Monthly Musings: June 2021
Hello friends! Welcome to our Monthly Musings, June 2021 post! How are you? Summer is definitely in the air – it’s bloody roasting outside! I’ve been lounging around, in the shade, in my shorts, and I’m still melting! We’ve been getting up super early to get down the seafront for a walk before it gets too hot – which makes a change from this time last week – and then not venturing outside again until it’s slightly cooler in the evening. Thankfully, Boyfriend shares my aversion to all things sunshine & heat. For me, the best thing about summer is the abundance of available fruit and veg – if we could only combine that with a colder climate I’d be happy out. Anyways, did you have a nice May? I feel like it went so fast, but I also just don’t know where the weeks went. And now it’s June already!
Before we get to the goods, I simply have to tell you about a standout recipe I tried last month. I mentioned in my last monthly musings post that I was about to make Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread, and friends: it’s! so! good! After my first bite, I said goodbye to my horribly neglected sourdough starter from the back of the fridge and dumped it in the bin. Literally! It’s a true no-knead miracle that tastes like sourdough. A dream! I also read an article in the NYT about how the recipe is having a resurgence since originally being posted in 2006. I think that’s a sign: get on it!
Now that the important bread talk is out of the way, let’s get to our Monthly Musings June 2021 post. There’s the usual ramblings, but there’s also a few stellar recipes and some hopeful thoughts about international travel. Enjoy!
Monthly Musings, June 2021
Covid-19 update: progress is happening! Both of my parents have their first shot of Pfizer and will be getting their second shots hopefully within the next two weeks! As a whole, the country is mostly opening up again. Hotels from the 2nd of this month, and outdoor dining + cinemas reopening from the 7th, with plans for indoor dining in July. Retail is all opened up again, as are hairdressers etc. Boyfriend is itching to get back into the cinema, and we’re both looking forward to visiting our local again! All of my fingers and toes will remain crossed until we’re vaccinated!
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We totally booked flights to Naples in September! We’ve been invited to a wedding in Ravello, and although we’re not 100% sure if we’ll be able to go due to vaccination delays etc., it’s exciting that we’ve booked flights! The good news: both flights are entirely changeable, so no stress! I’ve never been that far south in Italy before and the Amalfi Coast looks so beautiful. If everything goes according to plan, the itinerary includes hitting up Ravello / Amalfi / Positano / Naples. I’m! so! excited!
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Related: with the wedding in Italy – and another one here in Ireland this summer, too – in mind, I bought some new shoes. They’re tan strappy platform wedges and I’m totally in love with them! They add 4.5-inches to my height, and they’re so damn comfortable!
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We ventured into town – Dublin city – for the first time in a very long time recently and it felt so weird! We needed to exchange a Christmas gift, which we couldn’t do earlier because retail was shut Dec 24th-May 15th, and so we braved it. We took the DART in very early on a Saturday morning and went about our business. We queued for goodies outside Bread41 for 25-minutes, we exchanged the gift at the Irish Design Shop, we bought allll of the Mexican food at Fallon & Byrne, and we hightailed it straight back home again before 11am. It was kind of scary, but mostly quiet, and nice to get in and out so early! I’m glad we went, but I won’t be rushing back in just yet.
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Related: we exchanged the gift for some lovely scented candles and I want to mention them here because they’re both Irish-made. Sweet Orange, Basil, and Frankincense by The Handmade Soap Company, and Lemon & Rosemary by Donegal Bogcotton Company. Both of them smell entirely delectable, and it feels good to support Irish!
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In case you missed it: June’s Cookbook Club post went up over the weekend! Three new books, and a whole lot of new recipes to devour! Personally, I’m looking forward to making my very own Mondrian cake – I just need to figure out how. My favourite recipe from May’s Cookbook Club was Nigella Lawson’s Cream Cheese Brownies, and they’re just as good as they sound. Have you made them yet?
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I don’t mean to alarm you, but we came across the best ever recipe for buttermilk blueberry pancakes on Izy Hossack’s blog. They are her version of the Clinton St. Baking Co.’s Famous Blueberry Pancakes and they are beyond fantastic. Boyfriend said they were the best pancakes he’s had in his whole life – and he’s been to the Clinton St. Baking Co.! I repeat: the best pancakes ever! Run, don’t walk!
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What are you watching and/or reading lately? We’re justtt about to come to the end of SATC and I’ve been dragging it out because I don’t want it to end! Looking for suggestions on what to watch, if you have any. Reading wise: I’m in the middle of The Midnight Library, but I just don’t love it. It’s good and all – but detective novels are really more my thing. Any recommendations?
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If you’re anything like me, then you’ve wondered about what the insides of people’s homes look like. I love a good goo inside other peoples houses, and I’ve found two great ones to share! Emiko Davis is renovating a thousand year old apartment in Tuscany and sharing all the details on her blog. I am obsessed! Why can’t we live in Tuscany? On the other end of things, Ashton Kutcher & Mila Kunis have just finished work on their sustainable farmhouse in Los Angeles. I have no words, except: jaw-droppingly beautiful. Which one do you prefer?
Okay, phew, I think that’s all. I hope you found something to take away with you today – perhaps a yearning to buy an apartment in Tuscany? Me too. Sigh. I’m heading out with Boyfriend for a few hours now, we’re off to see the castle in Enniskerry that’s being built for the Enchanted sequel. Have a lovely month, okay? Let’s catch up again at the start of July!
Stay safe and healthy,
Vicki xo