What a 'Sucky' Month!

But also... Good bits ✨

Well, helloooooo beautiful people! It is the end of the month and therefore time for me to hit you with my Monthly Newsletter. I know, how is it the end of April already?! We are officially a third of the way through the year… it’ll be Christmas again before we know it! Sorry, too soon? 😆

April Has Been Kind of ‘Sucky’ for Me

I’m not gonna lie, this month (usually my favourite of the year) has kind of sucked!

This is for a number of reasons, of which I won’t dwell on for too long, as this particular newsletter is meant for happier things and purely for entertainment purposes. If you’re looking for more reflective, possibly sombre material, you can delve into my Personal Essay section. If you’re reading on the App, you can access it HERE.

🗞️News From My Life

The Sh*t Bits

A quick list of reasons for my ‘sucky’ month, just in case anyone is actually interested!

1. I’ve split up with Mark (the boyfriend) and he has moved out.🥺 It was a (kind of) mutual agreement and definitely the right decision, but it still sucks arse and has been enormously sad and difficult! 😢 But I’m finding strength and support from family, friends and some of the wonderful communities I’m a part of here on Substack.🧡

2. My car exhaust nearly fell off – leaving me with no car for FIVE days! Obviously this gave me fresh gratitude for said car and I was extremely thankful that it didn’t need a whole new exhaust! They managed to somehow ‘weld’ it back to safety, only setting me back a “mere” £250.😫 The timing of it was really shit though – why do these things always happen when you’re going through some kind of personal crisis?! 🙄

3. My landlady has been toying with my (already delicate) emotions by deciding to serve me a Section 21 before the law change on 1^st May. Leaving me with a whole heap of anxiety I really don’t need… even though she has said we can stay (on a new contract without Mark on it), at the moment there is no new contract in place, so legally she could decide to turf us out after the current 8 week notice period. So I’m basically trusting her to honour the promise of a new contract. Again – mega shit timing! 😕

The Good Bits

Now for the less painful (joyful even) parts of my month. Again, just in case anyone actually gives a shit! 😉

1. I organised a little 3 day ‘writerly retreat’ for myself, close to my home and it was fucking fabulous! I booked a room in a cosy pub not far away and just relaxed, read, wrote and ate lovely food. It was LUSH!

Such fun! 😉

You can read (and/or listen to) more about my mini self-made “retreat” here…

2. My new Podcast – ChatStack ‘Live’ is going really well and I am SO proud of myself for turning up week after week, no matter what state I’m in! You’ve all seen me without make up now, so how much worse could it get! My guests so far have included Marisa Guthrie, Selina Barker, Amber Horrox 🗝️Warrior Within, Sarah Raad, Lisa Bolin 🌸 and Allegra Chapman (she/her).

🎥 You can find replays of all the episodes so far HERE or HERE (if on the App)

I’ve yet to book a guest for next week (5^th May) - oh, how I love leaving things to the last minute – nothing quite like the pressure/panic of a deadline! I can however reveal that on Tuesday 12^th May (at 1pm of-course) I’ll be interviewing the fabulous Toni Jones, in preparation for the launch of her first book! I’m super excited (and slightly nervous) to welcome Toni onto the podcast and very much look forward to hearing all about the book.💛

3. I’ve been enjoying the blue skies and spring flowers – It seems like a small thing, but I’ve been really appreciating the return of sunlight, blue skies, feeling warmth on my skin and the gorgeous array of flowers springing up everywhere.🌷☀️♥️

4. I taught my daughter to fly a kyte! – Again, quite a simple thing, but the look of sheer delight on her face when she got the hang of it, as she was staring up in awe at the colourful kite flapping in the wind, was pure joy! If only we could bottle these fleeting moments.🌈🥰☀️

🎶 Let's go fly a kite!

In Other News

Hay Fever Season is Back - Horray!🙄

Are you, like me, a sufferer of hay fever? – Or a “Histamine Hostage” as Jo Usmar describes it in her hilarious article – I am Allergic to Amsterdam – I’ve honestly never felt more seen!😆

If you’re a fellow sufferer and looking for tips on how to manage it, you might enjoy this little gem from the lovely Jo Hutton – Hay Fever Season is Upon Us (and by us, I mean me)

My Personal Website

Yes, I’ve gone and bagged myself the domain evalydon.com - why not eh? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve been having some fun building it myself - did you know you can do this on Canva now?! If you enjoy creating on Canva, give it a try, you’ll LOVE it! I wanted one place to ‘house’ (or hold links to) the many strings to my bow... Writing (of-course), Photography, Art, Travel, etc. It’s still under construction, but I thought why not just publish what I’ve done so far. I’m really proud of it - Take a look and let me know what you think! Be nice! 🫣

⭐️Recommendations

🎬 Film

“And Mrs.” – Trailor – A heart-warming British romcom that might touch you more than you think it will. With some really rather beautiful acting from the wonderful (and hilarious) Aisling Bea and a knockout supporting cast. If you fancy a little laugh and perhaps a cry too, then this is the light, but gently life-affirming movie for you.

