Real, Not Ideal

Happy end of April! The temperature is getting warmer and the days are getting brighter. Despite the whole world being told to stay inside, I hope you’re enjoying that a little bit. Open the windows! Read in a patch of sun! This monthly post is . . . unprecedented (does anyone else hate that word though?). This isn’t about what I’ve done to make this month exciting because what I’ve done that is pretty much the same thing every day. Two years ago, I was talking about my last placement and the fact that I was almost done PGCE. Three years ago, I was celebrating all kinds of wonderful because it was the end of university. Four years ago, I had taken so many trips that I was excited to share. I won’t go back further because the formatting of my blog posts was different (and embarrassing, quite frankly), but that was a nice little trip back in time from my sofa. Anyway, these are the things in my life right now that are favourites because they’re helping me do something or be s...

On my list original plan for today’s blog post was going to be one for both of the France trips I was supposed to take in the last couple of weeks. I’ve also scoured through past posts to see if I mentioned them last year, and I’m ashamed to say I did not. For two of my favourite trips of all time, I cannot believe I missed a chance at writing about them. While I’m disappointed that I won’t get to partake again this year, I’m glad to have those memories forever. Instead of my original planned post, I figured I’ll go back to February when I went to Belgium and Berlin. I mentioned it in my monthly favourites in February (and even mentioned I would write a future post about it) but I never actually wrote it. So, here we go! Belgium and Berlin! Belgium         I went to Belgium on a school trip. The purpose was to see all of the WWI sites from a book we read with the Year 7s called “Private Peaceful.” Belgium itself has some really nice...

        In the past five weeks since my last reading update , I’ve managed to finish six books. I’m not sure why this has become a pattern, but I seem to be picking up more non-fiction as of late. I’m really loving reading about and getting to know a whole new cast of characters. I’ve read books about friends, about death, about life, and about how to make the most of everything. Although one of my least favourite books has emerged this reading round, I’ve had a pretty good month of reading overall. Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton – 4 Stars         This book is so heart-warming. I’ve read a lot of reviews about this book complaining that it’s about one woman’s messy adventures through alcohol and dating, but those people have utterly missed the point. Throughout the stories of ups and downs and sideways of Alderton’s life as a growing adult, there is a thread of what kept her going despit...

               Welcome back friends! How are we all doing? I’m not going to lie – I’m not doing very well at all. As it turns out, I’m someone who really needs structure and something to look forward to. Right now, I have none of that. I have no idea when I’ll be returning to work, I have no idea if or when I’ll be able to go home, and I have no idea when this will all be over. I genuinely thought I was fine but then I started getting rashes every day,  my skin started breaking out, and my acid reflux came back. All of these are signs of anxiousness for me. The worst part is, there is absolutely nothing that can be said or done to make me feel better. I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, pay even more attention to myself, and keep my fingers crossed.                So. W hat is keeping me going? Believe it or not, it’s routine. I mentioned in my last monthl...

What a month. I’m going to discuss anything other than the world burning around us though. After all, there have been some absolutely standout moments that I cannot forget about. I’ve been busy and it has been an exciting one. Relish in this, because I suspect that April’s may be less exciting. 1.       Axe Throwing I put this as my first favourite fully knowing that the picture that pops up as the main picture for this post IS one of me about to lob an axe. It was at the beginning of this month when my friend texted me to ask if I wanted to go axe throwing to relieve some work stress. It was SO FUN. As if turns out, we’re both terrible at it. In fact, I have the video of the first time I hit the board and my face is full of shock. Despite the sore muscles the next day, I loved this as an activity and we planned to make it a regular thing for us to do. 2.       World Book Day I mentioned in the last po...

It hasn’t been that long since I published my last recently read post , but I wanted to keep up to date. I’ve been a bit slow on reading this month since I was away a couple times , so there aren’t as many books as I would have liked. Anyway, here’s what I’ve been reading! A Man Called Smith – Tanya E Williams – 4 stars                This book elegantly details the way grief and trauma can be generational. John Smith faced a war overseas where his life was at risk and now faces a war just as trauma-inducing at home. One of the most skillful elements of this book is the duo-perspective. On one hand, we feel for the man who is desperately trying to keep his family life content while aching for his dead wife. On the other hand, we see how his attempts are not suited to his family at all and his daughter is slowly losing her way in the family.           ...

After the drag of January , I love that February goes by so quickly. It went by so quickly, in fact, that I didn’t even realise that it was time for my monthly favourites – hence the day late post. For me, February has been very busy. I’ve barely recovered from my week of travel. I have no regrets about the experiences, but I definitely missed out on the rest that was so desperately needed. Anyway, this is what I’ve been up to this month! 1.       Crystal Maze This was a work event, and it was amazing. My work is so thoughtful that they consider the fact that January is awful and instead of giving us a CPD where we have to listen to people talk for hours on end, they got us involved in team-building activities. A company came in to run this based on a popular TV show here in the UK. I had so much fun, and my team even came in second! It was definitely a highlight of the month. 2.       Belgium I was lucky ...