August 2024 in a List

 

How was August? August was a whirlwind of a month. Sticky, messy, with big emotions throwing us all over the place. It felt exciting to be in my last month of pregnancy and I enjoyed being in town when everyone else was leaving. I worried about my mom a lot. She spent the month recovering at home after a stroke. Thankfully my younger sister moved in with her until a few days ago so I could just focus on resting and finishing up the last bits of reno before the arrival of our baby. Excitement, tiredness, worrying, gratitude… a big month.

Writing of the month: I wrote and published the last official post for Dash of Prosecco (my Substack): “The future of this newsletter.” I thoroughly love working on it, but it’s a demanding project and sometimes, when health and life get in the way, it’s hard to make room for it. Time for a break! More space for discovering motherhood and recharging my creative batteries. 

Extra of the month: Hosting people again after a long long time - who would’ve thought! In the midst of chaos, we decided to ignore the mess at home and invite as many family and friends as we could before our lives are changed forever. I baked banana bread loaves, drank alcohol free beer, and gorged in chips and pizza. 

TV series of the month: We had zero time to indulge ourselves in tv series and cosy nights at home. So not much to report on this front! What did you watch? 

Garment of the month: I wore a tropical print dress with lime green sandals and a black bodycon set with the same sandals in silver. I got lots of compliments on Instagram, which would make any heavily pregnant woman very happy.

Movie of the month: … the only one I watched: The Lady in the Van (2015) with the fantastic Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings. A meditative, unrushed story with a bittersweet ending and overall vibe. A good pick for the autumn months!

Books of the month: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin. Summer is such a good time for reading, especially fiction. This year I got a copy of this French best seller but have yet to finish it. It’s very very lovely, the delicate writing that’s so evocative, the characters and settings. But the story is fundamentally sad, mostly revolving around the concepts of life and death, and a mother losing her precious baby girl in a freak accident. Definitely not the right kind of story to indulge oneself in before giving birth. So, it stays on my nightstand for now, unfinished, split open, face down, so I can look at the pretty cover until its time for closure comes. 

Purchase of the month: Way too many things for the baby, but if I had to choose it would be the moses basket I got her to sleep in. It’s thick woven cotton in aquamarine. Pretty would be an understatement. 

Screenshot / saved post of the month: “How to have people over (and actually enjoy it)” by Kate Arends - a really good essay on (im)perfection and truly savouring the company of guests without letting our “mess” get in the way of relationships (paywall).

Recipe of the month: My FIL’s banana bread without a doubt! 

A wish for the coming month? Fully enjoying my first month as a mom, postpartum and all. (read: being present and focusing on tenderness).

* inspiration for this post 

Sinù xx

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