189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

The Book of Dust: Volume 2; The Secret Commonwealth - By Phillip Pullman

His Dark Materials are my favorite book series which I imagine is true of many twenty somethings who grew up in England. I fell in love with the world of daemons, the travel across the globe to familiar yet magical places and I loved even more in the second and third books when the adventure spanned worlds based on the beautiful idea of the subtle knife and it's bearer the secretive Will.

The new book of series surprised me initially. Volume one of the book of dust felt more like spy novel, and Phillip Pullman is quick to point this out in the intro of his new book. That's not to say it was a bad thing, it just felt texturelly different from the original series.

Volume 2 however returns us to Lyra, the alethiometer and more importantly to travel in distant lands. There's talk of witches, dalliances with gyptians and my new favorite addition, the hidden world of alchemists and card readers. I loved this book dearly and I'm so sad it's over. The world is rich and delicious and even exciting. A bit like Harry Potter you feel almost like the chance to experience it would be wonderful, but the story is so grown up that the reality is Lyra's world is just as corrupt and terrifying as ours.

Which actually brings up the point that Pullman brings up a lot of our world in the books. There's migrants finding themselves turned into slaves, refugees from the middle east travelling on tiny boats, and sadly perishing. There's also conglomerates so powerful that their hidden tendrils extend in unlikely ways, and there's religion allowing people to make terrible decisions in the name of their faith. It feels very familiar and for that reason I'm even more interested in how it all ends.

215. Do a no trash grocery shop for 1 week

A week of no plastic is obviously only a good thing but there have been some difficulties along the way. For starters replacing tea with loose leaf tea and swapping biscuits with dried apples has been great but the weigh shops where I purchase them are 40 mins away and this can make it seem like a big ask. The solution has been to go the shops at the beginning of the week and swap dried apple for home made sweet potato chips (so good by the way!).

From doing this task I've found some alternatives. For instance I now know I love local honey and will keep buying it as a treat. Moreover the local green grocers where everything comes outside of plastic is so much cheaper than the super market and being 2 mins away from my house is super easy!

One hiccup this week, the guy I'm seeing gifted me some alheira in plastic packaging. Yes it was recyclable but given I'm going to keep buying fruit and veg without packaging and loose leaf tea I'll let it go.

Here's my typical weekly shop (I'm on a diet so don't judge)

1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of spinach
2 carrots
2 celery sticks

pot of cinamon

pot of cumin

300g lentils

100g earl grey tea
100 g roibos tea

1 jar honey

3 tomatoes

1 jar chickpeas

2 boxes chicken nuggets

4 tins sardines

2 lemons

1 lime

2 red onions

1 bottle vinegar

1 bottle olive oil

7 croissants

1 jar berry jam

5 prawn rissoles

7 cups of coffee
1 jar olives
3 sweet potatoes

208. Protest

This year in September saw thousands of strikes and protests take place all over the world to raise awareness of climate change. An estimated 6 million took part and the key date was chosen as it took place days before the UN climate summit.

At the time I had a friend over to explore Lisbon and thought I wouldn't get to see the protests let alone take part in them. However, as we sat for pão de deus and coffee we heard shouting outside and went to the window to see what was happening. Of course the march was there and hundreds of people came past. Excited we finished our coffee and joined in, despite the old woman beside me telling me in portuguese 'nothing will change'.

From Chiado we walked on to Rossio, joining in the chant 'não há planeta B!' (There's no planet B). We didn't have signs but we felt our presence was nevertheless useful, adding to the numbers.

I sort of count this has half achieved as we were only there for 30 mins to an hour and we had no signs. But still I'm happy that my presence may have helped in some way. Either way, I feel like this year has been a start in being more eco friendly, and the protest has been part of that.

210. Get and look after an airplant

Two days ago I noticed something soft sprouting from the middle of my air plant. Disheartened I believed I’d killed yet another plant but while looking closer I realised that the soft part wasn't brown, but purple, and I wasn't killing my plant, I was nurturing a flower. So I've decided to take this as a sign that I can look after an air plant and since buying it I feel I've completed my resolution. Of course I'll keep looking after it but at least now I know my regime of bathing it every 15 days and spritzing it in between must be working!

