If you’d asked me what this little update was going to be about this time last month it almost certainly would have been something about the whirligig ride I’ve been on since going freelance at the start of the year.
After four (now five) months of plugging away, I’m suddenly very very very busy and almost all of my thoughts seem to come from or circle back to the projects I’m now involved with. Some are unbelievably exciting and I can’t wait to share them. Others are tough but rewarding. It’s challenging but good. So I’d jotted down notes about the choices we make, the pathways we discover, on overcoming overwhelm almost every day and setting a new pace. I’m sure it would have been interesting…
But instead, I’m going to tell you about my new cat.
My partner and I adopted her from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home at the beginning of May - and our lives have not been the same since.
Those are her ears poking out from behind the books (she likes to hide behind them when she’s being mischievous).
Her name is Pinot - because she’s black and white and we thought it was better than Bellini - but she goes by many more names. Some of these include Pinotage, Pinocchinino, and Pinto Bean. I like to think T.S.Eliot would be proud.
Working at home alone most of the time, having her around changes everything. She’s chatty - very, very chatty. She likes to tell you when there’s something fun to watch in the garden, or if she wants to climb out of the window, or if it’s time for pets. After chittering away at the birds, clambering between gardens and generally exploring, she loves nothing more than to lie next to us on the sofa, purring away, rolling into the weirdest positions possible. She’ll crawl from lap to chest and curl over a collarbone if you’re on the sofa, will drape herself over a shoulder if you’re working at a desk, or push herself onto your lap if she can get away with it. To say she’s affectionate would be an understatement.
At seven months old, she is also the tiniest, fluffiest, most curious creature I’ve ever met. She’s very brave, very confident, very sure of what she wants to do and where she wants to go, obsessed with being the center of attention but perfectly happy in her own company too. The traits of every great heroine in literature, it seems - and all things that I would quite like to be as well.
She’s a small bundle of muse energy. A reminder to stay curious, to keep being playful, to be bold. She’s clumsy at times. Inelegant as she learns. Unafraid of climbing high. Happy to be rescued when she’s stuck. Loves on her terms or not at all. She doesn’t shy away when there’s another bigger, meaner looking cat in the garden or take no for an answer when she really wants attention.
In other words, she’s a perfect reminder for how to live creatively.
And isn’t that a wonder?
The magic of cats
“Cats were often familiars to workers of magic because to anyone used to wrestling with self-willed, wayward, devious magic—which was what all magic was—it was rather soothing to have all the same qualities wrapped up in a small, furry, generally attractive bundle that looked more or less the same from day to day and might, if it were in a good mood, sit on your knee and purr. Magic never sat on anybody’s knee and purred.”
― Robin McKinley, Spindle's End
- Funny Story by Emily Henry - What a delight to be back in one of Emily Henry’s pockets of the world. A little angst, a little romance, a little spice. It’s perfection. I loved this book, devouring it with the purest of joys.
- Bookworm by Lucy Mangan - To all you bookish souls, go read this one. It’s a lovely excuse to go down memory lane and think about the books that raised you, inspired you, and made you the reader - and person - you are today. 5 stars.
- Olive by Emma Gannon - My reread was just such a delight. I love coming back to books and I think that this is one that women thinking about motherhood can read again and again and feel understood and appreciated for their position. A strong 4.5 stars.
- Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw - A YA adventure that’s incredibly quick to read but still packed full of some great world building. There’s a little touch of ‘Not Like The Other Girls’ in there and I wasn’t sure about the twists of the ending - perhaps because the male characters feel very underdeveloped - but for lyrical and enchanting prose and a wonderful take on myths and magic, a solid 3.5 stars.
- Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy - This was my Willoughby subscription book for May and I have to admit I’ve struggled a little to lose myself in it so far. The writing is beautiful and there’s a really dark undercurrent that I’m interested to see evolve but perhaps I’m not in the headspace for eco-dystopia right now. Will report back next month.
- On the Map by Simon Garfield - This is one of my audio listens right now and I’m loving it. I’m fascinated by maps - how they’re made, how they evolve, how they’re stories in themselves. Absolutely worth it for anyone who’s opened up a book and been thrilled to find a map on the inside cover.
Next up: Diary of a Void by Emily Yagi; The Housekeepers by Alex Hay; James by Percival Everett; and The Old Ways by Robert McFarlane.
