26/02/2019

Status update

We've been having amazing weather for about a week now (it was +20c here yesterday!), and until we revert to overcast skies and chillier temps, which is normal February weather,  I shall be making the most of it. I'll be back shortly!

22/02/2019

Magic

Celebrating a 3-year old in the best possible way. Have a good weekend yo.

18/02/2019

A week ago


After taking these pictures I realised that maybe I needed to declutter a bit (no shit). I read Marie Kondo's book a few years ago, and started chucking out clothes and books that didn't "spark joy", but as she wrote that the whole process of decluttering would take SIX months, I went "Cool, no rush then!". And now it's three years later. I'd love to do the whole house, but I live with two other people, so if they don't do it, it's not really going to work. But I shouldn't let that stop me getting rid of my stuff, right? A friend of mine who followed through on the KonMari Method says that, apart from being clutter free, she now knows where every single thing is in her flat. I'd love that! Maybe I can convince the guys to do it with me... I showed Mr Famapa a bit of her Netflix show, but he just went "Meh". Wish me luck.

Does Marie Kondo's method really work? - an article 

15/02/2019

Bathtub Buddy



This is where I found Buddy when I came into the bathroom to brush my teeth the other night. Perfectly normal place to hang out, right? Yep.... perfectly normal.

08/02/2019

Three from home

Mr Famapa on the phone.

A morning sky. I still haven't seen a proper sunrise - ever.  I need to fix that. It'd be silly to leave this earth without ever having seen one.

Afternoon sun on our bedroom wall. In hindsight maybe putting all those prints on a sunny wall wasn't so smart.

05/02/2019

At the Royal Academy




Last week I went to the Royal Academy to see the Gustav Klimt/Egon Schiele exhibition before it ended. I've never really been into Schiele, but seeing his drawings, and especially next to Klimt's, was quite an experience. So much soul in his lines. What I used to find ugly about his style is exactly what I find amazing now, and his use of colour was brilliant. I really want to see his actual paintings now, as well as Klimt's. Maybe I need to keep a trip to Vienna in mind... I didn't take many pics in the exhibition as I was too busy looking at it. The third picture is from the Bob and Roberta Smith exhibit which was in one of the rooms in the new wing of the Academy. I'm glad I stayed and looked at it properly as it was really interesting (the line about which pens to draw with made me laugh). And the last pic is of Eros, a small bronze model of the same statue that's in Piccadilly Circus. Whoever made it smashed it to pieces, but it has been so carefully restored you'd never know it was ever broken. Magique.

04/02/2019

Four from a Thursday


The 'Chips With Everything' title stopped me in my tracks. We were in a hurry though, but I should have a look round the vintage books shops on Charing Cross Road. 26 years in London, and I have never entered any of them. How very silly.


A winter blossoming tree. Even if it still feels far away, it's not too long now until spring is here.
Ooooooh yeeeeaaaaah!


Found myself humming 'When I'm 64' when I took this. I wonder why...


The colour of these roses! Or were they carnations? Heart eyes anyways.

01/02/2019

My 2018 in books



'Theft by Finding' - David Sedaris
'An Autobiography' - Agatha Christie
'Eleanor Olifant is Completely Fine' - Gail Honeyman
'The Buried Giant' - Kazuo Ishiguro
'Three Daughters of Eve' - Elif Shahak
'Conversations with Friends' - Sally Rooney
'After the Party' - Cressida Connolly
'Masterpiece' - Emile Zola
'The Haunting of Hill House' - Shirley Jackson
'The End We Start From' - Megan Hunter
'I Hate the Internet' - Jarett Kobek
'The Tipping Point' - Malcom Gladwell
'Me Talk Pretty One Day' - David Sedaris
'De Oroliga' - Linn Ullman (Swedish)
'Egenmäktigt Förfarande - en roman om kärlek' - Lena Andersson (Swedish)

Not pictured:
'Educated' - Tara Westover
'South and West' - Joan Didion

Best read: 'Conversations with Friends' - Sally Rooney
This book kind of blew my mind. Boy oh boy can that Sally Rooney write - and then some! It's always a good sign when a book is so gripping that when you look up, you're surprised to find yourself not in it - if you know what I mean. There was one point when I paused while reading this on a train, and got a jump, as I had totally forgotten where I was IRL! I seriously recommend it if you haven't read it yet. Can't wait to read 'Normal People' once it's out in paperback.


Worst read: 'Eleanor Oilifant is Completely Fine' - Gail Honeyman
I HATED this book. I would never have sought it out myself, but a woman working in my local book shop recommended it to me, and I thought that I if I liked it, I could trust her recommendations in the future. Well, I tried my hardest and finished it, but I knew quite quickly that we didn't have the same taste in books, but there was only way of finding that out. I'm a bit of a fusspot when it comes to books, and generally don't like best sellers, so with this book being a HUGE hit last year it shouldn't have come as a surprise that I didn't like it. It was the complete opposite of Sally Rooney's writing; it read like it was written as a result of someone taking a creative writing course, and following a  formula of how to write a certain kind of book. Just not my cup of tea at all, I'm afraid.

I've been mostly reading non fiction for the past couple of years, so it felt quite refreshing to return to fiction. I'm also so happy to be reading physical books again, even though I've now got huge piles next to the bed. Reading on a Kindle was fun in the beginning, but you just can't beat browsing in book shops, as well as the tactile experience of holding a proper book in your hands. If it ain't broke and all that...

Normally I'd ask what your likes and dislikes were last year, but I get that no one can be arsed to comment these days, so I won't (no offence taken - I know you guys are still reading)! 😚

Update: oops, turns out something wasn't right in the comments settings in Blogger, and I've not seen any comments since May last year! I'm so sorry to those who have taken the time to comment, and then not gotten a reply from me. Hopefully it should work from now on!