This month’s review post is coming a little later than usual, as the end of my month was dominated by trips away (and the resulting rest stretches required). The month as a whole was about as mixed as the weather was – busy with work, intermittent flare days with my conditions and moments of light and joy with friends, family and a solo mini break.

It feels like one of those months that lasted forever and yet was over before it begun. Here’s my round up of what I’ve been up to.

I tried to have a slower August with work, focused just on my project with Time to Change (though of course that never quite works). This month saw me travel to Cambridge, Manchester and York to support regional meetings for young campaigners. It was such a tonic for the soul to meet with all of these creative and passionate young people, determined to challenge the stigma around mental illness. I’ve also been designing training for young campaigners and supporting the wider youth involvement team.

Around the edges of this work, I’ve been organising my autumn with other clients. I had an induction as a freelance Youth Engagement Worker at YoungMinds, chatted with Inspire Education Business Partnership about leading delivery of HeadStart Action – an employability and social action programme – in two schools in my borough and booked in workshop dates in schools with Future First. It’s looking like it’ll be a busy few months.

This month I really knuckled down with my novel and hit the 80,000 word mark, which I still can’t quite believe. The process of finishing the first draft is taking longer than I expected but I’m getting there slowly. After three months of keeping a sticker chart, I’ve learned that motivational techniques used for primary school children are also highly effective on me… and I’m fine with it.

I’ve also been out and about a lot this month, visiting a friend in Bristol, taking a few days off in Paris and finishing the month in Wales with family. Paris was precisely the break I needed (though I would have loved an additional few days), allowing me some time dedicated solely to art, vintage shopping and caffeine. It’s one of my absolute favourite cities to visit and I’m not sure I will ever tire of going there – it’s the perfect location to recharge and refresh.

This last weekend I was in Wales, as my grandparents have now both moved out of the family home and we need to get it ready for sale. It was a strange and intense weekend, sorting out their belongings, going through stacks and stacks of old photos, getting used to the idea of their magical home no longer being in the family. It may well be the last time I ever stay there. It feels especially sad to lose another link with my mum but it is also the right move for my grandparents, so I’m trying to focus on the positives and how lucky we were to have such a wonderful place to go to for so long.

As a new school year starts, the pace with work will be picking up again and I’m due to be working with all of the clients mentioned in my work section at various points across September.

It won’t be all work and no play, though, as at the end of the month I’ll be going on an Arvon writing retreat which I truly cannot wait for. I’m looking forward to some dedicated time to focus on my writing and, if I haven’t done so by then, hopefully finish the first draft. I can’t wait to tell you all about it next month.