Oh there are some glorious wines to talk about this month - including my rosé recommendation of the summer and a shout out to one of the wines I recommended on the pairing list. Here are the top three for May.
- Domaine Les Mesclances Charmes, IGP Méditerranée Rosé 2023. This Provençal rosécame from The Wine Society and is officially my recommendation for the summer. A blend of cinsault, grenache and a little of the local tibouren grape, it’s exactly what I want in my rosé: bone-dry, crisp, clean, almost flinty with hints of cherry and redcurrant. It is delicious, refreshing, perfect for summer - and available at a fraction of the price of popular bottles like Whispering Angel.
- Simpsons Sparkling Rosé, Canterbury (Pinot Noir) 2019. I have had such a craving for this wine since rising about it this month as the pairing for Funny Story. It’s happily ever after in a bottle of wine and I want to tell everyone about it as much as possible.
- Lozave, Belan (Grenache Blanc) North Macedonia 2022. I’ve never had a North Macedonian white before but I was absolutely delighted by this bottle from the Wine52 box. It had more too it than some whites, full of orange blossom and grapefruity goodness but still very elegant and very moreish.
Articles
- Evolution of the hardest day by Poorna Bell, As I Was Saying - I honestly don’t quite know how to respond to this beautiful piece of writing about grief and anniversaries of loss. I just know that it needs to be shared and read. The writing is beautiful and so evocative and for anyone who’s lost anyone, it’ll resonate.
- Everyone’s a sellout now - Ooft this Vox article just hits. Since joining Substack, it’s felt like I’ve been trying to do everything all at once and so much of it is about performing online. I don’t love it. It’s uncomfortable. It’s exhausting. But I feel the need to do it for all the reasons pointed out in this article.
- Sexually transmitted debt: How financial services are fighting financial abuse - Something a little different but a very important discussion about what financial abuse is, how to spot the signs, and what’s being done to tackle it. Yes, it’s focused on Australia, but there’s a lot being done here in the UK too and these conversations are so important to have.
- It feels like you can’t go online at the moment without seeing yet more commentary about Baby Reindeer - with a huge proportion talking about the protection of real life identities even in dramatised stories. A month on, you don’t have to look hard before you’ll hear one pundit or another talking about what this means for Netflix and regulation. Personally, I think the more interesting and important story is how it’s actually started a conversation about stalking, sexual abuse, and the struggles people have being taken seriously. I enjoyed this response as well, on the healing power of writing about this kind of trauma and why the question shouldn’t be whether Gadd should have written it but one of how identities are hidden (or not).
Podcasts
I’m still listening to the latest Serial episodes and my usual suspects like The News Meeting, but a couple extras for your listening ears.
- White Devil - I hadn’t heard anything about this Belizean true crime story but it is quite compelling if sex, sabotage, and dodgy-dealings are your thing. Featuring a mysterious British billionaire and his son, a socialite who may have committed a murder, and a conspiracy-riddled custody battle.
- Motherland on The Slow Newcast takes a look at why the story of motherhood is largely absent from canonical literature - particularly the start of it. I enjoyed this. It’s a very short podcast at less that 20 minutes, but a neat view of a conversation worth having.
- I’m also very excited that Emma Gannon is launching an audio project exclusively on Substack. Ctrl Alt Delete was one of the first podcasts I ever listened to, so this feels like a lovely full circle moment. Find out more here.
TV & Film
- Baby Reindeer. I’m not going to wade in too much more on Baby Reindeer. But I do recommend that everyone watch it. It’s a brilliant piece of television and raises some incredibly important conversations about trauma, abuse, power and creative output. Watch on Netflix.
- Bridgerton is back and I’m here for it. ‘Polin’ were never my favourite match (I’m excited for whenever we meet Sophie Beckett and have Benedict’s arc) but I am lovely Nicola Coughlin and seeing the Peneloise fall out too.
- Bodkin. Yes we have three Bs this week. I found this snort-into-the-wine funny, with a really good pace and some genuinely good character development. Wasn’t sure about the wolf but other than that really good fun.
- Speaking of fall out… Fallout is brilliant. Gory and dystopian and weird af and maybe the 1950s music starts to grate by the final episodes but I genuinely loved this show. It’s not a binge-watch (I found it a bit too much to do in one go) but WOW it’s worth getting stuck into.
Until next time.
H xx