April's Happy Things

Well here we are... it's May. The past two months seemed to have lasted about a year in themselves so boy am I glad to welcome May into the lockdown party. Not only is it my birth month, it's also typically the sign that Summer is well and truly on the way.

But before we give May all the attention, I want to look back on the month just gone and reflect.

I decided to start doing month in review posts again a little while back but it's all gone tits up, quite frankly, as I don't know how I can really make 'today I stayed at home... and today I stayed at home again... and today you guessed it I stayed at home' exciting enough for a read-worthy blog post. So I've decided to do my monthly review posts a little differently for the time being and focus on sharing the things that have been keeping me entertained this past month. A glimpse into my lock-down life, if you will.

So, without further ado, are some of the things which have kept me busy and fueled my happy in April:

Reading
During the lock down I've tried to smash out my ever growing to-read list and it's going rather well, if I do say so myself. I've been loving historical fiction lately and really enjoyed Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein and One Day In Oradour by Helen Watts. As always, I'm also a sucker for a bit of YA fiction and have just finished Birthday by Meredith Russo. Boy is that book incredible! Next on my to-read list is Call Me Evie by J.P Pomare. It's been sat on my to-read pile for a little while now and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

Watching
Boy have I watched a lot of telly during this lockdown! It's been a great opportunity to get through some of the programs I've been wanting to watch for a while. 

Killing Eve is back with a vengeance and I'm loving it; although not loving having to wait a week between episodes! April also play host to the last ever episodes of Criminal Minds. Although I needed a good few days to process saying goodbye to the BAU, I've now settled in to watching it again from the very beginning. There's nothing like a bit of Agent Derek Morgan to cure the lockdown blues! I also loved the latest series of Our Girl. I was initially unsure about the new series - and still a firm member of the #WeMissElvis club - but by this point I'm loving it.

This month I've also been loving re-watching some of my favourite examples of classic British telly. I've introduced Johnny to the Vicar of Dibley and Four In A Bed and have been watching Outnumbered on Netflix. We've also been watching Doctor Who (surprise surprise) and thoroughly enjoying the #SubwaveNetwork goings on on twitter. If you're not clued up, people are watching past doctor who episodes at the same time across the globe and live tweeting them. They've also had cast and crew members (including David Tennant, Matt Smith and some of their best companions) sharing their thoughts/feelings/memories live on twitter as they watch along too. Totally geeky but totally fantastic!

Listening To
I've found lockdown to be the perfect time to catch up on all of the podcasts I've been missing. I'm subscribed to so many fantastic ones but find I rarely have the time to properly sit down and give them the attention they deserve so now is perfect. My current go-to is the Off Menu podcast, hosted by the briliantly funny James Acaster and Ed Gamble. If you're not clued up on the setup, each episode they welcome in a guest (often a fellow comedian or 'celeb' but there are also sometimes people from the food industry) into a 'dream restaurant' where they can choose their dream meal (we're talking starter, main, side dish, dessert and drink - the whole shebang). It's such an easy listen that always has me giggling away so it's become the perfect bedtime companion for me.

Cooking
We've been trying to make the most of our slow cooker whilst we've been at home. A personal favourite was the slow cooked pork in apple juice I cooked over Easter weekend. Simply threw in a pork joint, some chopped apple, carrots, chopped onions and then a hefty amount of apple juice. Served with mash and veg, it was truly delicious. If anyone has any personal favourite slow cooker recipes, I'd love to hear them!

Trying
To get cracking with my last two university assignments! There's something about being stuck at home all day everyday that is just making it difficult to settle down and put my 'productive student' hat on. I normally like to do lots of my work sat within my uni buildings or in a coffee shop so adjusting to getting it all done at home has proven tricky. I'm starting to get there though! I've set up a nice desk space and have started to get into a good daily routine. I find that having 'slow' mornings (filled with lie ins, hot drinks, yummy breakfasts, reading and yoga) help me to get my head into the right mind-space to have a truly productive afternoon.

Obsessed With
Animal TikToks! I'll admit that I'm slightly uncool when it comes to TikTok and don't quite 'get' the obsession with all of the little dances people do but boy am I here for all of the quality animal content we've been blessed with. My personal favourites are @OliviaVanFoxFace, @_mochafrappe_, @SealRescueIreland and @HollyandHazelnut.

What have you been loving this past month?
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