Recently returned from my holiday, refreshed and recharged - and ready to write?
Read on!
What I'm writing
Nothing. I haven't even finished one stupid scene. In a month.
When I was younger, my peers and friends marvelled at me often “how do you find the time?” It was a good question, because I was newly married and working a demanding job as a junior psychiatrist in London.
And the answer was that I walked to work and I got home a whole hour before my husband, so that was a natural hour of writing time every single day. Easy.
Things started to fall apart when we moved. My five minute walk turned into a 90-minute drive. I read a lot of audiobooks but I wrote very few words.
Then I became pregnant. Maternity leave, I thought, would be a great way to reclaim my writing time. Hahahaha.
Advice for working mothers is all bullshit like “get up an hour before your children for your workout" and it can get in the sea. I'm not going to magically transform into a morning person just because that's the only time a child is not attached to me.
Last year, I had mostly reclaimed my evenings, which meant that writing time could be scheduled. And then we decided to have another baby, right before a pandemic.
So, now, when people gape at me and ask “how do you do it all?”, I frankly tell them that I don't. I can't work and parent and write anymore - or, at least, not right now.
What I'm reading
But I do have time for books.
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian - a book about psychopaths that actually talks sense about psychopaths! Pre-order yours for September.
It's Not About The Burqa by Mariam Khan (ed) - I have never before been so enthralled by an essay collection, especially as this one spoke to me so strongly as a young woman of colour. An absolute must-read.
What I'm eating
My goal for my holiday was to cook as little as possible. My main strategy for our evening food was a huge spread of meats, cheeses, carbs, and dips.
So, let me tell you about the best dairy-free, soy-free cheeses for a cheeseboard:
Applewood and Mexicana - actually taste like the cow version, and they melt!
Nurishh Camembert - the taste isn't quite there but it melts like a champ.
Tyne Chease - I recommend getting the taster pack to find your fave. I am partial to Ethiopian Spiced, myself.
Violife Soft - a reliable alternative to Philadelphia, so works best with a healthy dollop of chilli jam.
Leon Pea-Lentiful Dip - not a cheese but so freakin good that I just had to tell you about it. It's got flavour, it's got protein, and it spreads beautifully on a gluten-free flatbread.
For more fake cheese recs and some reading/writing stuff: