a dreamy skirt & summer catchup

Currently I’m… a complete and utter scatterbrain is the honest answer.  This gal is all over the place.   In keeping with said scatterbrain state of mind, I thought I’d go old school and revisit a blog series I started back in 2015 – literally just sharing what’s in my life right now in short snippets.   I’ll always find things to ramble about and still love bashing out blog posts as much as 15 year old me did when I started, but well, sometimes a gal can’t just pluck ideas out of thin air that are worth dedicating 1000 words or so to.  So here are 25 little things I’ve been up to lately instead.

Wearing… Joanie clothing on repeat.  Broken record, I do apologise, I just love ‘em.  Definitely mistook this wisteria print for grapes when I first saw it on shoot day, but it’s cute either way.  Thinking it could look quite cute with a grey sweatshirt and white trainers styled all casual maybe?

Reading… The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  My pile of ‘to read’ non fiction books keeps getting higher, but after getting so engrossed in the last Kate Morton novel I read I just fancied another good old story.  Shall get back to my Richard Dawkins reads shortly.

skirt: c/o Joanie clothing | bodysuit: Topshop | boots: Zara (old)

Watching… Ocean’s 8.  A very last minute ‘What’s on now?  That’ll do’ style decision at the cinema but I actually quite liked it for a giggle with a few jumpy bits.  Still haven’t seen Mamma Mia 2 but that shall be rectified shortly!

Smelling… a mixture of aftersun lotion and River Island ‘Ibiza’ perfume.  Wish this meant I was in Ibiza but sadly not.

Trying… to get back into the swing of being productive.  No schedule does a scatterbrain make.  A new diary has been purchased and lists have been made, so here’s to hoping that super productive organised Lily returns sometime in the near future.

Eating… olives.  Hated them for the first 19 years of my life, couldn’t understand how anybody could possibly like the horrible little things, decided I needed to learn to like them because they’re in all my favourite dishes… it worked and I am now an olive fan.  Love them!  Gimme all the olive bowls!  There are now approximately 3 foods remaining that I don’t like, but I don’t think any amount of convincing myself could make wasabi or horseradish appealing so I’ll leave it there.

Drinking… Aperol spritz.  The drink that apparently tastes like weird Irn Bru according to my brother, but I have to disagree.

Calling… for the sake of calling.  Quite like connecting my phone to my car and calling for a chat as I’m driving along.  Makes boring journeys go quicker!

Pinning… home décor.  All the home décor inspo.  Ready for a change.

Buying… activewear. Someone needs to restrain me, seriously.  If I work out often and do actually use all these jazzy leggings and tops then it’s totally justified, right?

Crafting… not an awful lot, because despite saying that Joli House would be returning to its crafty beginnings, I haven’t actually started any projects.  Something to do with having lots of ideas and no real clue where to start.  Time to stop dithering and actually get on with it I think.

Doing… a bit clearout.  Pruning the endless ‘stuff’ I’ve accumulated is an ongoing process, but I’m nearly there.  Several trips to the charity shop and recycling later, that is.

Going… on Sunday daytrips.  They have become A Thing and I am enjoying it.  Blog post on North West daytrip destinations shall be on the way soon.

Loving… finding perfectly ‘me’ items when I’m not even looking for them.  Case in point, these boots – did I know I needed white faux leather western style boots in my life?  No, but I’ll sure as hell take them when I find them.

Hating… coldsores.  I didn’t appreciate the coldsore free life whilst I had it.  Thank god for Zovirax and Compeed patches because these things are just horrible.  Very much ready for it to be gone from my face.

Enjoying… having more time on my hands to spend with people.  Yay for being free of impending uni deadlines!  I’m somewhat of a lady of leisure at the moment and I’m just enjoying not feeling guilty about weekends away from my laptop or textbooks.  Won’t have student summer holidays forever so I’ll appreciate them whilst I can.

Thinking… about what I’m actually going to do with my next few years.  I know I’ll be juggling the student/working life for a while yet but as for the specifics… I’m working on it.

Feeling… sore and burnt because clever me didn’t wear suncream for a day out on the hills this weekend.  Oh the pain of putting a bra on right now.  The cool breeze meant I didn’t feel like I was burning at all, but my red shoulders now say otherwise.

Hoping… to book a few days away in the sun for September.  Somewhere warm, not too long a flight, with a beach and/or pool, not madly expensive… does such a thing exist?  Thinking possibly Barcelona again (I’ve been in September before but loved it so I’d happily go again) but if something else fits the bill then I’m all game.  Any suggestions?

Listening… to super chilled acoustic versions of chart songs.  Makes for a good nighttime listen.

Wondering… how much of my life I should actually share online.  Anything I write on my blog or social media is always 100% honest, but that doesn’t mean I share every part of my life.  Nothing wrong with keeping some things private, you know?  However I also know that some of my favourite people to follow are the ones who divulge all the juicy stuff and pop onto Insta stories for a half hour rant about life, so maybe I should just chat away more to camera.

Celebrating… my second year of uni results.  Passed all my modules so that’s always a good start!  Uni results feel like a bit ‘meh’ compared to the celebrations that ensue after GCSEs and A-levels when everybody gets their results together, but I guess receiving decent scores via email is worth celebrating nonetheless.

Finishing… all the handmade projects I’ve had on the go for years before I start anything else.  Could just keep starting new projects forever tbh so it’s about time I tied up the loose ends (literally and figuratively) first.

Starting… to maybe, kinda, think about Autumn.  Only a teensy bit because I am no way done with summer yet, but I might have pinned a few Autumn inspo pics to my Pinterest boards.  Would like more sunshine and opportunities to wear flowery skirts though first please.

Lily Kate x

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