Just living that moodboard life right now (down to the sunflowers!). As much as I love my little gatehouse this summer I've been finding a lot of really enviable thatch houses that would tempt me away from my current home. This yellow-walled thatch beauty is my new dream home, although luckily for my bank account it's not available to live in. But how perfect are these walls?! I think it's be hard not to have a sunny disposition if you were living in a house as bright and cheerful as this one. Maybe it's the walls, or my little gingham dress, but I've been feeling fairly sunny myself lately. I've been talking a lot about my need for balance and to not stress so much about pointless things and in the past couple of weeks I've actually found some balance. The other afternoon I put away my computer, stopped checking my emails, and just did some doodling and painting. I also found time to finish my first book from my August reading list yesterday and am starting the next tonight. I haven't miraculously added more hours to my day, but I have been wiser at allocating my time and it's making me feel more...er, balanced to overuse the word! Less stressed, more creative. I'm always going to a worrier, but I don't feel that it is controlling my life as much at the moment. Which is good because worrying is quite ineffective; it doesn't make me more productive and it stifles creativity--an essential ingredient to this job.

These days I do most of my reading online. Blogs, random articles, yes, but also novels enjoyed through various free online libraries. I’ve always been a reader, excited to get home after a day at school to curl up with a book, but lately I don’t turn many physical, literal book pages. I’m making an effort to change that though, to spend more time away from my computer enjoying a good book in my actual hands. For August my book reading goals are simple; two novels with a possible third once I finish the first two. It’s funny in high school I used to read whole novels in a single day, barely stepping away from the pages to eat or breathe! Now I’m more easily distracted and not as willing to make time for fictional world when the demands of the real one seem all too pertinent. But I know it's all about prioritizing, making time for the things that matter and I'd like to be a little less glued to my screens! So here's my start of a new tradition; I'll try to share a few books every month I'm planning on reading and you can join in if you like.
The Hound of Baskervilles: I picked this book somewhat randomly; I mean I'm familiar with the stories through movies and television, but I haven't read any of the Sherlock Holmes books before and I wanted to read something more classic than the scifi kick I've been on lately. I'm about halfway through and it's funny how perfect this one was to get me hooked on the series--I mean mystery in the countryside? Local lore and legend? Perfect fit for me. I'm tempted to read another in the series next month, or at least sometime this autumn. Autumn seems a perfect fit for a moody British crime novel.
Anne of Green Gables: This is a re-read for me since I really enjoyed this series when I was younger. I decided to go back to this book this summer as a sort of knee-jerk reaction to the Netflix series Anne with an E…I have so many feelings about that series and none of them are positive! I think it would be great to do an updated Anne of Green Gables; either one that closely follows the books but more cinematic than the 80s version, or an actually updated twist the way Clueless retold Jane Austen’s Emma in the form of valley girls—I think Anne would be perfect for a playful adaptation like that. But Anne with an E is neither of those, it’s a story that drifts far from the original destroying so much of the beauty of the story in the process (in my view at least). One of the beauty of Anne’s story is how it depicts small town life, the reboot makes everything in Avonlea seem dark and despairing. And (spoilers!) key characters are changed; kindred spirits (like Reverend Allen) become enemies in the new version so that Anne can battle misogyny, non-orphans in the books become orphans, and don't even get me started on what they did to poor Matthew. The thing is Anne doesn't have to be reimagined to be a feminist character, nor do her relationships--in the books she's already surrounded by smart, educated women and Gilbert is attracted to her intellect, she transforms and challenges him. The new version is ham-fisted in its attempt to update a story that is considered classic for many reasons...Rant over; I'm looking forward to enjoying the original story soon.

It might be too early in the season for apple-picking, but it's not too early in the season for apple-orchard-strolling; in fact it feels like we're hitting the peak of that particular season. We've spent many a golden evening lately walking around the orchards with Jack nipping at our heels watching the sunset from the top hill and enjoying that sweet fresh scent. The apples are already so big it's wild to think they have another month of growing being picking does start; already the branches are heavy with Bramleys larger than your fist and every day we are inching closer to what has become my favorite season. When I lived stateside I always got annoyed with people who started pushing fall wardrobes and "pre-fall" trends in August. Because where I usually lived August was swelteringly hot and September wasn't too different so fall clothes wouldn't come into play until October. (And also "pre-fall" is such a made up thing, like all of summer is pre-fall???) However, here I'm already mixing in my autumn wardrobe on the grey days--overalls and knit tops, a beret here and there perfect for a cozy head and hiding a bad hair day. I've even started packing up summer stuff and sandals that I know won't get much wear in the next few weeks. So yeah, as much as I hate myself I feel like I'm jumping on that pre-fall and fall wardrobe bandwagon. I've been doodling pumpkins, trying to figure out where I stashed my scarves, and generally trying to make autumn happen a little bit sooner this year...   

I decided to try to briefly channel all the "cool girls" I keep seeing around the blogosphere these days with this top. I think if I summed up the trendiest "look" right now it would be statement tops (fussy and big sleeved like this one, or fitted slogan tees), basket bags, and "mom jeans." Or whatever the hot denim look is called right now--culottes, wide leg, and "girlfriend fit" all seem to be popular choices. I'm still stuck in skinnies mostly because the last time I tried to shop denim and experimented with other styles was a disaster! As much as a disaster as that excursion was I have been yenning for some style change-ups; perpetually cold feet making me eye all of the stylish sneakers on the market. I handpick everything that goes into my shop page (which functions as part wishlist, part catalogue of recent buys), so if you've been scratching your head at a few of the picks--wondering about the sneakers that found their way into my typical mix of strappy flats and what-have-you, rested assured I did select them. I'm always open to style experimentation and find so much inspiration from what's happening around me it's hard to resist trying out new looks or styles no matter how "set" you feel in your own style. But I must admit, that even with my old skinnies on this particular look didn't feel very comfortable. Perhaps it was the poor fit of my old skinnies that kept slipping down my hips which meant frequent stops to hike them back up again and then pauses to pull the blouse down again and left me feeling quite inelegant. Or merely the fact that I'm not sure this look works for my body type. Not that you have to dress for your body type, but I know my body well and how I like to dress it and this was not it. All in all this look felt a bit fussy to me, although I don't mind it in pictures I'm not sure I'll venture down this style path again anytime soon...

So I live in the countryside. When I was younger I used to think I wanted to settle in a city "when I grew up," but as I grew up that ideal changed. I realized I liked a quieter pace and that being in close proximity to amenities wasn't as important to be as being near a big open green space. Now I have that in abundance, with apple orchards, empty fields, and sheep out by backdoor. Although I do live in a village so I can also walk to the grocery store, post office (even if it is only open for a few hours three days a week!), and hair dresser. A pub and restaurant would be nice additions to the village, but we make do and make our own fun. Have you ever seen Northern Exposure? Sometimes village life reminds me of that, but with Irish accents. We have our town meetings where everyone complains about speeding and there is an annual award for best kept garden. I guess what I'm getting at is that on the way to take these pictures we got blocked by a ton of tractors. Like SO MANY tractors. Turns out it was the annual tractor run at the local church. Which is where all the local tractors do a parade and then enjoy tea, tray bakes, and good craic. It was quite the spectacle; tractors in all colors and increasingly monumental sizes and after much honking (from the tractors--they were social honks, we were on foot) we did eventually get to where we wanted to be. See, even small towns have traffic jams...