119. Learn 50 new words in Portuguese

The words:

1. Varrer - to sweep
2. Tossir - to cough
3. Entrevista - interview
4. Olfato - smell
5. Paladar - taste
6. Tato - touch
7. Aborbora - pumpkin
8. Pipino - cucumber
9. Annuncio - advert
11. Tradução - translation
12. Somente - only
13. Dura - hard
14. Preconceito - preconceptions
15. Pomba de correio - carrier pigeon
16. Desilude - dissappointment
17. Castigo - punishment
18. cega - blind
19. chaleira - kettle
20. caldeira - boiler
21. fervente - boiling
22. cicatriz - scar
23. pena - feather
24. assas - wings
25. amaixa - plum
26. figo - fig
27. Roma - pomegranate
28. Lama - mud
29. tijolos - bricks
30. Andar na moda - be trendy
31. apoio - support
32. depilar - to shave
33. sobrancelhos - eybrows
34. aipo - celery
35. peruca - wig
36. uma gravata - a tie
37. sepultado - buried
39. rimel - mascara
40. prateleira - shelf
41. escove - brush
42. relátorio - article
43. uma lata - a tin
44. uma despensa - a pantry
45. cumprir - to accomplish
46. um cesto - basket
47. fatia - slice
48. naco - loaf
49. esquesita - weird
50. somar - to add

197. Dance at the front in Zumba

I'm a poor dancer but I felt like this resolution would be great at reminding myself I can do things that scare me. I'm not sure I'll be public speaking any time soon but dancing at the front really wasn't terrible. Sure I was really 'half' in the front so as not to bang into the woman to the left of me but really for me it was the FRONT.

 Although I don't think I've talked about it on here I suffer from anxiety but have been on some really good meds and talking therapy over the past year and a half. Anyway this challenge really shows me how far I've come. Two years ago dancing anywhere near the front would've resulted in a panic attack, but now it really feels great being able to finally see the teacher. Sorry this has gotten so long for something so small. I hope it inspires someone else to come out of their comfort zone (if you feel ready of course!)

186. Wall climb

I'm scared of heights, and yet for some reason this was not my first time wall climbing. I wanted to try it again, because despite the heights it's fun, and as I can tell by my sore arms and legs incredibly good for my body. Specifically I chose bouldering. It requires no knowledge of ropes and the shoes are rent-able in Lisbon. One tip would be to go with friends. The climbs require breaks in between and if they're more experienced it's a good chance to really work on your technique.

#113 Stick to a Skincare Regime

I still don't understand my skin. It's oily and prone to spots which leave marks on my face for months at a time. I know moisture is the KEY but I still struggle to understand whether it's my diet or the products. This month I've stuck to a skin regime and so far I'd say it's mediocre. By saying that I mean I notice a difference when I'm travelling and don't use the regime but otherwise most months my hormones get the better of me and destroy any progress.

So far it looks like this:

Daytime: I wash my face with Dr Bronner's Soap and put on Nuxe SPF 30 Sun.

Nighttime: I wash my face with NUXE Auabella (light exfoliant), spray with Tea Tree water by Lush, followed by the ordinary vitamin C suspension and NUXE creme fraiche de beaute (a moisturizer that combats pollution).

Now and Again: I'll use a retinol by the ordinary or a face mask from primark or Lush.

Next month my goal is to start oil cleansing with avocado oil. I think it'll be good for my combination skin.

One tip I will leave is that I've started using NUXE products since I've moved to Portugal. They're a french brand and they highlight sustainable and natural remedies for your skin. I use their sunscreen because it's ocean safe, and with their natural emphasis their cleanser is also not too abrasive. I definitely recommend checking them out.

189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

Good Morning Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

This birthday I received a Willoughby's book club subscription for three months. If you don't know what that is, Willoughby's book club is a company that delivers books to your doorstep. They ask you what your favourite books are then they send you a book based on your preferences every month. It's great, and I know this not just from my subscription but from my Dad and sister as well.

For my first read I received good morning midnight. The book is based around two main characters who are based in two extremes of human existence, one at an arctic pole, the other on board a spaceship heading back towards earth.

189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

I'm subscribed to booksandquills on youtube and I find her recommendations to be pretty reliable when looking for enjoyable books. This time I was drawn to her description of Circe; a feminist retelling of the Greek goddess who finds her story entwined with that of magic and Odysseus. I really loved this book, I'd probably go as far as saying it's my book of the year. The writing is very straightforward, but there are great little details throughout the epic story of objects, textures, sunlight and colours - simply the mundane, which make it slightly more magical, earthy and witchy - which I love.

If you know nothing about Greek mythology the book is also a great insight into many of stories from the canon.

