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I've decided that my blogging time has come to an end.

Between my job, my business, Mr Magic and the dog, I have very little time to write extended pieces and really work on those, so I'm making an experiment and migrating to Instagram. You can find my account here.

I hope that the shorter form will let me write more frequently so that those of you who want to keep up to date with my messy life, can do so less haphazardly.

See you over on Instagram!

Brighton photo diary

The truth about having a pup.

Riki has joined our life at the start of October and having him gives us so much joy. He has settled in quickly and is showing his wonderful personality. Riki is mad. He will run around like crazy in the evenings, bark at Mr Magic to hurry him up before walks and try to dig in sofas. When I first got him, I was a little worried about finding our new routine, but I think we've done well and I am absolutely in love with him.

But having a dog is no walk in the park (though loads of those happen on a daily basis). Puppies are hard work, it's pretty much like having a baby. They turn your life upside down.

I thought walks would be the biggest issue, but I'm actually enjoying those. It gets me out of the house and moving, though it's getting colder and gets darker much earlier, so we need to get properly wrapped up and carry a torch. What is tricky though, is arranging walking for days when I'm at school and Mr Magic is not around. Thankfully I've found a dog walker to keep Riki's company, but I always worry about him, not to mention the cost: it's not a lot for each walk (£7), but over the course of the year, it will add up. You also need to factor in insurance, food and grooming costs.

Apart from the financial burden of owning a dog, there is the emotional burden. You become responsible for this little ball of fur and it's a lot to take on. Riki has recently become ill and I was worried sick about him. I worry about his eating, whether he gets enough exercise, if he gets on with other dogs in daycare. That's a lot of worry for 3.5 kilograms of life.

Finally, I had to forsake the idea of a tidy home. Toilet accidents still happen, so I'm constantly wiping the floor, toys are everywhere and we find dental sticks in odd places. Having a dog is a fairly messy affair.

Nonetheless, I am so glad I have him. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Where have I been?

Oh my... Last time I wrote a blog post was on 3rd June. Funnily enough one of my goals for this academic year was to write each week. Clearly, it's going well. I was going backs and forths in terms of whether to return to blogging or not, but I reckon I need an outlet for my creative juices and journaling on paper is not really my thing, so here I am.

It's only right to restart my blogging adventures with what I've been up to for the past five months. And I've been up to A LOT. LOADS. Life is very good now. I'm probably at my happiest point in life so far. It doesn't mean that I don't have any problems or worries, but I'm at peace with myself and enjoy what I'm doing. That's what happiness is, right?

July: I'm working at a summer school. 7 weeks of teaching maths to international students. I am surrounded by the beautiful English countryside, fed three times a day and earn decent money. A trip to Alton Towers is the highlight of my time there. I even manage to make some progress on my dissertation. It's not all roses though as I am suffering from bouts of anxiety and stress. A trip to Wales helps me to relax a little, but I am counting days to going back home.

August: I have about a week before INSET days at school. We go on an incredible trip to Scotland. Mr Magic's dream to visit Edinburgh is realised and we even manage to see a couple of shows at the Fringe. I lose tickets to one of the performances, but we are let in regardless, thanks to a handwritten note from the box office. We go on a hike, on a lake trip and visit a crannog.

September: I start a new job at a private school. The staff and children are lovely. There is free lunch. I start to remember why I wanted to teach in the first place. No more stress and excessively unruly pupils. I submit my dissertation. My parents visit for a couple of weeks, a visit I nickname invasion. Mum is impressed with my flat and dad decides to improve the state of my bathroom. At the end of the month, I get a puppy.

October: Riki has become the centre of our lives. I try to train him a little, but after he learns to sit, he is resistant to learning another command. We attend puppy classes and start looking for doggy daycare. I don't have a moment for myself, but Riki brings me so much joy. Mr Magic is the most wonderful man in the world and I am excited to spend my life with him. My car battery dies.

November: Two-week half term is a blessing and a curse. Loads of time to relax, but it's also an awful lot of time to fill with activities. I go on a solo trip to Bristol (with Riki) which is a much-needed break from Kent. Emily visits and for the first time, we don't have to work on our masters. I try to refocus my life.

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Here we are then. Last five months in a nutshell. I am so excited for the future and everything seems to be falling into place now. I'm going home for almost three weeks over the holidays which will be great, although as I've found out taking a dog over is not such a straightforward affair. Anyway, I'm back. To be fair, I haven't been that far, just extremely busy with organising my life. Working part-time and having my own business is very time-consuming and I have so many ideas I want to develop in the coming months that 24 hours in a day are not quite enough! But I'm looking forward to squeezing in some writing time (it's 3:10am at the moment, don't ask why I'm up at such ungodly hour) and pouring out my thoughts into the bottomless pit of the internet.

Till next time!