It’s not my first time at this rodeo…

That’s right, I’ve tried to start blogs before. For various reasons I’ve never really managed to keep one going, but I think the time is ripe to try again, so wish me luck. I’m going to try not to beat myself up about blogging - I want it to be fun - so my posts may be sporadic and my photos might not be perfect, but hopefully it might be an enjoyable read.

I’m Rosie, I graduated from university almost three years ago, and although I love what I do, I’d always expected to have more of a creative outlet in my professional life. Because I don’t right now, blogging feels like a good way to fill that void.

I love writing and I especially enjoy writing about the sort of things that I’d hope would make a good blog. I love to travel and I love food (I know, bore off), I’m a voracious reader of books, journalism and blogs and I have plenty of bloggers on my reading list too.   

My other motivation for blogging is that I’m about to up sticks and move cross-country, to a city I had barely so much as visited until a few weeks ago. I’m moving to Bristol with my partner in crime because he’s going back to uni, so I’ll have a whole new city to explore, blog about and eat my way around.

I thought that as a bit of an introduction to me, I’d end this post with a link to some of my current most-read websites - I always think finding out what someone’s reading is a good way to get under their skin.

The Pool - I love The Pool for their columnists, and I first got into it reading Ella Risbridger’s brilliant weekly outpourings about lipstick, and dealing with her boyfriend’s cancer diagnosis.

Longreads - Buzzfeed used to do a Long Reads newsletter that I loved; since it ended I’ve been getting my fix on Longreads. If you love a bit of true crime, it’s an absolute Pandora’s Box of articles that will suck you in big time. This one about a woman framed for drug dealing by crazy parents at the school where she volunteered is one of my all-time faves. It’s long, but it’s so worth the commitment.    

The Guardian - Yes, it’s out there, I’m a big fat leftie. Politics is a huge part of my identity, and I devour the Guardian online most days.  

I’m Being Erica - I’ve followed Erica’s blog for a couple of years now, and I think it’s one of the best out there for the varied, interesting content and the excellent writing. She writes like she’s talking to a friend in the pub, and it’s brilliant. (Nb. Totally didn’t realise her blog title came from an old TV show until I searched it for this post…)

Smitten Kitchen - You know I mentioned how I love food? It was not an overstatement, I’m a running joke thanks to my next-level obsession. Smitten Kitchen fuels that obsession with amazing, delicious, not-too-tricky recipes.

PoppyD - In my youth I was pretty interested in fashion (hilarious, if you know me IRL.) Poppy’s other website, WIWT has been on my radar for ooooh, probably a decade, but these days I prefer her personal blog, which veers between such old-person topics as maltesers and jigsaws.