🔖Little Black Book #10

Indulgences of a Woman About Town.

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Welcome back to The Navigation’s Little Black Book - the diary/directory offering recommendations and encouragement on spending your money, time and energy mindfully, with insights on what this Valleys girl is up to in the big smoke.

👗Wearing

Following last month's uncertainty, I think we are now officially in spring.

Yes there have been grey skies and rainy days, but also an abundance of blue, and an uncharacteristically warm weekend that saw me officially take off my tights for the season several weeks earlier than I might usually consider sensible. They will now not return to my legs until October.

It has also therefore meant that white jeans are back in.

I have shared previously that, for many years of my life, I did not wear jeans. I fully believed they were not for me; not for my body. For white jeans I held this same sentiment, but doubled. If you're feeling in any way the same, let me encourage you to give them a go, if only to experience their surprising versatility (though I appreciate for those with small children, white jeans may seem like a mad idea of a different kind).

Opt for a thicker denim, in a straight or wide leg (I hear good things about the barrel leg too, but it’s not for me) and the rise you feel most comfortable in.

Try on a few pairs at your go-to jean retailer (if you are lucky to have found such a thing) but dare to explore what's in places you may not usually venture into.

Though intended as spring/summer garm, a thicker denim will likely make for a better fall, and help avoid thoughts of "is anything/everything on show here?!" as you leave the house.

I got mine a year or so ago at Stradivarius and they are probably most similar to these slim fit mom jeans currently in store. These wide-legs also look like a good option, and more of an off-white for those who fear the glare.

In other clothing news, those leopard print pumps I mentioned last month have also been getting their steps in through April, and paired with red trousers (also from Reserved, about three years ago) add an extra pop. That combo has been to the office, a networking event, and a hen weekend brunch. Let us not pigeonhole our outfit options.

What are you pulling out from the wardrobe to welcome in the season?

💄 Applying

Sunnier days are also reminding me to get back into regular use of a high SPF for my face and not just rely on what is apparently already in my make-up and/or moisturiser. I sat outside for a few hours one sunny afternoon this month, having applied, I think, only my daily moisturiser on my face, and as I looked in a mirror a few hours later saw noticeably more brown splotches on my face.

Freckles?

Age spots?

Either way, while I'll not loose sleep over them, it was a good nudge to use up what's left of the Garnier Vitamin C SPF50+ Fluid I got into last year, as well as perhaps upgrade my moisturiser when the current pot runs out.

Recommendations are welcome should you wish to share.

🎁 Gifting

While we pay most attention to the contents of a gift itself, I think there's a lot to be said for the packaging. And not just at Christmas.

Receiving something beautifully packaged at any time of year feels like an extra treat and I think can be part of the gift itself. A tissue paper in their favourite colour. Ribbon they might keep and repurpose for something else. A pretty gift bag that may come in handy for storing bits and bobs.

Or maybe that's all just me.

I am a reuser / repurposer / repackager of wrapping paraphernalia (which I consider to be both environmentally and economically friendly) but of course I also love stocking up on new supplies to keep the never-empty box fresh.

A favourite place to peruse such offerings at the moment is Søstrene Grene (which, since I 'discovered' the Tottenham Court Road store last year, now also have outposts in Kings Cross and Oxford Street) for pretty patterns at great prices.

Spring gifting.

🥗 Eating

A few dabblings in restaurant offerings this month, not least for a very lovely and very fun hen weekend which included dinners at Cecconi’s and Gaucho, plus brunch at Scarlett Green. Stand out moments included an utterly gigantic slice of tiramisu, a group discussion on how to select a steak from a menu offering cuts and weights to a diner (hi👋🏻) without the meat knowledge to understand what all this means (though I ate every bite of the 300g cuadril - an afternoon of cocktails will do that for you), and a 'fancy bacon roll' served with roti rather than your average bap. A foodie weekend if ever there was one.

Elsewhere brunch was enjoyed at The Acoustic Brasserie - both post and pre a sunny stroll around Clissold Park. The menu is large (slightly overwhelming, but ideal if you want your tastebuds tempted) and the portions match. I had the vegetarian breakfast, swapping out the halloumi for hash browns, and honestly I don't think I ate another thing all day. My partner, A, claimed to have the best pancakes he's ever tasted (they were good, but I still maintain loyalty to Beam).

Big breakfast vibes.

Last week I had dinner at Pahli Hill (with 50% off, thanks once again to The Fork - click here for a voucher code if you haven’t used the app before). The stand out dish was the Papadi Chaat - a mix of yoghurt, pumpkin, tomato, pomegranate, mint and tamarind chutney. I shared a portion as a starter, but could have happily eaten three bowls myself.

At home, in taking another browse through saved recipes, I adapted one for a tray bake, roasting together diced chicken breast, aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and chickpeas. Herbs and spices included paprika and oregano, and towards the end of the approx. 45 minute bake, I threw in some olives and spinach.

The recipe I (very roughly) followed was for four, but we got at least six or seven portions out of it, so with each serving I tried to mix up the taste with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, a dollop of truffle mayo, or having a small portion with a large fresh salad.

