Kathy Hamilton Today I am proudly introducing Things I’ve Been Loving in June! Something a little different. If you’ve been reading here long, you’ll be familiar with my “What I’ve Been Reading Lately” series that has been running since the start of the year. These have become some of my favourite posts to write, but they only reflect one portion of my life, reading. So I thought it might be fun to share a little more.
Things I’ve Been Loving in June is the first in, I hope, a long series of posts which will cover all the things I have been doing, eating, watching and experiencing (aside from books) during the month. I’m excited to share these little nuggets with you, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading and sharing what you’ve been loving too!
Readers who have been here for the long-haul might remember my old “Friday Favourites” series! Well, think of those as an inspiration for these new posts. Slightly less frequent, but more packed with interesting things.
These Chocolate & Peanut Butter Brownies
Baking is one of my favourite past times, and it hasn’t ever received much love her at the Female Scriblerian. Partly because while I enjoy baking (and eating) treats, I’m never sure how to write about food. However, these gooey, rich, peanut-y brownies were too good not to share Recipe liberally adapted (more chocolate, more peanut butter, vanilla essence) from here.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Next, in the things I have been loving in June is the most surprisingly uplifting show of 2018 and my new favourite way to relax after work. Season two just hit Netflix, so if you haven’t already binge-watched it you have 16 glorious episodes before you. Seriously, I’m amazed at how a show technically about a “makeover” manages to be so inclusive, uplifting, self-affirming and also tackle weighty issues like police brutality and racism.
Climbing Cave Hill
Exhilarating and right on my doorstep. I spent a day climbing the hill that dominates the Belfast sky line in early June. As mountain-climbing goes, it’s not too strenuous and is achievable in a few hours depending on your pace. But it offers splendid views over Belfast and leaves you with a lovely sense of achievement. I raced up and then spent a languorous few hours lazing in the long grass near the summit eating fresh oranges and basking in the summer sun.
Inventing Kathy Fried Chicken
I’m addicted to KFC. And now I can make my own. Send help. No really, I can’t accurately sum up how much I enjoy southern fried chicken with words! So I suppose it was only a natural progression to teaching myself how to make it. I didn’t really use a recipe, just winged it and hoped for the best. But let me tell you, it was well worth the risk! This one probably qualifies in “All Year Best” not just a “Things I have been Loving in June”.
This Article about Circulating Libraries in Jane Austen’s Time
Have you ever wondered how Lizzy Bennett manages to afford her book habit? No, well…neither had I until I came across this article. It offers a fascinating insight into how middle-class families managed to afford books and also shows how the power and popularity of Circulating Libraries had a long-lasting effecting on popularising fiction.
Cultivating my own little space
Every woman needs a room of one’s own, according to Virginia Woolf and I am inclined to agree. At the start of the year I moved into a new flat and since then I have been gradually cultivating it into an expression of my personality. This month I feel like I have really achieved this goal and it’s making me so happy.
The Trailer for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Ever since reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Review here) I have been patiently waiting for the film to be made. It’s had a slightly rocky road to production, having to replace cast members, but the trailer was finally released! It. Looks. Good.
Sunny Evenings in the Park
Summer is blazing in Belfast this year. Something that’s not always guaranteed and is often greeted with a large pinch of scepticism. That’s why one of the things I’ve been loving in June is to spend hazy summer evenings in the park. Actually, I have been trying to spend as much time outside as possible, as I have found it rejuvenates my mood in the best way.
Slow Sundays
Music. Baking. Chilling with friends. This is what Sundays should be like. In my opinion, there’s not much that beats waking up to sunlight streaming through the windows, lazily drifting into the kitchen and making brunch whilst listening to an old record and then spending the day idling the time away doing not very much at all. Maybe baking a cake, probably having friends over late in the afternoon. In this list of things I’ve been loving in June, this one sticks out strongest in my mind. It’s how I used to imagine spending my weekends when I would envision my future life, and now it’s a reality.
Feeling Like I’m in My Own Film when I Walk About the City.
This may be the most abstract of all the things I’ve been loving in June. In fact, it’s hard to put into words exactly what I mean. Perhaps it’s the warmth of summer, but sometimes I can imagine my life as a series of montages in a film. This is strongest when I’m walking, perhaps because the soundtrack of the music coming through my headphones filters the experience. Whatever causes it, I have been struck by this whimsical sense more than once in June, and it’s lovely.
Processions 2018
June marked 100 years of votes for Women in the UK and to commemorate this, a series of processions took place in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. At the last minute I decided to take part in the Belfast parade and I’m so glad I did. Being in Processions 2018 was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt excited and a little proud to join the 1000s of women who took part. Some made beautiful banners and flags, I just brought myself. As things I’ve been loving in June go, this was a pretty big one for the memory bank.
And so we come to the end of Things I’ve Been Loving in June
I have really enjoyed sharing this extra slice of my interests with you, it was fun to sit down and make a list of everything that made me happy in the last 30 days. But as always, it’s always better when I get to share the experience with you. So, please do share what you’ve been loving in June too!
