February Recap
February started with lots of snow and has finished with plenty of sunshine. And it couldn't have come soon enough. This winter was tough! I don't mind the cold, it's the grey that really bothers me. And this winter has been particularly grey. By this time each year I'm desperate to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. So every time the sun comes out, I do my best to soak up as much as I can. Just a few minutes outside in the sun and I'm instantly happier and have a smile on my face. I don't want to get ahead of myself now, but maybe, just maybe, Spring is on its way. So the first thing of note that has made me happy this month has been the sunshine. Now let's get on with my February recap and see what else has been making me smile this month.
YouTube
Instead of Netflix or HBO this month I've found myself watching more YouTube. I've been looking at travel vlogs, photography tutorials and apartment tours. I'm not even really sure how I stumbled upon Iz Harris, but I'm so glad I did. Iz Harris is a travel filmmaker from Washington D.C. She's not only very entertaining, but she's super talented, her travel vlogs are amazing and she inspires me to be more creative. There's one video of hers that I really love. It motivates me to be myself, live life no matter the ups and downs and to be happy just the way I am. It's only 4 and 1/2 minutes but it gives me goose bumps and makes me smile every time I watch it.
Podcasts
I still can't get enough of podcasts, I've been listening to hours of them a day. For me podcasts are both a good distraction from the chaos of our renovation and educational! Earlier this month I was listening to the My Favourite Murder podcast (which was a favourite in my January recap) and I heard about my latest obsession.
The Teachers Pet
This is an absolutely brilliant podcast, produced by The Australian newspaper and narrated by Hedley Thomas an investigative journalist. This story is not only captivating, but Hedley's professionalism, incredible research and story telling makes this podcast a must listen. The series is about the cold case of missing woman Lynette Dawson. Lynette married a prominent rugby player in NSW, Australia and went missing in the early 80's. The case went unsolved for 36 years. I could not stop listening to it and have already finished the series. And I'm not the only one obsessed with this production, it's been topping charts all over the world. Do yourself a favour and go listen to The Teachers Pet on iTunes.
Who the Hell is Hamish?
When i ran out of The Teacher's Pet podcast to listen to I found another series that The Australian is producing. In this podcast Journalist Greg Bearup investigates a serial conman that deceived people across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Britain and the US, out of more than $7 million. I've been listening to the episodes as soon as they come out and it's so good! I only wish that this was an older podcast so that I could binge listen instead of having to wait for the next episode to come out. Check it out on iTunes here.
What’s in Store for March?
Hopefully in a few weeks we'll be living in our new apartment. I can't wait. I’m excited to unpack and get organised with all the new tips I learnt from Marie Kondo last month. So I guess the first few weeks of March will be full of packing and unpacking, dust and cleaning, endings and new beginnings. I'm really looking forward to living back in the city and getting back into a good routine. I'm feeling inspired and ready to take on everything that's coming my way this year.At the end of each month I like to take a quick look at the list of intentions that I set myself for this year to see how I'm going. It's good for me to celebrate the wins that I'm having and to remind myself why I chose to take on some of the things that might be difficult. Do you check in with your goals regularly? I'd also love to know what made you smile in February and what are you looking forward to in March. Until next time, I'm off to enjoy some more sunshine.
Cheers, Jess :)