HTMW Recaps: August 2019
I normally add a quote to the beginning of each post that sums up or enhances my writing. However, I’m going to use my monthly recaps as an opportunity to sum up the month – be it the mood, the weather, my feelings… Anything really. It really felt like summer this month. I got to spend the dog days outside, swimming, walking, exploring. I loved being back in Wales for the end of summer and experiencing the beautiful golden days at the end of summer in the countryside. My quote this month reflects that.
‘Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.’ – Henry James.
In January 2017, I announced I was going to start monthly recaps on my blog. If you missed last month’s recap, you can find it here. I’m now working through my 2019 backlog of recap posts, starting with August 2019 and bringing us up to speed on September, October and November shortly, before the year ends and 2020 begins!
An Overview of August 2019
August was full of busy weekends, spent outside of London exploring new parts of the UK and returning to old favourite haunts. There was plenty of hiking and walking, lots of family time and some wild swimming too! It was the perfect last month of summer, full of sunshine and fun. By the time September came around, I was ready to start slipping into autumn and begin planning for our upcoming trip to Jordan!
The Highlights
A lovely weekend with P in Bristol.
I don’t visit P as often as I’d like, so it’s extra special when I do head to Bristol to see her and her partner. This time around, we enjoyed an afternoon of shopping and catching up on the Saturday. On the Sunday, we went out for a delicious brunch at a cafe near P’s house, then headed off to explore a local country manor and its beautiful grounds.
Ashton Court Estate is in disrepair inside, but the outside is a brilliant sunny yellow, quite outstanding. The grounds are extensive and perfect for a Sunday stroll. P and I chatted and walked, enjoying our time together before I had to head back to London in the afternoon. It was the perfect weekend in Bristol!
An incredibly windy weekend hiking from Folkstone to Deal!
E and I had not anticipated quite such a windy hike! We set out from Folkestone with the wind at our backs, excited at the weekend of walking ahead of us. As we departed Folkestone and ascended to the clifftops, the wind whipped into a gale. We inched along. For a while, our primary focus became to ensure that we did not get blown off the clifftop!
We spent the night in Dover. Luckily, the wind had died down a little the next day (more of a fresh breeze!) and we were able to enjoy the White Cliffs of Dover before strolling along to Deal through a sunny afternoon. By the time we reached Deal we were tired but happy. It was a beautiful walk, even with all the wind, and we can’t wait to do another overnight hike soon.
My first time doing karaoke ever! It was so fun!
I did not think I would enjoy karaoke, so imagine my surprise when I not only totally loved it, but I also got up and sang my heart out more than once! It was a really fun evening and a great way to spend C’s work hen, the final celebration with her and our work friends before she got married. If you’re into karaoke or have never been and want to give it a go, I can’t recommend The Old Queen’s Head pub in Angel, Islington, highly enough. The karaoke room is great, the drinks aren’t too expensive and the burgers are insanely good!
A sunny hike up Llyn y Fan Fach with E, and a great week in Wales.
E and I both spent a week in Wales at the end of the month and kicked off our time there by taking a climb up Llyn Y Fan Fach. It was a glorious late summer’s day, very warm and sunny. The hike took us around four hours altogether and the views from the highest point were outstanding, stretching across mid and south Wales in every direction. It is always great to spend quality time with E and this was no exception.
We then proceeded to have a lovely week in Wales. I worked from home, we ate well, we walked in the evenings and read our books. We got drunk together and partied as a family.
And we swam too – walking down to the river near our house twice and dipping into the chilly water to cool off, laughing like maniacs, throwing rocks so that the dog would jump in with us and generally just living like kids again. It felt very freeing to do this as adults. As children, we’d spend hours, if not days, down at that river larking around and swimming. To come back as adults and lie in the peaty brown waters made me feel like a child again, and transported me back to New Zealand, the last place I did some wild swimming.
And to round off the month, a leaving party for J in Birmingham.
We descended on J’s house to throw a going-away party for her, H and K. There was a lot of drinking, lots of laughter, some GREAT mac’n’cheese and a terrible hangover the next day. It was the best send-off possible!
The Lowlights
J leaving to move to Australia.
Well, she is one of my best mates. I was sad to see her go, but she is having the most amazing adventure. I’m proud of her for taking the plunge and moving across the world, though it’s difficult when you’re used to seeing someone reasonably frequently and all of a sudden, that’s not possible!
Getting hit in the face by my iPhone in my jacket pocket…
Remember that windy hike from Folkstone to Dover and then onto Deal? Well, at one point, it was so windy that the iPhone in my jacket pocket flew up in a gust and smacked me in the face! My jacket was tied around my waist so I’d put my phone in there to keep it safe, not even imaging that would happen! I got a shock and a bruise! It was not my finest moment and I very nearly burst into tears.
Posts This Month
Innsbruck: Three Tales and Top Tips.
In which I tell three stories from my time in Innsbruck, from the river, the mountains and the Old Town, and share my top tips for travel in the city as well.
What I Read This Month – August 2019
Turbulence by David Szaley.
A quick and easy read. I finished this off in a single hour while on the train to Bristol and enjoyed every second.
