Sundaze 258: Sick (again), books and a reset

You’d be correct in thinking that this Sundaze sounds a lot like a few before! Once again, I was struck with sickness and so things have been (nice and) quiet around here. I needed it. I even listened to my instinct and cancelled all of my weekend plans so that I could cosy up in bed, sleep a LOT and help the antibiotics do their thing. The wonderful Melina shared their 50^th Fridaze post a week or two ago, and it got me thinking about how blog-related habits are some of the only ones I ever manage to keep!

I’d love to know the science behind that.

Anyway, I’ve spent a lot of time in the past fortnight just curled up with an ice-cream and my journal, sharing and oversharing about every little thing in my mind. Turns out the mind is an active little spirit when you’re unwell. Let’s catch up about the last two weeks!

Sick (again)

Last week I came down with a grim cold that probably got me just as I was feeling burned out and hayfever had taken me hostage during a country walk. I took a day off work to rest, returned to the office only for… it to develop into a full-blown ear infection too! Needless to say, things have been rough and I’m just about able to hear, breathe properly and not be annihilated by pollen.

During this time though, I fully leaned into doing Absolutely Nothing At All™, which was just what I needed (alongside prescribed ear drops and antibiotics!).

Books, books, books!

Much of my spare time is devoted to books these days. I have a side project that I’m slowly plugging away at, a novel and plenty of video games to progress in, but all I want to do is read. As such, my Goodreads account is getting a LOT of use and I’m doing some fairly unhinged tandem reading. Judge me all you want! I’ve been buoyed by back-to-back great reads and by all of these Kindle deals I’m now exposed to. Hey, there could be far worse habits!

Follow my bookstagram @daisybutterbookcafe.

A Father’s Day celebration

We celebrated Father’s Day last Sunday with a family lunch at Miller & Carter. Of their limited vegan dishes, I chose a shallot tart which wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I mean, really I should be thankful there was a vegan option at all at a steakhouse! We had a lovely time all together for the first time in months, and even got to excitedly catch up on all things wedding: my brother and his fiancée are getting married!

Prada Caffé

Popped to Harrods to experience the Prada Caffé pop-up! It was absolutely beautiful but, of course, the food and drinks were underwhelming. Sarah and I had a wonderful little catch-up, and it was lovely to simply enjoy an evening that wasn’t my usual ‘fall asleep post-commute and hastily make dinner’.

A little reset

Gosh, this week was the week before my monthly lash and nail appointments and I definitely looked as ropey as I felt. It always sounds so superficial to complain about these things, but beauty maintenance plays a big part in how I feel. Glad to have swung by to see Paige and Jo for my respective lash and nail appointments! Now I feel ready to take on Athens next week.

We’re going to Athens!

It’s my boyfriend’s birthday next week and I surprised him with a short break to Athens! He’s a big fan of ancient Greece and Greek mythology and we can’t wait to explore another city together. As such, work has been pretty hectic – the pre-holiday week makes a week off seem redundant! – and I’ve been busy pulling out lightweight sun-ready pieces from my wardrobe. I’m hoping to share a travel guide, as well as a ‘Postcards from…’ post, when I’m back.

Links and Things I’ve Loved

Since I’m definitely reading less Internet things and browsing less, I thought I’d finally diversity this section to include a more general selection of things I’ve loved lately. I’ll still include great articles and blog posts, but I’m also going to include TV shows, music, books and other lil tidbits.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. Loved this little contemporary Japanese fiction. I received an ARC of the English translation, which is due for release in early July. My full review will be in my monthly reviews post, but you MUST read it!
Grey’s Anatomy. Onto season six now which felt a little ‘flop era’ to me, but has since picked up!
These lovely shorts from Uniqlo. I picked up a pair for our upcoming trip to Athens.
Also really enjoying these Feel Good Journal Cards from Betterday Studio for journalling sessions where I know I want to write, but can’t fathom a direction.
25 Air Fryer Recipes So Good, You’ll Wonder How You Lived Without Them via The Everygirl
Picked up these vegan-friendly sandals, also for our holiday but equally for the-rest-of-summer. They look comfy!
Loved Jess’ May 2023 books round-up, as always.
“How much social interaction do you really need?”