February

February. The shortest month of the year. The summer’s end is near and after a particularly sticky few months, I feel ready to wave goodbye to the sun-bleached landscape, the airy cotton dresses and the constant hum of the air-conditioning. This month seems to have hit me at full force. There’ve been some particularly busy days at work, what feels like an uptick in toddler tantrums, and a late summer cold. Add to that, the devastating scenes coming out of Ukraine and the inundation happening on parts of Australia’s east coast, and I feel like I’m somewhat limping towards the end of this month, and season.

But despite that frenetic energy at times, there have also been moments of still and peace – and of new discoveries.

This is what’s caught my eye in February…

INVENTING ANNA

Earlier this month Paul officially dropped his day nap. Adam and I had thought the time was coming near in December and we gave the ‘no-nap’ thing a go, but Paul wasn’t quite ready. Fast forward a few months and at nearly two-and-a-half, he was. We found bedtime was getting later and later, and getting him to wind down was proving challenging. So we tried it, and it was game-changing. There were no late afternoon meltdowns and he’s consistently falling asleep at around 7:30pm now. As a result, it feels like Adam and I have got our evenings back. It means for the first time in quite a while, we’ve been able to sit and hang out after work. I think I saw a review for Netflix’s Inventing Anna in one of my social media feeds. The fact that it involved a journalist hunting down a story and Anna Chlumsky (I thought she was great in Veep) sold the series to me, so I declared to Adam we were watching it… and we haven’t looked back. We’re only halfway through (most episodes last an hour or a little over – so for us, it’s certainly hasn’t been something we’ve been able to binge in a weekend) but so far we’re enjoying the sheer audaciousness of the title character, some of the strong supporting characters and the rather catchy soundtrack. The series essentially focuses on New York based journalist Vivienne Kent’s work in trying to pull together a story on an alleged German heiress that scammed some of the city’s most elite. It’s based on a true story, that I admit I knew little about until I started watching the show. There are a few plot points we’ve questioned, but overall it’s been fun so far. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.

UNI QLO X INES DE LA FRESSANGE

A couple of weeks ago I did my usual pre change of season wardrobe tidy-up. I said goodbye to a couple of knits that I’d worn to absolute breaking point (and unfortunately beyond repair), and folded up and added to my donation bag a couple of work shirts that post giving birth, just haven’t really worked for my slightly new body shape. For weeks I ummed and ahhed, looking to add in a few new items to replace those I’d removed, but nothing tempted me enough to commit to a purchase. I found myself on the Uni Qlo website last weekend and came across its latest Ines De La Fressange collection. Ines De La Fressange is the sort of style icon I can get behind. The French model’s look is natural, heavily reliant on classic colours and shapes, and she’s got that sense of ease and comfortableness about her. Her autumn/winter collection with Uni Qlo made my heart sing. It was full of navy, cream and brown, pops of jewel-tones, and made up of clothing in natural fibres like merino wool and silk. My selection arrived a few days after I finalised my order, and on first try-on, I was happy with the fit and quality. I haven’t had a chance to wear any pieces yet, but I’m looking forward to pulling them out when the weather cools over the coming months.

BOCCONCINI

Oh how I love these little little balls of buffalo mozzarella. I go through phases with bocconcini – I’ll devour them week after week for a few months, then have had my fill and forget about them for a few months. At the moment though, I’m deep into a bocconcini love affair. Recently, my most favourite way to eat them has been cut up with juicy red tomatoes, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add in a few savoury biscuits or a piece of freshly toasted sourdough, and it’s the ultimate snack. I’ve also been known to eat them au naturale whilst cooking dinner, when those 6pm munchies hit. Simple, tasty and oh-so satisfying.

What have you discovered (or rediscovered) in February?

Have a wonderful few weeks, I’ll catch you next month.

M. x