In contrast to the first three months of the year (which disappeared in the blink of an eye), April seems to have stretched on for ages. Perhaps because it’s been crammed so full of activities and events and excursions that I’ve barely paused to take a breath in the middle of everything. Maybe being divided into two distinct halves by the Easter holidays has had something to do with it. Or possibly it’s a combination of both of those things. Either way, it’s been simultaneously fun and busy and exhausting and challenging all at once. And I honestly wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Here’s a little bit of life lately in April…
BOOKS
It’s been an interesting and quite diverse mix of reading material this month – I’ve travelled from Sweden to Ibiza via poetry from London.
I finished ‘When The Cranes Fly South’ by Lisa Ridzen in the first week of April, picking it up at every opportunity. It’s translated from it’s original Swedish into English, though you certainly couldn’t tell – the storytelling and prose were both seamless. The book tells the story of an elderly man, Bo, who is receiving end-of-life care at his home in a small village in the north of Sweden. It’s as wonderfully heart-warming and devastatingly heart-breaking as it sounds. The narrative consists of Bo’s conscious thoughts and feelings, his memories as he reminisces, and his dreams as he sleeps, all interwoven with notes left by his care team and his son. Looking back, I feel that the ending should have been obvious and yet it still surprised me – the eternal optimism and hope I tend to live by does occasionally trip me up. Tissues were needed. Themes included the importance of not leaving things unsaid; the intricacy of father/son relationships; marriage; and not underestimating the power of the love someone has for their most loyal canine companion. An emotional and curious read.
‘When The Cranes Fly South’ by Lisa Ridzen
It had such an impact on me that I had absolutely no idea what to follow it up with so I ended up having a few days break before I started anything new. In the end I picked up ‘I Still Believe In Miracles’ by Lucas Jones. Lucas is a spoken-word poet who I originally discovered on Instagram (and went to see perform in person at the Chelsea Arts Festival last year) and I found myself reading the poems in his book in his voice in my head – he has a distinctive rhythm and way of sharing them out loud that somehow gives them more power than if I read them in my own voice. That probably sounds strange, but, *shrugs*, it’s how my brain works. Favourites include: ‘I Met God At The Supermarket’; ‘There Will Be Times When The World Is Too Much’; ‘I Had A Message Saying ‘you saved my life’ ‘; ‘I Don’t Go On Walks To Cheer Myself Up’; and ‘I Found God At The Funeral’.
This week I started ‘The Life Impossible’ by Matt Haig. I’m only a few chapters in and it’s intriguing so far. It’s set in Ibiza (which I know is a very personal place to the author) and I get the impression that it’s a little bit ‘magical’, which I wasn’t really expecting (although I don’t know why, other books of his that I’ve read have had some kind of other-worldly element to it so it makes sense that this one would too). I’ll report back next month when I’ve finished it.
‘I Still Believe In Miracles’ by Lucas Jones
THEATRE, TV & MUSIC
I wasn’t kidding when I said it has been a busy month! Right at the start of April Ella and her Dad went to see 5 Seconds Of Summer (aka: 5SOS) perform live in Manchester for her belated birthday present. She is a huge fan of the band and has been counting down the days to the big event since December – meticulously planning her outfit, looking at the setlist, and speculating as to which surprise songs they might perform. She’s seen them once before several years ago and had high hopes for this ‘Everyone’s A Star’ tour too, all of which were exceeded I think. She came back buzzing and very, very happy.
Ella ready for the ‘Everyone’s A Star’ 5SOS gig in Manchester
As you’ve probably realised by now, I like to give experiences rather than material things as gifts. Where 5SOS was for her birthday, for Christmas I got her tickets to see Six: The Musical in Birmingham. She is a history fanatic and loves the Tudor era, so she’s been eager to see this for a while. I went with her this time and had absolutely no idea what to expect – I knew nothing about it beyond it being about Henry V111’s six wives. It was fun and full of energy and the songs were catchy, although we both agreed that it wasn’t the best musical we’ve ever seen (as a word of warning there was some material included that I felt might be sensitive for some people). What I found interesting was that there was no set and no props, just the performers and the band (all female, which I thought was very cool) on the stage.
