Life Lately | May

A wild month, a messy garage, and making room for new memories

Hello June!

June is set to be wild. So wild that we are already 7 days in and I’m only just getting this posted. I have one day with nothing on the calendar and I plan on doing zero. There’s so much I’m looking forward to, so much already in motion, and honestly, after the ‘quieter’ start to the year, it feels good to feel like myself again.

I’ll try not to blink.

Over the last few weeks we’ve had P7 shows, sports days, assemblies, high school transitions, rehearsals, dance shows and about a hundred other things crammed into the calendar. The diary has been relentless. But honestly? I wouldn’t have missed a single one. There is something about watching your kids in their element, performing, competing, moving on, growing up and sharing their lives outwith home that gets me every time. We also managed to squeeze in our yearly blossom shots before the blossoms blew away for another year.

The kids finishing school for summer always does something strange to me. Every year I think I’ll be ready for it, and every year it sneaks up like an ambush. Suddenly there are four of them at home, full of opinions about what to eat for lunch, and I’m simultaneously thrilled and mildly overwhelmed. This is the chaos I signed up for. I wouldn’t change a single bit of it, even the lunch debates.

Also, it was Met Gala season!
One of my favourite evenings of the year, I get a cup of tea, a notebook, my laptop and I get into bed and watch the live stream until the wee hours. I fawn over the interviews, the dresses, the way each guest interprets the theme and the wild cards.
This year’s looks were incredible, can you imagine getting to attend it? A dream!

I’m endlessly grateful for the incredible content that lands in my inbox. It’s something I’ve never taken for granted, and honestly, part of the joy is never knowing what will show up next. Over the past few weeks, a few favourites have really stood out:

Hood Magazine x Cambridge Satchel
A night with Hood Magazine and Cambridge Satchel celebrating the Artisan Collection. The Binocular bag was a personal favourite of the night and I’m looking forward to seeing more from them this year.

Strathberry
I adore bags, all kinds if you hadn’t guessed! I’ve worked with Strathberry before and was invited into their store to pick a new addition to my collection. I left with a Mosaic, in chocolate brown and suede and it’s already made itself a staple in my wardrobe.

The Ivy
I finally managed to stop by the Ivy for lunch, they’ve been in my inbox since Mother’s day and it was worth the wait. I had lunch with my friend Rachel and we chatted all things weddings (she’s getting married next year!). The robot grilled chicken skewers were so good I could have eaten them for a main too and delighted in their signature chocolate bomb before I rolled out the door, zero regrets.

The Elephant House Relaunch
After a devastating fire the Elephant House in Edinburgh has finally reopened. I attended the launch party and got to help pull it all together and it was such a lovely evening!
Filled with flowers and fizz, we had tarot readings by Jade Mordente, vintage style newspapers with your own photograph on them and the lord provost cut a ribbon to officially open the cafe. So lovely to finally sit with a coffee and that castle view again.

Mystic Fate
I got to wear the most incredible pink dress and dance at a ball, all while helping Jude York on the set of his new video and I wrote a whole post here: Jude York. It's one of those fairy tale weekends you genuinely couldn't make up.

Decluttering.

Possibly one of the least exciting words in the English language. Right up there with “emails” and “tax return.”

But this summer, I’m finally taking on the beast that is our garage.

For the last ten years, it’s become the place where things go when we don’t know where else to put them. Outgrown toys? Garage. Random bits of furniture? Garage. Bags of clothes I keep meaning to list on Vinted? You guessed it… garage.

It’s basically a time capsule of our family life.

Some of it is easy to let go of. Some of it isn’t. Buried amongst the clutter are tiny first outfits, hospital bands from when the kids were born, and all those little things that instantly transport you back to a moment you’ve almost forgotten.

And then there are the wellies.

Honestly, I could probably open my own children’s welly shop at this point. I reckon we have around 72 pairs, in every colour, size and condition imaginable. Why have I kept them all? I genuinely couldn’t tell you.

The thing keeping me motivated isn’t the thought of a tidy garage. It’s what comes next.

Source: Pinterest

I have this vision of turning it into a cosy family space. Somewhere the kids can get messy with crafts without taking over the dining table. Somewhere we can pull down a projector screen, pile up cushions and blankets, and have movie nights with popcorn and hot chocolate. A space that feels like an extension of our home rather than a storage unit for things we no longer need.

So yes, there will be endless trips to the charity shop. There will be Vinted listings. There will probably be moments where I wonder why I ever started.

But by the end of it, I’m hoping we’ll have created something far more valuable than extra storage space.

We’ll have made room for new memories.

A new find: Bedrock Coffee

A lovely new spot in Edinburgh just off the Grassmarket. I’d been walking past for weeks before I finally went in, and now I can’t quite believe it took me that long.

The kind of place that feels immediately comfortable, like you’ve been coming for years. Good coffee, good light, and just enough background noise to feel like you’re part of something without being interrupted by it. Already on the regular rotation.

If you’re nearby, go. You’ll know immediately what I mean, it’s that kind of place.

June, I’m ready for you. Mostly.

Zoë xo