April Favourites

Can I just be completely basic about this month’s favourites and say that the current weather conditions in the UK (very warm, very sunny, not too hot at night) are my top, number one thing?

Will that do?

OK then, I’m off to reclaim my sun-basking space on the front step, see you in May.

I’m only partially joking, too: nothing makes me happier than the first bouts of proper, hot sunshine. If you have followed me for many years (it’s really getting ridiculous now, the amount of time I’ve been online for, some of you have virtually grown up with me) then you will know that I only truly come alive when I am lying in the heat and the warmth is gradually seeping into my very bones. I’m like a lizard on a stone.

Nothing beats the sensation of being brought back to life, being very gently warmed through so that the chill of the winter months becomes a distant memory.

Walking around the house with no shoes and socks on! Going outside WITHOUT A CARDIGAN! Pressing your hand against the car bonnet and saying “you could fry an egg on that”!

God, I just love it. The only time I have a problem with the heat is a) if it climbs above thirty five degrees and I have to perform any sort of mentally or physically complex activity, b) if the night temperature consistently remains above twenty five degrees and c) if it is hot and I am for some reason obligated to wear a proper bra.

My ideal scenario, you can probably imagine, is one where it is totally scorchio outside, the house but still coolish inside, on a week when I am unencumbered with any responsibilities and do not have to wear any underwear. Doesn’t happen often (ever) but when it does (if it did): the absolute dream.

[Ad info: no paid or sponsored content. Contains affiliate links. The Dorset Nook is a business that I personally own.]

Anyway, I do have some more favourites for you. And I have filmed them in a video and also talked about them in an audio version of this post, which will no doubt include many meandering minutes filled with unrelated nonsense. (I haven’t recorded it yet. My day is becoming annoyingly full for someone who just wants to eat crisps and enjoy an ice cold Coke on the sunbathing step.)

The Bag

I spoke about this bag at great length in my last post (read here) and it is one of my favourite purchases of the year, let alone month. I have chucked it about like nobody’s business and it has endured amazingly well. Thirty eight quid. It will make the most brilliant, chic beach bag. Find it online here.

I Bought Something Brilliant and Saved £1000

The Book

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. I wanted to give this book a standing ovation at the end, that’s how good it was. I didn’t, because I finished it at 11.35pm and I was lying down (on my heated mattress protector, no less, oh how long ago that now seems! The long hard winter!) but the sentiment was there. Bloody hell, what a book.

It’s about a newspaper journalist who gets a story sent her way about a mother who claims that she experienced a virgin birth. That she had never had any sexual experience or relations before her daughter was born. Obviously this is met with great scepticism by the news team but our main character (who is just brilliant, by the way) takes it on and begins to explore whether this could indeed be some sort of biological phenomenon.

But she gets (spoiler alert!) embroiled into the family set-up and fails to draw any sort of firm professional boundaries, which is almost definitely what would happen to me if I was a journalist, and the resulting story is quirky and funny and, despite its dark undertones, manages to be a rollicking and uplifting read.

It’s tender, it’s funny and it is so well-observed when it comes to different types of love and the way that they can shape a life. Well. It left me feeling slightly bereft when it ended - a little glum, if truth be known - but at the same time I felt an overwhelming sense of fondness for humans and what makes them all so different and (mostly) wonderful. For some reason (and I don’t know why, because it’s not really remotely similar) it reminded me of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Left me with the same sensation.

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers is here.

The Brows

Goodness, sorry. This month’s roundup does seem to be partly a collection of things I’ve already raved about. But the favourites post has always been an accompaniment to the monthly Youtube video and people on Youtube haven’t seen the bag or the brow gel` yet. We have to give them their moment. They only see me twice a month, whereas you get me twice a week and people on Instagram see me almost every day. I have to try and catch them up. It’s like all of you Substackers are the people who live in the city and the people on Youtube live, I don’t know, in the same remote place that the writer Lee Child lives, which is somewhere in Wyoming that takes four days to get to the nearest shop. Or something. My Youtube people are - shamefully - out on a limb and we have to make sure that they receive the same solid recommendations.

With that said, I’m not about to rewrite the whole post about the excellent eyebrow gel I’ve discovered. Even if I did use the word “Jizzbrows” in my post title and would quite like to redeem myself because it now feels slightly embarrassing. If you want to know why this brow gel is so good then read here - it’s SIX QUID, this product. Honestly, if you like the whole feathered soap brow look then you cannot go wrong with it.

The Business

Oh, I’m sorry, what’s that you say? You love a Staycation and you’re always looking for beautiful little cottages near the sea to stay in? Ones with window seats and sun rooms and (preferably) a gorgeous bedroom up some hidden stairs through a secret doorway? You want to go alone for some time to write a book, or do some quiet yoga, or you fancy a romantic getaway, and you need high-speed internet but in a location that’s off the beaten track?

May I present to you my holiday cottage, The Dorset Nook, perfectly situated a few minutes walk away from the dramatic, unspoilt beach at Eype? It has now won over so many guests that many of them are on their fourth or fifth stays! It’s only been open for three years! This has to be testament to just how lovely it is to stay there - one of the most-written guest notes is usually that they didn’t want to leave. Ever.

You can’t blame them. It really is the perfect rest and reset sort of place. And Bridport, with its antique shops and lovely cafes, is only a mile away if you fancy a quick pop to somewhere, and Lyme Regis is a short car journey if you fancy a longer mooch about around the fresh seafood restaurants and the nice old shops, but equally you can just park your car and forget about it and walk absolutely everywhere, which is what I do.

Anyway, I have news: small, well-behaved dogs will now be welcome to stay at The Dorset Nook. With a human guest, obviously - I’m not just going to take a booking from “Mr Waffles the Sausage Dog, Esq”, even if he does have a valid credit card. Eype is GREAT for dogs - the stunning beach allows dogs all year round and all of the pubs, cafes and restaurants in the area tend to be so welcoming when it comes to furry friends. I think people will absolutely love being able to take their dog pals along with them.

You can check availability and book your dates in here!

Right: here’s this month’s video and there’s a quick and informal tour around the cottage, too, if you fancy having a nose about. Which I’m sure you do…