Dear August...

On tomato soup, lots of books and little illustrations

Month number 8 is drawing to a close. In September a new chapter is going to start for me (more on that in a future post).

August is usually the month of endless sunshine, heat and no rain. In this part of the world there hasn’t been anything but rain. Now that is slightly exagerated as we have had a few warm days, usually paired with high humidity making being outside not very enjoyable. I do not want to complain about the rain, especiallly in times where there are so many wildfires blazing in so many places, the damage they leave in their wake is unimaginable to me. I am very lucky to only have a wet summer to complain about and i try not to take it for granted.

I went on holiday for 10 days, to the north sea with my best friend and we had a wonderful time. I collected lots of sea shells, most of them with little holes already in them with the idea to make a mobile, hasn’t happened yet (who else has so many ideas but rarely actually starts, let alone finishes?).

This month i want to share some podcast recommendations, talk about some of the books i read, share some recipe ideas with you and of couse share my favourite substack posts.

So let’s dive in!

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Food

We have small vegetable patch, one my fahter usually tends to. Each year he plants two or three courgette plants and each year we are overun by huge amounts of courgettes, this year was no different so almost every meal has included some form of courgette.

My favourite this year have been courgette bread (which is like banana bread but with courgettes). I have made it a few time and it tasted deicious, with spieces like cinnamon and cardomom and adding carot gives it more goodness and great taste. This year i was a bit to generous with the courgette and even after hours on the oven it was still soft in the middle. Lesson learned. Another thing i loved with courgette was vegan courgette fritters. I grated courgette, carroute and potatoe and mixed them with some flower and some of the courgette juice and then fried them, like little pancakes. I didn’t follow a recipe but there are plenty out there.

I have notice that i have become my past self’s nightmare when it comes to cooking and baking. I rarely follow recipes anymore, i just go with what feels right. And while i love that now, my past self would definitely be cringing:).

At the beginning of August i had two of my wisdome teeth removed. So for a few days all i ate was liquid foods. So think lots of smoothies and soups. I had a sweet potato, ginger and pumpkin soup, oriental lentil soup and a roasted tomato soup. Gosh, they were all delicious. My favourite was probably the tomato soup. I don’t have the exact recipe but again, there are lots out there and i highly reccomend it as it is super easy and super delicious.

Books

I read 6 books this month, or i should say finished 6 books this month.

One of them being Rebecca, that i already wrote about last month. The pace quickly picked up in the last third and i was hooked, it didn’t see “it” coming (iykyk) and while some reasoning and logic was missing in my opinion i really did enjoy the book on the whole.

I read two books by Adrienne Young, her writing is so beautiful and captures and transports you to another world, you are on th ship along side the charecters, living in viking like houses and fighting battles. I read Namesake, book two in the Fable duology. I very quickly inhaled the pages, happy to be reunited with my favourite characters from the Narrows. The ending felt a bit too easy and well rounded for all of these rough edged characters, but that didn’t make me enjoy the book any less. After i finished i wasn’t ready to leave so i re read Sky in the Deep which is also by Adrienne Young, a different story in a different setting though. There are scenes that are incredible brutal, those set aside it is a story of slow burn love and family bonds, all based on viking like characters.

The next book i finally read was The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore that has been sitting on my shelf for years. It reminded me a little of The Night Circus, the travelling show vibes and the way the characters were portrayed. It took me some time to get into the story but once the pace picked up i did not want to put it down.

I also read The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This was also very interesting, getting a look at the world through the eyes of a boy with Asperger Syndrome. It did make me wonder though how accurate someone can actually describe what it is like without being personally affected.

I only just finshed Untamed by Glennon Doyle in time to include it here. I also enjoyed most of it, there are some reallyvaluable lessons in it, inspiring passages and thought provoking chapters. It did become slightly repetitive though. I only read a few chapters at a time, trying to take in all the little snippets of wisdom instead of one big bulk that wouldn’t possible fit into my head and this way served me well.

Music and Podcast

I have had a few songs on repeat this month one of them being What was I Made For by Billie Eilish, yes the one from the Barbie movie. Also from the Barbie movie is Closer to Fine by Brandi and Catherine Carlile. The line “The less i seek my source for some definitive, the closer i am to fine” has such a deep meaning and resonates a lot with me.

As for podcasts, August has been a good podcast month for me.

I have become very interested in our menstrual cylce and the whole cycle synching concept, this podcast by The Flow State was really interesting. Later i discovered another podcast 28ish Days Later, a podcast following the days of our cycle, the history of mentruaing, myths and it makes me feel less alone.

The other podcast i listend to and have already mentioned on here is Witch a bbc4 podcast all about witches. It’s super interesting and i also recommend it.

Creative

My goal this month was to finish my sketchbook. I didn’t make it. But that’s ok. I’ve already bought new one and will be taking it to Scotland with me to fill up with lots of new memories.

While i haven’t done much paiting and drawing in my sketchbook i have been drawing lots of cute little cards, inspired by autumn, cosy things, little mice, winter and nature.

I have also made a lot of progress on my Levitate Wrap Cardigan. The body is almost finished and the first sleeve is almost done. I had to re order some wool because i didn’t have enough but even though it’s a different dye lot (a knitters worst nightmare!), the colour looks very similar! I have been working on this cardi for a long time now, on and off for a few months, but now that autumn is on the horizon i hope it will be finshed in time for the cooler days that are coming.

Inspiration

I have been very inspired by both Gemma Koomen and Taryn Knight’s art. Their style is so whimsical and magical. I love their use of texture and colour though both are somewhat different.

I aspire to create art like this.

Some Substack Letters i loved

• Lunar Living by

  Seasonal Living with Victoria Harrison

  This was my first introduction to Lunar Living and i love the sound of it. I can feel myself waiting for the “right time” to set up rituals around the moon phases but what even is the right time? I should just start right?

• Misery Loves Company But it Needs Boundaries by

  A. Wilder Westgate
  
  Most of the posts she writes resonate with me, this one did so on a deeper level. I too struggle with expressing my anger and other “negative” feelings and it was so comforting to read these words and be reminded that i am not alone.

• I'm Just Not Great at Being Social by

  Whitney Barkman
  
  While reading i sometimes had the feeling that Whitney had looked into my mind and wrote down my thoughts and feelings. It was almost scary but again, so comforting to read that i am not alone in my struggles.

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The days are already feeling cooler, soft mist covers the fields in the morning, the autumnal tune is starting. I’m sure there will be more late summer days coming for us in September though.

Whatever the weather brings i hope you can peacefully and gently enjoy September.

Pippa xxx