The Very Hungry Londoner

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theveryhungrylondonerFebruary 22, 2016

A Guide to Solo Travel: The Practical Stuff

While I was home for Christmas I went to a family gathering at my aunt’s house (for those that know me, no this was not a Barrows Bash…. it was the other side of my… View Full Post

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theveryhungrylondonerFebruary 11, 2016

4 weeks in Japan in 5 moodAways

This post is sponsored by moodAway. Back in November I spent four weeks in Japan travelling by train from Yakushima, a small island off the southwestern corner of the country, to Sapporo on Hokkaido, the… View Full Post

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theveryhungrylondonerFebruary 9, 2016

Quiet by Susan Cain and becoming comfortable being an introvert

A few years ago I made a decision: to stop pretending I enjoyed “nights out” and to just not go on them. I was 27 at the time, and quite frankly bored of being in… View Full Post

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theveryhungrylondonerJanuary 27, 2016

Japanese onsens and British nakedness

When was the last time you saw someone naked in a non-sexual way (excluding your partner)? Include images in magazines, on TV shows and in movies. You can’t remember can you? And a few months… View Full Post

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theveryhungrylondonerJanuary 20, 2016

Hello, it’s me…

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist that title) So, how are things with you? It’s been a while hasn’t it? So sorry. My bad. Yet before I resume my usual erratic blogging programme (FYI I have officially… View Full Post

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Hello, and welcome to my tiny corner of this big ol’ internet!

I’m Fiona, and I used to be a food-obsessed literary agent living in London. Now? I’m not so sure.

After six years of giving it a very good go, I finally realised that my hunger wasn't the sort that could be satiated with Hawksmoor short-rib French dips.

So I left. In February 2015 I packed a couple of bags and headed off to Asia. Solo, indefinitely and with the hope that new faces, landscapes and adventures would satisfy me in an entirely different way.

And it kind of worked.

I now live in Bali (for the moment). No longer a Londoner but still, as ever, hungry.

Where am I?

Current Location: Bali

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    • America
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Travel Memories
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    • Restaurant Reviews
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    • Supper Clubs
  • Solo Travel

