Happy end-of-May, everyone!
This month’s highlight was a short trip to Greece! 💙🇬🇷🌊 It was peaceful and chill and quiet and I had a wonderful time! I took the time off from filming - I think these 5 days were the longest I’ve gone without filming in years! But I did shoot a “how did my trip to Greece go” video for Patreon/YT memberships when I got home.
And we didn’t get sick!! Hurrah! It’s a miracle! 🙌🏻 My first trip abroad without getting sick afterwards in like, a million years. Truly blessed. 🙏🏻
And then it was right back to the grind, but this time wearing a jumper. Got a bit chilly this month, innit? Should be back to spring weather soon, I hope.
The content process never stops, though. My Youtube videos have all sucked this month 💀 but such is life. I’m still grateful I can create content and I’m excited about my upcoming videos.
I’ve been listening to The Creative Act in my spare time - when I’m doing chores, or having lunch or going for a walk. I’ve found it to be really helpful and inspiring to look at creativity in a new light and how to foster ideas and inspiration. I’ve been making content for a long time and it can be easy to get disheartened that my videos can’t compete with others anymore or that I’m “old news”. But the book has given me new motivation and has helped me look at idea generation different. And I’ve got a lot of ideas!!
A+N Updates
On Youtube this month I tried to find the BEST British coffee chain, shared weird things British people can’t stand and reacted to UK snooker for the first time! I also got about a million emails telling me I’m a dumb cow for pronouncing snooker wrong! 🥲 Love that.
For something a bit different, I had so much fun researching protected British food (and eating it, of course). I never realised there were laws around traditional British food and drink but it makes sense, obviously! 🧀🌭
As always, it was a fun and chill month on Twitch. We played games, watched a movie, built lego and generally hung out. It’s a nice way to break up the week, especially for someone like me who works from home.
If you’d like to watch a bonus full-length weekly video, please consider joining me on Patreon or Youtube Memberships. I post the same content on each platform, but I know some people prefer staying on Youtube or vice versa.
This month for my exclusive content I packed for Greece and shared how my trip went 🏖️☀️ I also cooked recipes using British tea and shared some of my favourite videos lately. As always, the support on Patreon and YT memberships is extremely important, especially when I have a bad month on Youtube like this month. So thank you for keeping the lights on 🙇🏻♀️
What I’ve been watching + reading
I read so much lately! I’m finding I read much more with my Kindle than with a traditional book 📚 I love to read a variety of genres and authors and my favourite thing to do is to read a book blind - I won’t even read the back cover.
🐋 In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. This historical non-fiction book rocked my world and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. This true story is largely the inspiration for Moby Dick and reading about what these men went through was astonishing (but don’t watch the movie, it’s atrocious.)
🏛️ Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I loved this and how creative it was. Going into this completely blind was a real treat as I had no idea what was going on or where we were going, and I loved every minute of it! Totally unlike any story I’ve read before.
🌔 Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved how intertwined the stories are, even if it’s not clear why at first. A great sci-fi story that surprised me and kept me hooked. Also, I’m definitely not bias, but a Canadian author! 🇨🇦 Woo!
I also watched the new Guy Richie mini-series The Diamond Heist about the Millennium Dome Diamond! 💎 It’s very Guy Richie-stylised but super interesting, especially that we get interviews with some of the actual robbers. I’d definitely recommend it!
Bits that made me laugh
I hope you had a great May! I usually spend a good part of June gearing up for my annual trip to Canada, but that’s not until September now! It’ll be the first time I’ve spent all summer in England since moving here 😳 Better get my portable air con unit dusted off and ready to go!!!
Alanna x