Happy Monday!
I’m struggling today. I had the LOVELIEST weekend and coming back to my fluorescent-lit desk feels just a liiiittle bit depressing.
On Saturday I met Charlie for brunch and a wander through Camden in the morning. In the afternoon I baked a proper cake (lemon and olive oil!), then Gary and I headed out to a boozy tapas-themed dinner party with some of our friends.
Sunday was quiet and relaxed. We had a late breakfast in bed, then wrapped up and went for a walk over Wimbledon Common. We had lunch at Wagamama’s, and spent the rest of the afternoon on the sofa, watching season 10 of Big Bang Theory (omg Bernie had the babyyyy!)
Ooh and I also did the ironing. For, embarrassingly, the first time this year.
But hey, it still counts right?
1. Crossword puzzles. Guys, I’m obsessed. I sit on the tube home and work on the Evening Standard crossword. I have it on the side in the kitchen, so I can do the crossword while I cook. Before I go to bed I sit in bed and do the crossword. And basically: I’m turning into my grandmother.
2. Lemon and olive oil cake. I made this cake on Saturday to take to the dinner party, and it was SO GOOD. I’ve got a chunk of it wrapped up in clingfilm to snack on when I get home and I’m already excited.
3. Womble hunting. Gary and I went looking for Wombles in Wimbledon yesterday. We wandered over the Common, saw four different Westie dogs, and got our boots thoroughly muddy. It was very satisfying.
4. Making plans. After months of everything being slow and calm, my diary has suddenly filled up with plans, events and catchups with old friends, and I couldn’t be more excited. The downtime has been good to my soul, but I’m SO ready to get my social butterfly back on!
5. Shakshuka. Charlie and I went for brunch at Cafe Loren in Camden on Saturday, and omgggg the shakshuka and pitta breads are to die for. Full review coming tomorrow!
6. Angela Carter’s Book of Fairytales. I picked this up in Waterstones last month, with a voucher I got from Gary’s grandparents for Christmas. I bought it because I heart fairytales and the cover is gorrrgeous, but nothing could have prepared me for what’s on the inside! It’s nothing like I was expecting. The stories are all pretty short, so it’s perfect for reading slowly, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
7. Salmon and chorizo spaghetti. Gary and I don’t really do Valentine’s Day. No cards, no presents. But I did cook us a pretty special dinner. Salmon, chorizo, cream cheese, lots of parmesan, and a really good green salad on the side. It was deeelicious! (And in fact, I’ve just remembered that I have chorizo in the fridge right now, so I might make it again tonight.)
8. The DUFF. I’m 99% sure I’ve put this film in a Happy Monday post before but I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH. We watched it again last night (while I was ironing) and it just makes me cackle every time. It’s so smart and sassy, and Mae Whitman is quickly becoming one of my favourite people.
9. Tapas and red wine. Dinner parties are my favourite. The one we went to on Saturday was filled with red wine, great friends, and such a ridiculous amount of food, that we never even made it to the main course. If that’s not the sign of a good party, I don’t know what is.
10. Sunshine. OMG SPRING IS NEARLY HERE. I felt it in my bones on Friday, and today I sat in the park near my office and ate my sushi lunch on a bench in the sun and it was glorious.
Something else I’ve done this week: I spent a lot of time planning my new business venture!
After months of thinking about it, lots of nudging from Jaye, an enthusiastic thumbs up from my friends, and positive vibes from the poll I put out on Twitter: I’m finally setting up as an Instagram Coach.
I’ll be offering Quick Instagram Audits for £15 a pop, which will include a personalised two page PDF on quick tips and little things you can do to improve your feed as it is at the moment.
If you want to take it a step further, my Creative Instagram Strategy package will offer a more in-depth look at your profile. I’ll provide a detailed plan of content ideas, engagement tips and hashtags (among other things), and we’ll work together to create a feed that’s visually cohesive and ties into your brand and goals.
The plan was actually to launch everything today and include it in this post, but unforrrrrtunately Paypal isn’t playing ball. I can’t get the coding to work at all right now, so hopefully I’ll be able to get it fixed by tomorrow!
Keep an eye out on my Twitter feed, Facebook page or blog sidebar, as I’ll announce on there as soon as the page is live.
Have a very happy Monday guys, and thank you for all your lovely support! ♥︎
