This post comes fairly late in the month for a variety of reasons: there are a lot of important birthdays for me in May and June, which I needed to organise; as well as a weeklong visit from one of my best friends and her boyfriend in early June; and honestly, the last couple of months have taken my attention away from my blog as it went down in my priority list.
I still love my blog, want it to improve and get a kick out of writing on it, but often the passion and desire has its downtime or is overtaken by other, more urgent and unfortunately stressful life tasks. To allow pressure and guilt to consume me about not attending to my blog as much as I’d like doesn’t make for a healthy headspace, even though it’s against my nature to just allow myself to let things slide (both a blessing and a curse, depending).
Where I’ve Been:
London, England
Toronto, Canada
Highlights of the Month:
Exploring London
My time in London feels so long ago now, but re-visiting some well-loved places like Columbia Road Flower Market and discovering street art really made me happy. I went to East Dulwich, a lovely area, for lunch, drinks and delicious sweet treats with my sister and nephew and had the first BBQ of the season with my family. Catching up with friends was also amazing, making me miss being closer to them and not having to rely on Skype.
Columbia Road Flower Market
Friend adventures in Ottawa
Four of us (me and my boyfriend plus two friends we’ve made here) drove from Toronto to Ottawa and spent the weekend there to take in the sights of the city and the Tulip Festival. I’ll be uploading pictures in a blog post soon on the festival (even though it was a month ago now…) – it was very colourful, making a fairly grey weekend brighter, but what I really enjoyed was exploring a new city with some friends. It’s not been the easiest to make friends in a new country/city when you’re not in a university setting and little weekend trips are something I’ve always imagined I’d do with friends.
Getting upgraded to Business Class
This isn’t a huge highlight, just something that made me kind of giddy and excited for my journey back to Toronto from London. Being able to use the Business Class lounge pre-boarding and sip on a selection of champagne and champagne cocktails and stretch my legs on the flight was pure bliss. I have never been seated in Business Class before, so thank you very much, British Airways! This is why I love you.
Lowlights of the Month:
Post-England sadness
It was inevitable. It’s happened to me before, like in Australia when my parents spent the day in Melbourne with me before moving on with their world cruise. When you get reminded of home full throttle, so directly, it overrides the pang you otherwise get but suppress when you’re not in presence of family/home comforts. It was a very ‘back to reality’ moment and now I miss home that little bit more than I had before. I will be going back for Christmas, which I know will come around so fast (how is it June already?!) but there’s a fair bit of reality to deal with until then!
Most Popular Instagram:
My Instagram Pick:
What I’ve Been Writing:
In Pictures: My Visit Back to London
What I Learned Visiting Home After 8 Months Away
What I’ve Been Reading:
Dear Bloggers… – Girl Tweets World
Always one of my favourite blogs, Jayne voices frustrations about blogs and wonders whether we should be focusing more on the reader rather than just trying to get anyone and everyone on our pages by any means. I admit this ruins my experience of reading some blogs, and I also admit I’m not perfect (well, duh). There’s something comforting about having someone actually speak out about something you’ve also found frustrating but has become sort of the norm.
‘Eat, Pray, Love’ and Travel – The New York Times
Simply just because I love Elizabeth Gilbert and I find her views on the world fascinating and something I always end up learning from.
I’ve started reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac, which is known as a classic but I’ve heard mixed reviews. Honestly, I’m really not into it yet which has made me a super slow reader. But I refuse to give up!
What’s Next:
As I’m writing this mid-June, a lot has already happened, such as my friend visiting Toronto and taking mini-adventures with her. Otherwise, June is to be spent solely in Toronto as we say goodbye to some friends who are moving to Boston (boooooo) and save money as best we can. Luckily, Toronto is, so far, seemingly going to be beautiful in the summer with lots on so there’s a lot to explore here.
I fully understand the post visit home sadness. I know it sounds strange but sometimes I want to avoid going home just because it makes me miss it so much. I’m fine once I’m back in Sydney but get terrible expat guilt whenever I go home. I’m hoping to have an extended visit later this year though so hopefully I can focus more on being with everyone rather than being sad!
Jayne recently posted…Sacred Sites & Safaris: Exploring The North Central Province Of Sri Lanka
Love your section on what you’re reading. Thanks for the suggestions. -lisa