August was a very busy month. I enjoyed watching the Olympics and Paralympics, like the final at the wheelchair rugby, that was so exciting. I’m watching Paralympics online so I avoid in part the commentary between games. What I don’t understand is why the British commentators are rooting for anyone but the British athletes. I watched a bit from all sports available online and I think my favourite sport from the Paralympics is goalball. I felt inspired and yesterday I did one of my 40-before-40 goals to hike/walk for at least 10 miles. It took a bit over 3 hours and my husband and I had a lovely time getting to know our local area better. We’ve decided against travelling by car to a beauty spot and instead we walked in nearby woods and local footpaths.
As I mentioned before, I’m going to King’s College from next month (this is my second BA). I explained a bit more in that post. I will read history full time, so it’s quite a big change for us. It’s so exciting!
In other news, I started volunteering last month for the Royal Voluntary Service. As a NHS Volunteer Responder I helped with guiding the people wanting to get their jabs, answered questions regarding the vaccination (not offering medical advice, of course, for that there are doctors on site), and made sure people were feeling ok after they had their jab. I went to a few different places and my favourite was the mobile bus site. I’ve done a few shifts with them.
It is very rewarding and I am thinking to get a few more shifts next month, including in London, if I have the time. I wish I knew they were looking for volunteers from June, I would have joined sooner.
Lucy Worsley shared earlier this month a quote I liked so I’m including it here, from Giovanni Boccaccio who was reporting on the Black Death of 1348:
‘Some lived in isolation from everyone, refused to speak to outsiders, entertained themselves as best they could … others drank heavily, lived life to the full, and shrugged the whole thing off as an enormous joke.’
We went out a lot of times this month. One evening it was so nice on the docks that we stopped for cocktails on the terrace. How lovely is that view of Wirral?
This month we had a lot of meals out too. Everything pictured here is vegan, of course, and all but one places are vegan. The burgers in the middle were at an event organized by Meatless Farm, the rest are from either Liverpool or Manchester. Next month we will not have time to go out as often, so we took advantage this month. I love all the food and would happily eat all of these dishes again (and again and again).
1. A furry friend. 2. Date night. 3. I finished a book on Japanese flowers. 4. Searching. 5. About 5 bees had their lunch on the allium. 6. Butterfly & bees in the garden. 7. Olympics. 8. Volunteering at a vaccination centre. 9. Central library to get a book and return a few. 10. MF BBQ event. 11. The vegan kind boxes. 12. Sharing crisps with Festus. 13. I started reading Animal farm. 14. Dessert, vegan cheesecake. 15. AI Exhibition. 16. Books I’m preparing to read these days. 17. Pizza & cocktails. 18. 1930s car (picture taken a few days before). 19. Pizza at Purezza. 20. Desserts. 21. Knowsley safari park. 22. Cocktails at the Summer event at intu Trafford. 23. Festus after a quick shower in the morning. 24. I shared a new & exciting news. 25. I looked for a Roman recipe I knew I saved somewhere on the laptop. 26. Festus enjoys a doggy eclair. 27. Vegan hot chocolate at Hotel Chocolat. 28. What the pitta, Manchester. 29. My husband on the treetop course. 30. Long walk. 31. Books in August.
I finished only 7 books in August, but I imagine the number of books will pick up in the next couple of months and get closer to the 10-a-month I would usually do. I read a book by Japanese authors about plants and it was very interesting and it had a lot of wonderful illustrations too.
The history books were lovely and interesting, well worth a read. I loved Animal Farm, it is a real masterpiece. I was less impressed with the fiction book by Hobbes, not good enough and not to the standard she usually writes at, and the memoir by Robson was annoying, only gave him 3 stars because it was an unusual story.
