Things to get you through winter
Including clothes for when you don't feel like dressing, a very good course and two much better alternatives to Babygirl
It’s Sunday! The sun is shining here in the UK! And I have SO many things i’ve recently discovered after being folded up an armchair for the last month. So this week I wanted to share with you all the good stuff…plus a reminder that if writing is your thing Im running my first major non-fiction writing course in two weeks time. It’s virtual and will be available on catch up. This one of is for founding members so if you’d like to join this very special, very intimate audience with me then click here for more details.
Right, onto things…
Transform your home
I love soaking up a new skill from the comfort of a snuggly armchair. You all know by now that I am obsessed with Create Academy, who do a number of online curses, all sumptuously filmed. This week they just released a brilliant ‘lighting’ course with Sally Storey who runs John Cullen in Chelsea. I dream of having an entire home designed by John Cullen’s lighting experts but could only afford to get our dining area done, but oh my…the difference it made! It has depth and warmth and feels like one of those gorgeously lit rooms from a 1980s Woody Allen movie. Anyway my point is this course teaches you how to get that look. I’m also a big fan of Beata Heuman, the Swedish interior designer who has just released an interiors course with BBC maestro. I’m half way through- and though not quite as lovely as Create Academy’s courses it’s good for those who love her quirky style. You can find it here.
House pants
We had a very long and involved discussion about pyjama/house pants over in the ‘chat’ channel this week. (And if you’re a paid subscriber and you’re not using this yet- come on over! It’s where all the good things happen.)Who do the best ones? Is elasticated or drawstring better? What about legs- cropped, balloon or long? Since I work at home most of the time, I have become a connoisseur of house pants to slip into after 6 pm. Lululemon do very good house pants- I have these. Very versatile and last a lifetime. But a friend came over for the weekend last week and appeared at breakfast in the most lovely little pyjama set from Lindex. Not a brand i’m massively familiar with, but its Swedish so that’s something- anyway will report back. Also Suzie Kondi is a very good brand if you want something a bit more luxury. I have a pair of their French Terry trousers that I live in. If you want more suggestions come over to the chat and we can discuss.
Old Celine Rip Offs
For those of us who are old enough to remember Phoebe Philo’s glove pumps, I have good news…Berlin-based shoe brand Aeyde (one of my absolute favourite brands) have brought out an absolute rip off of them. They come in black and brown and I am waiting for the 39.5’s to come back into stock. They also do a pair of lace-ups that are also highly reminiscent of an old pair of Celines I used to own. They won’t hang around for long…
Three very good books to pre-order
So many good books landing on my desk at the moment- all written by friends. (They are my friends because I enjoyed them as writers first, then we became friends, so I do not think this counts as nepo-reviewing). The first is The New Romantic Garden by Jo Thompson. Jo is the absolute queen of creating lush, rose-filled gardens in colour combinations that make you swoon. This wonderful book tells you exactly how to create the Jo Thompson look and I love it, couldn’t recommend it highly enough in fact. Next I am half way through Emma Gannon’s fabulous new novel Table For One. Chosen solitude is something both Emma and I are obsessed with and I’m so glad she has brought out a book that celebrates this. A complete treat of a read. Finally my husband, Will Storr has brought out the follow up to his best-selling writer’s tome: The Science of Storytelling with its next instalment- A Story Is A Deal. This one takes storytelling from the written page into the real world- how can you tell better stories at work, to one another, to your boss? I’ll try and do a ‘live’ with Will at some point too for those who have been asking for an age.
Travel planning
January and February are the months when I plan where I’d like to go for the rest of the year. Most of this is pure fantasy obviously, but I have just booked to go on a yoga retreat with Reclaim Yourself. My friend has been raving about this company for literally years. Fabulous locations, a good crowd (into yoga but not scarily into yoga) and luxury accommodation. There are so many trips to choose from but I’m off to do the yoga break in a tree house in remote Norway later in the year. Cannot wait. Maybe see you there…