LAST WEEK at our newsletter, I posted a lengthy and intricately crafted post on The Return of Rich Woods, filled with wonderful information and even more beautiful interiors inspiration. In hindsight, it might have been much better suited here rather than there. We're still figuring out how to keep these two spaces separate and what sorts of content would work best where.
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Joined14 February 2014
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I WROTE about rough-hewn stone sinks in March—about how I was seeing them everywhere—and then recently came across Kyūka House, a wellness retreat in Bridgehampton, NY that also has this feature (scroll down to the bottom).
I FINALLY finished Little Women and understand now while it did not end satisfactorily. Louisa May Alcott had written it for money, at the request from her publisher (and a little nudge from her father), and she apparently did not enjoy the process. She also wanted the main character, Jo, to remain unmarried, but at the time (1868–69), this was not possible and the character had to be married off.
P WROTE LAST week's Newsletter, and it's about American Fiction, as well as the author whose work inspired the film, whom he is now reading. (You can find it here.) While still in the middle Little Women, of course I started two new books—the latest being In the Swarm: Digital Prospects by philosopher and cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han.
LAST WEEK, during cardio, was watching a film in which two of the main characters were a British couple living somewhere in Italy. Italy, of course, was very much a main character itself, with its terracotta orange and olive green and blindingly sunny skies. It looked idyllic.
THERE IS A lot going on in media and publishing these days. Do you remember The Coveteur? I just read that they are no more as of June 15, after a splashy rebrand, dropping the "the", and hiring Jenna Lyons as editor in chief—a role she held for only 96 days. In other news, Substackers are "Online Culture Curators" now, and it's all emblematic—these rapid changes and rebrands—of the fast-paced, tumultuous nature of the media world today.
SOMEHOW, SUMMERTIME casts an enchanting spell. Even when trying to focus on work, the beckoning sunshine streaming through wide-open windows makes my gaze wander and the languid rhythms of summer days slows everything down.
THIS WEEKEND was the May Bank Holiday, yet, today, we've chosen to forgo the leisurely pace and return to our usual routine, save for a walk in the rain in the early afternoon hours. The current state of upheaval, a time of transition and change for us, is making it challenging to concentrate on work until circumstances stabilise a little.
Clemency and I first began discussing a collaboration nearly six years ago, sometime in 2018. Little did we know that a worldwide pandemic was looming, which would soon put everything on hold.
THE CLOCKS went ahead last night, the sun is pouring in through the windows, it finally feels like spring and it's wonderful. Last week, at our Substack, there was a newsy life update, which you can read here. There was also a soft launch for subscribers of the new organic skincare line from New Zealand that I had been hinting about in past weekend links.
THIS PAST WEEKEND, the Spring Bank Holiday, we spent our time picnicking – at the cricket fields with a bottle of crisp Riesling, and along the Thames with a baguette and creamy Brie.
FOR SOME TIME, we’ve been wanting to dedicate more time to writing, but haven’t had the opportunity or the right platform until now. Our Substack has provided the perfect space for us to explore long-form content, ranging from reflections, book and film critiques, to personal essays.
WHILE routine often carries a negative connotation, the film Perfect Days (Wim Wenders, 2023) invites viewers to find beauty in the mundane. It follows Hirayama, a Tokyo-based toilet cleaner who finds contentment in life's simple pleasures and the daily rituals that lend his days structure and tranquility.
I HAVE BEEN making these oatmeal breakfast cookies lately with maple syrup and dark chocolate chips. If you subscribe to our newsletter, you'll have the recipe. Both P and I have been reading quite a bit about manifesting, as well as the concept of dopamine fasting...
P IS IN THE middle of reading The Bee Sting by Paul Murray and I've just finished All Made Up by Rae Nudson as well as Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (yes, I know, it's crazy that this is my first time ever reading that classic), and am now just starting The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
