Fancy Meeting You Here
A wonderful moment of pure happenstance
We have been sitting at this Kitchen Bench for a little over six months and I like to think we’ve been having fun together. So, as is basically law, time has flown!
When I started writing to you back in February, Ben and I were new in Manchester with no where to live, no income, no friends, no family and no idea. Now we have a homey house, new jobs, we’ve had some lovely visitors, and last Friday night Ben went out drinking with some mates and I found him 7 hours later asleep in our bath. The sign of a fun night.
We have settled into a really lovely life here in the U.K but that’s not to say its been without challenges. Challenges include but are not limited to..
The three hour window each day from 7am-10am where I’m able to book a Doctor’s appointment (how does four weeks from now sound?).
Average coffee.
A non-existent summer that seems to be coming to an end.
Rain. All. The. Time.
Also, I’ve been mistaken for Canadian on more than three occasions which has me doubting my whole origin story. Despite all of this I’m glad we came. We love it here. And here we will stay until we decide to leave. I think sometimes we forget that decisions can be as simple as that.
In the spirit of 6 months at the Kitchen Bench (I know it’s actually 7 but please just humour me), I thought I’d compile a list of my all-time favourite endorsements so far this year.
Travels…
If you happen to be passing through Austria, I would encourage you (so emphatically if borders on forceful) to visit Hallstatt. I have never in my life experienced anything as beautiful and peaceful.
The Peak District and the Lake District are magnificent and continue to blow me away.
Oh! And the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Best museum ever.
Books…
The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller. A masterful literary fiction. It deserves all the praise.
Good Material, Dolly Alderton. A must read fiction novel for all women (and men!) between 25 and 35. Very special.
Vicious, V.E. Schwab. A great science fiction/fantasy/something undefinable. I guarantee it’s something everyone will love, or at least not be able to put down.
Doppelganger, Naomi Klein. I’ve spoken about this one before, read it!
Music (/other)…
The Shameless Media co-founder, Michelle Andrews, just released a gorgeous three part podcast called Glass that speaks to her fertility journey. This is a raw, beautifully written personal essay that made me weep in the middle of my office.
To be honest, it’s rare that I venture outside of the Taylor Swift discography these days. There’s enough juice there to keep me well hydrated. I do make exceptions for the likes of Gracie Abrams, Maisie Peters, Sabrina Carpenter… just classic pop girlies and I make no apologies or excuses for this basicness. However, I’ve recently re-discovered Ed Sheeran’s subtract album. There’s something simply beautiful (and very autumn-esque) about a guy and his acoustic guitar.
Subscriptions…
I love my subscription to The Cut. It’s funny, light and informative and is a great dose of pop-culture now that I’m not on tik tok.
Pandora Syke’s substack Books + Bits is fab! No more needs to be said.
Outliers…
Skin Choice Pimple Patches. They do God’s work.
Emma Kate Co. diaries. My organisational energy usually starts to wain in about May but I’m happy to report that I love my diary and I’m more organised than ever.
What’s next?
I spoke about my ‘Middle Management Operational Plan’ at the Kitchen Bench not long ago, which is just a corporate way of overcomplicating my goals for the next 6 months. The plan continues to tick along quite nicely. My screen time is down, my outdoors time is up, and I finally had that cervical scan I’ve been putting off since I turned 25 last year (I do not endorse putting this off, just to be clear).
I’ve been nose deep in Shakespeare for the last few weeks researching my next Madwoman. I think you guys will like her, I certainly do. Ben and I are hoping to head to Ireland in a few weeks and we’re in the midst of planning what that looks like. Please reach out with any recommendations, all suggestions are very welcome. My posts may be a little sporadic over the next month as I try my best to soak up the last few rays of Manchester sunshine before winter descends, but I won’t be gone long!
A parting piece of advice… always address your postcard before you write your message. That way, you avoid the embarrassment of having to put the postcard in an envelope.
All my love!
Elle x