Hello from a very muggy Stockport! It’s been very funny weather lately, there was the most torrential thunderstorm yesterday and today has been so warm and humid that I suspect another is on its way! Flash floods, houses crumbling down – it’s all going off in this corner of the world.
I’m off work this week and my side hustle is fairly quiet too – so I’ve had a lot of very much needed downtime. I was starting to feel a little burnt out, so it’s come at a very welcome time. At first, when both of our jobs told us we had to take the leave this week (that was supposed to be for our honeymoon), I was annoyed, but actually, it’s been a blessing. We’d never take a week off to just stay home, and it’s been really nice just pottering around the house and getting stuff done. We’re also turning our spare bedroom into a mini office so that’s exciting, I can’t wait to not have constant back, shoulder and neck pain from an unpleasant work set-up on my kitchen table!
So – let’s get to it! What have I been doing this week?
Reading
I’ve finally got around to making a start on this book by Paulo Coelho. I’d never heard of it until a few weeks back and then it was suddenly mentioned about three times over the space of a week by various different people on podcasts or on social media, and I figured that I should treat it as a sign from the universe that I should definitely get hold of this book. It’s about listening to your heart and following your dreams and I figured that it’s quite timely, given that I am somewhat at a crossroads about following my own dreams right now. I was absolutely hooked by the summary on amazon (link above) and I’ve made a start on it. It’s OK so far – nothing mind-blowing about it just yet, but I’ve made notes of a few quotes that have really stuck out to me, so I’m excited to delve deeper!
Watching
We finished Lost! What a rollercoaster of emotions that was! I absolutely loved it again, I found myself wondering if I might like it less this time around but I didn’t – it’s still my favourite TV series ever made. The score (or soundtrack? Not sure which word is a better fit) is incredible too! Michael Giacchino is a wonderful composer, he’s the guy behind the score of the Disney film ‘Up’ if you’ve seen it (along with many, many others). I was hooked on the soundtrack the first time watching lost, and I’ve loved it even more this time around. I’m sad it’s over, but it’s been a great thing to re-watch during lockdown!
I’ve started watching Sweet Magnolias on Netflix and am absolutely loving it so far, like so so much. It’s such an easy watching, feel-good series and I just love some of the characters (if you do watch it – Helen and Maddie’s Mum are my absolute favourites!). It’s not the best series ever made, but it’s perfect if you just want to watch something pleasant to escape what feels to be a dark and dreary reality right now. It also makes me desperate to visit South Carolina. I know it’s a TV series but I just love the look of life there, and I love listening to the accent! Currently dreaming of living there like I do anytime I see a new place on TV!
Listening
Life and Death by Michael Giacchino
This song. I can’t even put into words the way it makes me feel. I do think that one of the most beautiful things ever is when a composer or film producer finds the perfect song to play (or writes a song specifically) to accompany a scene. When you get that right, it’s magnificent. This song features the entire way through the TV series Lost, but I always think of the scene where I first stumbled across it, at the end of an episode in one of the earlier series. It’s such a beautiful song and I love it.
Speaking of beautiful songs, listening to Life and Death really made me think of the last time I was moved so much by a piece of music in a film/TV series. Of course, it’s hard to pinpoint all of the times this happens as it does happen a lot, I adore music, but this one is still up there with my favourite pieces of music ever. It’s a super short song at just 1 minute 17 seconds, but I think it’s stunning. I even considered walking down the aisle to it on my wedding day, but it was too short! Have a listen – I’m sure you’ll agree!
That’s it from me! I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to so feel free to get involved, otherwise, I hope you have a lovely, happy week ahead and I’ll see you next Wednesday!
Reflect and Introspect 
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