My latest read, lunch at home, and cultivating star quality

 

Hello chic friends!

 

We had a short week this week with last weekend being a long one. Monday was a public holiday, yay!

We spent the weekend keeping low-key and relaxing and it was wonderful. On Sunday night Paul and I rewatched the movie Notting Hill for the millionth time and it was so good. I don't know if I watched it more 'properly' this time, but there were bits in it I hadn't seen before!

I find it so soothing to re-watch favourite movies, and re-read favourite books. It's all about the feeling I get from them, and Notting Hill is extra comforting. And the soundtrack is great too. I used to have the CD and almost wore it out. Now of course anything is available on Spotify.

Crazily, I could not find Notting Hill on any of our streaming services (and we subscribe to most of them), so luckily I could dig out our trusty DVD copy.

What is your favourite comfort movie? Lots of mine come from the 1990s; it really was the golden era of romantic comedies. Or maybe it's because I was in my twenties in the nineties. One of the two :)

 

 

 

The side table next to me always makes me smile! It has all the essentials for a happy time (for a homebody introvert at least :) - a good book, pretty scented candle, hand cream and lip balm, a cheery winter cyclamen, and a hot drink to sip.

I just finished Nicky Pellegrino's latest book and it was lovely. She writes with such detail and the words she chooses are lovely. Would recommend! (here on Amazon)

And of course I had to slip a few of my own books into the photo because, why not? 😅

 

 

They have ratings on Amazon of 4.7 and 4.8 out of 5 respectively. Thank you, I appreciate it so much!

 

 

 

 

Throwback to our little hotel mini-break in Auckland. I got used to having staff in only a few short days! Life can be so cruel when I have to make my own food and pour my own drink :)

 

First world problems I know!

 

Below is a homemade lunch in my office yesterday. Not as fancy as a five-star hotel but it was yummy, healthy, and far, far cheaper :)

 

 

 

 

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This is our cleaned up paddock - the silt from the flood has all been cleared away and now it looks like a driveway.

But grass seed has been planted and within a few weeks it will be green again.

 

 

Can you spot three doggies in this photo? They love their paddock walks.

 

And even though it's been beautiful autumn weather in recent weeks, today is very wet and wintry.

When it’s cold and rainy outside and all you want to do is curl up on the sofa with the fire going!
((((( Little Chloe dog )))))

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One of my favourite chapters to write in Thirty More Chic Days was Day 25. ‘Cultivate your own star quality’.

The message is to own your uniqueness and ‘enrich your life by elevating your existence to that of the highest calibre’. (How juicy does that sound!)

You don’t have to change anything about yourself; you simply have to allow yourself to shine. No one can bestow confidence on you - you have to claim it for yourself. If you believe it, you’ve got it, it’s as simple as that.

 

Imagine doing everything from a complete state of confidence that it would turn out well. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I have always loved the saying ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’, which I take to mean that anything we do to improve ourselves or our surroundings will inevitably spill over and increase the standards of many other areas in our lives too. You can feel encouraged to do even one small thing, knowing that it is for your ultimate betterment.

Just a little pep talk and chapter share for you today if you need it.

If you’ve read this book, please let me know your favourite chapter!

 

xx Fiona