Monthly Musings: July 2020

Hello friends! Welcome to our Monthly Musings post for July. How are you doing this fine month?

Things are practically back to normal here in Dublin at the moment, and to be honest… I think that’s pretty dumb. Everyone is acting like we aren’t just starting to get over a pandemic, but more or less exactly as they were acting beforehand. It’s kind of scary. Alas, we, and those we interact with, are vigilant. I guess that’s all that really matters.

My monthly dose of ramblings are listed below. It’s pretty light reading this month, but I have a feeling that’s just what you need this morning. I hope you find something that interests you – be it a new cookbook or an urge to explore local tourist attractions while they’re quiet. Enjoy!

Monthly Musings, July 2020

Boyfriend & I took advantage of the lack of tourists in Ireland recently & hit up one of Rob’s favourite spots: Powerscourt. I’d never visited the gardens before and it was so wonderful to get to with barely any others around! Perks of a global pandemic? I think so.

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Related: I’ve created a Covid-19 Category to keep all of our posts from this time in one place. I think it’ll be fascinating to look back at what we were doing/how we were coping in years to come. It’s so crazy to think that we’ve been living through this for the best part of five months now, armed with masks and hand sanitizer aplenty.

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Have you started getting back out there to socialize yet? We’re dipping our toes in the water – very lightly – but it feels good! I recently had my gal-pals over for a sangria party in the garden and it was lovely. Added bonus: I got to tick something off my Summer Bucket List!

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Related: my parents had Boyfriend & I over for a Father’s Day dinner a few weeks ago. It felt entirely wonderful to be out, eating in other people’s houses again. My sister cooked up a homemade Chinese feast, and we played Articulate, laughed about a certain visit to the zoo, and stayed over for breakfast the next morning. It was bliss.

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Did you catch my recipe for a Lemon & Blueberry Crumble Pie? It hit the blog a couple weeks back and it’s a real gem. Boyfriend is blueberry addicted, and I’m pretty sure this’ll be on our summer menu again before long.

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I recently got into a pickle thinking about the lack of photos of people in my travel guides. On one hand, this is good for people looking for a guide to a city – they don’t want to see my holiday selfies. On the other hand, when I look back at posts 10-years from now, I’m going to want to see who I was there with and what we looked like. The solution: A Photo Journal. A separate post, filled with memories of me and my loved ones. You can view the archive here. It’s still a work in progress, but it makes me so happy!

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We’re nearly finished with our Tuscan travel series, and I’m almost reluctant to share it with you because I don’t want it to end. Why can’t we just live there? Sigh. Anyways, in case you missed it: An Ode to Florence // 24 Hours in San Gimignano // A Quick Guide to Siena. Castellina in Chianti coming atcha next week!

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I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but it looks like Percy the Pear Tree is actually going to grow some pears this year. Like, a lot of pears. It’s taken him two years to get to this stage, and I am so proud. Growing your own produce is so rewarding!

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Last weekend I unearthed the very best recipe for shortbread that has ever existed. This is not something I would lie about. The recipe is from Blooms & Baking – my latest cookbook purchase – and it is so fantastic I might just have to blog about it. Would you like the recipe?

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What are you reading at the moment? I’m kind of in between books right now and I’m at a loss about what to read next. I finished rereading The Time Travelers Wife, which I love, and then started reading a Robert B. Parker novel, but it just isn’t grabbing me. Any recommendations? Help.

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An oldie but a goodie: Cherry Turnovers. Is it cherry season yet? I saw some the other day and they’re weren’t horrifically expensive, so perhaps it is. Either way, I’m looking forward to getting my hands on some!

And there we have it, our Monthly Musings for July. If you have any thoughts or comments please let me know in the comment section below – I love hearing from you!

I hope you have a wonderful month.

Hugs,

Vicki xo

PS! Boyfriend & I are heading to Kerry at the very end of the month, so be sure to follow along on Instagram Stories for a sneak-peek at what we get up to.