Instagram

  • The Pig near Bath, where I had supper with my family a few nights ago to celebrate my sisters' birthday (they're twins!). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I didn't actually stay here, as I only live half an hour away, but the hotel was lovely (my parents' bedroom was gorgeous, with an excellent rain shower which I tried out!) and we had a really exceptional meal there. They have a gorgeous and very abundant kitchen garden which they pull a lot of their food from. For pudding I had a delicious baked Alaska made with lemon verbena ice cream. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Having my parents and, more to the point, their car here for a few days reminded me just how much I love not just Frome itself, but this whole part of the country. Not being able to drive, and now being able to drive but not having a car, has been really frustrating as there's so much I want to explore! Hopefully I'll be on the road soon though.
  • I doubt anyone's noticed, but I've taken a bit of a break from Instagram the last week or so. I've been going through a bit of a low, anxious patch, and with my parents staying for a few days and a couple of family events, I decided to just let myself off the hook on a number of things, and to try to enjoy being present. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In addition to staying off Instagram (or rather not publishing anything, I've been browsing!) I also haven't responded to any non-urgent emails, done any non-urgent work, and I didn't send my newsletter this week either (apologies subscribers, you will definitely have mail this coming Monday though). I basically just cut myself a massive piece of slack! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The problem with working for yourself is that you have to self-motivate, but self-motivation can easily turn into self-flagellation when you can't keep up with the tasks you've set yourself. And when you're feeling particularly raw and vulnerable, even posting to Instagram can feel like a massive ask. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It can be really refreshing, and, in my case very necessary, to just give yourself permission to not do stuff. So what can you give yourself permission not to do today? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (Photo is of my gorgeous bed at @number38clifton in Bristol where we stayed for a family wedding. I'll post some more photos of what I've been up to over on stories, if you fancy having a look!)
  • A few months ago I had a conversation with an old friend who said he wasn't feeling like himself. I asked him when was the last time he did the two activities that I know he enjoys the most and, to me, make him, well him. He said he couldn't remember, so I encouraged him to get out and do them. How can you expect to feel like yourself when you're not doing the things that make you, you? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yesterday, I was reminded of this conversation when I said the same line to another friend: "I'm just not feeling like myself right now". And I realised that I haven't been doing my favourite activities recently either. I haven't been going for my long daily walk. I haven't been reading (if you get my newsletter you'll have noticed an absence of book recommendations the last couple of weeks). And I haven't been writing either. So how can I expect to feel like me? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So I decided to take a spoonful of my own medicine today, and this morning walked to Mells for coffee and cake at my favourite cafe (my fourth favourite activity is probably eating cake). I'm going to try to settle down with a book this evening as well. I'm sure it won't be a quick fix but I'm hoping it will at least be a step in the right direction. What are the things that make you feel most like you? Have you been doing enough of them lately?
  • This is how I'll be spending my weekend: celebrating @makingthemarrow getting married in what I *think* might be a bit of train-themed wedding! (if the wedding hashtag is anything to go by...) I'll also be wearing high heels (these ones from @andotherstories) for the first time in well over three years. They're only a couple of inches high - nothing compared to the ridiculous shoes I used to hobble around in - but I'm still taking Birkenstocks to change into asap! Let's just hope I can walk in them. London doesn't have that many cobbles right?? I'm getting the train to London later today, but first, some much needed beauty appointments! What's everyone else up to this weekend? #tickettobride2018
  • Since being back from holiday I've been letting myself slide out of some good habits, and into some pretty bad ones. I haven't been exercising as much, I've been showering later in the day (yesterday was a record at 5pm!), and faffing around online for hours, rather than focusing, getting stuff done, and then putting my laptop away. It's a very easy hole to fall into when you work for yourself, and don't have any external structure to your days. But I know it's also a pretty dangerous one, and I need to get back on track. So help please! What do you do when you've fallen out of your routine, and find yourself slipping into a bit of a flunk? (side note: I've just discovered the Retouch app. Late to the party I know. But it's so good. There was writing on this wall that it blurred out perfectly!)
  • So I've created something for you guys that I hope you will find useful! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's called The Strategy and Story Method Workbook (yes, I know that is a bit of a pompous title) and is essentially a guide to writing your website copy with intention and integrity. It takes you through a whole process, and includes exercises to help get you clear on what you want to say, and website page templates to fill in! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It's the first time I've ever created something like this, but I'm kinda proud of it! You can download it via the link in my profile, and let me know how you get on!
  • I've never understood the phrase "it's a dogs life" (meaning it's a miserable existence - I think?) as it seems to me that dogs usually have it pretty good! Eating, sleeping, chasing rabbits... I definitely wouldn't have minded having an afternoon nap today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I did a bit of a quarter two review earlier, and before I'd even sat down my brain was listing all the things that I hadn't achieved so far this year. All the goals that I haven't met. All the things that I still needed to do. I thought it was going to be a bit of a painful process. But then I looked at the list at the front of my planner, and realised that actually there are a couple of goals that I set back in January that I've already achieved (passing my driving test, launching a podcast), and a few yearly targets that I'm on track to meet (newsletter subscribers). Ok, I can't do a handstand yet (this is a genuine goal, btw) but I'm getting there. There is a phrase that I've seen a few times on here and Twitter recently: "remember when you wanted what you now have". It's so easy to always look to the future, to always want more, that we forget how far we've already come. Maybe we all just need to be more like dogs, and appreciate where we are, a sunny spot of pavement when we find it. What did you used to want that you now have? I’d really love to hear from you!
  • The best two weeks of my year living on a farm in Italy were cherry season. Everyday I gorged on fat, blood red berries straight from the tree. I don't think I've ever, or ever will again, tasted cherries quite like them. These are no where near as good, but will do for now! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ *** ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The final episode of season one of #thereareotherways was published this morning, and it's with the so lovely @me_and_orla. We had such a great conversation about how you never get to where you want to go in a straight line, how she felt giving up what was, in her own words, a more worthy career, and why she decided to share what she’s earned this year online. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I finished our conversation with a real sense of what's possible in this crazy, online world, and I really hope you feel the same after listening! The link is in my profile. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ *** #coffee #coffeelover #podcasts #podcastshow #podernfamily #shepodcasts #theeverydayproject #aquietstyle #alittlebeautyeveryday #alliseeispretty #seekinspirecreate #searchwandercollect #beautyinsimplicity #beautyyouseek #simplethingsmadebeautiful #asecondofwhimsey #calmversation #morningscenes #embracingtheseasons
  • The little town of Bad Gastein where we are staying is ridiculously pretty - even on a bit of a misty day! *** It's podcast day, and this week's episode of #thereareotherwayspodcast is with my friend @caitflanders. Given that when she came to stay we didn't stop talking all weekend, I should have known that our conversation would run on a bit - so fair warning, it is a long one! She's just so interesting! We had a really great chat all about consumerism, both mindless and mindful, and how her year of less changed her relationship with buying stuff. I'll pop the link in my bio, and I hope you enjoy it! *** #podcasts #podcastshow #podernfamily #shepodcasts #simplepleasures #simplejoys #simpleliving #momentsofmine #slowlived #aquietstyle #simpleandstill #embracingtheseasons #whimsicalwonderfulwild #smallmomentsofcalm #nordicmood
  • I couldn't decide whether to look at the page or the mountains...

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