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Welcome back to Hayley Lately. Each month, this is where I chat about my life and what I’ve been up to. Keep reading to discover the book I couldn’t put down, my new favourite show and the best things I ate this month.
LIFE LATELY
The first few days of July were exhausting (the word of the month for June). The movers came on the 1st July and I stayed in Melbourne an extra couple of days to finish some work and say goodbye to friends. I stayed at Space Hotel, which was fantastic.
Rooftop views from Space Hotel
I had a slightly average travel day on the 3rd though, when I flew home to Townsville. Qantas actually offered the cheapest flight during school holidays, which meant I had to stop in Brisbane (which I didn’t mind). Our plane was supposed to leave Brisbane at 5:20, but we didn’t end up taking off until 8:20 due to an “unserviceable” plane. This made me miss the last ferry to Magnetic Island at 10:30pm. My parents tried to find me accommodation in Townsville for the night, but due to V8 Supercars and school holidays there were no rooms available. Thankfully, a family friend came to the rescue and offered me their couch. What. A. Debacle.
The rest of the month was very chill in comparison. I started most days with a morning walk – whether it was to the beach, to say hi to my koala buddies or over the hill to another beach. Then I was glued to my computer writing and scheduling blog posts, booking flights and accommodation, and freelancing. I did also stop typing for a couple of trips to Townsville to pick up essentials and for a few trivia nights. It turns out my young brain comes in handy! I definitely haven’t been bored on this little island my parents call home and I’ll still be doing some freelance work on the road, to help pay for my holiday.
My view on one of those morning walks
EATING LATELY
On my last nights in Melbourne, I went out with one friend to HuTong Dumpling (finally). I feel like I really visited all the best dumpling places in Melbourne before I left. News flash: Shanghai Street wins, but HuTong’s spring pancake is the best. As always, we had to have dessert, and this time we checked out Harajuku Crepes in Melbourne Central. I highly recommend making your own 😉.
The next day I started with finally trying a Lune croissant for breakfast, which fortunately lived up to the hype. I then said farewell to my museum family at Universal on Lygon Street in the evening. Their chicken parmigianas are only $14 and as big as your head. We also couldn’t resist Pidapipo for dessert either. I will definitely miss the food options in Melbourne.
Back home, I’ve enjoyed wood fired pizzas at Arcadia Village Hotel; delicious Italian from Mamma Roma in Picnic Bay; and a pub meal or three. For a small island, there are a lot of good meal choices (this may need to be a new blog post…).
BLOGGING LATELY
I published a few posts this month and I have a few more scheduled to go live in August. Look at me, being productive. Firstly, there was my June recap and a sponsored post with AccorHotels about the top things to do in Cairns. Then I shared where to eat in Richmond, the suburb I called home in Melbourne. The final post that went live this week was my weekend guide to Cork. Why yes, I am only just getting around to publishing posts from my last trip to Europe before my next trip to Europe. Where has the last two years gone?!
READING LATELY
At the beginning of the month I finally finished The Fiery Cross, which is a part of the Outlander series. It’s a big book (1412 pages), so I felt very accomplished when I read the last page. It’s such a fantastic series that I love even more now that Brianna and Roger are back in the picture.
Through NetGalley this month, I got to read Playing House, Hart & Seoul, The Little Bookshop at Herring Cove and 100 Days of Sunlight – two romances and two YA novels. and The first was SO good but I didn’t realise it was more of a novella, so it left me wanting more! Between Hart & Seoul and 100 Days of Sunlight, the two YA books, I preferred the latter. Finally, The Little Bookshop at Herring Cove was a very lighthearted summer read set in a coastal English town. For more in depth reviews, you should definitely visit me over on Goodreads.
WATCHING LATELY
To be honest I haven’t watched a lot of riveting TV this month. Because my parents have Foxtel I have watched a lot of episodes of Selling Houses Australia and Location, Location, Location – my two favourites on the Lifestyle channel. I’m excited to download the new seasons of Veronica Mars and Queer Eye for my multiple flights in August though!
Well, let’s hope I publish a Hayley Lately in August, because it will be an exciting one! I will be visiting Bali, Hong Kong and Helsinki this month 🙌.
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