2025 In Summation
As I sit down with my YearCompass booklet beside me and winter sunlight streaming through dusty windowpanes, I feel so content and a little bittersweet at the thought of reflecting on – thus, bidding farewell to – 2025. Content, because it’s been one of the best years yet. Bittersweet, because I can still remember how I felt this time last year, which was a drastically different feeling. 2024 was a year of melancholy. 2025 was a year of sheer joy. And, even though I’ve not shown up here as much as I usually do, I couldn’t pass up the tradition of reflecting on my year with this annual post.
Here is 2025 in summation.
January
In January, I hit the ground running. Determined to make this year count, I threw myself into blogging, working out, reading, journalling, and making time to spend with loved ones. I took myself for the first of many solo dates and went book-shopping for the first time since 2023 – a very exciting moment! Louise and I enjoyed plenty of frosty walks with Milo and we did a good job of reaching our daily 10,000 steps. Plus, we worked endlessly on our Lunar New Year collection at & Chai, which is always one of our biggest launches. Kristabel, Winnie and I met up for a hot pot, book-shopping and galley-visiting day in London, which I just loved! We don’t see each other often, but we always make some great memories together. Eddie and I went on a few date nights, and spent a LOT of time perusing home décor and furniture.
My family and I celebrated Chinese New Year and welcomed the Year of the Dragon with a delicious hot pot dinner at home! Finally, Eddie and I moved in together at the end of the month, one year to the day that I was due to complete on buying my own property. It was far more emotional than I expected it to be, and I spent a lot of February adjusting to living without my dog and starting shared custody.
February
I loved February. Eddie and I had so much fun settling in to living together, and we spent a lot of time doing up the house. Having dreamed of sharing a new house process online, it was odd to realise how much I enjoyed sharing almost nothing at all, and savouring this all to ourselves. Towards the end of the first week of February, I witnessed a four-car crash and very narrowly missed it myself. It really shook me up, and I even ended up having to become a witness for the police. After that, I took things much slower in February, before returning to the roads. Alice, Sasha and I had our first supper club of the year and it was a Galentine’s Day food for the soul – I feel so grateful to have met them both at work. Then, Amelia, Charlotte, Julia and I went out for our Galentine’s Day dinner, which was so much fun! 2025 was truly a year for nourishing friendships.
We all went away to Dublin to celebrate Eddie’s Mum’s 60th. Despite the rain, it was a barrel of laughs and I just loved exploring the city. While we were these, Eddie took us to Glas, a vegan fine dining restaurant, to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Once home, it was back to House Stuff. Staying in to save money, unpacking endless boxes, and starting to paint what is now our library room!
March
I turned 34 in March! Eddie and I went away to Cambridge and had so much fun punting, exploring the colleges, buying books and enjoying a ghost tour. I got back into my 10,000 steps a day business and spent lots of time stewarding my Little Free Library, which made for a lovely break from house chaos. With our library room painted, Eddie and I set to work choosing carpet for both the library and guest room. My friends Casey, Kai, Liz and I went to a local drag performance of Queenz, which is always one of my favourite times of the year. It was just what I needed.
We said farewell to one of my colleagues mid-month with dinner and drinks. Our carpet was fitted, which meant I could finally order a wardrobe, my desk and some bookcases. No more living out of random boxes! No more saved furniture money burning a hole in my account! Sophia and I enjoyed a cosy day out in London, visiting the Saatchi Gallery and eating good food. I closed out the month with a flat tyre, random unexplained hair loss, and other such mysterious health problems.
April
April was full of at-home evenings, date days at farm shops, reading, craft nights, and generally focusing on saving money ahead of our big trip. I really struggled with eating properly – almost everything made me feel unwell. Phoebe, Natasha and I had a fun-filled Swiftie day out in London, and it was so wholesome. I then finally perfected my at-home office set-up – no more achey back during my day job hours! At work, I was rejected from an interview for the job I used to have, and really struggled with my self-worth.
May
I started May celebrating my little sister’s birthday: I took her to Sticks & Sushi, then the Design Museum, and the weather actually held out! Wanting to save money before our big trip to South Korea and Japan, Eddie and I mostly enjoyed countryside walks and cooking at home, including the first barbecue of the season! I realised I want to make our house feel like a five-star hotel. May is also the month that I decided to spend a little more time on my bookstagram, cue endless bookshelf photos.
Then, it was time for our trip! We visited Seoul and I got to hang out with my bestie, Elodie. It was a fleeting two-day visit before popping to Busan, which I’d never visited before. We loved it!! From there, it was off to Japan. And… Eddie proposed to me! We left Japan as an engaged couple, completely enwrapped in our blissful bubble!
June
Once home in June, we celebrated our engagement quietly with a few loved ones. I threw myself back into work and working out and quietly tried to figure out where all my hair was going. We very excitingly celebrated my baby brother’s wedding!!
