Hot water bottles, octopus love, alphabet bracelets and toast-flavoured tea
Welcome to issue #3 of Nesting
There’s a bit of a collective gloom in the air, isn’t there? I think at least some of it can be blamed on the sky – and the rather dispiriting colour it’s turned lately. But we can’t be having this. We’ve got a long road ahead. It’s time to hack winter. And I don’t mean by lighting a million candles and saying hygge a lot, I mean we need to properly, practically, hack it.
When I moved back from Hong Kong to London a few years ago, the thing that terrified me the most was the weather. After five years of beach days and balmy nights, the idea of a long, cold winter felt decidedly unappealing. Uncivilised, even. Almost a decade on – I still feel my heart sink as talk turns to Halloween and fireworks instead of boozy picnics and barbecues. And now that coronavirus is squeezing the more paranoid of us (me) out of cosy indoor restaurants and onto windy terraces and doorsteps, I’ve decided that we must not let the change of seasons defeat us.
My sister once told me that there was no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. She was right, it turns out – and in the decade since I returned from Asia, I’ve been gradually upgrading my coats, until now I am pretty much walking around in a down-filled sleeping bag by October. I’d highly recommend it. She also pointed out that a transition from a low-rise Superga to a high-top Converse does not constitute a winter shoe changeover. Again, lesson learnt.
That was just my starter for ten. A couple of years ago, I went to Antarctica on a press trip and learnt the importance of a base layer. Where I’d once made the assumption that a massive, chunky jumper was the best possible way to get warm, there, in the superior training ground of the south pole, I discovered that layering is actually where it’s at. It’s basic physics, it turns out. Add to the list good socks, glove warmers (actual magic!) and always, always a scarf. A cold neck instantly makes me feel wind-whipped and weary.
I’m also a recent convert to baths. I don’t know what I ever had against them, or why I couldn’t see the obvious appeal of a horizontal alternative to a shower, but now I’m making up for lost time. Nothing warms you to the bone quite like an hour-long soak, ideally half drowning in Neom products. Before I knew better, I’d read a book in there, but now I’m a pro; opt for a podcast and you don’t have to open your eyes or move a limb. Plus, no soggy pages.
Hot water bottles, too, are underrated. And I’m not talking about my dog, Coco, though she does make a good one. Mine, a YuYu, is the length and shape of a cricket bat, and comes with a strap, so that you can literally wear it as you type at your desk. I like to think of it as the ultimate working-from-home accessory; a necklace with benefits.
And tempting as it is, we mustn’t hide from winter, we mustn’t write off entire days because of the rain or the gloom; there’s no quicker route to the blues. Over the next few months, I’ll live by Accuweather’s Minutecast, timing my daily walks to coincide with the best of the day’s weather. I might be furious about it when I step outside, but I know that my mood will likely have lifted by the time I get home.
As for those long lost beach days of Hong Kong, I’m reclaiming them as we speak. I booked a fisherman’s cottage right on the sea in Whitstable and awarded myself a staycation in actual England, the place I’ve neglected more than anywhere in all my years as a travel writer. And while I’ve swapped my bikini for my hot water bottle necklace and Antarctic-grade snow boots, it is genuinely warming the cockles of my heart. We will hack winter. Won’t we?
HOME COMFORTS WITH… ANNA HART
Anna Hart writes a sustainable travel column, Slow Motion, in The Telegraph, which I have been absolutely loving during lockdown. Unable to roam the globe as usual, she’s instead been writing about the delights of a British B&B, the autumnal joys of the UK seaside and the unexpected perks of holidaying with your parents as an adult. Her Instagram posts are also half the reason that Margate is now on my bucket (and spade) list.
Who is at home with you? I live with my rescue cat, Elvis, in Margate. It’s the first time I’ve lived on my own, and I love it. I love having the freedom to do yoga first thing, watch whatever I like, and have whoever I please over at any time. Living alone is such a luxury. I have six close friends on neighbouring streets, too, so I’m only ever as alone as I choose to be.
Current Netflix/Amazon obsession? I’m rewatching Twin Peaks, because 2020 is pretty damn Lynchian.
Best home comfort meal? I’m Irish so lentil stews and bean soups are my ultimate comfort food. I get bored in the kitchen so tend to batch cook; basically I cook as if I’m cooking for an entire hippy commune.
Best section of the Sunday papers? I love Caitlin Moran in The Times and Sali Hughes in The Guardian.
Book currently on your bedside table? Angela Carter’s The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman. I can’t get enough of Angela Carter, one of the weirdest and wildest imaginations I’ve ever delved into.
Background noise in your house? I’ve been collecting vinyl since my teens. Right now, Chet Baker records make me feel like all is right with the world. Even though it’s not.
Bath or shower? The one thing I’d change about my flat is that I’d love to have a bath. But I’ve instead embraced the Spartan cold shower regime, which admittedly does wake me up and boost my mood, even if it feels a bit brutal. But anytime I’m at a hotel with a bath, I’m right in there; now a bath seems like a wild luxury to me.
Favourite house scent? I burn nag champa incense to make my flat feel like a yoga studio in California.
Outdoor space? I have a tiny back yard, but during lockdown I took a day, and spent a couple of hundred quid, turning it from a neglected junk heap into a small patio with Mexican chairs and a planter full of ferns. It’s now one of my favourite places to hang out with a book and a coffee.
How well do you know your next door neighbours? I know them pretty well now, mainly because my cat loudly introduces himself to everyone. He’s sort of a celebrity on our street.
