Today is Wednesday, and I am in desperate need of a Wenday. This is something that my husband invented back in 2018, after we had just started our long distance relationship, and I was constantly feeling overwhelmed by all the changes that were going on in my life.
Last Saturday was the official start of my university module! While I have failed at getting ahead as much as I wanted, I finished the first week quite quickly, as it was only an introduction to the module, which means that I am now ever so slightly ahead after all. Week 2 starts on the 10th, but this morning I decided to get started on that and have a cosy study session.
My study essentials: a cup of tea, candles, perhaps a wee snack, and a book to read during my pomodoro breaks. And my favourite pens, of course.(more…)
It’s Saturday morning, and I feel a little bit weird. My husband has left for work a couple of hours ago after being home for 3 weeks due to a pretty intense chest infection, so today is the start of “life going back to normal” for both of us, which also means that for the first time in, what feels like ages, I am all alone. I don’t mind being alone so much, I’m quite used to it as my husband does 12 hour shifts, switching from days to nights, and I usually try to be productive on some level during those hours, whether that involves doing household chores, studying, or doing something for my mental health. But it feels different this time.
My favourite month has finally arrived! I woke up incredibly excited this morning, because despite everything else that’s going on in my life, it gave me a sprinkle of joy. Currently, everything feels dark and gloomy; mentally I am not doing okay at all, but it’s my physical health that makes everything a bit scary and unsure at the moment. All of that has the ability to ruin this month for me, but I am doing my best to not let it, and to make October cosy and lovely. And so I made myself a list with the things I want/hope to do this month.
Reading is one of my two main hobbies, and while I don’t read nearly as much as I would like to, I do try to get at least a few chapters in every day. I’m someone who can enjoy most genres, and I’m a little bit of a mood reader. Horror is one of my favourite and go-to genres, but I am just as happy to pick up a cheesy romance or a fantasy. This year I have been in a bit of a reading slump, especially since moving house (I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve only finished 1 book in September) and I thought it would help me to think back about some of my favourite books of the last few years to get me a bit more into a reading mood again.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
Back in 2024 my husband and I went to the Netherlands to celebrate the birth of my niece. We decided to take the train from London because up until that point we had only ever travelled by plane. I don’t quite remember how long the journey was, but I do remember packing a physical book and my kindle for the journey. The physical book of choice was Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which had been on my shelf for a while, waiting for the right time, and as it was quite a short book it seemed like the perfect read for on the train ride. I didn’t really know what to expect of the book, but the story had me on the edge of my seat from the start, and it was full of twists and turns that I had not expected. It was a 5-star read for me, and it’s one of those books I still think about all the time.
