Bumper Episode: Good Things Lately
What I've been watching, reading and doing in September
I was really excited about this week’s post. I love recommending stuff, and I have so much to recommend right now because I’ve been especially focusing on all things art and creativity as part of my Year of Creativity.
And then on Wednesday, I woke up feeling not great. A sore throat became a cough and I wound up spending the next 3 days mostly in bed. At first, I was tempted to publish something on Friday still, but a wiser voice told me not to push myself, that this was my body’s way of telling me to stop for a few days. It’s frustrating - I had to cancel things, which meant losing some money, but that’s the reality of freelance life. Anyway, I’m feeling much better today, so here is the post, a little later than planned (but who cares really). Happy Sunday all!
I’ve been trying to keep up with my weekly Artist Dates (read this for more info on what an artist date is). I’ve heard more than a few people talk about struggling to make time for Artist Dates; Julia Cameron even talks about it in The Artists’ Way. Why are we so reluctant to make time for creativity, exploration and time spent alone?
Last week I went to see Lee for a little solo cinema trip on Friday afternoon. There were three other people in the cinema which meant I pretty much had a whole section to myself - the joys of not having a 9 to 5. The film follows the life of the famous model-turned-photographer Lee Miller, who worked as a war correspondent during WWII, reporting from the front and even travelling to the concentration camps. The cast is excellent. Andy Samberg, who I’ve only ever seen doing comedy, is great as her friend and colleague David E Scherman and one of my favs Marion Cotillard has a small but powerful part. I also enjoyed Andrea Riseborough as Vogue editor Audrey Withers (she had that posh wartime English accent down). All in all, I enjoyed the film, but I didn’t love it and I’m not 100% sure why. I would still recommend and am so glad I’ve learned a little about the life of this incredible woman.
Then on Tuesday, I went to my first ever non-music event at one of my fav venues, The Union Chapel, to see Katy Hessel of
in conversation with on her book The Story of Art Without Men. ‘Twas a great evening, and I’m hugely impressed by the sheer volume of knowledge Katy has. I have a lot to learn, and I can’t wait to get stuck into the book.
I loved listening to Kate Winslet on How to Fail with Elizabeth Day. She talks about the film but so much more (watch the clip below for some highlights).
I’m also so excited to discover
is now bringing her newsletter Daylight to Substack (yes I’ve already subscribed).Other podcasts I’ve loved recently have been Rob Delaney on Desert Island Discs (he’s such a force), Richard Ayoade on Brydon &, and this episode of We Can Do Hard Things where I discovered this Anaïs Nin quote:
‘We don’t see the world as it is, we see it as we are’
As it’s September, which translates to ‘cosy times’, I’ve been rewatching one of my old favourites, The 1985 miniseries Anne of Green Gables. This is my favourite ever version of Anne of Green Gables - I’ve read the book and even had the book on tape as a kid, but nothing beats Megan Follows as Anne, Colleen Dewhurst as Marilla and Richard Farnsworth as Matthew (my heart).
Matthew and Anne’s friendship is one of the most beautiful relationships I’ve ever seen depicted on screen.
Another reason why I love this adaptation so much is the music. I tried to find a video with the soundtrack but couldn’t find anything good enough quality. It also doesn’t seem to exist on Spotify so you’ll just have to find a way to watch the whole thing yourself! It seems the only way to do so is to purchase from Gazebo TV (which I did a few years ago).
I also binged the second series of Colin from Accounts, the great Aussie sitcom about two people who meet through a car accident with a dog. It’s funny and warm and perfectly eccentric.
(second mention) wrote about why this show is so great here if you want to learn more.I’ve also been loving series two of Celebrity Race Across the World - but it’s a dangerous watch because it just makes me want to pack my bags and go on an epic adventure (maybe not with my family though, sorry mum and dad).
I’ve also finally started watching The Bear - I like it, but I can’t ‘bear’ all the fighting!! I’m persevering because Adrien loves it and everyone recommends the show, but so far Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s character is driving me mad (great performance though). We’re only a few episodes in so let’s see.
I was very happy while ill in bed to see that my favourite Danish singer-songwriter, Tina Dico, had posted her concert at Copenhagen’s Tivoli this summer on YouTube. Tina is a hero of mine because she continues to push herself creatively. She’s very successful in her native Denmark and could easily carry on doing the same thing, but she continues to experiment. There are some dance routines in this concert, something I’ve never seen her do before, as well as lots of collaborations. Highlights are the opening number followed by banger Bitte små ryk; the jubilant Lige nu; Tina’s duet with Nicklas Sahl (which I now want to cover with Adrien); and the You Wanna Teach Me To Dance/Dancing On My Own mashup (she sings in a mixture of Danish and English).
One night recently, when I couldn’t sleep, I started reading Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, and I couldn’t stop and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. When I went to the cinema last week I was surprised and pleased to see that there’s a film adaptation of it coming out in November starring Cillian Murphy. I’d recommend reading it before then - it’s a short and easy but beautiful read.
Other books I’ve read and loved this month have been Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy and You Were Born For This, an introduction to astrology by Chani Nicholas that I raced through.
I just finished this beautiful book that has been on my radar for ages - Wintering by Katherine May. Although the flow was slightly interrupted by my getting ill (which also feels very on-topic) I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who’s ever experienced a period of ‘wintering’, defined by May as ‘a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider.’
I’ve been coming in and out of a kind of wintering for a while, so this resonated with me a lot. Although this might all sound a bit depressing, the book is anything but, instead reminding us that these periods of wintering are just as necessary as all the other seasons.
‘Wintering brings about some of the most profound and insightful moments of our human experience, and wisdom resides in those who have wintered.’1
And lastly, one of my favourite things to do is browse for books and kitchenware in charity shops. I like clothes shopping in charity shops too, and found one of my most-worn pieces of the year, a casual black jumpsuit, in a charity shop a few months ago - but I find clothes shopping exhausting so I don’t do it very often. But charity shops are excellent places to find cheap books. The other day I found this cute Frida Kahlo book (great for the coffee table), this Emma Bridgewater mug and these pretty coasters (four in total, I put two in my bedroom) all for well under a tenner. Success!
That’s all for now! Enjoy the rest of your weekends everyone.
Wintering, Katherine May, p.12.
This is so lovely of you, thank you.
Great post! Lee Miller was a fascinating character (I think she was profiled in one of the recent television programmes about the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings).
I read ‘Wintering’ a year or two ago and it spoke very movingly about our need for seasons of rest and retreat, to allow our physical, mental, emotional and creative health to return.
Raynor Winn’s ‘The Salt Path’ tells a really powerful true story, dealing with loss and changes in health and financial circumstances - her observational detail and personal reflection really drew me in.