♡

Greetings loved ones! I'm back and dressed like a fluffy, blue cloud. Puff(a) Daddy, if you will (I'll see myself out). 

As you may be able to tell if you follow me on Instagram - I LOVE a monochromatic moment. Give me items of clothing in varying shades of the same colour and I'm your girl. You may also be able to tell I am having a puffa MOMENT, so excuse the frequency of which you will be seeing of varying shades of pastel puffas over the next while. Good grief, I might even do a Puffa Wishlist blog post - if that sounds like your jam let me know!

While this outfit is made up of individually basic parts, when it came together it made me happy. My trusty Zara jeans feature again in all their glory - these can do no wrong - similar ones here and here. I have a tumultuous relationship with Zara and their sizing, however, these are a dream. With that, I threw on another cream, cropped polo neck jumper - another H&M gem - and on top, this GLORIOUS sky-blue puffa (I know the word is puffer but let me live ok) that Ed snagged us from Ali Express and it is perfection. Another great buy that we both wear!

For shoes, these Adidas trainers are a little old so I have linked a similar pair (which I now need too). They are comfy and perfect for long walks which is literally all we are doing these days, but I also walked all around Pompeii, Amalfi (mountains) and Rome in these and didn't get blisters soooo - JUST SAYING.

The bag - another ASOS find which I adore - I bought it last summer so will link a couple of similar ones here (detach chain and you're good to go) here and here. Sunglasses are my all time favourite Ray Bans as per - I don't want to jinx anything but the fact that I haven't lost, sat on or somehow broken these is a bloody miracle.

While yes, the title of this post is a play on words, a PUN if you will, due to my blue outfit, I did want to mention the actual, legit lockdown blues that are swirling around at present.

I know for me, and most people I have spoken to/most of what I see online, this current lockdown has been by far the worst. Granted, none of the others were easy, but we were (blindly) let to believe there was an end in sight to those, and that all would go back to normal, and this time I think we have wised up. This is not going to be a government/politician-bashing themed blog post, I promise, I think the general consensus on that topic is well known. However, I do feel that they have let the people of this country down - and indeed governments around the world have done the same - when it comes to our mental health.

Everyone is struggling, most more than ever, and I don't feel there is enough being done. I'm not saying that I have a solution apart from: take each day as it comes and don't be hard on yourself - allow yourself the rest and comfort and food and love and help you need right now. 

I know it's easier said than done, but I always remind myself to talk to myself like I would talk to my best friend. If your best friend told you they were feeling down or rubbish or couldn't get out of bed, you wouldn't say "get over it, stop feeling sorry for yourself!", you would say "how can I help you" and you would bring them snacks and blankets and crawl underneath next to them until they felt ok again. So, do the same for yourself.

I hope anyone reading this is doing okay - as okay as you can be - and know that this time, the end in sight is actually real, and it will come. I can't decide if I would rather have a definite end date like the UK have - and risk the disappointment of that not happening - or if I would just rather know that it is coming soon, and trust that.

If anyone is struggling and you feel you have no one to speak to, please reach out to me - best place is probably Instagram DMs if you'd rather not leave a comment - I'm no expert but I will try my best to offer comfort and support. We're not all in the same boat (everyone's boat is different in terms of financial stability, safety at home, mental health, health in general etc.,) but we are all in the same storm, so you are never alone.

Sending lots of love and thank you for reading,

S ✗

 You know that saying "you are what you eat"? I never quite understood the literal meaning of this, but this chocolate-coloured outfit is how I choose to take the meaning. I eat chocolate, therefore I wear chocolate.

Continuing with the chocolate-caramel theme is this gorgeous bag from ASOS - currently also out of stock (again, sign up to get the e-mail), but I found some other gorgeous options here, here and here. Hat is Ed's (quel surprise) - pretty sure he got it on Depop.

Since lockdown #1 I have developed a hobby which includes scouring our neighbourhood for my dream house - see the ones behind me in the pics for reference. Then I get really upset when the SOLD sign goes up, despite the fact that I did not attempt to buy the house nor can we afford it at present... and so the process repeats itself.

Hope you are all doing okay, this third lockdown appears to be taking its toll on people more than the previous too - I'm definitely feeling that. Just keep reminding yourself that the end is in sight - vaccination is on the horizon!

Thank you for reading,

S ✗

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As we began January 2021 in yet another Level 5 lockdown here in Ireland, I decided to embrace it as much as I could and spent pretty much ALL of my spare time (I mean, what time is not spare at the moment) reading. I enjoyed most of the books I read this month - a couple of not-so-sure-about ones but nonetheless, a good reading month overall. 

1.  Asymmetry - Lisa Halliday

This was the first book I read this year, which I received as a gift from my friend Gráinne (the one who always picks amazing books). I think I may have missed something in this book, as it confused me quite a bit, although I enjoyed the actual reading of it thoroughly.

