If We Were Having Coffee (8 Sept, 2020)

"Cats are content"

Sep 08, 2020

Good morning, pals! It’s well and truly Autumn here, these days - a few bright and surprisingly warm days scattered in amongst the rain and wind. Time to cosy up and get hygge with it (sorry).

If we were having coffee:

I’d tell you about one of my parents’ rescue cats, Finch, who got very involved when they were watching Planet Earth last weekend. He’s never normally at all interested in the TV, but when the birds, fish, and snow leopards came on the screen, he was right up on the TV unit, watching them like a tennis match. At one point, he walked around the back of the TV to see if the animals were hiding there. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed… but he’s cute, so we’ll forgive him that.
As the lovely Grace says, #catsarecontent, so I thought you all might get a kick out of this!
I’d tell you about the cute Frog and Toad stories I’ve been following on the McSweeney’s site, and about the most recent instalment: Frog and Toad Tentatively Go Outside After Months in Self-Quarantine by Jenny Egerdie. I’ve been finding the last couple of weeks especially tough, so it was nice to read something that made me feel ‘seen’. Even if that was a frog and a toad. If you’re new to these stories, you can go back and read the first part, which makes me want to make mac & cheese with extra cheddar and cut-up [vegetarian] hot dogs. Anyway, here is a particularly relatable excerpt:

The music playing in the background would be from this great playlist, Nancy Meyers’ Kitchen, created by Michael Bernardini on Spotify:
It was recommended in the comments on an internet message board I’m on (I know - how 2009 of me!) and I’ve had it playing almost non-stop since. Great background music for cooking, eating, washing-up, reading, working… you get the picture. For more on this theme, I’d send you the link to this Apartment Therapy post ranking the kitchens in Nancy Meyers films. My favourite is in The Intern, a film which is so much better than it needed to be (unexpected caper scene included). In linking this playlist, I’ve discovered that the same guy has also got playlists called Of The Moment (with a header picture of Michelle Obama drinking wine - I’m with you), Burning My Bra (Jane Fonda getting arrested at a climate protest), and All Pumpkin Everything (you get the idea).
I’d tell you that on Saturday, I was honoured to attend the wedding of some friends’ of mine - via YouTube. They both looked ecstatically happy, and the bride was accompanied into church by amazingly bright sunshine that made her glow like a fairy princess. I was so glad they had managed to have their special day, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with them in person when it’s safe to do so. (By the way, the bride’s dress had pockets!).
You know I’m a podcast fiend (#listeningtopodcastssincebeforeserial) and I want to recommend a newish podcast that I’ve been listening to for the last few months, Bad On Paper. I think it started out more tightly focussed as a books podcast, but it’s now a mixture of book chat (mostly YA and women’s popular fiction, aka. my happy place!) and ‘two intelligent ladies talking’ content. My Kryptonite. I’m working my way back through some of the older episodes and I’m really enjoying their book picks. I’ve recently finished In Five Years by Rebecca Serle on audio, where it’s read by the gorgeous (in voice and appearance) Megan Hilty, of Smash fame (that much-maligned show). It’s told in first-person present tense, which works really well with the immediacy of audio. Have tissues ready for the second half of the book…
The gyms are back open here, but I’ve cancelled my membership (gyms are Petri dishes at the best of times) and I’m still enjoying working out at home. I was really missing cardio classes, but a recent addition to my menu has changed that: Emily Thorne - EMKFit on YouTube - has an amazing class format involving HIIT based around dance moves to songs that you can’t help want to dance along to. I would particularly recommend checking out her Shrek-themed video - highlights include riding the noble steed and searching for Princess Fiona. No word of a lie. I was left shiny, sweaty, and with a huge smile on my face.
I’m a fully paid-up Sweet Angel Clown (Patreon supporter) and can’t wait to have a go at this week’s video, which is Taylor Swift themed. Oh yes!
Last week I mentioned the London Writers’ Salon Zoom Writing Hours and I wanted to share the work of Tiff Phillippou, who also joins the weekday 8am slots. I went back in her newsletter archive a wee bit and found this fantastic post from July, about dating, consent, and social distancing. At the time of writing, her most recent post is about how the identities we choose for ourselves can hold us back - something that rings very true for me - and how we can opt to change them. I also love this, from April: Dreaming of a future where the only thing we fear is regret. I’m sure I’m not the only person thinking about some big life changes as we ease out of All This.
In the spirit of a fresh start (September is the start of my favourite season), I got myself a new planner from Paperblanks, one of my favourite brands. This one appealed to my need for Romanticism - am I an Elinor who wants to be a Marianne? I won’t deny it. (And I wouldn’t turn down a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils, especially not from Joe Fox).
I promised I’d report back on a new stir-fry with kebab-spiced Oumph. It was delicious, but not at all photogenic, so… let’s move on. Lately I’m into overnight oats - but do you know how hard it is to find a recipe without chia seeds? Very. (I haven’t got anything against them… I just don’t keep them in stock). What I ended up doing was taking this recipe and simplifying it right down. In each of a set of smallish jam jars, I mixed: 40g oats, 20g peanut butter, 10g chocolate chips, and 110ml milk. Perfect to stash in the fridge for breakfasts or low-energy meals (I keep getting really despondent and then realising that it’s because I haven’t eaten properly…). You can add maple syrup if you want, but I really don’t think it needs it. Next week I want to try adding chocolate peanut butter or lemon curd…
Lastly, TV - I’d tell you that now I’ve finished working my way through all of Downton Abbey, I’m at a bit of a loose end. I enjoyed Virgin River on Netflix but there was only one season… candidates for the next binge are Mad Men (on Prime) and Borgen (now on Netflix) but I’m open to suggestions!

See you next week for another cuppa and a chat, friends!

Lily

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