My car died mid-month (i.e. needed a new battery), so I had a week of pure chaos trying to navigate my busy schedule without a car. Getting to work was wild and I am endlessly grateful for all the family members that acted as my taxi service! I marked one year of weekly Reformer Pilates classes, and started my first-ever course of acupuncture, desperate to fix whatever was wrong with me. (Everything.) I attend Sasha and Vik’s wedding, which is stunning. To wrap up the month, I take Eddie away to the Cotswolds for a long weekend in celebration of his birthday.
July
In July, we enjoyed plenty of cosy barbecue dinners mid-week. In fact, this was one of the biggest joys of our summer! Heatwave after heatwave, I filled my days with working on my Little Free Library, seeing friends, and spending time with Milo. Most excitingly, Eddie and I chose and designed my real engagement ring together!
I also decided to see a nutritionist about my deteriorating health and spent a few weeks on a restriction diet. Later this month, I went to my friend Charlotte and her husband Jack’s wedding, and had a magical time dancing beneath the stars. I also enjoyed a night in London with my team for our summer team day, and remembered how much I love our gang! Finally, we closed out the month celebrating my baby cousin’s wedding. It was truly a summer of love.
August
August was jam-packed, and I really struggled. I took a break from Instagram, and filled my time with taking my godson out for a day, finishing the guest room, taking hot girl walks every day, celebrating nine family and friends’ birthdays, and indulging in outdoor cinema dates with Eddie. Mum, Louise and I went to the Grease immersive movie musical experience and had the time of our LIVES. Our little family went to the seaside with the dogs and ate ice-cream on the beach. Sophia and I met Rebecca Kuang at a Katabasis book talk in London. Dad and I went for a hike on Bank Holiday weekend. And, Eddie and I went for a delicious roast with his best friend and best friend’s girlfriend one day before… they got engaged too! To end the month, Louise and I took our cousin’s little ones and our younger cousin for their first-ever theatre trip. It was so special.
September
In September, I quit Instagram and it was the best thing ever. I focused on my acupuncture sessions, gentle movement, eating well, and tinkering at my cosy hobbies. With my nutritionist check-ins coming to a close, I decided to end my vegan journey and introduce meat and fish back into my diet. It was a really difficult month, due to this, but I have actually noticed drastic improvements in almost all the things I was dealing with.
Sophia and I went to the Story Feast Lit Fest, which I adored. And, Louise and I focused on developing a shiny new collection for & Chai, launching 2026.
October
My acupuncture sessions ended in early October and I moved to a course of TCM herbal medicine. Eating in general still felt incredibly difficult and I noticed that I probably had some variation of an eating disorder. Nonetheless, quietening things and slowing down helped me to get back on track. I spent days and evenings cosied up with my sweet Milo, reading plenty, playing Tiny Bookshop and plugging away at the deluge of & Chai orders – a welcome sight after several very quiet months. Eddie and I went to Portsmouth for a weekend to visit his uni stomping grounds and to visit my best friend and godson.
November
Louise and I celebrated five years of & Chai!! Then, we welcomed a new puppy to the family by way of my brother’s new addition, Kuro. Alice, Sasha and I headed out for an autumnal supper club edition, and then Eddie and I hosted his cousin at ours for a long weekend. I went to my first-ever bookstagram event, and then Eddie and I flew to Verona to celebrate four years together.
On the work front, I got a little promotion! It was very welcome after a truly uncertain year at work. To celebrate, I cut my hair and then we put the Christmas tree up very early indeed! Decorating the house for Halloween and then Christmas were huge highlights of the year, especially after slowly chipping away at the boring bits all year.
December
Oh December. December has been a whirlwind of a magical week in Hong Kong, feeling decidedly un-festive, having all my Christmas plans with friends cancelled, and being totally run off my feet at work.
In Summation
2025 was a pivotal year for me in many ways. I feel like it was a healing year for the eldest daughter, people-pleaser in me and, while hard, I drew boundaries for the first time in my life and stuck to them. While it was difficult at first, I believe it was the wisest thing I’ve done in a long time and I’m finally feeling like I can live for myself first, for once. It’s been a wonderful year for activities with loved ones, and that’s definitely come about from putting boundaries in place for other aspects of my life.
Leaving Instagram but focusing on bookstagram and Substack was definitely the biggest risk of my year. It was in keeping with setting boundaries, and I’m glad for a slightly more private life. And, best of all, 2025 opened up my love for Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is the only thing that helped me feel better across the many health struggles I’d been dealing with. Loss of hearing aside, I can digest food again, my women’s health issues are evened out, my hair has re-grown, and my dental issues are no longer. I didn’t ever think I’d be closing this year ex-vegan, engaged and quietly getting on with things, but here we are. 2025, you were excellent.
