect back to my true self

I’m not sure whether it’s hormonal, or just because things have felt a bit busy and I’ve felt like I’m pulled in lots of different directions, but somehow, along the way, I feel like I’ve lost a little bit of my brightness. The excitement of finding joy in those smaller things, waking up ready to embrace the day and it’s possibilities. I want to get back to that! Don’t worry, I’m still happy and doing well, just probably 10% a little less energy. I want to stop feeling like I have to achieve everything I can in a day, and saying F you to the pressure I put on myself. It’s quite ridiculous really.

Create more, consume less. 

With posting everyday on Instagram this month, I feel like even though I’m creating a lot, I’m also looking at what everyone else is doing and how I compare. And that mindset just doesn’t work for me. I want to shout about other creatives and their amazing work, not feel jealous or lacking. Time to log off a little bit I think, which leads me to my next point..

Spend more time OFFLINE

I feel like March has been a month where I’ve been online a lot of the time. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m getting in that phase where I’m craving some time without my phone. An afternoon to bake and do yoga and read outside, if the weather allows. An evening spent with a takeaway and watching a film, sans scrolling Instagram. I sometimes wonder if I’ll look back in 20 years and feel silly how attached we (including me, obviously) are to social media. I want my memories to be of laughter with loved ones, not absent mindly listening whilst posting on Instagram stories.

What are your intentions for Spring? I’d love to hear about them! 

I really want to bring a personal aspect of my blog back, as I feel that’s something that’s felt missing to me these past few months so for this post I thought it would be fun to do a diary style week in the life post. Basically what the title says, my week in photos!

MONDAY

Monday is always one of my favourite days of the week. I love that fresh slate, clean start feeling! I spent the day at work being super productive, then on the evening I had my yoga class. The theme this week was sleep so it was even more chilled than usual and I left feeling so relaxed!

TUESDAY

Tuesday was another work day, but I managed to capture some of that gorgeous afternoon light when I got home and took two photographs for Instagram. I treated myself to some home-made banana bread afterwards, then had a chilled night in where I tried to put my phone down a little, and read a magazine in the bath, definitely something I need to do more of.

 WEDNESDAY

Wednesday was a day of running errands and doing lots of house jobs/life admin. But I did manage to pick myself up some flowers which definitely made the day brighter.

THURSDAY

Thursday was a bit of a weird day. I felt quite low energy and really sluggish, so I tried to take it as easy as I could. I got some time in the afternoon to start reading Sara Tasker’s Hashtag Authentic book, finally!

FRIDAY

Friday was a work day, but I did manage to sneak in a peaceful cup of tea after work, which was very much needed! I ended my Friday night eating vegan chocolate ice-cream, having a bubble bath and just generally chilling out after a busy week.

SATURDAY

We finally started working on our wedding album, which took up a bit of Saturday afternoon (it’s still not there yet) and then I tried to take a few pictures for Instagram. Two out of the three didn’t work out which is always frustating, but that’s just sometimes how it goes I suppose.

SUNDAY

Sundays are always one of my favourite days of the week! I love the mixture of chilling out, having some self-care time then always getting prepared for the week ahead so I feel on top of my game. I went for a run, had a hot bath with a face mask and then did a few jobs and got my schedule sorted for the next few days.

How did your week go, did you have a good one?

It’s time for another book post! I’ve read some great reads these past few months so I’m looking forward to chatting to you about them. Grab a cuppa, it might be a long one..

RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS 5/5

I’m a massive fan of the other two books in the Crazy Rich Asian series, and the final book in the trilogy didn’t disappoint! There were so many twists and turns that I definitely didn’t expect. It’s a pretty beefy read as all the others are, but these books are just the most fascinating escapism that you never want it to end. I watched the Crazy Rich Asian film on the plane too a few weeks ago and it was just as good as I had hoped it would be!
Read this if: you’ve read the other in the series, and are as fascinated with the culture as I am!

DUMPLIN’ 3.5/5

I picked this up after seeing the film advertised on Netflix, (which I haven’t watched yet) about a small-town beauty pageant. It’s quite a big read but the font is big, so it didn’t take me long to get through at all and I really enjoyed it. I felt really immersed into the story and the main characters, and I’d happy read a sequel. It wasn’t too fluffy nor too heavy, and I think I enjoyed it even more because it’s not something I would usually pick up. I’m probably not the target audience but I thought it was a good read overall.
Read this if: you want to go back to your teenage self for a few days.

THE LITTLE BROOKLYN BAKERY 4/5

I was really after a good ol’ chick-lit book, and this one definitely delivered! It had a really good storyline where although nothing that dramatic is going to happen, you like the characters and it’s just an overall ‘nice’ read to unwind to before bed. Cheesy at times, of course, but it does give all those warm fuzzy feelings we all love when reading these type of books. They make me feel so happy afterwards!
Read this if: chick-lit is your bag!

EVE OF MAN 5/5

Wow, this book had me well and truly HOOKED. I admit that at first I was really sceptical, and I wasn’t sure if this would be written to a much younger audience than me. Thankfully, it definitely wasn’t and I was quite suprised at how much depth this book had, it was really deep at times and definitely made me think. I’m giving it straight to my dad and sister who I know will adore this just as book as I did, and I’m so excited to read the next in the trilogy now. I really love sci-fi both in books and films, and the story was just so, so good and interesting. Can you tell how impressed I was with this one?
Read this if: just read it.

DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME 4/5

I loved Mhairi’s first book, so I was super excited to read another one from her. This really didn’t disappoint, and immediately after a few pages I felt like I knew the characters so well, so much in fact I really didn’t want it to end. It definitely had it’s funny moments where I actually laughed out loud, and some hard hitting moments too that made my heart ache a little bit. A relatively easy read, but worth picking up.
Read this if: you want a modern love-story with heart.

Have you read any of these?

Rewind to last December, I was very happily in what I’d call, a season of rest. Hibernation. Peace.

I was happy to stay at home every evening, enjoy shrinking back a little bit, and spending time by myself (something I am still doing, obviously! I am an introvert after all)

But something feels different lately. After much deliberation, I think what I’m in right now is a season of growth.

IN WHAT WAY YOU ASK? Well, let me explain.

I’m currently uploading every day on my Instagram for the whole of March, which isn’t something I’ve done in years, especially not creative photography. It’s really taking me out of my comfort zone in many ways, and I feel like I’m putting myself out there online in a way I haven’t done before. Of course at times this feels pretty terrifying, but I feel like I’m on a cusp on something quite exciting. And hopefully, something I can start building more of my life around.

I’m also working through the Dream Life book by the founder of Kikki K, and let me tell you, there’s nothing quite as overwhelming as thinking about what your dreams are. No boundaries. No limits. Dreaming without restriction. Things are cropping up that I never even realised I truly wanted, but it feels so good, and extremely cathartic. Kind of like positive therapy! I’m planning a whole post on this once I’ve finished it, so keep your eyes peeled if it sounds up your street.

The last thing that really has truly opened my eyes and somewhat, world, is completing my first long haul flights. I’ve never been an amazing traveller, and never in a million years did I think I could do an 8 hour flight, and even somewhat enjoy it. I feel so excited now to think of where we could go in the future. Places far away like New York & Canada, and also places I want to visit in Europe such as Italy and Paris. It really has opened up my universe, and I feel proud of how far I’ve come.

So yes, that’s it basically. I’m in a season of growth. Which in summary, sometimes feels horrendous and so vulnerable, but is also a place that feels important for me to find comfort in. And thank you for always following me along the way.

Are you in a season of growth like me too?