Lockdown 6.0: August 2021 Wrap-Up

Hello from lockdown 6.0. I know – you honestly can’t make this stuff up. We’re going on 200 days [and counting] in hard lockdown. And this time the curfew’s back. Fun times.

Also, now I’m making memes because how else do you cope? Please send help.

Not two weeks out of lockdown 5.0 and we’re back, living under Australia’s toughest restrictions. Cases are surging as the delta variant continues to grow. At this stage, we’ll be spending Christmas home alone. Just you know, minus all the booby traps and Kevin McCallister.

BUT, refusing to let this lockdown get the better of me, I threw myself into some fun activities to keep up morale and keep myself sane. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

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Being the Main Character: April 2021 Wrap-Up

Guess who’s back and super inspired to start writing again? This girl.

*Me walking back to my desk after being totally MIA all month*

Wow – what a month. Looking back post-vacation, I can’t believe just how much I managed to cram into thirty days.

The first thing I need to address is the fact that even before I left for the Whitsundays, I was super inactive. No, I wasn’t suffering through another reading slump. Actually, I was caught up in the drama of my own life. Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well. But, it was a wild ride and for one glorious month, I felt like the Main Character. [More on that later].

Here’s what I’ve been up too…

Hanging With The Girls: March 2021 Wrap-Up

March. What a month. There were plenty of highs but the lows were seriously killer. Especially because the month started off on a bit of a sour note. And while I can’t really talk about said sour note [let’s just say it was a confronting work related incident of criminal nature], it inspired yet another setback in terms of my mental health.

BUT, that’s not what I’m choosing to focus on. So, ignoring work stress and without further ado, let’s spread some positive energy and get into the highlights:

Here We Go Again: February 2021 Wrap-Up

February was such a roller coaster. I mean, it was pretty full on but once again, the southern state of Victoria found itself in the midst of yet another lock down. Apparently nobody does lock downs like the Victorians.

It all started when the very contagious UK strain of coronavirus sparked an outbreak in the hotel quarantine program. As the cluster grew and the panic buying started to set in, we all knew it was only a matter of time before we were all forced into lock down 3.0.

But lock downs and panic buying aside, February actually turned out to be a very social month which is new for me. I like to call myself an introverted extrovert. I love going out but I also just love chilling at home. But my social calendar proved to be a welcomed change after my recent struggles with mental health and I ended up doing a lot.

Here’s what I got up to this month…

Summer 2021 Reading List

Behold: the post I’ve been shamelessly teasing for the better half of two months – my 2021 summer reading list. I mean, better late than never right?

Anyway, ignoring the fact that the Australian summer is almost at an end, today I’ll be sharing with you the books I’ve carefully curated for my summer reading. A collection of classics, fantasy, contemporary and poetry, these are the books I’m escaping with this summer – especially because travelling seems to be off the table for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully my list might even inspire your own summer plans?

An Unplanned Hiatus: January 2021 Wrap-Up

Another month, another completely unplanned hiatus. Whoops.

Okay, so here’s the thing: I actually had every intention of being super active this month. True story. I had a whole lot of reviews lined up, a post about my summer reading plans and some fresh new content. And then, life got in the way. You know, as it does.

Anyway, after a suffering through a post lockdown burn-out and an exhausting Christmas period in retail, January came at me fast and, if I’m being honest, I really struggled with staying motivated.

Here’s what I got up to this month…  

Setting Goals: 2021 Bookish Resolutions

Happy New Year to my extended bookish family!

I can’t even tell you how good it feels to be finally putting 2020 behind me. Fuck you 2020! Talk about a complete and utter dumpster fire of a year. And while I’m not so naive to believe that everything is suddenly going to get better, I can’t help but feel a surge of hopeful energy.

And so, because it’s that time of year and your girl loves setting new goals, let’s get into my 2021 bookish resolutions.

Oh, and some good news: ~technically~ the new decade started yesterday so we can officially put 2020 to rest and wipe the slate clean moving forward. Phew!

Getting Back on the Beers: October 2020 Wrap-Up

It began just like any other month. Melbourne was still in the midst of Australia’s strictest COVID19 restrictions and we were feeling that lock down fatigue. Then, after one hundred and eleven days living in stage four lockdown, the shackles were finally lifted as our Premier Dan Andrews announced that we could, in fact, get back on the beers. I cried.

October has been the single most exhausting month of 2020. It’s also been emotional – what with Halloween, coming out of lock down and then getting back to work. I struggled mentally as well as physically, which is why this wrap-up is super late and why I’ve been MIA for the most part of November.

So, because I’ve been procrastinating over this for the past three weeks, this wrap-up’s going to look a little bit different. Here’s what I got up to:

Hitting Reset: September 2020 Wrap-Up

Growth can be found even in stillness. Never has that saying rung so true because let me tell you, I’ve learnt a LOT over the course of the month.

But before I launch into my month of self-discovery, I need to address the elephant in the room, mainly my spontaneous and completely unplanned hiatus. I definitely took a step back from Reading by Starlight during September and I want to thank you all for being so patient while I recharged my batteries. I’ve missed you all so much and I can’t wait to start replying to your comments and catch up on all your posts.

And now, with that out of the way, let’s get into my September Wrap-Up!

Quarantine Flurries: August 2020 Wrap-Up

Honestly, I don’t even know how to begin this wrap-up. August has been an emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. Perpetual quarantine and a stage four lock down will do that to you. But it’s been tough – especially because I lost touch with my creative voice.

I am a writer. I’ve been writing since I could hold a pen – it’s always come as second nature to me. But what happens when you lose that part of yourself? How do you make like Ariel and find your voice again?

That was the question that plagued me [too soon?] this month. But, general lack of motivation and creativity aside, my August actually got off to a pretty spectacular start…