Sunny Side Up #19: Nora Ephron Pasta & the Northern Lights

There's magic everywhere you go.

Do you ever get those weeks where for no reason whatsoever things are just going really well? That was this week! It was like a switch flicked in my brain that meant I was doing everything at a much slower pace, the anxiety was at a low point, and it was gorgeous. Reflecting on it, there are a few things that made it feel so gentle and happy, and the thing they all seem to have in common is gratitude, fun, and rest.

⛅️ Slow Mornings

• On Tuesday I woke up and it was still pitch dark outside. Winter is crawling its way towards us! I felt intimidated by the cold so I procrastinated by staying in bed a little longer, reading a few pages of my book with a bracing cup of tea under the comfort of my duvet.

• Typically I wake up and immediately launch into the day, barely taking a moment to catch my breath before I start rushing and scolding myself for not making the most of the early hours.

• Truthfully, I’m not an early morning person. It could never be me. I am a bed slug. I want to take my time, I need gentle encouragement to slide into my slippers and face the day. Reading a few pages took the edge off.

🍝 Wholesome Food

• Cooking from scratch is one of my favourite ways to feel like it’s been a good day. Chopping the vegetables, weighing each ingredient, free styling and ignoring the recipe, overdoing it on the garlic granules. Someone commented on one of my posts that their day was a success if they’d managed to cook a meal at the end of it, and I second that.

• I cooked for my Dad on Tuesday evening because he’d been working late, and while I was chopping and simmering and stirring I watched Father of the Bride for the first time. It was just a lovely, quiet way to spend the evening.

• The best part is sharing the food with family and friends. Cooking is truly a love language. It takes time and effort and care.

🥰 Happy Surprises

• This week I felt like the luckiest girl alive. I think all of the small moments I was savouring really played into this, but there were a couple of treats that made it extra special.

• The Northern Lights appeared in my back garden! This first happened in the summer, but I missed it. It was devastating! You could only see them through your phone camera, and so I thought I’d try my luck because I’d heard they might appear again. I was so excited, I think I terrified my parents (sorry guys!). They looked like real-life magic.

• A friend of mine surprised me with the most gorgeous gift. When I say I was surprised, I mean I was lost for words, which as you can imagine is a very rare occurrence! Every time I think about it I feel so touched that she thought of me, and I will treasure it forever.

🌙 Calm Nights

• I don’t know about anyone else, but I am terrible at an evening wind down. In the moments before my head is supposed to hit the pillow, I am met with a million things I forgot I need to do this instant, or a rush of inspiration, and my brain refuses to shut down for the night.

• This week was different. Most evenings I spent twenty minutes indulging in a Yoga with Adrienne session and this little bed slug was out like a light. Obviously, this isn’t groundbreaking to anyone but me.

• This is almost embarrassing to say, but tidying up my room every night before I fall asleep is a game changer. It’s never a complete mess, but even something as simple as hanging up a jacket rather than leaving it on the chair, or putting the hairbrush back in its drawer made such a difference. When I woke up in the morning and my room was completely tidy again, it felt like a reset button. I hadn’t left behind the previous day’s remnants. Everything was fresh, and the day was new.

I appreciate these things are minuscule, but they came together to make a really special week for me. I’d go as far as saying it was one of my favourite weeks of the year! I’d love to know what made the week special for you. I firmly believe that there’s always some sort of treasure to be found amongst the rubble.

• I came home from work on Monday night to find that my Mum had made me Nora Ephron-style pasta. So simple, but sooo delicious, and the perfect comfort food.

• This week I watched Father of the Bride for the first time and I loved it! Big Steve Martin and Nancy Meyers fan. Followed it up with the sequel the following evening and that was really sweet too.

• Yes, I know. I’m still reading Love of my Afterlife. I am thoroughly enjoying it, it’s just that I read at a snail’s pace. Honestly a little embarrassed to admit that on Substack, but I read for nothing but pleasure and I will take as long as I please, tyvm.

• It was just me and my Dad on Tuesday night so I cooked dinner! I made chicken in a tarragon sauce with rice - we’re all for the simple comfort meals this week.

• Having just said I’m still reading Love of my Afterlife, I’ve also started reading I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart. Maybe that’s why I take so long to finish books - I end up reading three at a time (I’m also reading the new Richard Osman, but on audiobook, so it doesn’t count). This is the only book I pre-ordered all year and I’ve been looking forward to it for months. Miranda Hart brings me so much comfort, I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia of having grown up watching her show, but I have been so looking forward to reading about her journey and experiences over the past decade.

• Reading and writing this week has been accompanied by my favourite playlist of Taylor Swift piano music. It sounds like a dream, like you could float away on a cloud. It’s really nice to listen to before you sleep too - I’ll embed it below!

• This was a moment I’ve been dreaming of forever (since July). I had FOMO like I’ve never had FOMO before when everyone and their dog saw the Northern Lights back in the summer, then I missed them again when they appeared for the second time. Third time’s a charm! Look at how STUNNING they are!! This is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to magic.

• We had a girls’ day on Sunday with a shopping spree - I picked up this navy dress from Mango - and a trip to the cinema to watch The Outrun. Quite a difficult watch, but fantastically done and Saoirse Ronan shines.

I’m Missing Out On Literally Everything by

Melissa Mowry

- this piece by Melissa made me think so deeply, I almost think this is why all the small things felt so big this week. The words stuck around in my head for days!

Humble Persistence by

Kristen Garaffo

- “She says that writing well is a mix of craft, courage and consciousness, but perhaps most importantly, consistency. We must show up to the page (or screen) again and again and again. Even when things get rough. Especially when things get rough.” I really appreciate Kristen’s honesty in this piece - writing can be really hard sometimes!! And that’s ok!! We might be good with words, but it doesn’t mean we can always find the words. Sometimes they have to find us.

Notes On: The Convict to Celebrity Pipeline by

Hannah Connolly

- not gonna lie, so glad someone else was thinking about this too. Hannah writes with wit and sincerity, and highlights just how weird celebrity culture is now. I mean, how are we living in a world where Kim K can decide she doesn’t think someone should be in prison and the world is just like ‘yeah, fairs’?!??!

Dressing for the life I have this F/W by

Elle Sundberg

- this was the wakeup call I needed. Elle writes, “I’ve spent good money investing in items I never truly felt comfortable in.” Girl, same. I could write a whole essay on why I disagree with the capsule wardrobe. Maybe I will. But either way, I’m taking Elle’s piece as a sign not to buy clothes this autumn-winter that don’t match my lifestyle because they will sit in the wardrobe and make me feel guilty.

See you here same time next week? 🩵