the happy list :: september 2014

all photos from my instagram!

Read: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes. As I've mentioned, I'm hideously behind on my book reviews so I might have to just do a mammoth one sometime in October. This book is one I'm very nearly done with - it's taken me ages to read, not because it's not brilliant (it is), but because it's more of a collection of short stories (that tie in together by a theme), I don't feel the urge to keep reading it with no breaks. I've been reading 2-3 books at the same time so it's probably best that I finish this one off!

Watched: The new season of Scandal! Who else is a fan? I used to be hugely into Grey's Anatomy (but fell off the bandwagon in the later seasons) and so of course, I love Scandal. I've also been enjoying the Great British Bake Off although I'm currently 3 weeks behind, and shamelessly, the X Factor. I can't help but get sucked in a little bit every year...

Ate: The surprisingly delicious steak at The Alchemist. I've decided that I need to eat steak more often.

Clicked: On Michelle's incredibly exciting news that she's moving to Hong Kong for a sparkly new job! I think big leaps of faith like these are so inspiring and exhilarating, and I give her all the props for jumping on the opportunity. The two times I've been to HK, it struck me as a completely crazy place but in such a unique, alive way, so I wish her all the luck in the world and can't wait to read all about her adventures (and all her Sasa chronicles!). 

Purchased: I have done a little too much shopping in the past month, but none of it has left me with buyer's remorse so I guess it's ok?! In any case, I finally caved after months (more like over a year) of coveting one of Olivia Burton's Big Dial watches, and bought the Navy & Rose Gold one. Totally in love. I'm also besotted with my new Anthropologie pitcher/vase that seems to be sold out now online, but it's pictured in the central top photo above, filled with colourful lilies. This one is the same shape in a different colour.

Listened: On the hunt for some fresh new music, I took to twitter for help and I got a bunch of great recommendations. One in particular that I have fallen in love with, that was a recommendation from Jamina (Gingle Lists Everything) - Rhodes. I subsequently bought both his EPs and have been listening to them non-stop, my favourite song being Morning. It's that perfect chill-out music that you can listen to with a cup of tea in autumn time and feel nostalgic.

Wore: These treggings from H&M. They are actually called treggings. Anyway, I got a pair in a dark purple on a whim and found them so comfortable & flattering while being a mere £12.99 that I went back and got another pair in khaki green. They aren't made of the best quality material, not surprisingly, but I've already got so much wear out of them that if they last a season or two, I'll be happy.

Visited: Aix-en-Provence, which I posted about. Beautiful little town in the South of France.

Ran: Are you ready? I ran... 6K!! The least I've ran since February. It was a combination of wanting to give my knees a bit of rest after suffering some discomfort leading up to my 10K race last month, and having intense working hours in the second half of the month (I mentioned that I don't have a 9-5 job, but being a freelance on the side of being regularly self-employed means 8am-10pm days also come into play!). I kind of want to focus on other workout programs as well so we'll see how exercise goes in the month of October.

Cooked: These healthy chia seed pancakes. 

Celebrated: The wedding we were at in Aix. Being the third wedding I've attended as an adult (aside from my own, which was my first!). I feel like I'm getting the gist of this whole wedding thing - and it's been fun to experience three completely different ones. This one was for a half French half American bride and an Argentinian groom, so the priest spoke in English, French and Spanish. Pretty impressive!

Hosted: The lovely Elizabeth from A Dash of Wanderlust. Her beautiful blog is full of travel, art, culture, food and gorgeous photos. My favourite post from the month is probably this one - do yourself a favour and look at the stunning street art from Connecticut!

If you are interested in advertising on Wander to Wonder, have a look at the options here. 

WTW also has a new Facebook page as of this past month - if you'd like my new posts to pop up on your newsfeed, you can give it a thumbs up.

Thanks so much for reading!
You can read the Happy List series here. 

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