I loved this book so much I'm now reading song of Achilles which I hope will be my next book of the month.

136. Go out in Portugal

To begin with, I'm not sure this would've been as achievable without housemates. My first month in Lisbon spent living alone I was able to go out but never out, out. I didn't know anyone my age and this was before dating, so my opportunities were limited. It could be said that even with housemates one might find themselves still without anyone to go out with but I was really lucky and chanced upon a group of people happy to show me around. I'm still no expert and I'm currently trying to work my way through conde naste's recommendations of bars, but I now have an inkling of what Bairro Alto and Cais de Sodre have to offer and for me that's pretty cool.

177. Cook a meal for my friends

Completing this challenge made me more sure about one fact; I'm a terrible cook, or rather limited. My plan was to cook an English meal for my Brazilian housemates and I achieved that, actually quite well. The final meal; bangers and mash with baked beans. The problem, however, is that really the meal was quite simple. Maybe too simple, but for a first attempt at dinner for friends I think that's probably key. If I'd attempted anything more difficult I might have completely marred their idea of English food. I think now the only problem is for them it all seems rather simple, but at least it's something.

11. Go to a Poetry Reading/ Club

This year my brother was performing in Edinburgh, so being the good sister I of course am, I went to visit him and finally see his play he's been preparing and performing for what feels like a year. The play for your information was actually quite brilliant. Written by a fellow student it looked at life for a fashion designer, a drag artist, a photographer and their lovers.

I've been to Edinburgh before but it was years ago and it was wonderful returning to the beautiful city, and most of all to experience all the shows. Being there is a bodily experience. There's nothing like it. Every show I saw was a beautiful slice of insight and heart - so much heart that my mind felt transformed into something quite thoughtful and magical. It's hard to explain but it really was quite good.

One of the best experiences turned out to also be a resolution. Go to a poetry reading. Apart from studying poetry at school and loving Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey, I've never really gotten into poetry. After seeing a friend of my brother's play however, I was left with a gap to see something and found across the road in Bar Bados a free show of poetry. I almost didn't go, but in the end I headed up the heavily graffiti-ed staircase and into a tiny but cosy room where I watched an hour of cactus by Jemima Foxtrot.

It was beautiful and I'm so happy I went. The poet paired her spoken word with song, which vulnerable and pretty allowed me to sink deeper into the performance, with subjects like a world on the brink of death, a drag king persona and a poem written entirely in words featuring only the vowel e. I loved this apple-hearted piece.

198. Go on a date

First of all, before setting off on my date I had actually been on something that resembled a date before this point. It was with a boy, we got food together and although the date proved unromantic in the end, there had been some premise of romance beforehand. This date however, would be my first explicit date, confirmed by the fact it had been set up by an app, and therefore was concrete. The app in question; tinder, an app infamous for it's fast hook-ups and every now and again actual relationships. My mindset - pull of the plaster quickly and get it over and done with, which is essentially how it went. Although nervous and slightly jittery the whole event proved a lot easier than I'd ever imagined. I won't say it was perfect, but I didn't throw up and so for me that comes close. Am I now in a steady loving, caring relationship? No, but I feel I've come a long way and more importantly, for a twenty something I'm probably on the right track.

58. Live in a flat by myself

Having not just moved cities but countries too, I found myself having to sort out accommodation in a slightly more round about way. This required a month in an airbnb, which at my own preference I decided to rent alone for a month. Although alone I never felt particularly lonely. Thanks to the internet I was able to video call my parents everyday. I'm also lucky enough to have chosen a city where my cousin lives, and where another cousin was visiting in my first week, so I had human interaction too. The only downside to living alone was not getting the insiders view on my area and all that the city had to offer. Now I'm living with others and have actually decided to socialize with them I now see that housemates offer an infinite and incomparable amount of knowledge. Living alone had it's perks but for now, living with others has proven ideal for life in my twenties.

189. Read 1 book for each month for 6 months

Educated by Tara Westover

First of all, I loved this book. It was so well written and easy to read - although I must say not an easy subject matter in any case. Following the life of Tara Westover, a Mormon and Cambridge graduate (in both senses), the book centres around her unique upbringing as her family prepares for the end of days, led primarily by her father. Along the way, Tara's life is upset not only by her father's obsession but also her older brothers abusive ways and her mother's inability to stand up for her child. I don't want to ruin it, so I'll just finish by saying this is a must read.