A U G U S T . [Journal].

August left as quickly as she came. Bursting at the seams with 26-degree sunshine, sitting in Russel square crossed legged with an ice cream in my hand, a sticky sweet smile stretching across my lips. August ran, leaving swirling winds, grey skies and the first signs of autumnal bliss in her wake. It has been a busy month, so busy I’d have forgotten what I did, where I was, who I saw if I hadn’t made teeny tiny notes in the margins of my books. 

I am terribly forgetful and one of the things I’m trying to get better at is remembering. Remembering the good as well as the bad. Remembering the small as well as the big. So I decided to write up a monthly journal looking back on what really made that particular month. So here is August I suppose…

W E A R I N G: One day I wonder if I’ll ever get bored of the midi skirt, chunky sandals, and a basic top combo. If I do, that day is certainly not today, even with the winds of change quite literally lapping at my ankles, I’m still going strong with no tights, no leggings, no socks. I will milk every last bit of sunshine that we have left okay! 

D R I N K I N G: I am a coffee gal through and through, my Instagram account is a testament to it. My colleagues are obsessed with The Gentleman Barista’s, and for good reason to, their coffee is one of the best I’ve had in London. Pop to Union Street in Bankside and ask for an Almond Milk Flat White and you’ll get a perfectly made one, topped up with a smile and some banter (also very cute dogs if you’re lucky!).

L I S T E N I N G: In between tip-tapping away on my keyboard at work, I’m often stifling intense laughter because of The Receipts Podcast. Audrey, Milena, and Tolani, the women behind the podcast are my older sisters in my head, they tackle topics like sex, relationships, family drama, careers and more with a funny twist and I’ve found myself cry-laughing at times because of Tolani’s humour, nodding along to Audrey’s wisdom and blushing to Milena’s uh… honesty aha! In regards to music oooooohweee has August brought me some BANGERS, ‘Fine Girl’ by Zie Zie, ‘MICHUUL’ by DUCKWRTH, ‘Got Friends’ by GoldLink.

R E A D I N G: It has become second nature to me to always, always have a book with me wherever I go. Bored on your commute? Read a book. A friend running late? Read a book. Need some alone time? Read a book. Feeling blue? Read a book. I could go on and on, but you get the picture right? Books solve many a problem and have been a comfort during the highest and lowest periods of my life. This month I read, Butterfly Fish by Irenosen Okojie, which i’ll be doing a small review on soon, but i loved it. Three diverging, dark storylines set is pre-colonial Benin, 1980’s London and 2010’s London.

D O I N G: What have I been up to? Too much honestly. I have a horrible habit of saying yes to absolutely anything and everything, which means I constantly overstretch myself and I end up burned out and exhausted, but I also know 100% that if I wasn’t this busy I would be bored so swings and roundabouts I suppose. This month in a bid to get away from ‘it’ all, my friends and I headed south to sunny Brighton for the bank holiday weekend, just for us to spend more time together as our schedules don’t quite align in London because of work and other commitments. It was honestly one of the most heartwarming weekends I’ve had in a long time. We laughed (so much that I choked on my pasta and had to go into the garden to calm down), we cried whilst digging deep and breaking chains, we ran with reckless abandon, jeans rolled up, feet slippery over smooth rocks into the salty sea. It was perfect.

S E P T E M B E R   G O A L S: September is my favourite month. September ushers in autumn with blinding sunshine, playing hide and seek behind ivory cotton candy clouds. Leaves begin to turn orange and red and they fall, leaving a crisp crunchy carpet in their wake. An extra cardigan or a scarf becomes the norm, wrapped loosely around one’s neck, not quite knowing whether it’ll be warm or cool.  September is also my birthday month, and I’ll be twenty-seven on the twelfth, so as far as goals go for September, it’s really for me to take this month as a month of reflection, self-care, and enjoyment, but at the same time I do have some gentle goals I’d love to smash come to the end of the month…

• Book in for a full body massage as a birthday gift to myself.
• Finish reading ‘Captivating’.
• Start my Sisterhood connect group in Bankside.
• Catch up with more friends to see how they’re really doing.
• Begin my Part II log books (so boring ugh).
• Learn how to use the Sony A6000.
• Write up at least 2 pieces of thought-provoking writing for Black History Month.

That’s it, a fairly boring but quite achievable list right? I’m trying to be softer on myself, to smooth over any jagged pinpricks of self-doubt, fear, imposter syndrome and panic I’ve dotted all along myself in the past and welcome twenty-seven with peace, clarity and most important of all, reckless self-love.

Here’s to a brilliant new month. Speaking and affirming good things to everyone reading this post, walk into it. It. Is. Yours.

xo