There’s something hauntingly beautiful about Venice in November. The fog draping the city like a veil, the deserted streets at night, luncheons by the canals wrapped in blankets — it’s a quiet kind of magic.

For years now, I’ve made a ritual of visiting Venice every November. Wandering its labyrinthine streets, defying my lactose intolerance with far too much cheese, and marvelling at the sheer audacity of its architecture.

November in Venice stirs something rare in me — a fragile kind of vulnerability. It’s the city I lose myself in to piece myself back together, the haven I retreat to when limerence takes hold, and the escape I gift myself once the year’s final tasks are laid to rest.

It’s also where I allow myself to indulge — the only drink I have all year, the thoughts I usually banish, and the emotions I try to keep tightly locked away.

Autumn has arrived at last! Mornings now bring the sight of my breath in the crisp air during dog walks, the jumpers have made their return from the back of the closet, and soups are simmering on the stove, while I cradle a warm cuppa tea in my hands.

September slipped by quietly, save for the three-day rainstorm that turned my basement into a makeshift swimming pool. Not to worry, my belongings are safe.

Truth be told, September was otherwise rather uneventful. I wrapped up a few home projects, tackled some overdue cleaning and reorganising, and tried to make sense of how this flat can work for me going forward.

I spent a good bit of time in my head — September tends to do that to me. It carries this quiet sense of new beginnings, a habit carried over from the back-to-school days that still sneaks up on me every year.

SOME OTHER THINGS:

• Remember when I mentioned I’d dive back into Daily Drawings? Well, it seems I haven’t. I don’t know what happened; the habit slipped away, and now I find myself struggling to reignite it.
• Treated myself to a rather beautiful purse from Ralph Lauren that had been on my wishlist for quite some time.
• Worked a lot — on both client work and side projects.
• Went for many long walks and hikes with Rufus and a thermos filled with hot tea.
• Had a terrible Hashimoto's flare-up. This has been going on for a while now but seems to have crescendoed. I've been really tired, experiencing a lot of brain fog and can't seem to remember hardly anything.

Memorable reads

• The Third Gilmore Girl: I listened to the audiobook, narrated by none other than Kelly Bishop herself. She unfolds the story of her life with unapologetic candour — fierce, raw, and utterly captivating.
• Know My Name: This is the powerful account of Chanel Miller, who shares the story of her sexual assault and the complex aftermath that followed — emotionally and within the court system.

september bookmarks

1. Recreating dog food from the last 2,000 years
2. What happened to public bathrooms?
3. Should you have to pay for online privacy?
4. The undeniable utility of CSS
5. Ranking your strangest recipes

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Life has been pretty busy lately — moving, working, and, oddly enough, enjoying summer. Me, actually liking summer? What? I know, it's baffling for you and me both.

So, let me catch you up on my recent shenanigans.

I have moved! Packed up a decade into forty-odd boxes and left my old home on a sunny Thursday morning. The move was as smooth as moves go — no major hiccups, though quite a few deep scratches in my wooden furniture pieces. Nothing I can't fix, still a bummer.

And now, here I am in my new place! I cleaned floors and painted walls, built furniture and sorted things. Stef came to visit for a week, and we knocked out so many tasks — even built a desk I designed! If you're reading this, Stef, you're the bomb dot com! Thank you! I'm still not fully done, though — crown moulding needs installing, closet doors need many coats of paint, and the basement compartment is a mess. But there's no rush; I'm learning to be patient with myself.

While Stef was here, we were supposed to go to the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, but as you probably know, it got cancelled. We were bummed, I tell you. I've got a complicated relationship with Taylor these days, but I was still excited for a safe space where I could yell my little heart out, dance for hours and just have fun. We thought about joining the crowd at Corneliusgasse but couldn't muster the mood. In hindsight, after seeing all those TikToks of people singing, dancing, and swapping friendship bracelets, I wish we'd gone. Oh well.

This summer has been unbearably hot, but my new north-facing, breezy balcony made even the worst afternoons bearable. My flat stays cool, and there's always homemade iced tea in the fridge. Honestly, life could be a lot worse.

All in all, I absolutely adore my new flat — my new home! Rufus is a very happy camper too and has already claimed all the cosy seating options as his own.

Some other things

• Took a break from Daily Drawings in July and August due to the move and other commitments. I'm back at it now, and the first drawings for September will be up soon!
• Made new friends — both in my new neighbourhood and my new building. Having a cute pup definitely helps with meeting people.
• Gave away my TV! This is the second one I've offloaded in the past five years. I rarely watch on a big screen, and this last one was used maybe a dozen times over the past two years. It just wasn't worth the space it occupied in my flat.
• Finally have space for all my books, so I've lifted my book-buying ban. Someone may have acquired 20+ new titles over the past few weeks.
• Made friends with the handymen working in my building, and they helped with drilling holes in the bathroom tiles. I'm pretty handy, but drilling into tiles? Not something I wanna do.
• Considering buying an AirFryer, though I wish they weren't so bulky and ugly. Any recommendations?
• Got a new Filofax and spent many evenings designing, printing, and cutting custom inserts.

Memorable reads

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches: This book has been on every favourites list, and I finally gave in. It's absolutely delightful — a cosy read that feels like wrapping up in a warm blanket with a cuppa tea.
• My Dark Vanessa: This one hit hard, especially since I was in a somewhat similar relationship when I was younger — me at 17, him at 38. Not my teacher, but someone else's. So many of Jacob Strane's lines to Vanessa I'd heard verbatim — the gaslighting, the constant guilt trips, his self-preservation above all else. It was unsettling, bringing back memories of a past I'd long since tucked away and forcing me to re-evaluate not just the relationship itself, but the lens through which I had viewed it.
• Midnight Sun: The infamous Twilight retelling from Edward's perspective. During one of the lockdowns, I got hooked on the Remember Twilight? podcast, loving how Maren and Emily revisited each chapter of the saga. Then in winter 2022, I reread all the books for the first time since their original release. Yes, they're flawed, but they're also nostalgic, charming, and oddly comforting. I don't believe in guilty pleasure, so, here it is: I adore these books for as many reasons as I find them problematic. Long story short, Midnight Sun is a wild ride and such a fun and weird read.

Memorable watches

• How To Get Away With Murder: I think I watched a few episodes years ago but lost interest pretty quickly. This time, I made it through four-ish seasons. The first season was great, but it slowly went downhill from there.
• The Nanny: Not sure what prompted me to start watching it but, oh boy, I'm glad I did. It's so wholesome and heartfelt; and I've been literally lol-ing every episode.
• The Good Place: I've lost count of how many times I've rewatched this show. Sometimes I just revisit my favourite episodes, other times it's on a constant loop in the background. All four seasons are forking fantastic.
• Deadpool & Wolverine: Yes, Marvel fatigue is real, but this was actually a blast!

july & august bookmarks

1. how to make 17th century clotted cream
2. how I built my minitruck bookmobile
3. agatha all along | teaser trailer
4. the criticism of taylor swift: a masterpost
5. the friendship dip