Ella and I went to see Six: The Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome
After watching Seasons 1 and 2 of The White Lotus last month (set in Hawaii and Italy respectively), I had to watch Season 3 this month. This one is set in Thailand. I can’t explain just how incredibly clever this show is – you really don’t know who dies until the very last ten minutes of the final episode, with every single one of the multiple storylines keeping you guessing the whole way through. It’s so well written. I’m still on the fence as to whether I actually enjoy watching it – it’s one of those shows that you can’t stop watching one you’ve started because you have to know what happens, even if it leaves you feeling a bit… icky? Uncomfortable? (I’m not sure they are the right words but they’re all I’ve got right now). Most of the characters have questionable morals but somehow you still end up rooting for them anyway because it highlights just how human everyone really is underneath their wealth, their circumstances and their culture. Fascinating, and definitely an acquired taste.
I am a HUGE fan of Noah Kahan and his music, and have been ever since we saw him as a support act for Dermot Kennedy back in 2023. I’m thrilled that I’ve managed to get tickets to see him perform live in November his year. We’re going to be very far away from the stage but I don’t care – hearing his voice and his lyrics, and being immersed in the atmosphere his music creates, is going to be very special. Recently he released not only a new album (which I’ve not had the chance to listen to yet), but also a documentary on Netflix called Noah Kahan: Out Of Body. It charts his rise to fame over the last six years, and also shares a lot of his backstory (his childhood, his family, his fiance) and the behind-the-scenes of his day to day life as well. Whether or not you know or like his music doesn’t matter – this is, I think, essential viewing. He opens up about his mental health, anxiety, depression, disordered approach to eating, body dysmorphia and more. Even though I work with this stuff every day in my therapy job, I still found it hard to listen to how harshly he speaks to/about himself. It’s abundantly clear exactly how important his family and his home – having that really strong sense of place and belonging – is to him, and how it informs his creativity and his music. I found his vulnerability and candidness and openness and raw honesty deeply moving, and really beautiful to see. Likewise with his parents, siblings and friends when they contributed their thoughts and feelings about him, and how his fame has impacted on them. I highly recommend watching it.
Speaking of outstanding music, I am currently thoroughly enjoying Mumford & Sons new album ‘Prizefighter’, especially ‘Clover’, ‘I’ll Tell You Everything’, ‘Badlands’ and ‘Alleycat’. I hope they tour again soon – I’d LOVE to see them perform live.
I ended the month with a night out in Birmingham with Lola to see Alex Warren on his ‘Finding Family On The Road’ tour (her belated birthday present). We had such a good time together! It was a brilliant set list containing all of our favourite songs (‘Carry You Home’, ‘Eternity’ and ‘Ordinary’ to name just a few). One song – ‘First Time On Earth’ made her (and therefore me) cry. He was very funny and also attentive to the audience if anyone needed medical attention. There was lots of interaction throughout his performance too – he shared his personal story of loss & grief, and many people in the audience were as emotional as he was. Mostly I just loved watching Lola have the time of her life – singing her heart out, eyes bright, huge smile on her face, dancing and clapping and being fully in the moment. That brought me more joy than anything. Core memories were made and I hope she remembers it forever. I certainly will.
Alex Warren performing at the Birmingham Utilita Arena – we were really happy with our seats!
LIFE LATELY…
The first half of April was taken up with the Easter holidays, which were very full and busy. As well as the aforementioned gigs and theatre trips, Ella was home from uni for three weeks; Sophie & Jack visited for a couple of days before they head off travelling next month; plus my best friend came to stay for a night and the two of us went out for dinner together. And, in addition to all of that, I accidentally bumped into my neighbour’s car whilst reversing out of my driveway, there were numerous life admin and medical appointments to co-ordinate, extra revision sessions were in full swing and I was working as well. Phew!
Sophie & Jack came to visit – it’s probably the last time we’ll see them before they go off travelling for a few months
I also spent a day in Surrey visiting with my ex-step-grandmother (don’t ask – it’s a long story!). Christine is 92 years old, utterly hilarious, inappropriate in a way that only elderly people seem to be able to manage, and full of wisdom and stories. I love her, and I’m so glad I made the effort to see her – it was 100% worth the seven hours I spent on trains and tubes to get there and back.
Christine, an absolute legend who I adore
Mimi and Lola went to one of their friend’s 18th birthday parties, the theme of which was ‘Karaoke and Sparkles’, and they had a fantastic time. I’m mostly sharing this purely because I wanted to include this photo of them all dressed up and ready to go 🙂
Heading out to an 18th birthday party
Chapter 4 is now closed and we are a third of the way through the year. The next couple of months are mostly going to be dominated by exams – we have GCSEs and A Levels going on simultaneously this year – and we have lots of fun things to look forward to in between as well: birthday celebrations; half term; multiple trips to London; fun events to attend and more.
I hope that you found plenty of little things to love throughout April and that next month holds lots of moments you want to remember.
With love,
Chloe x