Books I read in August:
Flora Japonica by Masumi Yamanaka – 4 stars
Daughters of Edward I by Kathryn Warner – 4 stars
The Secret Agent by Elisabeth Hobbes – 3 stars
Animal Farm by George Orwell – 5 stars
A Sensory History of Ancient Warfare by Conor Whately – 5 stars
The Crate Escape by Brian Robson – 3 stars
Himmler’s Death Squad by Ian Baxter – 5 stars
I hope your move to London is going well? Wow, look at all the food. Your volunteering role sounds interesting, I bet it’s very rewarding. That quote is very similar to what we are living through now. History does repeat itself #365
Great quote from Lucy Worsley and very relevant despite 700 years of change! The Olympics and Wimbledon passed me by this year sadly #project365
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Oh exciting doing your second BA. Hope it goes well. Well done on volunteering!
Good luck with reading history at King’s College. Sounds like you’ve been busy volunteering to help people with having their Covid jabs. I like the quote from Lucy Worsley. Sounds like human nature stays much the same down the ages. Daughters of Edward I sounds like an interesting book – one to add to my ‘want-to-read’ list. #project365
Well done on the volunteering it sounds very rewarding and good luck with starting at Kings so exciting! The food looks lovely we have eaten out a bit more recently too. Love the quote, I am definitely the latter.
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Well done with the volunteering, I love doing things like this. Good luck with the History degree. The food looks lovely, i’d have no idea it was vegan
What a wonderful post. You have been so productive this month. I’m thrilled about your upcoming Kings College adventure as well as your volunteer work. I hope you can do that in London. I’m sure they’ll need the help; it’s more whether you will have the time with your new program. Isn’t it nice to look back and realize what a rich, productive month you had?
I think I’ve only caught about 20 mins of the paralympics this time, compared to the olympics which I watched pretty much everything. Good luck with your start at Kings
I am loving the Paralympics probably more than the Olympics.
Well done on your hike. It sounds like a great time out.
Good luck with your studying and well done with the volunteering.
It looks like you’ve had a great month of eating out. All the food looks delicious and those cocktails amazing!
Fab photos x
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There is something about Festus poses that makes me think of lions (maybe seeing the photos side by side in that collage). He looks a bit like a lion there resting in the grass.
I’m also watching Paralympics (not everything but some bits and pieces of it). Shame about the rain today, my husband and I were just talking about it. With all the technology, I don’t understand why they don’t have a stadium that can be covered.
So great you volunteered!
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I was thinking about that too, on the Paralympics, the rain was really bad at athletics yesterday. During the Olympics it was too hot and many complained about this too.
I love volunteering and done different things in the past, like historical interpretation and walking dogs for a local charity. It’s rewarding to do something to help others.
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Well done for volunteering your time! And getting your hike in, sounds lovely that you can so that so close from home. Good luck starting your studies, can’t wait to hear all about it.
Corinne x
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What an eventful month for you! So many lovely meals out!
Is that quote from The Decameron? I read it many years ago, in Russian, but the quote sounds familiar. I don’t follow Lucy Worsley, did she want to draw parallels with the modern times? I find her presenttation a bit too vivacious to my taste.
I don’t watch the sport altogether, but imagine the Paralympics are inspiring.
You rock that King’s college top! What an exciting time ahead!
I’m not sure where the quote is from, she just wrote the quote on social media. I like her shows, I find her very entertaining.
Thank you. I’m very excited to go to King’s too. xx The top was from a set, only £25 for a T-shirt and a hoodie, for new students, how lovely is that. I’m going to wear them when I go to the library or on walks, so it was worth getting it.
Although I saw quite a bit of coverage for the Olympics, I saw very little about the Paralympics. That’s a shame.
Hmmm… that quote from 1348 sure sounds relevant!
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I would have loved to study the Black Death at uni this year, but there isn’t a module available for my year. I might read a bit about it in my spare time. It’s amazing how some things are just the same regardless of how much society changed.
In previous years I didn’t watch much sport, but I am loving it now. Olympics was great, but I think Paralympics is even better, so inspirational, so uplifting. Just a few more days left, so still time to check some sports if you fancy.