Sundaze 155

Well, after weeks and weeks of being a bit here, there and everywhere, I’m overjoyed to be writing this post from my brand new desk! I’ve been working flat out this week; not just with literal work, but just trying to get my bedroom to a liveable state so that I can get back to my usual blog, biz, work and eating routines. In fact, it’s been such a mad few weeks that I can barely believe a) it’s March, and b) I’m twenty nine now! Three gel nails sacrificed to the duct tape and packing box gods later, and I’m pretty much there… 😉

This week, it’s been truly a joy to enjoy lighter mornings and lighter evenings. I absolutely love the pastel skies that hit at around 5.30pm at the moment. Even walking to the train station or to my car is feeling slightly better! We went for a big ol’ dog walk around the lake on Monday and I thought to myself, ‘Yes, spring is nearly here and I’m so ready!’

I turned 29!

So of course top of the list this Sundaze is it was my birthday!! It was a day spent fairly unceremoniously, because nobody is generally available to spend a spare Monday with me, and because I had a list as long as my arm of things to sort. Harvey woke me up in the morning with flowers, the promise of Animal Crossing and a stack of the most delicious vegan pancakes. Topped with ice-cream, cacao nibs, almond butter and bananas, and just my kinda thing. Then, we embarked on an hour-long dog walk at the lake, where Milo and Marley both got super muddy and Marley even hopped in for a swim!

Afterwards, we drove to nearby Hitchin for a pup-friendly lunch at Granello Lounge. I’m obsessed with their vegan Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry! And because I’m super rock-and-roll… we then headed to my parents’ new house for a night of take-out chips and unpacking boxes.

Like I said in Monday’s post, I feel happy turning 29. Some of these more recent twenties’ years have felt a bit ‘drifty’, but I think this one will be great. Sometimes it’s even better just to go with the flow, knowing the universe absolutely has your back.

My birthday meal at Paradise, Soho (London)

To celebrate my birthday, my best blogging gals and I headed to Paradise in Soho for dinner. I absolutely love our Dream Team birthday traditions, and it’s crazy to think I’ve celebrated eight birthdays with the girls!

Paradise is a Sri Lankan restaurant, serving up delicious dishes from land, sea and beyond. Their vegan selection was certainly impressive, and we all had such a great time. It’s a touch on the pricier side, but it made for the perfect birthday meal, and I can’t wait to visit again on another occasion.

A day out in Oxford!

On Saturday, I drove to Oxford to spend the day with my best friend Ebony. We don’t get to see each other as much as we’d like, so when we do, we make it BIG. After taking the Park & Ride in, we popped to The Nosebag — on Ria’s recommendation — for lunch. I had a delish six-piece salad and Ebs opted for a humble jacket potato. It was such a sweet, vibrant and ‘homey’ spot; I’d totally recommend if you’re in Oxford! Then we popped next doors’ to Arcadia, a quaint secondhand bookstore, where I nabbed a copy of Northern Lights circa 1998. My original one went missing, so I’m thrilled to have it back in my stocks!

We had a general mooch around, wandering the University buildings and stopping by Oxford Castle for a little while. And then we got caught up in an accident: a girl dislocated her knee by the side of the road and we ended up staying to watch her until her Mum, and then an ambulance arrived. It’s never a dull moment! After a coffee and vegan chocolate sorbetti, we headed back on our respective journeys home.

Links I’ve Loved

  1. Career Lessons We Learned From the ‘Friends’ Characters via The Everygirl
  2. I really enjoyed this post about streamlining your finances, on The Frugality.
  3. The Metro have started a new series about racism and inequality: this feature about code-switching really resonated with me, and is such an important read.
  4. I’ve set aside some time this afternoon to journal and Sophie’s prompts for journalling to welcome in spring are brilliant!
  5. This simple but brilliant post by Rebecca at From Roses looks at the importance of having hobbies.
  6. How to Design Your Life Backwards via The Elgin Avenue
  7. My wonderful friend Kristabel has started a series about moving, renting and living in London. Here’s part one.
  8. Audrey has shared an insightful post about her month semi-quarantined in Taiwan.

Posts This Week


How was your week? Are you excited for the first inklings of spring?

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