June has been… intense.  I’ve done a ridiculous amount of moving around this month – spending time in four different cities in the space of 30 days.  It’s been a lot, especially alongside one of my busiest seasons of work and Mimi’s exams and school/college finishing for the summer.  I feel like I’ve barely had time to breathe, but it’s also been plenty of fun exploring so many new-to-me places.

Here are all the little things I’ve been loving throughout June…

READ

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow: by Gabrielle Zevin.  “Mum, why do you want to read that?  It’s about gaming.  You don’t do gaming” remarked one of my teenagers when she saw this title on my book wish-list.  I couldn’t really explain – there was something about the blurb that intrigued me, and, as a 90’s kid who grew up playing Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Zelda on the SNES, I was yearning for some nostalgia.  I had high hopes for it based off reviews from other people.

It turns out that it was everything I wanted it to be and more.  Yes, it’s about gaming but it’s about so much more than that – layers of love and friendship and grief and loyalty and growing up and life intertwine beautifully.  I could just about keep up with the technical language scattered throughout, and I learnt some new, non-gaming-related words too.  I like it when a book stretches me and I have to look up meanings and definitions of vocabulary because it helps me grow.

There was a great deal of wisdom inherent in it’s words – my copy is now full of underlinings and turned down corners of pages.  Definitely worth adding to your bookshelf, and I’m planning on reading some of the author’s other books now too.

‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ by Gabrielle Zevin

WATCHED

Inside Out 2:  I took Lola to see Inside Out 2 right at the end of the month.  I’ve honestly been looking forward to seeing it ever since it was announced that it was being made.  I loved the first film and get all of my therapy clients to watch it as ‘homework’ because it explains how our brains work so beautifully.  Getting to meet Joy and Sadness was a highlight of our trip when we went to Walt Disney World in Florida back in 2017.

The second installment was just as good, if not better.  Riley hits puberty and five new emotions get introduced: Anxiety; Boredom; Envy; Embarrassment and Nostalgia.  I think my favourite was Embarrassment.  I won’t give too many spoilers, in case you haven’t seen it yet, but there were some really poignant moments that brought tears to my eyes, and it left me remembering the magic power of hugs.  There is definitely space for an Inside Out 3 thanks to the ending, and make sure you stay until after the end credits finish rolling for an extra scene.

Solstice sunset:  There have been some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets this month, but nothing beats the summer solstice sunset.  I try and catch it every year and this one was pretty special…

Summer solstice sunset magic

HEARD

I’ve been listening to quite a lot of Vance Joy recently. ‘I’m With You’ is one of my favourites:

MADE

A LOT of train journeys:  Two university open day visits to Brighton and York on consecutive weekends have meant that Ella and I have spent a significant portion of June travelling up and down the country via train.  Plus I had an evening trip down to London, and a client visit in Warwick too.  I was curious, so I worked it out: I have spent twenty hours in total travelling on trains this month!

It’s absolutely been worth it, even though I’m utterly exhausted.  Ella and I have enjoyed seeing different cities and she’s gradually narrowing down her choices for where she might apply to study at university.

Brighton Beach. It was so good to be near the sea again.

At York Minster cathedral – we both really loved the city of York

WORE

A dress:  A long term colleague invited me out for dinner in London to mark a significant point in our working relationship.  It was during a mini-heatwave so I took full advantage and wore a dress – one of my favourites.  It was a fancier restaurant than I am used to visiting – The Wigmore – and it really felt good to dress up a bit for once.

The train journeys in each direction were an absolute nightmare (a signal failure that led to a 1 and a 1/2 hour delay, leaking air conditioning units that randomly deluged unsuspecting passengers with a waterfall of water, waiting for a driver to arrive, someone being unwell…) but it was 100% worth it for the delicious dinner and excellent company.  You know it’s been a good evening when you’re both talking so much that you lose track of time and have to make a run for the last train of the night!

All dressed up for dinner

AND FINALLY…

Mimi’s GCSEs are finally done!  She’s worked SO hard and absolutely deserves the long summer break ahead of her.  Ella has also finished college for the summer now, although Lola still has a couple of weeks of school left to attend, which she’s rather cross about.

Mimi had a ‘college experience day’ where she got to have taster lessons in the subjects she’s chosen to study at A level.  She may be considering switching a couple from her original plan, so that will be a wait-and-see scenario.  I’m doing my best to encourage her to trust her instincts and go with what feels right for her.

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And now all of a sudden chapter six of 2024 has come to a close and we are somehow halfway through the year.  July is going to be just as full-on I think, with Mimi’s Prom, another uni visit and more…

I hope that you found plenty of little things to love throughout June and that next month promises to be full of good things.

With love,

Chloe x