September passed in the blink of an eye. It’s my favourite month of the year – there’s something about that glorious blend of the warmth of the late summer sun, coupled with the cooler morning autumn air and the golden light that makes everything it touches look magical, that makes me feel like anything could be possible. And yet somehow I feel like I completely missed it this time around, as if it’s been and gone without me realising. It has been an intense and very full-on month in every way possible and it’s only now, as I reflect on it, that I’m starting to realise just how much happened.
Here’s a little bit of life lately, throughout September…
BOOKS
It’s been such a busy month that I haven’t been reading as much as I usually try to. It’s a little frustrating, and at the same time I’m ok with it – it’s just one of those times of the year where some things need to be put down, knowing that they’ll be picked back up again later.
I finished The Story Collector by Evie Woods, which I started at the end of last month. It’s a fictional story set in Ireland and it incorporates a lot of Irish folklore (as well as some of the Irish language, which I really liked). I felt that more could have been made of some of the relationships between the key people, and extra depth could have been written into the issues the main character was facing – they could have been explored further. I also felt that the ending was a little disappointing – it was left open-ended and although what happened next in the story is implied, it didn’t feel like it was closed which felt a bit…unsatisfying. That being said – I did enjoy it, I could immerse myself in the descriptions of the settings and it was easy to read, I just finished it with a feeling of wanting a little bit more.
Next up was Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart, loaned to me by a dear friend. One of my friend’s favourite bands is Rush so I have learned a bit about their music through him. The author of this book is the lyricist and drummer from the band, and it’s an autobiography/memoir written following the tragic deaths of both his teenage daughter (in a car accident) and his wife (cancer) in the space of a year. It’s the story of how he brought himself back from the brink – through riding his motorbike on an epic 28,750 mile journey across Canada, North America, Mexico and South America.
I was intrigued – his storytelling, his travels, his desire to get as far away from the trauma as possible…they all resonated. The narrative is interspersed with memories of the people he met along the way, travel stories from the places he visited, journal entries, song lyrics, letters he wrote to friends whilst he was on the road and raw & honest accounts of the depths of his grief and the vastness of his healing. It’s big, chunky book that’s taking me a while to get through (I’m currently about halfway). I very much like his writing style – his self awareness draws me in and makes me want to keep reading. The visual part of me would like to see photos from his journey included in between chapters and at the same time, his descriptions are so vivid that they’re not really necessary. Different, and worth it.
FILMS, TV, POETRY
September has been an excellent month for arts and entertainment. First up was a showing of The Penguin Lessons at my local theatre (not cinema!) as part of the new season of less mainstream film screenings run by Stafford Film Theatre. This was the first film being shown and it was a much busier event than I’d anticipated. I was the youngest person there by about twenty years I think but it didn’t matter – we were all there for the same thing. I enjoyed the film, despite not usually being a Steve Coogan fan (and he’s definitely not how I pictured the main character when I read the book a few years ago). Set in Argentina in the 1970s, the cinematography was beautiful, the penguin was very sweet and even though I knew what happens at the end of the story, I still cried!
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was a complete contrast, and just as enjoyable in a totally different way. The only description I have for it is that it was both interesting and unexpected. A little bit weird? Definitely thought-provoking. The cinematography was exquisite (I can’t help it, it’s the ex-Media-Studies student in me!) – the use of colour, the composition of the shots – it was very satisfying in a way I can’t really explain. I also enjoyed the soundtrack. And the storyline… well, I was never really 100% sure what was going on in any given moment but it made me think and it made me feel and it’s still on my mind several weeks later so to me that’s a sign of a good film.
Lola and I have been enjoying the brand new series of Strictly Come Dancing. We have created a joyful little weekend ritual of snuggling up under a blanket on the armchair together and watching both the live performances on Saturdays and the results show on a Sunday evening. We’re currently undecided who we want to win – it’s a good mix of people this year. Lola has also been very into Great British Bake-Off this year as well.
Mid-month I took a spontaneous trip to London to see Lucas Jones’ debut live performance of spoken word poetry as part of the Chelsea Arts Festival at the Saatchi Gallery. I’ve followed him on Instagram for a while and love the things he shares – he always has something interesting, inspiring and/or compelling to say, and he does it in such a powerful and beautiful way. He has a very unique and modern way of bringing words to life that I think (and hope!) is making poetry more accessible to people who might ordinarily dismiss it.
I was excited to be there and to see him perform his pieces, which he did to a background of a musical quartet, followed up with a Q&A. You could tell he was a little nervous with it being his first live event, but actually, showing up fully authentically like that made me like him even more. Favourite readings he performed were ‘I will teach my boys to be dangerous men’; ‘I met God at the supermarket’; and ‘Some good news if you wish you were dead’. His girlfriend, Ava Lily (a singer/songwriter) was sat right in front of me and I got to have a little conversation with her afterwards, which was very cool. As an extra added bonus, it was an absolutely glorious warm and sunny day in London… 27°C in September!
Lucas Jones performing spoken word poetry at the Chelsea Arts Festival
LIFE LATELY
Behind the scenes, September has been a month of big changes for all of us…
Firstly, Ella moved 140 miles away to start university. It was a challenging and emotional weekend all round, but she’s there and she’s doing ok. She’s slowly settling in – she’s getting on really well with her flatmates; she survived Fresher’s Week; she’s had her first lectures; she has successfully done some laundry, cooked meals and been on buses; and she has even been out clubbing until 3am! I’m immensely proud of her whilst at the same time still trying to get used to her not being here. I’m very much looking forward to seeing her next month when we go and visit her for a weekend.
York Minster. I think I could take photographs of this incredible piece of architecture every single day and never get bored.
An evening stroll to stretch our legs after the long journey, and to settle the nerves ahead of moving-in day
We found Paddington Bear on a bench!
Ella all moved into her new room at uni
At the same time, changes were happening at home too. At the start of the new academic term Mimi moved back to Sixth Form at her old high school instead of staying at college for her second year of A Levels. It’s meant a new timetable, new teachers, two different locations to navigate logistically and a lot of catching up to do with regards to the work, but she’s much happier being there and that’s all that matters. Lola has moved up into Year 11 – GCSE year – and suddenly it’s all getting a bit more serious.
Lola also applied for her first job, and got the role! She did so well in her interview and her boss is very happy with how she’s doing. She’s working as a teaching assistant for an organisation that runs ballet classes for young children and she’s thoroughly enjoying it – she wants to work as a teacher when she’s older so it’s fantastic experience for her.
Before Ella moved to uni, my mum and stepdad came to visit for the weekend. They rarely stay overnight with us so it was wonderful to have them here for a bit longer than usual. We went for a walk down the trail near our house to the orchard and it made my heart very happy. I love these photos.
An Autumn walk through the orchard
I love this photo 🙂
All of a sudden we are three-quarters of the way through the year, and chapter nine of 2025 is now closed. Just three more months left to go until a brand new year begins. Time is wild. October looks like it’s going to be steady-busy: we have uni visits and netball matches and all the life admin appointments (dentist, haircuts, opticians…) scheduled in. Plus a trip to York to visit Ella and a couple of fun things planned for half term. I have a feeling it’s going to fly by, so I’m doing my best to slow down and savour as many moments as I can in between the chaos.
I hope that you found plenty of joyful moments to hold onto throughout September and that you’ve got lots to look forward to in October.
With love,
Chloe x
