Sundaze 307: Sick days, Louise’s 30th and the everyday mundane

Happy Sundaze, my loves!

I come to you on the back-end of chasing my tail after falling sick at the start of the week. It seems I get ill every single May when the seasons change yet, frustrating as it was, I was grateful for a few days of bedrest. I had such a rough couple of days that looking at any sort of screen was painful. Instead, I slept lots, made plenty of congee, and read lots too. (It’s been ages since I’ve read a whole book in a day!) It was exactly what I needed, especially having been so burned out all year. Of course, I then had to catch up on everything that I’d missed while stuck in bed for three days…

Celebrating Louise’s 30th birthday

We celebrated my sister’s 30th birthday last week! After her own celebrations with her best friends, I took her out for a coffee and to see The Devil Wears Prada 2, and then, later in the week, we went to Amsterdam for a long weekend. It’s been nine years since I was last in Amsterdam and we had so much fun traversing the city. I’m hoping to share a little photo diary next week, as well as update my Amsterdam city guide, for we found plenty of gems that I’d love to share with you.

Some small house updates

Eddie and I have also been chipping away at some house updates! For one, we finally cleared out the cupboard under the stairs (a thing of nightmares), which feels like a total brain-cleanse. What do you mean I can easily access the house essentials we keep in there?! For another, we spent an afternoon decluttering the dining room and adding a tablecloth to the hand-me-down dining table, which has made the world of difference. Eating at a table is back on the cards! To celebrate, we enjoyed a cosy at-home hotpot dinner with our new hotpot stove. Lastly, I’ve almost completed building our alcove shelving and cabinet. All I need to do is cut and hang the doors, and paint everything, and we’re done!

Snail mail and starting a new reading journal!

A few months ago, I subscribed to Cloud Milk Studio’s Swiftie-themed snail mail club and it’s brought me endless joy. While cooped up in bed on Wednesday, the newest edition arrived on our doorstep, and it reminded me of just why I still love physical media so much. Reading a letter, as though from a friend, slowed everything down, and I always love the extra crafts that Ali includes.

On the note of physical media, I also went against my own wishes and started another reading journal! In January, I told myself I wanted to simplify my reading hobby by not journalling it all, yet now I’m craving somewhere to note down my bookish thoughts again. Plus, perhaps I just am somebody that likes to slow down and savour the things they like. My reading journal is a good way of doing that.