I have been thriving in September. Still a bit overwhelmed and stressed at times, but on the whole thriving.
Favourite part?
I kicked off the month with an action as part of Green New Deal Rising aiming to hold Rishi Sunak for his climate delaying actions. A few of us from the North East travelled down to Richmond together and met up with the rest of the team taking part. We covered all entrances to the venue of the event Sunak was attending so he had to pass one of us and Fatima managed to challenge him directly! It was so much fun, gave me so much energy, and it felt like we made a real impact both in publicly embarrassing him to his constituents (by reeling off everything he has done to prevent climate action outside on a megaphone) and online. I love being a part of GNDR and meeting other people involved. If you’re interested in joining there’s a call on how to take part in the GNDR actions at COP26 tomorrow, and you can sign up here.
I also moved house! It’s so exciting to be in a new place with more space, a bigger bookcase, and did I mention the space?? Moving on one of the hottest days of the month if not summer was a great idea. Really great…
The day after we moved, I had a trip down to London where I visited ethical brand Birdsong’s Launch and Lunch for their new website. I was so honoured to be invited and it was so much fun meeting people I’d only known through online spaces, to try on lots of snazzy clothes and to be in London for a fun day rather than simply travelling through. I stayed with a friend I’d not seen in ages and we had such a good afternoon/evening.
My first piece for Shado Mag was published this month! I have loved Shado for a long time and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that they asked me to write for them. I’m super proud of the piece (which is based on my undergrad dissertation) and I got pretty emotional about the amazing feedback I received on it. I’ve got some more exciting news when it comes to my writing, but I’ll update you on that in the next wrap up!
Two of my best pals came up to visit me for a weekend! They’d not been to Newcastle before so it was great to show them around and show off my fave city. We went to some of my favourite food spots, had a wander around the city centre and my first bar crawl in a long long time. It was great to dance with pals again.
After about 2 years of having the tickets, I finally got to see McFly live! I had such a good night with my friends Leo and Rosie and it’s still weird to have been in an arena with thousands of people. I have been slightly paranoid about having Covid since then, but so far all my tests are all good. Here’s to not catching deadly diseases at public events!
I officially started my Masters degree in September! It was so weird being back on campus actually in lecture theatres and seminar rooms with actual real-life people! What is this fantasy world?!
Best read?
I finished reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, which is one of the books I’m looking at for my course.
I also started reading We Need to Talk About Money by Otegha Uwagba, which so far has been incredible. I want to set aside more time to read next month and I cannot wait to read more of this book!
Favourite listen?
Of course it has to be McFly seeing as I finally got to see them live!
I’ve also listened to Maisie Peters’ new album on repeat. There are some serious tunes on there.
Favourite watch?
Everything has seemed to have started up again in September and I am HERE for it! Strictly is back, Bake Off is back, Drag Race is back.
I’ve already watched all of the new series of Sex Education (justice for Ruby!), Dear White People (I felt very emotional saying goodbye to these characters although I’m still not 100% sure what I think of the musical format of the last series), and Married at First Sight UK.
And for some reason I decided now would be a great time to rewatch all of Downton Abbey. I hadn’t watched it in so long and while the characters are everything I stand against I absolutely love it. This time round I also connected lots of what they say in the series to an English module I studied last year for my BA and I actually wish I could have done a project related to depictions of sex and relationships in Downton Abbey connected to the real-life culture of 1910s/20s because there is so much to say!
What did I learn?
That some opportunities that you may be perfect for just come along at the bad time, and prioritizing mental wellbeing is most often more important than saying yes to absolutely every opportunity made available to you.
What’s happening next month?
It’s both mine and my flatmate’s birthdays so there’ll be various different celebrations. I’ll also be getting into the rhythm of my masters and just figuring out how my life is going to look now that different areas now starting to pan out a bit more.
What’s been on my mind?
I’ve been quite overwhelmed with climate news recently and cried a few times because of it. One particular thing that got to me was seeing a video of a 13-year-old girl from where I grew up giving a speech at a recent climate strike. That video really hit home how my generation was the last to enjoy the outdoors without worrying that it will be destroyed in front of our eyes. It just means we have to fight harder to save it on their behalf. Children should be able to make the most of their local environments and coastlines not having to campaign to save them.
Favourite post?
I’m proud of both my blog posts this month. Fashion Deep Dive: Shein is a super exciting one as it kicked off a new series and I hope is useful for anyone wanting to learn more about the brand.
I also hope that 5 Ways to Learn About Fast Fashion When You Don’t Have Much Time is a useful resource for facilitating education on the fashion industry. Time is such a privilege and I want to make sure what I share supports as many people as possible in taking action or deepening their understanding.
Biggest inspiration?
Seeing pals in person doing regular things, being in the sea, lots of new starts and beginnings! And honestly the feedback on my Shado article and being taken seriously as a writer at the Birdsong event (and the other writing news I'm keeping back for a little while) gave me such a boost and has given me so much more confidence and motivation in my writing and what I can do.
Any other favourites?
Does my bookshelf count? Or new cafes I’ve discovered close to my new house? Actually my other favourite has to be a new jacket I got secondhand for free recently and I have been wearing it almost every day single I got it. It’s so comfy, and works with everything. We love a versatile garment.
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