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Time to wave goodbye to this account 🥺 I start

Time to wave goodbye to this account 🥺

I started this Instagram account back in October 2019 when my first idea for Mind The Gap Graduates (or Magazine as it was first called) was thought up but now over 2 years later I’m ready to close the door on this chapter / online space.

Mind The Gap Graduates was (and still is via the website) a space for me and every guest contributor to help other graduates survive their early twenties when they hadn’t got a clue what was going on or how to be a ‘professional’ adult. Maddie’s Ventures came after when I still wanted to blog about life as a twenty-something but didn’t want the focus to be on careers, finances etc. And now I’ve come to this decision as I’m in a really different stage of my twenties where I’ve found the things that keep me going on a daily basis, the things that make me happy and feel alive and I don’t have the time or headspace to think about Instagram. This little gallery of photos to end this account summarises the things that give me life these days, including my family, my friends, holidays and exploring London, staying mostly sober and having 0 hangovers, reading good books, eating good food and, of course, Henry who will forever be in my heart and who helped me through so much in my life (honestly, he was the best dog ever). I’m also thriving off my work at the moment, but I didn’t think a photo of my laptop or some of the documents I work on would be that aesthetically pleasing.

I’ve made a lot of friends from this account and can’t thank everyone enough for their kind messages, support and love with everything I’ve posted. My account will remain up for you to browse through if you need a reminder about how to tackle your twenties (and I promise you, you’ve got this!) but for now it’s farewell.

I will likely use my old personal account for random updates so if you do want to see what I get up to or want to stay in touch, please do follow @maddieastle ⭐️

Love always,
Maddie x

I actually managed to read 52 books last year and

I actually managed to read 52 books last year and I’m pretty proud of myself for it 📚 before 2021, the most I’d read in a year was probably no more than 12 so being able to say I read 52 is a pretty cool achievement. I read mostly fiction, and that was mixture of crime, romance and a few about friendship and careers. Here are a few of my favourites, but it’s very hard to hold 52 in one photo and a lot are on my Kindle too!

If you’re thinking about reading more in 2022, I’d very much recommend it! Having a big goal has encouraged me to read a variety of things so I didn’t get bored with one genre, be more disciplined with my spare time to make sure I stay on track and, most of all, I loved reading about so many different topics and perspectives!

Anyone else setting their sights on 52 this year? I’m going to start with an aim of 40 I think 📖

#whatimreading #goodreads #goodreadschallenge #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #52booksin52weeks #abookaweek #whatiread #bookrecommendations #bookreview

Little photo dump from a lovely weekend away in Ne

Little photo dump from a lovely weekend away in Newcastle 💛

There’s a lot in life that I haven’t felt prep

There’s a lot in life that I haven’t felt prepared for, and leaving a job I love is definitely one of them. I’ve cried quite a lot in the last 24 hours as I said goodbye to an amazing workplace and my first proper job out of university.

The last two years have been an amazing opportunity and I feel as if I’ve learnt far too much information for my little brain. I wouldn’t change anything for the world - the impact of the pandemic on working or the fact that I’ve lived in a different city the whole time - as it’s pushed me to grow so much.

Trying my hardest to celebrate my wins at the same time as being incredibly upset to leave my work friends who really are a family (yes, literally, for one of them being my dad).

I am, for the first time ever if I’m being honest, feeling proud of myself as I head into a new chapter working in London and I am so incredibly grateful to @athenecomms for everything ❤️

My favourite time of the year 🎃 aka right befor

My favourite time of the year 🎃 aka right before the seasonal depression starts. I’ve always struggled with autumn and winter, as it’s a time I really love with halloween, bonfire night and christmas but it’s also when I seem to struggle the most with my mental health. Over the years I’ve worked out a few ways to help myself, and these include:

💡 Investing in a @lumie.lights alarm clock. I’ve had one of these for 5 years now and it helps so much with the dark mornings, I recently upgraded too so now I get to wake up to bird song and a nicely lit room ☀️

📓 Writing things down - write down your thoughts, what you’ve been up to that week and track your habits and mood, it really helps to work out what you’ve done that day / week that may have affected your mood

🌿 When the rain stops and it’s light out, get yourself out into the world and enjoy some fresh air and nature. It’s so important not to just shut yourself inside, though it may be tempting

👭🏻 Talk about it with someone, whether it’s a friend, family member or therapist. Talking always helps you to figure out the best solution for yourself and means you don’t have to face it alone

I’ve not shared a post like this in a very long time but if anyone is struggling at this time of year, I hope this helps and you realise you’re not alone ❤️

What’s something you do to feel less down in the winter? ✨

Long time no see, but here I am to recommend anoth

Long time no see, but here I am to recommend another book to you ✨ I’m not the biggest fan of character-led books, and usually prefer a crime novel or similar, but Learning To Swim by Clare Chambers was a really beautifully told story that had me gripped to see how the stories of friendship, family and love would tie together at the end. I’m not very good at summing up stories based on the blurb or what I inferred from the book (maybe I’ll get better one day) but the story followed Abigail Jex’s friendship with Frances, her eccentric classmate, and Frances’ older, slight mysterious brother. I don’t quite know what it was about this book that gripped me so much but I think the author portrayed so many elements of love within this book that I couldn’t put it down. I gave it five stars and would definitely recommend!

Have you read this book before? 💫

A lovely evening with the loveliest company (and f

A lovely evening with the loveliest company (and food) at @palmcourtcoventgarden ✨ if you haven’t been before, it has the nicest atmosphere and is, mostly, candlelit. I’ve been twice now and had the seafood linguine and creme brûlée (I’m a sucker for sticking to what I know). What’s your favourite restaurant in London? 💫

🍴 #londonfoodie #londonrestaurants #explorelondon #exploringlondon #londonblog #londonbloggers #exploreuk #discoverunder4k #londoneats #coventgarden #coventgardenlondon

What a book 🤩 this makes number 34 of 52 for me

What a book 🤩 this makes number 34 of 52 for me (I am now 5 behind schedule so I have a bit of catching up to do) and wow what a read it was too. This, just like Daisy Jones & The Six, will be one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time again. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the story of pretty much what it says in the title; the various love affairs of a movie icon through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. I thought this book was so incredibly well written and made me cry three separate times. I got through it in just a few days as I couldn’t put it down and wanted to know what happened at the end. As well as being fascinated by the story of Evelyn Hugo, the book kept you hooked by the fact that Evelyn had chosen one specific person - Monique - to write her biography, and the question of why just added another element to why this book was gripping. Overall, I gave it 5 stars and can definitely say that it lived up to the hype around it 📚 have you read this book? What did you think of it?

✨ #bookblogger #whatimreading #bookreviews #bookclub #bookstagrammers #discoverunder4k #bookrecommendations

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