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Anywhere but Here

April 5, 2020 | by thesundaystories

Somewhat cruelly, the UK is experiencing some lovely weather this April weekend. My Mother and I are supposed to be in Bath celebrating my 29th birthday (which is next week by the way). We had plans to bathe in a rooftop spa and wander the beautiful city all weekend. I’ve never been and I was so looking forward to it as it would have been the first of many long weekends I had planned this year. Of course this is just a sad ‘if only’ now but all is not lost. My parents, dog and I are lucky to have a lovely garden where we have spent most of our day lounging.

One of my favourite pastimes is to imagine where I might be if I had the money, time and health to do so. I think one of my particular skills is describing my dreams quite well, just small snippets of life rather than long adventures, for instance;

Today, if Coronavirus weren’t a thing and if I were wealthy enough to do so; I’d be on a yacht, bobbing in the Greek seas. I’d be with my parents because they love boats and the sea and, because this is my dream and I can do what I want, I’d have Oscar with us, who really wouldn’t behave any differently than he is now, which is to say he’d be roaming between lounging in the sun and seeking cool air in the shade without any idea of what he really wants other than to find comfort. 

It would be 30 degrees but the sea breeze flowing over the yacht is making the heat bearable and we’d have a table on the deck laid out with fresh fruit; strawberries, grapes, melon, greek salad with the kind of beefy tomatoes and onions that my friend, Ruby is still hankering for 2 years after our holiday to Rhodes, freshly caught fish and, if I must, meat for the carnivores. We would have ice cold beers stocked high in a fridge on board and my mum and I would experiment with cocktails; Aperole Spritz, Sangria, Pimms, anything fruity and we’re sipping on it.

Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, but the sea would be vacant of Jelly fish and other creatures that ruin my dreams so we spend the day intermittently jumping in to cool off. The sea is so deep and so clear we can see the varied fishes swimming in and out of our limbs. I’m not a confident swimmer so we’d have lilos and noodles (or woggles, or floaties if you prefer) aplenty and even a little life jacket for Oscar.

I’ve no idea if Oscar can swim but I know he’s not a fan of water; He will paddle his feet in the river but won’t go very close to the sea if we take him to it but I assume he can swim because apparently this comes naturally to dogs. As I said, this is my dream and I can do as I wish so currently, Oscar is cooling off beside me in the deep sea, doggy paddling his way round us, the sun beating down on our faces.

We’re not far from the port, so in early afternoon – say 2 or 3 o’clock – we’d dock and go for a wander around the Greek town (i’m not inclined to be specific here), we’d wander in and out of white buildings and air conditioned shops full of trinkets and souvenirs. We’d stop for a drink and an early dinner in a small restaurant that over looks the port, one of those places where the owner chats away to his customers, teaching you Greek but also chatting away about English television. We’d feed Oscar slips of meat and fish from our plates and (this is nothing like Oscar in reality) he’d settle under our table, content to let the world go by. The restaurant is busy with families and friends chatting over dinner, but not so crowded that you can’t enjoy your own meal. Much like the streets which are adorned with tourists and locals going about their day, but not so buzzing that you can’t get where you want to go.

People are hugging and kissing, holding hands and enjoying their lives.

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Hey
I’m Apryl
Cultivating a peaceful life living in Hertfordshire and working in London,
Lover of aesthetically pleasing social media, neutral colours, reading, city breaks, beach trips, animals, day trips, nights in and other things that excite people who are nearly 30.

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currently-reading

Me Talk Pretty One Day
Persuasion

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Playlist – Jan 2021

#TheLovelyBooks

#TheLovelyBooks
On weekends we drag Apryl out of bed at 7 for walk On weekends we drag Apryl out of bed at 7 for walkies. #tbt 
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#jrt #jackrussellterrier #jackrussell #doggo #doggowalks #walkies #dogsofinstagram #pupper #countryliving #countrylife #countryside #countrywalks
3 tiny things; Gives me a sense of achievement: Ba 3 tiny things;
Gives me a sense of achievement: Baking.
Brings me joy: Reading.
Relaxes me: Tea. Copious amounts.

P.s. I know my aesthetic Instagram-appropriate positioning leaves a lot to be desired. 
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#threetinythings #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookcommunity #baking #bananabread #teaandcake #teaandbooks #pursuepretty #seekthesimplicity #sharetheeverygirl #lovelysquares
Currently reading. Posted this earlier but somethi Currently reading.
Posted this earlier but something went terribly wrong so here we are.
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#currentlyreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #blog #blogger #aestheticbooks #inspiremyinstagram #showusyourhygge #ofsimplethings #dailydoseofcalm #cosymoments #myquietlife #ifwewerevillains #thegirlwhoreadsonthemetro 
#booksandtea
I read this last week, sat on my thoughts for a wh I read this last week, sat on my thoughts for a while, wrote some words, forgot to save it, cursed the world.

I’ve always been kind of against reading books about abuse, I remember reading A Child Called It when I was in high school and being appalled by the amount of people who said they loved reading books like that. I don’t find much enjoyment from books that are too harrowing so I tend to steer clear, but I trust @english_prose recommendations and thought I’d give this one a go.

My Dark Vanessa was very easily absorbed and is too complicated to write a review on Instagram, it deserves and essay really and I’m too lazy for that. As 30 year old woman (or almost 30) I was able to slip into Vanessa’s present day self just as well as I could as her 15 year old self. It’s frightening how well I understood how easy it would have been to be flattered by Strane’s attention, his words. 

This book is uncomfortable, upsetting and maddening for all the right reasons. The author delves into hideous detail and explores the long term effects that Vanessa’s relationship with her teacher had on her. She’s quite unlikeable, which feels wrong to say, though none of the characters are particularly ‘nice’.

I’d recommend, if you can stomach it.

#kindle #kindlebooks #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #blog #blogger #aquietmoment #livelifebeautifully #momentsofmine #aestheticbooks #inspiremyinstagram #showusyourhygge #ofsimplethings #bookishflatlay #dailydoseofcalm #cosymoments #myquietlife 
#booksandtea #mydarkvanessa
I like these photo dumps that people seem to be do I like these photo dumps that people seem to be doing. Have one while I think of how to sum up my thoughts on My Dark Vanessa.
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##pursuepretty #seekthesimplicity #sharetheeverygirl #lovelysquares #desenio #hm #kindle #kindlebooks #bookblogger #bookblog #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #blog #blogger #aquietmoment #livelifebeautifully #momentsofmine #aestheticbooks #inspiremyinstagram #showusyourhygge #ofsimplethings #bookishflatlay #dailydoseofcalm #cosymoments #myquietlife 
#booksandtea
Made myself a picnic, pretended I was in Greece fo Made myself a picnic, pretended I was in Greece for an hour. Was nice! (The book wasn’t great at getting me in that ‘summer holiday’ mindset though).

#pursuepretty #seekthesimplicity #sharetheeverygirl #lovelysquares #instatravel #travel #travelling #backpacking #adventure #holiday #vacation #summer #europetravel #travelinspo #views #beautifulview #memories #darlingescapes #wearetravelgirls #wanderlust#bookstagram

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