Hayley Lately // September 2018

Welcome back to Hayley Lately. Each month, this is where I chat about my life and what I’ve been up to in Melbourne. Keep reading to discover the book I couldn’t put down, my new favourite show and the best Melbourne eats.

---

Life lately

Man, did September fly by for anyone else? The most exciting thing I did this month was spend a long weekend in Adelaide. I did a lot with my three days in the city, which you can read about in my recent post. But from Glenelg and Henley Beaches to East End to Hahndorf, I now know why Adelaide is nicknamed Radelaide.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnySOXYnsr3/?taken-by=hayleyonholiday

Back in Melbourne, the weather has been all over the place this month. I’ve been able to get away with not wearing a jacket on a few occasions, but I’ve also had to put my little heater on a few times. Let’s hope my shorts get to come out and play in October.

In other news, I started a new job in September. I’m now working at AAMI Park as well as Etihad Stadium. They both have similar setups and my first shift was Billy Slater’s last game for the Storm. I enjoy working at events and being (paid to be) a part of the action ;)

Eating lately

Well, I did brunch this month, which is an improvement on boring August. My friend and I headed back to Proud Mary in Collingwood. I tried their chocolate French toast dish, which came with a caramel drizzle, honeycomb and a potato crisp topping. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. I also celebrated another friend’s birthday at The B.East, a really cool (and delicious) burger bar in Brunswick East. The best part though was the fact Zero Gradi was next door and they had a NUTELLA FOUNTAIN. Best gelato I may have ever had.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnn7W0WHzzb/?taken-by=hayleyonholiday

Reading lately

I’ve now read over 30 books so far this year. Not bad! At the beginning of September I finished Circe, which didn’t bowl me over. It’s based on Greek mythology, which isn’t something you learn about at school in Australia, so I was pretty clueless. Then I read Ghosted, which was a great romantic novel set in both LA and England. It features a very unexpected twist! During my trip to Adelaide, I started and finished China Rich Girlfriend, the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians. It’s a shock, but I may have liked this novel more than the first one. I can’t wait to read the last book in the trilogy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoL-w2mn11A/?taken-by=hayleyonholiday

Speaking of trilogies, I also read Still Me, which is the last book in the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes. The book didn’t progress in the way I expected, which just made me like it even more. I hope there’s more books in the series, but I am also satisfied if this is the end. Then there was a YA read called Far from the Tree. It was about three siblings who only meet each other as teenagers, and it’s told from each of their perspectives. I thought it was a great contemporary YA novel.

Writing lately

Over on The Culture Trip, I wrote a comprehensive solo traveller’s guide to Australia (they picked the right person to write that article). I also got the chance to write about all the interesting things you can do in Arnhem Land.

Blogging lately

My blog hit a milestone at the end of of August, which I forgot to mention. I reached 20,000 page views for the month, which is a big deal to me. Although blogging is still a hobby, I love being able to help other people plan their overseas adventures. I get so excited every time I get a message or email from someone who’s read my blog and been inspired in some way.

In September, I published a post detailing how I meet people when I travel solo. I also wrote a review of my Bitemojo food tour in Singapore and my bumper post on Bali travel tips. And like I mentioned before, last week I wrote my guide to a weekend in Adelaide.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQwy0rnvM1/?taken-by=hayleyonholiday

Watching lately

Man, am I excited for all of my favourite shows to be back! But I still spent September catching up on more TV shows. I finished the last season of This Is Us, which is such a tear jerker. I was a weepy mess watching a couple of episodes of season two. If you haven’t watched it, believe me when I say it’s worth the hype. I’ve also been watching iZombie, which is filmed in Vancouver and features such a good cast. Finally, my friend convinced me to watch Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. I don’t usually go for action/thriller shows, but I’m curious to see where it goes. John Krasinski is also fantastic as the lead.

October is another Melbourne month, but hopefully there’s a few adventures thrown into the mix.

Follow along: Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Pinterest