i'm a student again + lots of change + city staycay + fave lasagne recipe!

What a whirlwind this past month has been! I started my Diploma of Library & Information Services, did a week of invigilating for the VCE trial exams and squeezed in a two night staycay in Melbourne/Naarm. I'm proud to say I have not burnt out over it – turns out learning to listen to your body and practising pacing techniques really does pay off!

I'm happy to be over the hump of acclimatising into the diploma. The onboarding process made me want to snap my laptop lol (information overload) and the increase in screen time has been an adjustment but so far, it's ok. By starting part time in term 4, my two units aren't CORE units so the content feels a bit disconnected. And while it's a bit dry at times (I doubt either of these units will be my fave), it's proving speedy-enough to churn through.

And yes, pacing! It really saved me this month. I think I've finally learnt what it feels like to leave some in the tank. Be it when walking Merlin twice a day or (thanks to NDIS funded cleaning) not doing X cleaning task one day. I'm still so wired for exerting myself more than is comfortable, but this feels like a significant milestone in building interoceptive awareness and figuring out how to live at a sustainable pace. Helps that Merlin seems happy enough with slightly shorter walks these days too!

So! My city staycay (vlog coming soon) was a vibe. I stayed at Melbourne Place and had 48 hours of mooching around, enjoying Melbourne from a more central base. It was hard on my body and mostly sensory hell lol. But with some healthy distance from it, I can now say I'm glad I did it and crossed off like 27 things on my to-visit list!

I'll leave most reflections for the vlog, but PSA... the tofu broken rice at Good Days was probably one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Photo does NOT do it justice!!!

Below are some wee journaling stickers I bought myself at That Paper Joint (for the most part I wasn't in the buying mood) and a box of supermarket second fruit & veg from Funky Food I came home to, which they shouted me! They've passed along a 20% discount code: HONEY20 for anyone who would like to use it 😊

Now feels like go-time until the end of the year. The books will arrive in the next week, then I'll be shipping them off, delivering to stockists, supervising VCE exams while juggling freelance writing, study and prepping for the launch – which sold out! Thank you, thank you!

I had an occupational therapy session this morning and we talked about looking at my diary and scheduling in types of rest (mental, physical, creative, social, emotional etc... there are 7 types!) which specifically account for the type of work I'm doing. I want to move away from the mentality of once I get to THIS DATE or once I've done XYZ... THEN I can rest! Rather I want to manage my load and rest on a more day-to-day basis (which is probably automatic for most people!). Anyway, it feels empowering and very overwhelm/stress-reducing to be getting better at these things.

YOUTUBE.

A new weekly vlog went out this month... featuring what i've been cooking, my current curly hair routine, diploma orientation, trying new outfits and some hooping!

KITCHEN.

L–R: A clean-out-the-fridge salad with freezer fish, a pesto veggie sausage skillet and a rice bowl I made with said skillet dish.

L–R: A rice bowl of leftovers (salmon patties, Greek roast potatoes etc.), some garlic chive dumplings and lotus root 'chicken' meatballs I experimented with and a dinner I made with them.

L–R: Rice paper rolls with a peanut hoisin dipping sauce (recipe in I Want Dopamine for Dinner), a German childhood classic of fish fingers, mash and creamed spinach, then a loaded salmon jacket potato which was decent, but reminded me why I prefer potatoes in pretty much every other format... sorry.

L–R: Pesto tofu, zucchini and potatoes (SUCH A GOOD MEAL), split pea soup with bread from the KUDO gluten-free bakery and some cauliflower fritters which are SO yum (even if they cause a lil' digestive discomfort these days).

L–R: A custard and frangipane cake I made to use up some baking elements I had in the freezer (resourceful queen!). I made it for Father's Day dessert and we had it warm with vanilla ice cream, yom! I also batch cooked some waffles and have been toasting up the leftovers in the weeks since.

L–R: A deeeelicious lasagne (scroll down for the recipe) with a really good spur of the moment salad and some sub-par catering I did for a family friend's–friend's 60th which reminded me why I don't do much catering these days... it clouds something I love with stress and self-loathing aaaah!

WATCHED.

Sorry, Baby is now one of my favourite films ever! Easy as that. I'm so glad I caught it in cinemas as it was so therapeutic to watch on a big screen in a dark place with a bunch of strangers. It's the most non-triggering film about sexual assault, while also treating it with seriousness and so much care. It's about healing, cats, soul mates and finding a way to move forward when something really bad has happened to your body without your consent.

READ.

Mad World: The Politics of Mental Health is an IMPRESSIVE read! Get your library to order it in stat! From the industrial revolution, asylums, psych-wards, diagnosis, welfare, R U OK days, corporate mindfulness trainings and more, this is such a well researched look at the historical/social/cultural context of mental health over the last few hundred years. Read it! You'll have a greater understanding of where we are today and feel more empowered about your experience of mental health within it.

Body Friend is a Melbourne-set story of recuperation, chronic pain and friendship inspired by the author's own period of convalescence after a hip replacement due to rheumatoid arthritis. The story's intimate, hot and clammy (in a chronic illness kind of way) and involves lots of swimming. Wonderful representation of chronic illness and how it can affect relationships.

I read Marian Engel's 1976 Canadian classic, Bear – a sexy, short fable about a librarian who goes on a cataloguing trip to a remote property one summer, befriends the resident bear (yes, 🐻) and in the process gets to know herself and what she really wants. The sex stuff triggered shock waves in Canada's literary scene at the time of its release. 50 years on, I found it a little hilarious, quite endearing and sort of tame? Highly recommended for a quick, engrossing read!

Autism is Not a Disease: The Politics of Neurodiversity is a short, punchy, foundational read – exploring the politics of neurodiversity and what it means to be 'normal'. Many books in this realm can feel out of date, so this is a welcome resource I'd recommend to anyone new to the topic or wanting to consolidate their knowledge.

RECIPE.

This month's recipe is a Classic Spinach Lasagne, my favourite way to make a traditional-tasting version with a creamy lush béchamel and full bodied (but not too rich or salty) meat sauce. I hope it becomes your lasagne go-to!

Thank you for reading & supporting my work,

– Phoebe

You can TIP MY WORK or ADJUST YOUR (FREE/PAID) SUBSCRIPTION here 🖋️