This book begins with Alice, a book editor in her twenties with dreams of writing her own books, who finds herself in a relationship with a famous writer, Ezra Blazer, who is 45 years older than her. Ezra is controlling and very generous, but asks too much of Alice while flaunting the power he feels he has over her. 

However, the second part of the book begins and tells an entirely different story (which is meant to be connected somehow to Alice's story), of a man, Amar, who has travelled to London to meet a friend, then planning to fly on to Kurdistan to find his brother who has disappeared. Amar gets detained at Heathrow (2008, in the height of the terrorism battle) and is subjected to questioning and interrogation.

Again, I really enjoyed the language used and the style of writing in this book, but I think I missed a key, complex piece of what was going on and how these two stories of Alice and Amar are interconnected while I was reading it. Upon googling, it is a little clearer, but let me know your thoughts if you have read it!

2. Ghosts - Dolly Alderton

Dolly Alderton is a wonder - I literally love everything she does, writes and recommends. Starting off my adoration was her podcast, The High Low, with Pandora Sykes, then came her first book, Everything I Know About Love which I absolutely gobbled up, and now, Ghosts which, naturally, I also devoured.

This story follows Nina Dean - a food writer in her early thirties. After two years of singledom, she meets Max, who insists on the first date that he will marry her (one of those) and she feels as if everything is falling into place. Until, of course, he ghosts her. TWICE. Alongside this, she is struggling with friendships as her friends seem to sink further and further into "settled" territory, and she struggles with her Dad who is slowly disappearing before her eyes as his dementia worsens.

I loved this book. It was relatable, funny and spoke in a beautiful way about the experience of having a loved one with dementia, without it feeling too heavy. A great, easy and enjoyable read for sure.

3. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

This is such a lovely book - hilarious and heart-warming (despite the cynical-sounding title). 

The story is set in a retirement village where four unlikely friends - pushing 80 years old - reside. The group meet weekly - every Thursday - to discuss old, unsolved crimes, and together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. However, the old cases get pushed to the side when a local man who had interest in buying the retirement village is found dead and they find themselves trying to solve their first live murder case. As another body turns up, the Thursday Murder Club are determined to catch the killer before it's too late.

While this book is largely a comedy, there are some touching moments of friendship and love and the lasting quality of both. A great read!

4. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens

*Trigger warning - sexual assault*

I know I am waaay late to the party on this one, and I wish I had read it sooner because I absolutely loved it, and cannot wait to see the film (but hope they don't make a balls of it like they so often do when making amazing books into movies). This is a gorgeous story of survival, independence, love and friendship, with a running nature theme throughout which is so calming to read.

The book follows Kya Clark, known in the local village as the "Marsh Girl." She lives in a shack in the marsh and is gradually abandoned by everyone in her family, finding herself alone. We learn about her daily life and connection she has to the marsh around her, and how she nurtures a relationship with Tate, a local boy, without ever knowing how.

However, Chase Andrews - a popular guy in the village - turns up dead, and because they suspect her of all sorts (on the basis of not knowing her or attempting to know her), the village insist that Kya is the culprit. 

This book is really thought-provoking and shows the discrimination Kya experiences as a young woman, essentially alone in the world. This book was moving and beautifully written, would recommend to everyone.

5. The Colour Purple - Alice Walker

*Trigger warning - sexual assault, domestic abuse, racism* 

This is a brilliant, heart-breaking story, I really loved the style of writing in letter format, written to her sister/diary entries to God throughout the book.

This story follows the life of African American women in the earliest 20th century in Georgia. Celie and her sister, Nettie, were separated at a young age and try to stay in eachothers' lives as much as they can, despite being worlds away from one another and leading completely different lives. We follow their story through a series of letters over and back between the sisters over 20 years, as well as Celie's letters to God. We also follow the characters of Shug Avery and Sofia, along with the husbands of these women and the way of the world back then when it came to women.

It is a tough read, discussing many instances of domestic and sexual abuse and the pain the women experience throughout their lives as a result, their courage, and how their companionship with one another gets them through.

Again, looking forward to watching movie but hoping it doesn't do a terrible job of re-enacting the book.

6. Redhead by the Side of the Road - Anne Tyler

This book I did not get along with. If I had to sum it up in one (slightly harsh) sentence, I would say it was trying to be Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine but sadly not succeeding. 

The story follows Micah Mortimer - a creature of habit with a structured and strict routine in life that he does not like to stray from. The plotline basically centres around his girlfriend - with whom he has a strange, systematic sort of relationship - getting evicted, his reaction to that, and the subsequent effect on their relationship; and a strange situation where a teenager turns up on his doorstep claiming to be his son.

While I understood the point was for these events to show how his routine was thrown off, it didn't really develop at all, I was waiting for something substantial to happen and it just didn't. Not a fan unfortunately.

Let me know what you read that you loved, I am forever looking for more reading recommendations!

Thank you for reading as always,

S ✗

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