What I've done in September
I'm still on furlough from my day job, and autumn's coming, so my attention's turned more to indoor pursuits, such as knitting and crafting. I've got a couple of projects on the go, and though none of them are finished yet, I hope to be showing one off on my Instagram in the next couple of days... watch this space.
That's not to say I haven't had my share of fresh air too. I've taken up a new hobby in the form of roller skating, and let me tell you, it's a heck of a lot harder to roller skate as an adult than it was as a child. My friends and I used to spend hours on our skates doing laps of 'The Green' near where we grew up.
These days, I'm puffed out two minutes in, and wobbling like Bambi. I don't think it helps that I've been a fairly keen ice skater in recent years - people tend to assume that if you're good at one, you're good at the other, but I've found the opposite to be true. They require completely different actions, so if you're used to doing one, the other becomes a lot harder.
As always this summer, there's been a lot of walking and a little bit of cycling too. My new-found enthusiasm for photographing scenic villages had me walking out to Shipbourne and back from Tonbridge one warm afternoon, and I took a socially distanced walk with a friend around Bidborough Ridge - stunning views all the way across Tonbridge from that one. If you're in the area, I thoroughly recommend Walk Tonbridge, a website full of walking routes which was started in lockdown by a local man.
Where I've been in September
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A leopard at Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens
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I broke free of Kent for a few days in Norfolk, seeing as though foreign holidays are a no-go right now. We hired a chalet on the coast just north of Great Yarmouth and used it as a base to explore the local area. A happy morning was spent indulging my love of animal photography at
Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens, and we also took a boat trip to see the seals at Blakeney Point, as well as spending an afternoon on the beach, and taking a whistlestop tour of Cromer.
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| Seal watching at Blakeney Point |
But for me, the highlight of the trip was stopping at Southwold, on the Suffolk coast. It's been on my UK bucket list for years, and even more so when someone I know
opened a shop there. After lunch at Tiptree Tea Rooms, we wandered briefly around the high street, which is full of beautiful buildings and independent shops, but the current one-way system and social distancing guidelines made browsing more of a stress than a delight.
So we headed to the seafront, where sights include pastel beach huts, a beautiful light house, and, on our visit, a cruise ship we believe to be
P&O's Aurora, anchored just off the coast while not in use due to the pandemic. We also spotted Fred Sireix
filming on the beach.
What I've eaten in September
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| Ice cream in Southwold |
I'm still not big on the whole eating-out-in-restaurants thing following lockdown, so not much to report on this front, though we did end up eating out a couple of times in Norfolk, out of necessity.
The East Coast Restaurant close to where we were staying didn't look like much from the outside, but the food was so good, and the service so friendly (and safe!) that we ended up returning there a second night. We were so hungry after our days exploring that we scarfed the lot before I had a chance to take a photo, but think huge portions of comfort food such as lasagne and scampi and chips.
Another night, we tried The Smokehouse, an American diner-grill place, serving fries, burgers, and milkshakes - exactly my kind of food. We didn't see much of the restaurant as it's split into several rooms across an old house, and wandering around isn't allowed right now, but if you're into Americana, you'd probably like it. As we left, hundreds of bikers were pulling up into the grounds for their weekly meet-up, which made for quite a sight.
What I've been watching in September
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| The Babysitters Club on Netflix is a dose of nostalgia |
Well done to regular readers (all two of you) of the The Whole Picture, who've spotted that I've added a couple of extra sections this month, as somewhere to record and share what I've been watching and reading.
After a rocky start with a couple of below-par romcoms on Netflix, I stumbled upon
A Simple Favor. Having just watched Gossip Girl, I pressed play when I saw Blake Lively in the trailer, and though I wasn't expecting anything more than an average romcom, it turned out to be much better than that. Yes, it's a comedy, but it's brilliantly dark, with a bit of a Gone Girl-eque mystery thrown in. Would recommend, and would be keen to hear recommendations of similar films.
Lots of people were talking about
The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary about how social media is controlling our lives. While I found it interesting, I wasn't as shocked as others seemed to be by what it revealed - perhaps working in the industry I do means I've always been more aware of the inner workings of social media than the average user. If you're finding yourself a little too addicted to Instagram though, do give it a watch.
If you're my age, you may remember reading The Babysitters Club books growing up. The American YA novels have now been made into
a Netflix series, and while it's weird seeing Kristy, Mary-Anne and co, who belong firmly in the '90s, referencing things like Instagram, it's a fun, easy watch. And Claudia is a SERIOUS style icon.
What I've been reading in September
I've been terrible at reading recently. Seriously, when lockdown and furlough first became a part of my life, I thought I'd be charging through several books a week. But I'm barely getting through a couple a month at the moment, and friends have said the same thing. Apparently it's hard to concentrate on works of fiction when the world's going to hell in a handcart in the background. Who knew? Anyway, here's what I did manage to read this month:
- Still Friends by Saul Austerlitz - I'm not usually drawn to non-fiction, but a friend bought me this one knowing how much I love the TV show Friends, and I really enjoyed it. I expected a lightweight, half-hearted book of trivia, most of which has been released before in various Buzzfeed articles. What I actually got was an indepth, fascinating and thoroughly researched biography of the show, from conception through to final episode, explaining how decisions from casting to set design were made. Read it, and you'll definitely look a lot more closely at the props and set next time you catch an episode.
- The Holiday by T.M. Logan - Exactly my kind of book, a mystery thriller set among a group of friends renting a villa in France, with a couple of twists at the end. The first few pages require a bit of wading through, as many characters from different families are introduced all at once, but stick with it as it gets easier to follow.
- The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath - I wasn't as keen on this one as I thought I'd be. It's a bit trippy, and as my nan always says, if you don't care about what happens to the characters, there's no point in finishing the book. I did persevere, but my life is none the richer for it.
- I Spy by Claire Kendal - This one takes a while to warm up, and had I been reading it a time when my concentration was better, I probably would have got through it a lot faster. However, once a certain mystery is introduced, the plot is intriguing enough to draw you in, though be aware that chapters alternate between two time periods, with the same character central to both, which can get confusing. Still would recommend if you like mystery thrillers.
What I've written in September
Yep, another new section, and while it's looking a bit light this month, I'm hoping to be back writing in my day job soon, and sharing my articles here. In the mean time, I'll just remind you of the blog post I wrote earlier this month, when I finally flipped about
people not knowing the difference between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. I'm nicer in person than online, honest.
What's next?
At this point, I could just copy and paste this paragraph from the last two editions of my monthly update. Anything could happen - right now, vast swathes of north-east England, Scotland and Wales are back in lockdown, and London might be next. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't come to that here in Kent, but I'm also not making any big plans for the rest of the year.
October's my last month of flexible furlough, so I've got a few craft projects that I want to make some headway on. If the weather stays decent, more walks and bike rides are on the cards, though I write this staring down the business end of five consecutive storms, so who knows.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with my latest (local) adventures.
See also - what I got up to in:
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