Weekday Inspiration | Evening Stroll through City Centre

I was enjoying some extra balmy London summer weather, temperature was mid 20s, sun was shining bright. I wasn't ready to go home right away so there I was, strolling through the street, shades on my face and sick tunes blasting through my ears. So many beautiful sights in London!

Weekday Inspiration | After Work Strolls

A couple weeks ago, the weather was absolutely STUNNING in London. Hot, sunny, and full on summer-y, with all the beauty of London highlighted with this balmy weather.

On one of these beautiful Monday afternoons, I opted to walk home from a meeting in Hammersmith, taking my sweet time strolling through Fulham, Putney and Battersea to get home. While I've mentioned London's green spaces earlier on this blog, the Thames River is also a stunner. Though not quite as lush and natural, it provides gorgeous scenery through central London and has some beautiful paths along it.

Here are some pictures from my 2 hour walk home:

Fun Things | Rooftop Cinema Club

Last week, we checked out Rooftop Cinema Club in Peckham at the Bussey Building. We saw 'Do The Right Thing', a film perfectly suited to summer. The weather was a little chilly as the night went on, but RCC had blankets and bottomless popcorn which made the night perfect!

And I also became a member so I'm foreseeing many more rooftop screenings in our future!

Click through for some of my photos from that evening:

Fall Life

Summer, my most favourite season, is drawing to a close. The truth is in the drastic temperature drop that saw me at the beach getting sunburned and dehydrated one day, only to be bundled up in jacket and pants 36 hours later - what is this - Calgary?!

Luckily, the heat has hit back, and the past few days have been a lesson in gratitude. Isn't it wonderful to get one last chance with something you love? Imagine if this was a life thing: an end where you die and then, once you see the gravity of 'hey, no more life', you get one last chance to hit up all the things you missed most on the other side. That is what the last few days have been to me. Oh, and an amazing Songza playlist I discovered simply titled 'Morning Indie Boogie'.

So, to summarize, life is great, tunes are blasting, I'm boogie-ing away in my office chair, and absolutely loving this last chance at summer we've been given. And fall? Well, fall will feel that much sweeter once it arrives, and once we are all confident that we took advantage of every last drop of summer properly.

And, though I'm incredibly infatuated with summer as a season, there is something so fresh, so inspiring and motivating about fall #amiright?! I'm not exactly a PSL-er but even I can recognize the charm of cozy layers and a 'back to school' mentality that pushes you to be the person you've always hoped to be...

....Or at least someone you wouldn't regret being once this beautiful life is behind us :)

Magazine Mania

I spent part of my deliciously hot summer weekend this week in the sand of a beach on the beautiful Bruce Peninsula. In addition to starting my work week off feeling refreshed and sun-kissed, I am feeling waves of gratitude for all the innovative, alternative and critical publications that exist.

Magazines hold a dear place in my heart, which has been true since I was 14 and first spotted Nylon in my small hometown’s 7/11. It seemed so different from the Cosmopolitans I was used to seeing. While my love for Nylon has waned some, I do appreciate a really great collage as a result of my teenage readership.  

It’s only recently I’m recognizing how magazine obsessed I am. For more than a decade I’ve shelled out anywhere from $5 - $50 per month on a random assortment of mags, primarily used as inspiration and arts and craft material rather than anything educational. I was talked into subscribing to Toronto Life back in November and became both surprised and delighted when the latest issue appeared in my mailbox each month. Beyond the excitement of actually seeing mail addressed to me, it was refreshing to read pieces that were well written, relevant and meaty. In January, I took my relationship with magazines to another level and tried out Next Issue – which has swiftly become a steadfast source of entertainment, competing with Netflix for my leisure time.

Finally, my journey has led me to the diversity of non-mainstream, unconventional publications. I received a subscription to the Smith Journal as a birthday present from my beloved – and boy does he know me well! The well curated collection of articles in my first issue has been incredibly pleasing to the mind. Yesterday, in between beach Frisbee and ice cream, a good friend let me peruse her edition of n+one….and I COULD not / WOULD not put it down – even with the prospect of a fresh water swim dangling before me. 

Perhaps one of the best things about magazines is the low commitment, bite size pieces of inspiration, information, humour and perspective. The wide range of topics available makes a 5 minute reading break feel diverse and intriguing. I often find myself googling a novelist, or perusing the site of a new designer as a result of the magazine’s content. In my pursuit to constantly widen my understanding of the world, magazines have proven themselves useful allies. 

Blue Moon

Hi friend!

Apologies for the tardiness, and great lapses between posts. What a poor first impression! May I blame the hot heat of the summer, and all the fun that goes along with it? Travels to California, visits to Yukon Territory, visits from my best friend, barbeques, picnics, and bike rides galore! Summer can be so short lived, I've been all about eating it up and making the most of it. Most recent adventure was a sail boat ride out into sunset, as a full blue moon rose up over Lake Ontario. How epic was that moon last night??