Kathy Hamilton Can you believe it’s August already? That means it’s time for things I loved in July, the second instalment in my new roundup of the (non-book related) highlights of the month. It was a jam-packed July. Filled with all my favourite things: travel, good food, spending time with friends and family and discovering new things.
Mallorca
I kick-started July with a trip to Mallorca for a family reunion. Although my family is fairly small, we’ve managed to spread ourselves across the world. This means that we don’t get to spend a lot of time together. This summer, however, we all managed to make our way to Mallorca for a holiday. Mallorca is such a beautiful island, I love spending time there and this time I was able to visit the mountains and stay overnight in a sleepy town called Sóller. It was perfect.
Paella Day with Family
Net up in Things I Loved in July is a highlight within a highlight! During the big summer family reunion, my cousin (who is Mallorcan) invited us all to his family “finca” – or an old farmhouse- for paella. We spent the day swimming, eating amazing homemade food al fresco, catching up and laughing.
Sweden
As if one holiday wasn’t enough, I hopped on a plan to Stockholm directly from Mallorca! Then I spent four days exploring this amazing city with my friends. I had no expectations when it came to visiting Stockholm. I think that this helped to make it such a magical experience. From rambling around Gamla Stan (the old town) to sitting by the waterside in Langholmen, I enjoyed every second of my time in this city. It even inspired a blog post, which you can read here.
Pickled Herring
Honestly, pickled fish isn’t something I ever thought I’d feature on a favourites list. And yet here we are half way through this list of things I loved in July and I’m about to talk about pickled herring! Whenever I travel I like to immerse myself in local culture as much as possible. This had led me to try a host of foods I would otherwise avoid. Pickled Herring is just the latest example! I imagine it’s a love it or hate it kind of food, but it is hugely popular in Sweden. When I treated myself to a “Swedish Experience” meal in Stockholm, it was the starter. I’m so glad I didn’t read the menu properly because if I had, I would never have tried this delicious treat.
New Hair
I have wanted to have some fun with my hair for a long time and in July I finally took the plunge. I went for a style called “Hidden Galaxy” which means I had the bottom layer of my hair dyed blue, teal and purple! A huge step out of my comfort zone, but the end results are amazing. It was exciting to watch the transformation take place and I love catching a glimpse of blue every now and then in my hair!
Freedom Fry band
This Blueberry & Coconut Loaf
This blueberry & coconut loaf cake is the result of a little mistake. I decided to order a home delivery of food to stock up on necessities after my holidays. I asked for blackberries but received blueberries. Not exactly earth-shattering, but you see I don’t love blueberries and suddenly I had 300g of them! I turned to my trusty Be-Ro recipe book and spotted this recipe. It might just be the most delicious concoction ever! I have searched the internet for a linkable recipe for this blueberry coconut loaf, but unfortunately, there isn’t one. You can get the Be-Ro book here though, which I highly recommend. Other than that, you’ll just have to take my word for it, this cake was so good I made it twice in two days!
That Wraps Up “Things I Loved in July”
It was a busy month, full of new experiences and discoveries. I loved getting to spend time with my friends and family, especially since we all live so far apart. I can’t say that I came back feeling relaxed and refreshed…but then that’s a sign that I embraced every moment of my time on holiday! How about you? What were the things you loved most in July?
