Goodbye, Summer!

I've said my goodbyes to August, and now it's time to bid farewell to the already distant summer, dear to me because it's the first one I've spent blogging more or less consistently. I like to think of this little blog as my online scrapbook, and thought it'd be nice to do a wrap up of the posts I've most enjoyed writing this season!

My first weekend of freedom from the shackles of academia. At the end of May, Alex and I went to a little pop-up food market and spent a day picnicking at Cambridge Botanic Gardens, just as summer made itself comfortable in England. I'm already nostalgic looking back at this post, craving the overwhelmingly happy sense of liberation I felt knowing I'd never have to do another exam.

In June I enjoyed my last ever crazy May Week at university, attending my college garden party, Jesus May Ball with Alex, and St. John's May Ball with my friend Imarin. 

At the end of June, I graduated from Cambridge with a 2.i. I had a wonderful time celebrating with my friends and family before and after the ceremony, commemorating the event 33 floors up at Hutong in the Shard. 

I did a lot of eating out this summer! Perhaps a little too much...*inspects waistline* My favourite eating experiences were the celebrity favourite Chiltern Firehouse, Mittel-European decadence at The Delaunay, incredible fish and chips at Hawksmoor Air Street, street food at Battersea Power Station Riverside Feast, and juicy patties with fragrant rosemary chips at Honest Burgers. 

I spent absolutely tons of time at London markets, whiling away many of my Saturdays perusing stalls laden with fresh produce and antiques. Here's a post I did on Borough and Portobello Road, two of my favourites.

Alex and I had lots of classy dates this summer. Or so we'd like to think. Highlights included going to see the new Studio Ghibli The Wind Rises (which I reviewed here), staying up til dawn at Jesus May Ball together, pottering around Marylebone's eateries and shops, an all-day date round London in the style of the early days of our relationship for Alex's birthday, signing up for a wonderful beekeeping course together in south London, and checking out Neanderthals and dinosaurs at The Natural History Museum. 

Finally, I was only too eager to escape from Britain this summer, first embarking on les vacances in Paris with Alex and then holidaying in Bodrum, Turkey with my family. Here's parts un, deux and trois of Paris, and parts one, two and three of Bodrum.

I hope that I can keep sharing my memories with you on this humble blog! Hopefully I'll be able to improve this little space of mine over the upcoming months, while coming up with good content. It makes me so happy to see that people are actually reading and commenting on these posts, as the blog was only ever supposed to be a way of gathering my thoughts and pictures for the future. It really means a lot, so thank you so much! 

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There's Light at the End of the Tunnel.

I'm writing this in advance of exam week, so by the time you read this I will be in the process of wading through a mire of timed essays and visuals, finishing up on Friday. This post is a little reminder to myself to keep my chin up and think about what lies on the other side of Finals. Here's a list of the summery things that are keeping me going this week.

The big chill (out).

I'm really looking forward to feeling like I'm not wasting time when I enjoy a lie in, watch TV or films, spend time with family/friends/A, or sit down with a book. I always love the feeling, post-exams, of not having any work to do at all. This time will be extra special. No exams ever again! Heaven. 

Reading!

This is a big one for me. There's a couple of Amazon brown boxes sitting beguilingly in the corner of my room, waiting to be ripped open this weekend, which I have renamed 'Bookmas'. (Yep.) These tempting packages contain such literary gems as Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Hugh Howey's Dust and Sarah Lotz's The Three. I'm dying to read them. I was also lucky enough to win a Kindle through a competition hosted by the lovely Lucy at Fashion Me Now a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to get it set up and get downloading. 

Re-acquainting myself with the kitchen.

It might sound a bit silly, but I really can't wait to start experimenting with recipes again. My cooking of late has been of 'the faster the better' school of thought, and I've lined up some fun recipes from other blogs to try. In particular I want to try and find some that my family will enjoy, as I don't cook dinner for them very often!

May Week. 

I've probably gone on about this before, but this is the biggest event in the Cambridge student's social calendar. The first thing to note is that paradoxically it's actually in June. Traditional names die hard, and May Week is completely built on tradition. The week entails a proliferation of extravagant black-tie balls, lots of dress envy, an endless supply of Pimms and strawberries at garden parties, and seeing the sun come up over college spires (the photo at the top was sunrise at Clare College May Ball in 2012). Yes, the Daily Mail absolutely lap it up when they manage to snap pictures of inebriated 'privileged' students stumbling home in the early hours of the morning, but it really is a lovely way to celebrate finishing a hard year's of work. As the old adage goes: Keep Calm And Think Of May Week. 

Getting my theatre fix. 

June is going to be theatre-centric for me. I'm going to see In The Heights at Southwark Playhouse next week. It's had incredible reviews from The Stage, Time Out and more, and looks set for a West End transfer. A knows a couple of the guys in the production team, so we're pretty sure it's going to be our cup of tea! Then I'm hoping to go and see the Footlights here in Cam before graduation. And on that note...

A's Birthday. 

A's been fantastically supportive all through the pre-exam period, cooking me lots of tasty meals and most importantly helping me to stay sane. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for his birthday in June. 

Leaving the Bubble for pastures new. 

I've called Cambridge home for four long years, and at the end of next month I'll finally be graduating. I will probably cry, though whether my tears will be ones of sorrow or relief is currently undetermined. Then I'll be moving back to London to start The Great Job Internship Hunt. I feel like I'm ready for this next stage of my life, however hard it may be. 

We're all going on a summer holiday.

Well, A and I are, anyway! It'll be our second holiday after going to Oslo in January. This time we'll be going to Paris, just before Bastille Day! It's one of my favourite cities, and I can't wait to introduce A to it. I'll obviously take him to some of the touristy spots, like the Tuileries, Eiffel Tower, Louvre and possibly Versailles. If you can think of any lesser-known or hidden gems in Paris, such as a brilliant little café, museum or green space you've happened across there, please comment below - I'd love to hear your tips!

See you all on the other side!

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