August 2025

August has been one of the busiest months of this year.

We started the month at one of my absolute favourite events, The Loxwood Joust. I have been 5 of the 10 years that it's been running and it has definitely transformed from a quaint little step back in time to almost Renfaire vibes.

Imogen and I dressed up and we did crossbow shooting too. The weather wasn't too hot which was a godsend because we had to queue a while for food. I was a little sad that they'd got rid of my favourite parts like the wishing tree and the living village. All in all though it still holds a very special place in my heart and a tradition I'll return to.

Rachael hosted an M&S sweet sushi night which was fruit and a variety of spreads rolled into sushi roll shapes. It was so tasty. I love that the girls in my group find Tiktok trends or experiences and actually want to do them rather than just saying "ooo we could do this" and then it never coming to anything. It was a cosy and wholesome evening where we spent hours just chatting away and catching up with everyone. Time flew by.

Something that I truly value about my relationship with James is my ability to go out with my friends with no worry at all whilst I'm there. Whether that's about coming home to the house being in disarray or someone telling me what disrespectful things they feel they had to do to distract themselves when I've not been home. I valued this about my previous long distance relationship too..but for the reason that I'd be on my own at home anyway. It's hard to explain all of the things that I've had to unlearn from previous relationships. Mainly because I didn't realise that they were things that needed to be unlearned until I have been treated a different way. Each relationship has carried a lesson for me that I usually learn when it's over but James has taught me so much in the short time we have been together by treating me with a level of kindness and respect I couldn't have imagined.

I haven't been mistreated in every relationship but most of them I have to some extent, I like to think that the people who have mistreated me have mainly done so from a place of immaturity and I do believe they have the ability to have grown out of the way they acted. Just as I have grown as a person too. I have self-reflected on the role that I'd played in the toxic relationships, no matter how small, I'm not perfect, I've had to grow up a lot and it takes two to tango or whatever they say.

James and I have been using our friday evenings to watch old films from my childhood that he's never seen. I've tried to put together themed snacks for each one. So far, we've watched; James and the Giant Peach, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Moulin Rouge and Bugsy malone. We keep adding to the list and it's more exciting than scrolling through Netflix. It also makes it feel a bit more of a date night too.

I've felt a bit overwhelmed lately. So, I took a day of my annual leave to just de-stress and just do things for myself. I got my nails done, went charity shopping for some antique style frames and then sorted all of the housework to make space in my weekend to chill out a bit more. It was definitely what I needed. I've admitted to myself a lot that I have fallen out of practice with my self care and I think now that James takes a lot of my mental load off of me, I'll be able to take action on the important things for myself again.

Persia, Jojo and I got together again this month. We've actually seen each other more this year than in the past 5 years, at least. We went to l'Osteria in Southampton for dinner and it was such a wholesome evening. I ordered a pizza but didn't realise how huge it would be so took half home for lunch the next day. We spent the time together talking about all sorts and shared a bottle of wine.

My brother is leaving to go and live in Australia at the beginning of September. My parents hosted a goodbye get together at theirs. Lewis organised Sports day games that were combined with alcohol so everyone got quite drunk. We did a relay, egg and spoon and also a three legged race that left me with quite a bruise! It was a good send off. We are also going to do a games night with my cousins at my grandparents house because it's a little tradition that we have done for a few years before but haven't done for a while. It'll be nice for Lewis to share some quality time with our grandparents before he goes.

James and I had one of our lunch breaks at Titchfield Abbey which was so lovely. We took a picnic and a game of Disney trivia and sat in the sun outside the beautiful ruins. I used to look out the window of the car when I was a kid as my mum drove past titchfield abbey and I always imagined it being a castle that I'd live in one day. It's been nice to show James all the places I've loved growing up.

James' sister came back from Croatia early as there were issues with her visa so we have been able to spend time with her this month which has been really lovely, I already feel like I have a little sister and feel somewhat protective over her too.

We've just got back from the Lake District with my friends from the travel group. We hiked Scafell Pike on saturday and then got a Thai Takeaway together afterwards. Sunday was a wild swim followed by Fajitas and then an evening at the Spa. I've never visited the lake district before and it's so beautiful. Driving round lake windermere and through the tiny villages is so picturesque. All in all, it was a brilliant way to make the most of a bank holiday weekend. We actually came back feeling like we'd been on holiday for longer than just a few days....mainly because the journey home took us approximately 8 hours due to traffic.

Considering my health lately, I'm pretty proud of myself for how the hike went. I didn't use walking poles or knee wraps for the first time (mainly because I forgot them) I didn't need them at all. My strength training hasn't been brilliant at the gym lately but I have done at least 20 minutes inclined walk on the treadmill every day, which I think helped on the hike massively.

The weather has been difficult to keep up with, sometimes the temperature drops and I'm freezing in the night and in the morning and then for the last few days, it's been really hot and humid. I must admit, I'm really looking forward to the Autumn. I can't wait for cosier evenings, where I can sit inside and do crafts and make the house all autumn themed and just slow right down as the evenings get darker earlier. I have been trying to set my Tiktok up with cosy vibes and positive moments. That way, I can look back on them but also share some positivity in a world of mind numbing or depressing content. I've been enjoying putting together little montages of my favourite things.

August has been wonderful but exhausting. I'm looking forward to September!