The BAFTAs are hosted tonight and that brings back some sweet memories when I got to attend – well…guide and walk a talent down the red carpet.
So how on earth did I get there? Well, after I saw a film I really loved, I emailed the distributor about how much I liked it and to see if they were taking on interns. Two weeks later I was replying to press emails.
I didn’t know how much I needed this long weekend! I made use of the loosening of the restrictions and took public transport to wander through a different area and meet friends in the park.
My bank holiday weekend started with an early early walk around a new-to-me common. It took two trains to reach, but this is what you get in return.
And how dramatic is this scenery?
These 11 little routes go all the way from the weird dinosaur statues in Crystal Palace Park to the Clockwork Orange film location of Thamesmead and then on to the River Thames. Great for when you need a break from the city, or just life in general.
The routes can be a bit hit and miss, as there’s often a quite a bit of walking along roads, but there’s definitely gems to find here and it’s especially magical if you don’t know the areas, and feel like your exploring a hidden route with the only clues being cute little signposts every so often to guide you on your way.
My particular highlights were the Lesnes Abbey Ruins and Woods, Oxleas Woods with Severndroog Castle, plus the route by Eltham Palace, which is a must-see in its own right.
At the start of the year I put together 21 little-to-big goals to get me through the year. It’s a slow start, but so far I’ve completed 1 of them, but I’m well under my way for another 7.
Follow Four Other (Mini) Workshops
First was the visual mending, the second was a macaroon workshop and the third one was how to make your own kokedama. Though they’ve all been helpful in their own way, I most enjoyed making my kokedama – literally ‘moss ball’, but this is a Japanese technique where you put the roots of a small plant in a ball of soil and moss. There is just something about playing with soil, water, moss that feels so relaxing and meditative.
Watch a Movie Set In Every Country I Have Been In
Japan, Georgia, Bosnia, Finland and France are crossed off. UK and US obviously as well. So far my favourites have been Tampoko (Japan), Que Vadis Aida? (Bosnia) and First Cow (US). Only 31 to go!
Bake / Cook 10 Items From My List
I’m 4/10 in with classics such as onion soup, lasagna and bagels. And, yes I have made Alison Roman’s cauliflower pasta and I can’t get enough of it. I’ll be so sad when cauliflower season is over, but that will give me a chance to move on to the next things on my list.
Start Getting My Essentials Plastic Free
The wonky veggie and fruit box that I subscribed to has been a lifesaver the last few months, and I’ve been able to get most of my weekly veggies plastic free. To give you an idea: when ordering online 9/12 of my go-to vegetables, fruit and herbs would be wrapped in plastic. Now it’s only spinach or rocket. Next I’m hoping to do a zero waste bulk pantry essentials order.
Read At Least One Book In Every Language I Know
I stuck with English and French this quarter. My French picks were The Little Prince and a Tintin and Milou adventure. I know I’ll read less during the warmer months and I hope to pick up this project later in the year.
Optimise My Old London Posts
You might have seen a post or two go online, but I found it weird to write about all the amazing London things at first. But now there is an endpoint for this – I’ve updated quite a lot of them.
Do The 30 Day Minimalist Game
Completed! The charity shops aren’t open, so I changed the rules a bit. In this round I mainly focused on decluttering things that I could directly recycle and it managed to find those 496 things. Here is what I gained from the challenge.
Digital Detox One Weekend A Month
I’ve done three so far! It’s obviously easy to do it now and I haven’t gone 100% offline with these and have allowed myself to jump on the laptop. With a laptop you still have the realisation where you open it up and log in and doom scrolling just isn’t as fun. My main takeaway so far is that I’m back to normal the Monday after. So I need to come back up with a plan for that.
The coming months I’m hoping to continue watching movies, maybe cross off something from my travel goals and look into getting a refurbished phone.
How are your goals for 2021 going?
In the last two years I’ve done around 20 long walks around London and have encountered many sceneries, sights and settings I wouldn’t have expected for a city. Today, I’m sharing some of the greatest treasures I came across on my trips and where you can find them.
Animals
From the cutest ducklings to mud bathing deers and curious cats… depending on the month and season you’ll for sure run into some of them.
Flowers
You know what’s better than a storefront with plastic flowers that you see all over your social media feeds? Real flowers! And you will see a lot of different colours and sizes on your way.
Architecture
It’s not all nature and green. On many of the walks you’ll encounter unique architecture on your way. We’re talking various mills to Rapunzel style towers and snapshots from every modern era.
Parks
Most of the walks go through parks, commons and other green spaces that all have their own ways and charms to help you bring out your green side.
What’s the best thing you’ve encountered on a walk?