The concept is simple enough – we follow a different person in each chapter. On each occasion, that individual boards a flight for some reason or other. Each individual meets or encounters another individual and the baton is passed onto that person in the next chapter. It’s a book of fleeting glances into a world of different lives. We travel around the globe before coming full circle and heading back where we began.
It’s the perfect book for someone that travels frequently and meets a lot of random strangers on flights. I often wonder what happens to the people I meet on planes after I’ve disembarked. I loved that the book was unapologetically short and such a simple concept, delivered really well. I’ll definitely be picking up some of Szaley’s other books in future!
A Love Story for Bewildered Girls by Emma Morgan.
I started this book with reasonably high expectations, for some unknown reason, and finished it with those expectations not being met. I like the idea of this book – three strong, independent women all falling in love with different people and their lives becoming intertwined, whether they realise or not. But there was something missing for me, some depth or detail. It was kind of like when you miss a key herb or spice from a dish you’ve cooked. The food still tastes fine, but the absence of the ingredient is noticeable.
The book covers important topics like depression and uncertainty around sexuality. A review that I read after this book sums it up well – ‘…a step-up from chick-lit but not weighty enough for literary fiction’. I couldn’t agree with this statement more! This book promises a lot, delivers some of it and remains a kind of forgettable read.
The Secret Barrister by Anonymous.
I read this over the course of about two months, as it’s kind of a heavy read and there is a lot of detail that needs time to be digested properly. However, I’m so glad I read this and educated myself on the state of our legal system here in the UK. It was well worth the time and effort to read this book.
The book highlights the intense pressures barristers face in this day and age. I found it incredible that the difficulties experienced within the legal system in this day and age are not fully understood by most people, including myself before reading this book! As the author points out a few times, if the criminal justice system in the UK was the NHS, we would be up in arms.
This is a genuinely important book to read. It rids us of common misconceptions that all barristers earn six figure salaries, live in mansions and drive expensive cars. It exposes the problems faced on a daily basis by barristers, solicitors and others due to the deep cuts made to the criminal justice system. I found this book fascinating, concerning, eye-opening and interesting. The cuts that are being continuously made to the criminal justice system affect the most vulnerable in our society, but could also impact any one of us at any time. The author highlights this beautifully in the book. I can’t recommend reading this highly enough.
The Salt Path by Raynor Wynn.
Wynn and her husband hike the entire length of the Cornish coastline because they’ve hit rock bottom. They’ve lost everything, Wynn’s husband is ill and they don’t know what else to do. It is clear that Wynn is not an author normally. She’s someone who has experienced extraordinary hardship and come out the other side with an amazing story to tell. She and her husband are inspirational.
The focus of the book is the walk. Hiking the Cornish coastline is no mean feat, and Wynn does not shy away from the difficulties and daily struggles she and her husband endure. Ultimately, the walk becomes the thing that holds them together as a couple, keeps Wynn’s husband healthy and eventually, helps them get back on their feet and begin a new life. They literally walk themselves back into health and a new form of happiness.
If you’re a fan of hiking, love Cornwall or just want to read an inspirational story, then this is the book to pick up and read. Although there is some clumsy writing, the focus is so strongly on the story unfolding that it doesn’t matter and I would highly recommend this book.
Instagram Pictures of the Month – August 2019
My photos this month are from London, Bath, Wales and Kent. There were also two throwback posts from New Zealand and Austria.
I choose these three images based on which got the most likes on Instagram and then tell the story behind the picture. Disclaimer: They are not necessarily my favourite photos!
The Roman Baths – Bath, England.
This was a throwback photo to July, when J and I spent the afternoon exploring Bath, my favourite city in the UK. It was cliche, but she’d never been and I wanted her to get the full experience of the city, so we visited the Roman Baths.
As I had anticipated, it was touristy and the weather was muggy, but I made the most of the opportunity and took some new photo of the attraction, including this one.
Flowers and White Cliffs – The White Cliffs of Dover, Kent.
On the second day of our hike, we climbed to the top of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. I’ve seen them in countless movies and TV shows. They were every bit as impressive as I’d hoped they would be. We wandered along, strolling and E indulged me by pausing when I stopped to take photos.
The wind had dropped and I felt safe enough to inch my way to the top of the cliff and get this photo of the cliffs in all their glory.
The Perfect Way to Spend a Saturday – Llyn Y Fan Fach, Wales.
A photo taken at the top of Llyn Y Fan Fach. The sky was a cloudless blue, usually unheard of in this perpetually rainy country! We inched along the ridge and gazed down at the deep blue lake below, which reflected the sky. The grass was incredibly green and everything seemed to shine. It was wonderful to do this in the place I call home and bask in the sunshine.
My Favourite Image: August 2019.
A throwback to my trip to Austria in June, when I took a cable car to the top of the mountains around Innsbruck and stood with the wind in my hair, on top of the world. I love this photo – it’s perhaps even one of my favourites from 2019. Being here, on top of these mountains, was just what I needed. I felt free and happy and joyful.
Coming Up in September
P and I are off on our first holiday together just us two since 2016 and The Long Journey Home! We’re heading to Romania for 24 hours (my 29th country!) before going to Jordan to spend nine days in this beautiful country.
I’m super excited to be heading back to Jordan and sharing this amazing country with P. I know we’re going to have the best time! Keep your eyes open and be sure to follow my Instagram feed and stories for all the photos from our trip.