🎬 Film

“Yesterday” – Trailor – A 2019 Rom Com, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Richard Curtis. I forgot how much I loved this film the first time round and watching it again did not disappoint! Clever, funny and extremely “British”. With top notch performances from Himesh Patel, Lily James and (my personal favourite) Joel Fry. Complete with guest appearances from Ed Sheeran and James Cordon, no less. Perfect feel-good stuff!

📺 TV

“Love on the Spectrum” – Season 4 Trailor - A new series of the funny (for obvious reasons… yes, I’m going straight to hell… and I’ll see you there!😉) docudrama. But also beautiful and very sensitively put together. Following the journey of those on the spectrum, setting out to find love. An eye-opening and truly touching documentation of the trials and tribulations of knowing you’re different, needing a lot of support from family and friends, but having the same desires for love and connection that we all experience.♥️

🧡On Substack

At Last a Purpose to my Existence by Georgina Bruce

The UK Is Falling Out of Love With Social Media by Daisy Buchanan – A brilliant article about being visible online, feeling exposed and vulnerable and cringing hard when anyone refers to our social media posts as ‘content’. I love how honest (and funny) Daisy is in this article and so much of the way she feels about this topic really resonates with me.

“The whole thing makes me fantasise about quitting my life and
going into a witness protection programme….

…Has social media peaked? The idea that we’ve ‘fallen out of love’
with it makes me feel optimistic, and miserable.

Maybe I’m not alone. Maybe most of us want to enjoy our lives
more than we want to be seen enjoying our lives.”

Yes, Daisy… I for one am hopeful that this is the direction we’re heading in.☺️

I’m Fine! - The Space Between What we Say and What we Feel by Tracey Fenner – You know when you read something that just resonates so much you have to share it? That’s how I feel about this article.

“‘I’m fine’ isn’t just something we say to other people, it’s something we say to ourselves, quietly and repeatedly, almost unconsciously…

…And this is where I believe it matters the most, because your body is always listening. Not to what you perform, but to the quiet,
internal narrative you have on repeat.”

👀 New Discovery

Still Becoming Magazine - Andi Bitay - Stop Being the Good Girl. You’re Over 40 – A great article about turning 40 being “the beginning of honesty” and actually asking ourselves, ‘what do WE want?’. How small changes can help us feel more present and intentional about the things we do and letting those things be enough. Andi writes so women like her can come and feel something, be moved to take small actions and remind us we don’t need permission to go do our thing!

🎙️Podcasts

Full of notions – Daring to dream bigger than she was told she could – Selina Barker interviews Lynsey Hanratty and they discuss (among other things) how Lynsey has used Selina’s “Goodbye, Hello” journals (last few in stock - 40% off!) over many years to successfully turn her big dreams into reality. A really lovely chat and a welcome reminder to allow ourselves to have notions, gently push against the status quo and listen to that little voice that says, “This isn’t right for me.”

“Coming back to your journal and
recommitting to those dreams, really does help
you to turn your dreams into reality.” - Selina

Need a little kick towards going after your dreams and the life you really want to live? This is the chat to listen to! Made even more enjoyable by Lynsey’s gorgeous Irish accent! 😉🇮🇪

Imperfectionist and the power of ‘dailyish’ habits – with Oliver Burkman as a guest on Rosamund Dean’s Podcast – Rosamund writes ‘Well Well Well’ on Substack (also a new discovery). This was a great (not too long) listen. Among other things, Oliver (who’s writing and insights I love!) talks about how to apply some of the tools from his fabulous book, “Meditation for Mortals” – which I read last year and also highly recommend.

🎵Music

That’s a Wrap!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to pondering some of the more important questions in life… (and also have a good cry into my pillow, because break ups are hard and I’ve been suppressing tears all good damn day!)😭

1. Why don’t bubbles get bubbly in an already run bath?

2. Why does my chin disappear the minute anyone wants to take a photo?

3. When we trip on a tiny step or an uneven piece of ground, why do we look back scowling at it whilst muttering to ourselves, “who put that there?!”🤣

Also – Does anyone else have a table that gets like this?

The kitchen table - otherwise known as ‘The Dumping Ground’ 😳

Thanks so much for reading! ♥️

Looking for more Newsletter Editions? Click HERE or HERE (if on App)

For more brilliance from me, subscribe - it’s free!
You can help me get more 👀 on my writing by sharing it.
Or, if you’re keen to show your appreciation with a monetary
donation, you can buy me a pen. Thanks!