Your favourite home from home? My friends Steven and James live in West Hollywood and I normally spend a few months there every year, looking after their dogs and dodging the British winter. I have friends and family in California and always feel like I’ve got one foot there.
Anna’s travel memoir, Departures: A Guide To Letting Go, One Adventure At A Time, is out now, published by Little Brown Book Group.
FOOD STUFF
Quite a lot of intriguing food stuff going around this week. You’ll likely have already heard about the toast and jam-flavoured tea by Yorkshire Tea, but McVities have just created the perfect accompaniment: marmalade on toast-flavoured digestives. I have tried neither, but I feel they belong on this newsletter, if anywhere. If you do succumb to the former, I can’t imagine a more heartwarming mug to drink from than this one.
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If any of you are die-hard fans of Dolly Alderton, as I am (I’m excited by the mere fact that we share initials), then you might have heard her talking about her good friend, Farly Kleiner. Farly has just released an online recipe book, Florence and the Cuisines, in memory of her sister Florence, who passed away from leukemia at age 19. Aside from the fact it is for a brilliant cause (all proceeds go to Blood Cancer UK), the book itself is fantastic, packed with wholesome, homegrown recipes from Florence’s friends and family. Dolly’s entry, the Vietnamese pho, is an absolute winner.
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Pie season is here! Hurrah! And given that I won’t be filling my pie quota in my local pub as I might have in non-2020 times, I’ve decided to try to make my own. Thankfully, Calum Franklin has arrived just in time with this book to tell me how to do it. He should know, he heads up The Pie Room at Rosewood London. Grace Dent said she’d ‘happily spend eternity eating Chef Franklin’s pies,’ which sounds like quite a nice idea.
TV STUFF
Us - Oh dear God, I ugly cried at this BBC drama. Based on the David Nicholls book, it’s about a weary married couple struggling with well, their weary marriage. Tom Hollander is such a good actor (and did a very amusing Life in the Day interview in The Times last weekend). Top tip – do not watch all four episodes at once and go to bed at 2am. Very puffy eyes in the morning.
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My Octopus Teacher - This new Netflix documentary is slightly odd, in that it follows a year in the life of a South African guy, Craig Foster, who falls in love with an octopus. Yes. But it’s really very good. If you don’t buy the love story (it’s unclear whether the octopus felt the same way about Craig, frankly), it’s still a fascinating education into mollusc life. Trust me.
PODCAST STUFF
Changes with Annie Mac - I don’t know why, but I have become obsessed with playing the lottery. On Zoom calls with friends, I’ve started to instigate discussions about how much money we would give each other, should we win. It’s very revealing. Just when you thought you knew who your most generous friend was, they tell you excitedly that they would ‘just take you all on an amazing holiday!’ Erm, just the cold, hard cash will suffice, thank you very much. Annie interviews all sorts of brilliant guests in this podcast, including an excellent and very revealing episode with Romesh Ranganathan – but my favourite, for obvious reasons, was her chat with lottery winner Susan Herdman.
SHOPPING STUFF
I spotted this alphabet bracelet in a (real life!) meeting the other week and still haven’t managed to get it out of my head, which means I should definitely buy it. Only problem is, they are £75 a pop on Net-a-Porter, and one won’t really suffice, so I haven’t quite been able to justify it. But it’s on my list, for after my lottery win.
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I’ve also fallen for these. Gorgeous, customisable crystal healing bracelets by T Balance. They make the best presents. I presented one to myself, in fact.
BOOK STUFF
Can you believe we’ve been locked up long enough for someone to write and publish a book about it? Me neither. Anyway, this one from Dawn O’Porter, quarantined in Los Angeles with her husband (Chris O’Dowd) and two kids, is really brilliant - both funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. Her addiction to afternoon tequila and marijuana gummies will also help to normalise any bad behaviour you’ve picked up during the ‘rona era.
SCROLLING STUFF
I loved this piece by Caroline O’Donoghue on the seven pledges she has made to her single friends. “When something good happens to you, whether it’s a job opportunity, a trip abroad, or a 23-year-old male model, I will turn the warm beam of attention onto you and I will allow you to bask in it like it’s an Italian sunset.”
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This list from Stylist on 16 of the best autumnal films to curl up to is lovely. I read it, then spent a cosy Saturday during Storm Alex watching Fantastic Mr Fox.
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This piece from Diksha Basu on The Cut is so gorgeous, about how her family’s love language is restraint. “In my family, we show our love by never mentioning that we love each other, even in a whisper,” she says. “We see each other as such intrinsic parts of ourselves, so tightly woven together, that we’re careful not to praise each other too much, lest it seem vain.”
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Finally, I discovered the Tiptapp app this week when I needed a shedload (a nursery load, more accurately) of cardboard boxes removed from my life and living room. You just post a (free) ad of what needs to be shifted and how much you want to pay, then wait for someone to snap up the job. Genius.
On that groundbreaking garbage revelation (and no, this newsletter has not been sponsored by Tiptapp, or anyone for that matter!), I must dash. Another windswept beach walk is calling. See you next time – and happy nesting.
Dx
P.S I am also the author of “Bolder - Life Lessons from people older and wiser than you” - available to buy on Amazon here – and currently in development with Universal.
P.P.S The illustration for Nesting was created by my exceptionally talented friend Julia Murray in New Zealand.
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absolutely love this Dom! Huge congrats to you. On this and a second count I believe!! I am going to look into the YuYu water bottle right now. Like you I can really fade in the winter. This newsletter has given me hope!