I often lose track of what’s important in my busy daily life – something we can all be guilty of. I hyper-focus on things which are meaningless, fill my life with STUFF and don’t spend enough time looking at the world around me with intrigue. So, this year my Summer Wishlist is a pretty short one…
This month marked the 6th ever Muggle Musings (the Harry Potter Discussion Group I host)… and it’s been going well so far! During the last 6 meetings, we’ve discussed Harry Potter himself, Supporting Characters, Evil Characters, Magical Creatures, Hogwarts Teachers and Muggle-Wizard relations.
We come up with a million different theories about the wizarding world in every meeting and so I thought I’d pick out just a few of the highlights, seeing as it’s Harry Potter’s Birthday!
Just a quick extra thing because I’m super excited about this! It’s been my intention for a while now to learn how to create paper flowers, so when my favourite place in Coventry (yeah, you guessed it) The Big Comfy Bookshop, ran a small crafting course on how to make them, I jumped at the chance! So now, I shall pass this knowledge onto you in the form of comic book flowers (and encourage you to come along to the next session, or to another of their events.)
I can’t pretend that I am a connoisseur of anime, but I feel like I’ve at least watched enough (about 30 or so) different anime movies and shows to give you an insight into where to start with anime.
Anime is a style rather than a genre and so many people seem to mistake anime as a genre of movie rather than just a form. Just like other styles, it all depends on your mood as to what you can cope with or feel like watching – whether it be action, romance or something entirely different. Part 1 below is all about the dramatic or the dark anime, for those in the mood for action!
I’m so happy to see the amount of geek events Coventry has – it’s grown so much over the last few years! At one point there was very little to do in terms of nerdy things but I think with the opening of FarGo Village 3 years ago it’s becoming increasingly popular. Local businesses are beginning to realise – hey! There’s scope for geekery! Let’s run with it!
Being a social butterfly, I am always looking for new things to do and see. So here are just a few of my recommendations for Geeky things to do in Coventry…
So there’s a little llama (probably actually an alpaca) trinket tray I bought for my friend recently. When my anxieties were taking root and it caused a rift between me and another friend, she told me to pay a pound to the Drama Llama; a bit like you would give to a swear jar. It sounds so ridiculous, but in doing so it was easy to denounce the drama and not let it take root.
Often I let my anxieties govern me, so it felt refreshing for someone to say “Okay, draw a line under it, pay your dues for it, move forward.” It’s so easy to get caught up in emotions and stress can often be difficult to avoid. Sometimes we don’t realise things are affecting us, we then deflect those feelings onto others and end up causing lots of unnecessary heartache.
So I’ve decided to make a list to myself, of pointers to help me find some clarity during these particular periods of stress.
For a while I’ve been floating along and not really realising what’s made me happy within myself. Often I leave it to other people to validate my existence when really I should have focused inwardly and figured out – what are the facts about me? What do I really feel, when I strip it all back? Focus on the little moments that make me really happy.
The thought of spending time alone right now is so appealing and yet the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is real! I need to just say nothing to a single soul for a few days. But can I bring myself to do it? Nope. I rely so much on my friends (who are amazing, btw) that I don’t think I could be happy in my own company. It’s really something I need to work on and make sure that I take some me-time.
It’s hard when people who should support you, end up being the very people who stop you from flourishing and trigger your worst anxieties. Recently I had to cut out some people from my life that just weren’t helping me and kept me feeling worried and unhappy. I felt guilty, but overall it was necessary – and I already am starting to feel less stressed.
I feel like I’m constantly being pulled in all directions, and mostly I feel guilty for not spending the time to focus on the things I really should. I can’t spend an evening watching TV without feeling I should be doing a million other things, particularly when stress means my creativity suffers. I need to create healthy short-term goals, start working on them, piece by piece and not be afraid to take a break!
Outfit photos are all by the lovely Lizzie!
Overall, the anxieties I’ve been feeling have been getting in the way of my creativity. I feel like my world is overwhelming; even the smallest thing can turn into a chore if presented at the wrong time. I keep saying the words “today I change“… but then it’s “today” now, it’s today again.
Realistically I don’t know when it will be that I finally take my own advice but for now, I stop spending too much time on things that make me unhappy and focus on what’s real.
I pay my dues to the Drama Llama, I draw a line, and move forward.
I absolutely love the vintage aesthetic of the 50’s. I know it could be partly down to nostalgic re-imaginings of the era but if I could live in one other decade from the past, it would be this one.
My friend Lizzie took me out for an afternoon tea as a belated birthday gift, to this gorgeous vintage salon with a 1950s look and it rekindled my love for the style! I want to seek out vintage fairs and more locations like Le Keux (the diner/salon we visited). Places that keep the 50’s spirit alive but are a little closer to home!
I attended the Goodwood Revival (a vintage festival) every year for the past 4 years, but this year I won’t be able to go! Travelling the 150 miles or so for the day always takes it out of me, so I never have the effort left to make myself dress up, and I feel it is a waste. If only it were a little closer…
Some people like going out-out to break free from life. Some bake cakes, go hiking, scream into the void, play guitar… For me, my go-to outlets have always been games. They have influenced me, shaped my character, been an escape when I had nothing else… Some have become a part of me (literally) and inspired me to create awesome things. But then again, some have just blissfully wasted my precious life.
So here is my definitive list: my favourite games to date and why I love them.
When I was 4, I won an award for being a Little Princess and (I jest that) it’s my most recognised achievement to date. The trophy has survived every clear out and house move my mum has had and as of today it’ll be 25 years old. I literally won it for being pretty (and also probably stood out due to the awesome hand-made dress that my grandma made for me.) I joked with my mum, that it was the only thing I’d ever really achieved.
Recently, my life has been turned upside-down. For so long I’ve been holding back what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be, the life I wanted to live. It was no-one’s fault; it just became this way slowly and I filled my life with material things as a way of filling some kind of void that I had inside me.
This isn’t one of those posts where I preach about how material things are unimportant. I understand that they all have a place, and so many things hold meaning in people’s lives. But to cut a long story short, I have (at least in the short term) moved out of my house and left a great deal of these material things behind, and it’s given me a little perspective on what’s really important.
