Cookie cakes, dog portraits, palm tree jugs and Tabitha Webb's home comforts
Welcome to issue #10 of Nesting
Are we nearly there yet? At Spring, I mean. I ask on behalf of my sanity, but also on behalf of my winter wardrobe, which I would very much like to burn. Never again do I want to say the words ‘sleeping bag coat.’ There are house keys, bank cards and headphones long lost in the lining of mine, thanks to a large hole in the left hand pocket. Occasionally, when walking, I jangle.
All of the clothes I liked back in December make me miserable in March. I would gladly throw my winter boots into a skip. My stupid cashmere hat makes me look insane. My fingerless gloves serve literally no purpose, other than to highlight my lack of manicure. And my once-revered leopard print scarf is covered in twigs, dog hair and coffee.
Dressing for winter is a slog, but dressing for spring is a pleasure. Spring has all the best sartorial bits. Spring is a trench coat, a leather jacket, a fresh white t-shirt, a satisfyingly large pair of sunglasses. Spring means you can start wondering if you look nice, as opposed to wondering if you should have worn another layer. I am not, by any stretch, a floral person, but the thought of spring this year is making me imagine myself as someone with dewy skin and shiny hair, who smells of fresh laundry and Jo Malone Wild Bluebells.
Spring me would never eat chocolate buttons in bed for breakfast. Spring me will be drinking a morning smoothie before waltzing out of the door for an al fresco yoga class in Sweaty Betty leggings. Spring me wears clean, pressed clothes that have absolutely not been picked up off the bedroom floor. Spring me cleanses, tones and moisturises twice a day and always puts the lids back on. Spring me sounds suspiciously… unlike me. But for the moment, she is very much alive in my head and I am enjoying trying her on for size.
Spring is coming. Hang up your (stupid) hats.
HOME COMFORTS WITH… TABITHA WEBB
Speaking of spring wardrobes, allow me to introduce you to Tabitha Webb, queen of silk shirts and floral prints. Alongside her fashion brand (worn by everyone from Claudia Winkleman to the Duchess of Cambridge), she’s also somehow found time to write a (slightly filthy) book, No Regrets, and collaborate with John Lewis on some very cool bed linen.
Where do you live and how would you describe your home in three words?
I live in Winchester in Hampshire. I would say my home was colourful, nonconformist and messy!
Who is at home with you?
My husband Gav, two daughters (Betsey, aged nine and Primrose, aged three), dog Frosty and cats Pebbles, Scribbles and Mr Banks. And a lot of builders.
Current Netflix/Amazon obsession?
This is a weird one but Anne with an E that I am watching with my nine year-old is actually very good! But if I was flying solo I would probably watch Virgin River on repeat.
Best home comfort meal?
My husband is South African, so one of his killer barbecues! I’m currently obsessed with harissa halloumi.
Best section of the Sunday papers?
I love Stella magazine, the business section of the Sunday Times and I also love reading the columnist Hannah Betts.
Book currently on your bedside table?
I am re-reading Riders by Jilly Cooper. It gets better every time.
Background noise in your house?
We have a massive building project going on and we have about 10 men on site every day, so all we hear is the constant sound of drilling. It is relentless! On top of that, my husband always has some kind of weird rock playing and my three year-old always has Peppa Pig on.
Bath or shower?
Shower, no time for a bath! But we only have one semi-functioning bathroom so the shower is not somewhere to lounge in at the moment! I am currently building my dream bathroom so once that Drummonds roll top bath is in you will struggle to get me out. It will be surrounded by rose-scented candles and big, fluffy white towels from The White Company!
Favourite house scent?
It has to be fresh bread and bacon – is there anything better than the prospect of a hot bacon sandwich?
My garden is….
A work in progress! I have two blossom trees which I adore, and I watch daily to see if the buds are coming out. We are very lucky to have a river at the end of our garden and I have spent many an hour watching the swans swim by. At the moment Betsey is trying to persuade me to get some llamas for the back field… watch this space!
How well do you know your next door neighbours?
We have an amazing community where we are, and, once lockdown started, a WhatsApp group for our village was created. Everyone is very kind and always offering out spare eggs and apples! Lockdown has really helped to bring everyone together – and on Mother’s Day someone left bunches of fresh daffodils by the church for the children to collect for their mothers. I thought that was just divine!
Your favourite home from home?
Plettenberg Bay in South Africa. We go there every year for at least a month, and it is a home from home for us. We know it so well, always stay in the same area, have lots of friends there and just forget about the rest of the world!
Start shopping for your spring wardrobe here. I have my eye on this oversized boyfriend shirt, part of Tabitha’s new collaboration with stylist Angie Smith.
PODCAST STUFF
Sentimental in the City - Dolly Alderton and Caroline O’Donoghue discuss each series of Sex in the City in delicious detail and it is SO GOOD that I am now making my way through the whole of the actual show from the start. I forgot how brilliant it was – although it feels so, so dated. They smoke! They wear pashminas! They stand close to each other in bars! It is all utterly thrilling. So there we go; hours and hours worth of viewing ahead of you, followed by hours of listening.
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Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach - Alan Carr talks to a famous guest every week about their favourite places in the world. Lockdown escapism, basically. I particularly enjoyed Robbie Williams’ confusion when asked what he would buy in the airport WH Smiths. Turns out, when you fly private, you don’t need to stop off for a magazine and a meal deal. Imagine!
GIFTY STUFF
I’ve fallen hard for pretty much everything on the Alice Peto website. Alice is an amazing illustrator who designs the most gorgeous English china. I want her flamingo pasta bowls, her penguin oven dishes, and her entire pineapple collection – but most of all, I want this palm tree jug – perfect for Spring daffodils.
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Who doesn’t love Papier? These personalised little notebooks make gorgeous pressies and their new Hello Sunshine design is just right for right now.
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Remember when you were 12 and people used to get you a cookie cake for your birthday? Why did we stop doing that, when cookie cakes are so obviously delicious? Maybe we suddenly felt that they weren’t grown up enough or something, but now we are old enough to know that nobody is really a grown up, so it’s fine. These ones from Harrogate Bakes are very good (for now you need to order through Instagram).
DOG STUFF
How have I only just heard about Sally Muir? Her dog portraits are SO PERFECT. Her latest book, Old Dogs, comes out this month, celebrating the grey muzzles, milky eyes and wobbly legs of our most senior canines. Just look at that gorgeous cover model.
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I adore DOG magazine. Every issue is themed by breed (the latest is all about the Italian greyhound) and beautifully designed, with the sort of photography you’d expect from a high-end fashion mag. They make really good gifts for your dog-loving pals and will look lovely on a coffee table for months. As they should at thirteen pounds a pop.
On that note, I need to go and take my own dog for a walk. In the rain. Time to dig out that sleeping bag coat… see you next time!
Dx
Who on earth is Dominique Afacan?
A very good question. Dominique (that’s me) is a writer, sausage dog owner, and solo mum, based in London. The idea for the Nesting newsletter came about because after ten years as a travel journalist, I wanted to share my new-found excitement about hanging out at home. I am also the author of Bolder –Life lessons from people older and wiser than you – a great birthday present, if I don’t say so myself – and available to buy here. You can follow me on Instagram here or Twitter here.
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