TMTW: Autumn 2021

What happened:
September started with two trips to the theatre to see Be More Chill and Mary Poppins, which is always an excellent way to start a month. Be More Chill was good fun, and Mary Poppins was a delight. (I saw Mary Poppins on its original West End run and it's definitely one of my favourites.)

We had a heartbreaking decision to make in early September which meant saying goodbye to Compy - truly awful but I know that decision was so much better than having her suffer. I'm still so, so devastated and I miss her very much. But I am so glad she got to spend her senior years with us, living a life where she was loved and spoiled rotten. Our home, and our hearts, are definitely a lot emptier without her.

We headed to Buckingham Palace to have a mooch around the gardens, continued to look at houses (after ten months of searching we found the BEST house at the end of October - I can't wait to move in!), and then it was time for some of last year's postponed weddings. The first one was a lovely family wedding in Kent, then it was off to Ireland for the next one.

As well as the wedding at The Lodge at Ashford Castle, we managed to squeeze in a few touristy bits, starting with the Cliffs of Moher and visiting Poulnabrone Dolmen in Burren National Park. Which I'll blog about soon. Then there'll be a post about Ashford Castle and the village of Cong. And another one about hiking upper Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park and visiting Kylemore Abbey. 

I could finally reveal in October what I've been working on for the past two years, the new Sky Glass TV! So that was exciting. We headed to Kew Gardens for the Japan festival, I caught up with one of my best friends before she gave birth, caught up with some other friends over dinner, plus played bowling and AR digital darts at Gravity, which was good fun. 

Our November holiday to Sweden was cancelled, plus Elton John's concert was moved to 2023(!), so we decided to go to Mauritius instead (and got a refund for the concert). Except, after we booked, Mauritius updated their entry requirements which meant testing on arrival and on day 5 - a positive test on either of those days equals quarantining for ten days. No thank you. So we ended up going to the Maldives instead!

Aaaaah, the Maldives. It truly is as beautiful as the pictures suggest - and, yes, that water really is that turquoise. We stayed at the Riu Palace, which is a 5* all-inclusive resort but it's a pretty affordable one as far as the Maldives goes. Our days were filled with excellent food - I had so many delicious curries and seafood - snorkelling and relaxing, plus we celebrated Olly's birthday whilst we were there. Blog posts, again, coming soon!  

When we got back to the UK we had lots of house buying admin to do - plus we went back to see it - and lots of catching up with friends and family. We don't know exactly when we'll be moving yet, but hopefully it won't be too long before we can. I can't wait!

What I ate:
Restaurant-wise: Bancone, Blacklock (superb roast, as always), Victoria Market Hall (had yum food from Butchies, DF Tacos and Flank), Rose Revived, The Greyhound (fab roast), White Men Can't Jerk, Crust Bros, Whyte & Brown, Bean & Hop, The Jolly Gardener, Wagamama and Megan's at the Post Office. Plus did the Le Swine bacon butty kit again.

What I watched:
TV-wise: Watched some more Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists episodes, watched seasons 1-2 of Superstore (really like it), season 2 of Ted Lasso (so lovely), the rest of season 5 of Billions, Class Action Park (so bonkers) and started watching Kevin Can F**K Himself and season 3 of Superstore.

Films watched: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Tom and Jerry, Jurassic World, Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, Rush Hour 3, The Da Vinci Code, Mrs Doubtfire, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, Angels and Demons, Free Guy, Inferno, The Father, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, A Quiet Place Part II, Supernova, The Burnt Orange Heresy, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Red Notice, Red and Red 2.

We signed back up to the Cineworld Unlimited card, so at the cinema we saw: No Time To Die, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Eternals and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

What I read:
In September I read 11 books. A 5* rating went to Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, with 4* ratings for The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain, Dear Martin and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Careless by Kirsty Capes.

In October I read 21 books. 4* ratings went to The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman and Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. 

In November I read 25 books. I gave 4* ratings to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See and Mother Mother by Annie Macmanus, plus a 5* rating to Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. 

How have you been? x