Monthly Musings: September 2021
Hello friends, happy Friday! Welcome to our Monthly Musings: September 2021 post! How the heck are you? I’m feeling pretty dang great – yesterday was my birthday! 28 years around the sun and wow, that last one especially just flew right by! As usual, I’m taking every chance I can to stretch out my birthday and have been enjoying myself all week long. Thus far there has been a date night out with my gal pals (the first since Christmas!) and a whole lot of relaxing. A birthday breakfast burrito feast was had yesterday morning, before we escaped on an overnight stay in town last night – where I had, not one, but two baths. I gotta say, I’m loving the big 2-8 so far!
Our Monthly Musings: September 2021 post is below. Can I tell you a little secret? I didn’t spend a whole lot of time preparing for this post. Just now I checked my ‘reading list’ to see if I saved anything to share over the course of the month, and it’s empty! I’ve been spending a lot of time offline, reading, and generally being more present etc., I haven’t had the time to compile a long list of seemingly random topics. The list I have compiled is short but sweet, and I truly do hope you take something away with you. Enjoy!
monthly musings: september 2021
Covid-19 update: well.. things are getting better? We need our digital covid cert to sit indoors at a pub or restaurant. Communions and confirmations have been given the go ahead from September and, as of Wednesday, public transport can run at 100% capacity again. It was also announced recently that most of the current restrictions will be coming to an end on October 22nd. I’m sure that date could change depending on cases etc., but we all remain hopeful and vigilant.
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This past weekend was by far my busiest weekend of my whole entire year – and that’s not even an exaggeration. On Friday, Boyfriend & I attended the wedding of one of his oldest friends at the beautiful Trudder Lodge. The very next day I was off for an overnight stay at the penthouse in The Dean with my family – a Christmas present that was super postponed due to Covid. I must admit: very little sleep was had and I was exhausted from the sheer volume of socializing. Getting back to normal feels both thrilling and terrifying. If you’d like to see my video recap of the weekend, here it is.
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Can I talk about my birthday plans for a little bit longer? I’ll be brief, but I’m just too excited not to share more! Last night we stayed in Brooks Hotel – which we’ve stayed at before and loved – and dined at The Port House, where we’ve eaten a whole bunch of times. I always opt for a reliably delicious option on my birthday, and I love a good tapa! Today, after our late check-out & wander around town, we’re back home briefly before heading out for dinner again, this time at DeVille’s in Dalkey. Then, dinner at my parent’s house on Saturday night, and a romantic cheese + wine night at home on Sunday. I can hardly wait! I love birthday week!
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It’s time to fully accept it: we’re heading to Italy next week! Next! Week! We’re flying into Naples before making our way up to Ravello, a small hilltop town perched high along the Amalfi coast. We’ll be there for a few days – basically just enough time to attend Boyfriend’s cousin’s wedding – before moving to Amalfi for a few days longer, and finally back to Naples for the night before flying home. I genuinely can’t believe it’s actually happening!
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Cookbook Club update: we’re extending the choice from last month to the end of this month! This is mostly because I simply haven’t had time to give the book the attention I know it deserves, but also because I know there are so many of you baking along with me on Instagram. All the links, details, and everything you could need to know is in this post here. Happy baking!
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Have you been watching anything good lately? TV-wise, we’re still dipping into Modern Family, although I must confess that we don’t find the later seasons all that funny. Seasons 1-4 were solid comedy gold, but now we feel it’s getting too serious. We’re also mid-way through Nine Perfect Strangers and in my down time I like to watch Gilmore Girls to unwind. Again, yes. Movie-wise, we just watched Cruella and I loved it! Yes it was overlong and perhaps boring in some parts, but it was fun and exactly perfect for a Monday night viewing.
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What book are you reading? I recently finished The Kingdom and, as a longtime fan of Jo Nesbo, I totally loved it! Since finishing that, I’ve started The Silence of the Lambs and am very much hooked. I’m still waiting to hear if I’ll be approved for an ARC of the next Harry Bosch book, but I was just approved for the next Nicholas Sparks book. I’ll take that as a win!
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Seeing as there’s no recent recipes for me to hype up, I thought it’d be fun to do a look back at some of my favourite September recipes from years past! September 2013 was the year I made homemade chocolate lollipops and gifted them out for birthdays. Although the photos/post need some updating, I still think they’re a good gift. September 2014 appears to be the month I bough too many limes and had literally no idea what to do with them. There were a few creations, but this Blueberry & Lime Ice-Cream was my favourite. The star of Sept’ 2016 was definitely these Plum & Blackberry Pie Bars, while 2017 more of a doughy affair with these Mini Challah Loaves. Blueberry Breakfast Buns were the only recipe shared in September 2018, but that doesn’t make them any less special. Two great recipes in Sept’ 2020, but I think I have to choose my Cherry & Pistachio Frangipane Tart – I just love that recipe! Hopefully September 2021 will live up to the high standard of those that have come before her.
And there we have it! I hope you found something to take away with you, be it a recipe, a book recommendation, or an urge to dine out again. Thank you for being here on my birthday – it means the world to me!
My love to you!
Hugs,
Vicki xo