I was rather shocked to realise that I haven’t blogged since May. That wasn’t intentional, but it’s been a weird summer. The first half was busy at work and I spent a good chunk of the second half down with a virus (not THAT one, fortunately). I also didn’t feel a strong urge to write or if I did, it wasn’t stuff suited for the blog.

Most of my routines are in ruins: I have trained, but not as consistently as I would like. While in Estonia, my 10 000 step rule went out of the window. I didn’t manage to continue my French lessons and even keep forgetting the Duolingo, which really shouldn’t be such a difficult habit to maintain. There was a period where I very rarely posted on Instagram and I, obviously, abandoned the blog. My headphones were stolen in the beginning of the summer, so I have not been able to listen to audiobooks, which I really miss.

All is not lost, though. August has been a really good reading month for me (as were the first five months of the year, I’m at 107 books by now) and I will do an overview of everything I read for the Women in Translation Month – it’s been a great project. I’m not sure I will return to the monthly wrap-ups here, simply because if I read 15 or sometimes even 20 books a month, the posts become too long and a bit of a slog to write. If you want a complete overview of my reading, Goodreads is the best place to follow. I do want to write some thematic lists, though, and perhaps some stand-alone reviews.

I also have some clothes that I would like to show you. I have managed to secure a yellow raw silk cape by Aldo Järvsoo that really deserves to be captured. And I’ve collected a few other Pieces during the pandemic, so I’ll try to get them down on film if the health situation allows. Fragrances are fortunately easier to photograph and I have some newness there as well that I must share with you.

As tends to happen every time I’m away for a longer time, I was reminded again that the blog does serve a function. I get often asked about books and skincare and fragrances and it’s very convenient if I have blogposts I can refer people to. It’s of course also just nice that people are interested in my views and recommendations. Apart from a certain internal compulsion to write, this is by far my biggest motivation for having the blog.

In this vein, if there is something you’d like me to write about, tell me in the comments. I also want to practice writing in Estonian, as I do it so rarely these days. I have therefore turned my personal Instagram account (@ykkinna) into a little laboratory, where I plan to post some musings in my native tongue. If that’s interesting for you, follow me there and drop me a DM as well – it’s a private account now and I want to keep it exclusively for real-life friends and people who follow the blog.

How was your summer? Are you excited for the new season?