One minute summer is just beginning, and the next I’m packing away the shorts and digging out my wooly jumpers. Before I fully commit myself to the next season, I think it’s worth taking a look back at all the moments big and small that made my summer of 2025 memorable.

I entered July with the goal to take more initiative in making things happen and creating moments of joy for myself. One of these things was immediately booking tickets to see Wet Leg in Camden and inviting my dad along for the ride. I had been looking forward to this day for so long and Wet Leg certainly did not disappoint. I only wish we had not overindulged in delicious crumble for dessert. Look, the crumble was fantastic, but we gobbled those mammoth portions far too quickly and it was absolutely boiling in Electric Ballroom. Having immediately gone to the bar for some water upon arrival, we got a great spot near the front, only for me to feel like I was going to faint or throw up or all of the above. After running for the toilet only for me to compose myself and avoid any unfortunate mishaps, we retreated to the back of the crowd. We might have lost our killer view, but I am still glad I got to take my dad to see his one of his new favourite bands. They were absolutely incredible as expected and their new album, moisturizer is up there with some of my favourites this year.

I was then back in London the following weekend for the most overdue catch up. You know the feeling of trying to get the group chat off the screen and out into the wild? How easy it seems and yet how long it takes to happen? While some variations of the group have managed to meet up here and there, it has been a whole six years since all four of us had got together. A long time that may be, and yet the power of friendship had us clicking right back in to place the second we were reunited.

A pitstop for coffee and a little stroll around Soho ahead of our booking at Mildred’s for dinner. Ironic really that for all the time that I didn’t eat meat I never did visit this little vegan haven. Mind you I would recommend it whether you eat meat or not – I had a very generous portion of enchiladas yet still found room for the white chocolate tiramisu which was absolutely to die for. Good food certainly makes for a great day out, but I can’t go on enough about how much Lucy, Lex and Christine mean to me. I am not ashamed to say I was giddy with excitement when I realised we were actually all free on the same weekend. Although we don’t see each other often, it is just an absolutely fun and easy time spent together. My only complaint is that the day simply was not long enough, so I am certainly keen for us all to get a big day out in the near future.

Speaking of getting the group out of the chat, I also managed to go to not just one, but two barbecues with the old school friends and their families. These meets up seem to be happening more and more. I’ll be honest sometimes it can be a little overwhelming suddenly having six tiny humans in the group, but of course I absolutely adore them all. I’m especially enjoying seeing them grow into their little personalities and am constantly in awe of my friends raising their families.

It does sometimes get me thinking of my own future, and my dad even asked me on the train home from Wet Leg if I wanted children. As much as it is a valid question, I don’t always find it the easiest one to answer. It is not so much that I am not 100% either way, it is more that I am reluctant to base my whole life around the goal of becoming a parent. I might find myself head over with heels with someone and yet having children is the last thing on our mind. Or maybe I meet the man who I want nothing more than to raise a family with. Maybe I don’t even meet anyone at all, which would be okay, but ultimately, I know I do eventually want to end up with someone for life. That comes before any wish for a child. I know that for some people, their life desire is to have children, and so starting a relationship becomes a steppingstone towards that. It is something I totally respect, and I do very much like the idea of a baby, but the thought of bringing a whole new human into this world is just that little bit too much for me to consider right now. I guess the simplest answer is I’m open to it but either way, it’s not the end of the world. Even if spending time with my honorary nieces and nephews does get me feeling a touch broody every now and again.

Back to highlights of the summer, and along the same line of big life moments, I can’t not talk about my little baby sister getting engaged. The minute my brother-in-law messaged me to discuss “something he was planning”, I could not contain my excitement. I already knew he was a good egg, but the fact he made a point of including me in his plans warmed my heart. Keeping it a secret from my sister was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, which probably explains why I told pretty much anyone I could at work, and told one of my friends on two separate occasions before it even happened. Luckily, she had absolutely no idea, and the proposal went according to plan. While it isn’t exactly an update to do with me, my sister is one of the most precious people to me on this planet, so I couldn’t talk about summer without her big news.

One precious sibling to another, summer more or less ended with an outing to Dreamland for the summer bank holiday with my little brother. It has been a long time since we spent some proper time together, so when we realised we both liked Maribou State it was a no brainer. We caught up on Margate steps while the sun started to set before heading over to Dreamland, chilling to George Fitzgerald and then getting up near the front for Mount Kimbie and Maribou State. It was such a fun night and the perfect little stamp on the end of summer for me. The night was full of good vibes, and I just found it so special to share my passion for live music with my brother.

Looking back on it all, this was the summer of quality time, but only really scrapes the surface of how much time I should be spending with loved ones. I am seeing my Grandad more often since transferring to the office down the road, which has been a major thing in making sure he gets some care and company after spending all day at the nursing home with my Nan. Still, there are absolutely so many more opportunities for me to take to get out of my little miss independent shell. Don’t get me wrong, I need that solo reset time, but there are absolutely times where I sink too deep into it without reaching out for even just a chat over a cuppa. Even just the small step of visiting the new coffee shop in town, not exactly making an impression but showing face to start getting involved with the community.

A new season, particularly this time of year, always feels like a new beginning. I mean I’m even moving house, could I be more on a path to a fresh start? I only wish it was under better circumstances than being booted out of my nice big room with ensuite, into a little square with shared bathrooms, but we can’t have it all. Having got a lot of moaning about it out of the way already, I am now seeing it as a positive – a starting point to ACTUALLY save money and set a goal to move into a flat within the next year. Six months would be the optimistic timeframe, and I will absolutely start looking at flats to rent around that time, however it all depends on what is available. I don’t want to rush in to somewhere for the sake of it, equally I do not want to get too comfy in another house share. My own space is what I crave. Of course, I do realise I have just been talking about not being too independent and have spoken in the past about how living alone wasn’t right for me at the time. A lot has changed since then, and I know that when I am living alone again, I can and will host more in my own space. I love the idea of having people over for dinner and drinks, and it is a kind of physical act which I hope will open me up to mentally invite people in too. After all, if I can type my feelings away on here, I should be able to do it in person too.