Charity shops are good for the planet, my wallet and my anxiety

Last autumn I made a resolution to stop buying fast fashion. I’ve been making a conscious effort to reduce my carbon footprint – going vegan, switching to a renewable energy supplier, planning holidays that don’t involve flying – and it turns out fashion is a serious environmental offender. So it had to go.

The thing is, I really like clothes. I love the excitement of finding a new piece you love and planning what to wear with it for the first time. I love the comfort of old favourites that make you feel more like yourself when you put them on. I follow fashion channels on YouTube and lurk various subreddits. I’ll happily people-watch for ages if it means I get to see what they’re wearing.

So I wasn’t sure how I’d fare without the ease of the usual high street retailers or online shops. But I figured I’d give it a go and see how long I could last.

Six favourite albums from 2019 (so far)

As if that title wasn’t disclaimer enough – no, I have not listened to every single album released this year. Shocking, I know. I still haven’t gotten around to the new Jamila Woods album yet, even though apparently everyone loves it, and I really liked HEAVN, and I could be listening it right now, but instead I’m writing this blog post. Sorry.

Anyway, here are six albums that have been the soundtrack to my 2019, or at least my January through June.

Friday ramble: Zelda, conferences and reality TV

Did I write this earlier and then forget to post it before midnight? Okay, yes. But let’s pretend it’s still Friday.

Summer is here! Except it’s the English summer, which is terrible. I’m getting reacquainted with all my favourite snuggly jumpers.

I have seen John Wick 3 and here is what I think

I went to see the absurdly-titled John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum this week.

While I’ve watched the whole series, I’m not sure I’d call myself a fan. I like the action, but the assassin political intrigue leaves me cold. So, does the third film in the franchise get the balance right?

Spoilers ahead.

Friday ramble: mornings, oats and writing about music

Remember last Friday, when I said I was looking forward to watching the football? That was crap, wasn’t it? What a letdown. At least the sheer level of dullness makes it easy to forget.

Everything I read in May

May was a big reading month for me. One of my favourite parts of going on holiday is all the reading I get done – so when I took a week off this month (Weekend Week!) I made sure to spend as much time as possible curled up with a book. Even though I was on holiday on my own sofa, it still felt very luxurious.

Here are all the books I finished this month and what I thought of them.