My Favourite Things

Pottering is a talent of mine. I love the rhythm of it. I can drift seamlessly from a book, to a podcast, to journaling, to a kitchen tinker, to a long-read article, back to a book, and then do it all over again until the sun goes down. I’ve been finding so many delights to consume and read and listen to and I wanted to immortalise them for your own pottering pleasure. Here are some of my favourite things -

Podcasts

What did we all do before Podcasts? They are, by far, one of the greatest things made possible by the internet. They also happen to be one of the rare products that are better off in lieu of the pandemic. More episodes, more available interviewees, more content, more food for the ears. Yum.  

Table Manners, is a podcast where London-based singer Jessie Ware and her fabulous mother, Lennie, invite a celebrity guest to the (now virtual) dinner table and discuss all things food, career, food, and did I mention, food? In their Special Circumstances series, the table has been graced with the likes of John Legend, Florence Pugh, and Dua Lipa, to name just a few. Bon-freakin’-appetit.

My greatest recent find is the podcast series, Modern Love. Notable figures read from the popular New York Times column, where everyday people submit a short essay about love – the quirky, the profound, the head scratching and the heartbreaking. It was love at first listen. My favourite episodes have been with Caitriona Balfe, Daniel Radcliffe, and Jake Gyllenhall.

If you’ve read Eat Pray Love, whether you loved it or hated it, I highly recommend this episode of Sentimental Garbage. The entire 52-minute discussion had me nodding so hard I nearly threw my neck out. A wonderful dissection of Gilbert’s first, and very poignant, memoir.

Books

I have this very wonderful (or very disappointing) skill of forgetting the content of every book I read. It means that I get to enjoy a novel for the first time, every time. The last time I read Markus Zusak’s, The Messenger, I was in grade ten and loathed my english teacher for making us… read. When I picked up The Messenger this month to re-read it, I was enamoured and enthralled by the twists and turns on every page. An absolutely marvellous journey of desire, mystery and purpose. I look forward to enjoying it all over again the next time.

I devoured When God Was A Rabbit, by Sarah Winman, whole, in one evening. The story follows the life of Elly, from childhood to womanhood. It’s achingly, beautifully human. There’s space for thought between the lines, rather than a plot that requires concentration, and it casts warmth on the topics of family, grief and worth.

 Instagram Accounts

After dipping my toes in the sea of Instagram once more, I am now fully submerged. Honestly, I’m loving it. My carefully selected feed is beaming, and I invite you to make yours shine too with these accounts:

@taniajoyfjane - My dream London life being lived by another woman.

@fearlessbodies - The visual representation of what it means to feel good.

@connellschain - If you know, you know.

@jtfirstman - You want to find his This is my impression of banana bread’s publicist and never stop watching.

@kelaniphotography - A legend behind the lens. Also, a legendary mum.

@erinoutdoors - Redefining art in the most creative way.