5 Highlights of the Month: Jul-Aug 2017

The summer months have sped by, and I’m finally starting to settle into my new surroundings. In honour of my favourite season, here’s a casual list of five quick highlights from this month other than the wedding & Istanbul.

1. New chapter, new captures
   Some of you may have noticed from my Instagram, but I have a new camera – it was gifted to me by my better half just before Turkey (great timing!). For a while, I’d been taking pictures of my art on my phone and, as advanced as phone technology has become, it just doesn’t compare to a purpose-built camera. I’ve sorely missed using a good DSLR, and the Nikon D3300 gets my vote as an excellent yet easy-to-use option.
2. The road home
   There’s something to be said about returning home for a few days after your wedding; nothing like a mother’s love and banter at the dinner table to bring back much-needed clarity after the blurry haze of life.
3. New wardrobes
   I had never realised just how many things I own, clothes and otherwise, until they took over every inch of carpet in our room.. And if you’re like me, that exacerbates any pre-existing stress, which may or may not have resulted in a mild meltdown. Mild, I swear. I don’t mind chaos but I need it to at least be organised. Now, we did have an awful time with IKEA’s assembling service,  who had given us an appointment for 8am on a Saturday, cancelled and rescheduled multiple times each day until Monday evening, and thus ruined any plans we had.. BUT we now have wardrobes, and what an absolute delight it is.
4. Halal Food Festival
   On Saturday, we headed up to London to check out the Halal Food Festival at Tobacco Dock, E1W. All in all, it was a good day out with the crew, I loved the setting (very ‘old London’, great architectural structure) and a cool opportunity to try a range of cuisines. I must say though, it was quite pricey considering you pay for entry and everything had been priced up quite significantly (instead of down!) A nice day out but considering the location, they were ambitious – East London itself is one large ‘halal food festival’ – free entry and easier on the wallet too.
5. Dark, strong and rich
   I really cannot stand the taste of coffee. I love how it smells, but I’ve never enjoyed drinking it. Bland, uninteresting, anxiety-inducing. Until Istanbul. There, I was introduced to my new love; Turkish coffee. We came back with 1kg of (described to us as) a Turkish coffee blend with chocolate, pistachio and mastic. It’s brewed strong, so there is a thick dark residue at the bottom of the cup, and without adding milk or creamer as the mastic does a better job. And let me tell you, it is exquisite. It is glorious. And it is almost running out. Anyone heading to Istanbul soon?