Less excitingly, a good chunk of this month was also spent without reliable (or any) running water from the kitchen tap, while we waited for the landlord to agree to get it fixed. The inconvenience of juggling between bathroom tap water, buying bottled water, and boiling the kettle several times to wash any dishes was incredibly frustrating (and resulted in more than one oven ready-meal... Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference moussaka is not bad if you're in the market for something comforting).

Annoyance aside, it was also a wake up call to appreciate the small privileges we are used to enjoying everyday, which in fact are not that small at all. In a moment of contemplating the injustice of this not being a norm everywhere for everyone all the time, I made a donation to WaterAid. I tell you this not from a place of righteousness, but just to invite you to think about the small differences we can make by turning our own frustrations about something into a positive intention to help someone else.

🎭 Visiting

London outings this month have taken me to my first

Women on Our Way

event, a career workshop with Anna Campbell of Reclaim Your Lane. With drinks and nibbles on the 7th floor of 150 Holborn, the sunset cityscape backdrop set the perfect vibe for an international group of women from a range of professional backgrounds to come together in search of something more from our working lives. This round-up of takeaways shared by the team will give you a sense of why I left with a renewed excitement about untapped potential.

A cityscape backdrop of a different kind was enjoyed one sunny Sunday, as A and I spent the day at Waterlow Park, sprawled on a picnic blanket - me with papers, books, journals, him with a laptop and headphones. We started with coffee and pastries, and later grabbed lunch and a smoothie from the nearby Highgate high street to bring back for the afternoon. Even at the point of peak sun it wasn't too overcrowded, and the view from a height overlooking the city skyline beyond the trees was giving real Central Park vibes. I trust that I am not (yet?) the level of influencer that will now cause all of London to flock there when the sun next graces us, and so I think safe to say if you're looking for a more tranquil leafy hideaway for a reading-in-the-park afternoon, it’s a good option.

Views.

During the Easter bank holiday weekend, A and I left London to make use of a hotel voucher I had, venturing down to Southampton, with very little knowledge of what there might be to do except it be a change of scene. Turns out there was plenty - and also we didn't need very much at all.

There was reading over drinks at the hotel bar while the rain tumbled down outside, a walk along the waterfront when it eased off, and a stop off for a delicious pasta dinner at Figurati!.

A trip to the local Picturehouse to bed in for a drizzly evening was an added treat and the movie, The Penguin Lessons, gave me all the feels with a good cry but some laughs too. The cinema was also very much a community hub, with fundraising for Refuge via sales of second hand books, DVDs and movie posters, plus a movie-book library to peruse while you wait, donated by a local resident. The cafe area was buzzing, with diners, winers and tea-drinkers (and someone ordering a late night cappuccino... each to their own) taking in the harbour of yachts that the cinema overlooks.

Elsewhere in the city we visited the Tudor House and SeaCity Museum. The latter has a large exhibition on the Titantic, following the lives of specific crew members throughout the storytelling of wider events. Both were very interactive and great for kids (small and uhh… adult-sized) who want to touch and feel and try on. I even dabbled in a bit of playtime myself, colouring in a paper egg decoration to hang on an Easter tree.

From a port just a 10 minute walk from our hotel - The White Star Tavern, would recommend, and don’t be put off that it’s above a pub - we took a boat to the Isle of Wight for a day on the island. A quick 30 minute journey to Cowes gets passengers straight into windy streets full of boutiques, cafes and restaurants. I could have spent the day shopping, but we made the journey via local buses over to The Needles on the west coast, passing through some gorgeous chocolate-box-village scenery of the way. Never have I seen so many thatched roofs.

Once there, we enjoyed ice creams and an expected bit of time in the sun on the pebble beach - which can be accessed via a long queue for a chairlift down, or, as we opted for, walking down the hidden but very accessible steps. It was tourist-heavy, but the incredible landscape with colourful cliffs, glistening waves and the needle-shaped rocks themselves were worth navigating the crowds.

📚 Reading

My book of the month would have to be Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy. It's the first of hers I've read (though Rodham has been on my TBR list since it was published) and page by page I lapped it up. I haven't read a girl-meets-boy story in such a long time. It's not really my go-to genre, but this I thought was well-written, witty, and fun, even against the pandemic backdrop. I also enjoyed the email exchanges, which I know literary types are not wont to celebrate, but I think they worked well to move the story along.

Penny Wincer

’s Home Matters will also stay with me for a while, as you might have gathered from the meanderings essay I shared earlier this month.

For different reasons, as will bell hooks’ Communion: The Female Search for Love (interesting to dive into alongside a literal rom-com). I’ll be digesting this one for months to come, and as with her wider canon, it’ll require a re-read for sure. I know there’ll be something new to take away each time. I came to her work around 10 years ago and haven’t looked back. An incredible thinker and activist, whose writing is as accessible as it is galvanising and thought-provoking.

A dynamic duo.

As ever, thank you for reading, and being on the journey for now 10 issues of Little Black Book!

Whether it’s a treat for yourself or someone else, inspiration to check out your local food scene, or a reminder about the importance of skin protection, I hope this monthly round-up continues to offer you something useful and fun.

Until next time, weekend vibes to leave you with…

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