November & December 2020 | Monthly Wrap Up
Wednesday, 30 December 2020
The past couple of months have been hectic but somehow haven’t felt as stressful as they could have done.
Favourite part?
With lockdown and then Tier 3 and 4, I’ve not been up to much (like most people!). But it’s still been pretty good I’d say. Especially considering the circumstances!
One of my favourite things the past couple of months has been going for a lot of walks and seeing more of the area surrounding where I live. Not having my weekends filled has meant I’ve been able to explore a bit more and force myself to go outside!
As since the beginning of lockdown, I’ve relly been enjoying online events, including talks by Layla F. Saad and Fiona Thomas, Remake Community Calls, as well as hosting some of my own events as part of FemSoc!
Before my flatmates and I went home for Christmas, we made the flat look really festive and I absolutely loved it! Here's to the wonders fairylights from Poundland and some green fabric can do! I was really glad to get home for Christmas though and feel like I have had a decent amount of rest time – not doing any work at all is amazing! But I’ve now been back to work for a couple of days and it won’t stop until I finish my degree! (No you’re the one panicking about that.)
Oh! And I got a fringe! Here's to dissertation procrastination haircuts...
Best read?
I’ve actually read a lot recently! They’ve mostly been for my course, but they have all been super interesting and I’ve enjoyed them all. At one point in November, I read 3 books in a week. It’s fair to say I was quite tired by the end of it! Books I read for my course were The Beetle by Richard Marsh, which was very weird but was quite easy to read and enjoyable; Dracula by Bram Stoker, which I did really enjoy although there were definitely some bits they could have cut out! I also read Three Weeks by Elinor Glyn and The Sheik by E. M. Hull.
I read Trumpet by Jackie Kay and held a book club event around it for my uni’s Feminist Society. It’s such an incredible book and I honestly couldn’t put it down. It’s such a beautiful story of love and grief and it’s so wonderfully written!
I have also read Quite by Claudia Winkleman, which I found very funny and readable, as Ruby Rare’s Sex Ed, an incredible book I would recommend to everyone. That book is what our sex education should be!
Favourite tunes?
As always I’ve listened to a fair amount of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. I’ve also been loving Taylor Swift’s new album, evermore, I find it quite relaxing. I’ve been listening to a ot more Dolly Parton, specifically her new Christmas album and her album Here You Come Again (including singing quite loudly on a train carriage I thought was empty but turned out not to be).
My favourite music to work to recently has been the soundtracks for Ratatouille, How to rain Your Dragon and Narnia.
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Favourite watch?
As I’m sure a lot of people have a found, a combination of lockdowns (including a mixture of Tiers 3 and 4) and winter has meant a lot of TV has been watched.
My flatmates and I watched Catastrophe, which I absolutely loved and miss. We lso watched Strictly, I’m a Celeb and Bake Off when they were on, as well as the old reliables: Gogglebox and First Dates. I may also have been binge watching Made in Chelsea, and yes it’s shit but I can’t stop watching!
And of course there’s been Christmas watches: both Home Alone films, Arthur Christmas twice, Dickensian, Muppets Christmas Carol and the
I also watched the BBC Dracula series. I thought the first two episodes were incredible but the third one went a little bit rogue and I’m not sure what I think about it.
I introduced my family to the show Lovesick, and they lved it as much as I do! And then I’ve watched Bridgerton with my mum over the past couple of days and loved the silliness!
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What did I learn?
Rest is crucial!! This is the same for the whole of this year but I suddenly noticed how tired I was when I went home for Christmas once I wasn’t worrying about work for a week and a bit. Things really catch up on you and we all need to take care of ourselves!
What’s happening next month?
I’ve been in Tier 4 since Boxing Day, but have to go back to Newcastle for university at the beginning of January - doing my best to keep Covid safe of course! I’ll be mostly working on some final assessments and my dissertation.
What’s been on my mind?
Honestly just trying to keep on top of everything! I’ve had so much to do, I’ve been focusing on my uni work and other commitments, as well as making sure I take time for myself and actually relax on the weekends. It’s a plan which seems to be working so far.
Favourite blogger/vlogger?
I won’t lie I’ve not watched much YouTube or read many blogs recently. I’ve been focusing on all the work I’ve had to do!
Favourite post?
I wrote a lot of the posts published in November and December earlier on in the year and I quite enjoyed revisiting them when they were released.
Some of my favourites are How to Check a Fashion Brand’s Ethics and Sustainability, 5 Ways You Can Support Ethical Fashion Without Spending a Penny and My Slow Fashion Journey.
Biggest inspiration?
Not very exciting, but honestly just getting through this year and trying to do the best in my degree!