Happy August! Honestly, in my head it is still late March/early April… I thought that time was meant to fly when having fun but turns out it also flies when in the midst of a global pandemic too.

This is the first summer (since the summer of 2017) that I won’t be leaving Dubai at all. It’s not been as hard as I thought it would be and the good news is now we are counting down to cooler days ahead and I’m starting to make plans for what I want to do, socially distanced of course, once the temperatures fall below forty degrees again. I have a new-found determination to try to enjoy all of what Dubai has to offer, but mostly I just want to get back to going on evening walks without melting. 

Edited to add – like many in the Middle East, and the world, my thoughts this week are with the people of Beirut and Lebanon. We were so fortunate to visit Beirut in March 2019 and the people were so friendly and welcoming as we explored their beautiful city. Many buildings have been destroyed and many Lebanese are now homeless, the level of destruction is unthinkable for most of us even without the backdrop of a financial crisis, corruption and a global pandemic. Find out ways to help and educate yourself here. 

Editing My Life

A big focus in the last couple of weeks for me has been “editing” my life and it’s been really satisfying. I donated two big bags of clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories to be sold at the Dubai Flea Market on behalf Animals Trust (I occasionally teach a group yoga class via Zoom for them too). I also had a huge clear-out of my toiletries and basically chucked anything I bought on my last trip to London given that these items are nearly two years old now… I finally stopped ignoring the “storage getting full” notifications on my phone and deleted thousands of photos (mostly of my cat), restaurant menu PDFs I accidentally downloaded and apps I’ve not used for years (thanks for the memories, Pokemon Go). 

I’ve used this opportunity to note down gaps in what I own, and things I actually need to purchase. I stopped buying fast fashion and frivolities over two years ago but I’m now at a point where I really do need some new things and it’s nice to do this in a slow and mindful way. My first purchase? A pair of very dark, non-prescription sunglasses, see below! 

New Eyes

I had laser eye surgery (LASIK) two weeks ago! In some ways it feels weird that it was SO recently as my recovery has been really fast, my vision has felt like it’s in HD since the day after the procedure and I was back to teaching my online yoga classes in less than 48 hours. I still sometimes find myself reaching for my glasses when turning on my Kindle or thinking that I need to remove my contact lenses at the end of the day. My final step is to continue my life edit and get around to donating my old glasses… 

I’ll do a separate post about my full experience soon as I’ve had a few questions on the procedure. It really isn’t as scary as it sounds! 

Yoga Every Damn Day

Well, almost! I’ve been gravitating towards more chilled practices recently. I somehow managed to hurt my neck while detangling my hair (my last haircut was in 2019…) and it was so painful for a few days, and then I had my LASIK and couldn’t do anything too sweaty while my eyes healed (yes yoga can be sweaty and it is 45+ degrees here). I’ve been really enjoying relaxed yin practices and I’ve been incorporating more restorative poses and longer stretches into my teaching too.

I’ve also attended a couple of in-person pop-up classes and workshops which has been super fun but also quite strange after so long practicing at home. I’ve been attending classes with teachers whom I practiced for free with on Instagram Live during the lockdown – it’s been so nice to see them in person and also to pay them back in a small way for the free learning I received. There is definitely a lot to be said for feeling the energy in the room and being in a group which I missed a lot, although I’m not quite ready to attend a regular class again just yet. 

Kit Turns One!

Kit and his brothers were rescued on 12th August 2019 and were estimated to be around one week old, so 5th August is Kit’s birthday! We had a small celebration for him, as we will also be celebrating his adoption anniversary in October, too. Kit marked his birthday in true cat style by eating his lunch too fast and almost immediately puking on the floor… He asked that his birthday money be donated to Animals Lebanon, they sustained major damage to their shelter and have been tirelessly helping to reunite lost pets with their guardians.   

Celebrating Three Years

Harry and I celebrated three years since our first date last week! Even a few weeks back I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to go out to celebrate so it was extra nice to be able to have dinner at La Serre (it’s not where we went for our first date but it’s right next door and in the same Vida Hotel). I don’t speak that much about my relationship online as Harry is a very private person (as in doesn’t-have-any-social-media-at-all-private) but all you need to know is that he let me get a cat despite having a cat allergy. 

Reading / Watching / Listening

Reading – I’ve been reading a little more recently. After my LASIK I avoided my laptop and looking at my phone (too much) but found that my Kindle didn’t hurt my eyes at all. My most recent reads are:

Queenie, Candice Carty-Williams – a coming of age novel narrated by Queenie Jenkins, a 25 year-old Black finding her way through her 20s. This felt like a really realistic read and highlights the constant micro-aggressions that Black women face on a daily basis. I need to stop reading book descriptions because, to me at least, this was nothing like Bridget Jones’ Diary?! 

Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid – a short read which definitely gives a lot of food for thought, exploring the relationship between a wealthy white woman, and her Black babysitter. This was one of those books which, for me, felt like it took a completely different path to the blurb/description but one that I enjoyed and can’t really say more about without spoiling it! 

Broken Harbour, Tana French – I’m finding this series so addicting! The writing and sense of atmosphere in these books makes them hard to put down, I was going to save this series for my next holiday but…that could be a long time coming. Small word of warning with these – the series does feature murder/violence/description of dead bodies so avoid if that isn’t your thing. 

Watching – we finally started watching the BBC adaptation of Normal People. I read the book last year and before I saw the adaption I really struggled imagining how it could be turned into a series but it is so beautifully made and acted. 

Listening – finally something I am doing in a timely fashion, I am really enjoying the Michelle Obama podcast, the first two episodes are really great, and yes, her husband is a guest. 

How is your August shaping up? What should I add to my reading list?