🔖Little Black Book #5

Indulgences of a Woman About Town.

Dabbling in a bit of audio again… listen in, or read on below 💌

Welcome back to The Navigation’s Little Black Book column! Part diary, part directory, here I share a monthly dose of insights and recommendations - not with the intention of sending you out to spend hordes of cash, but to encourage you to spend mindfully, whether that be money, time or energy. And give you a little more insight into what this Valleys girl is up to in the big smoke - though this month’s round up also includes a little something from a trip back to Wales.

👗 Wearing

We’ve had some chilly days, but it’s felt like a relatively mild start to autumn, so I’m not in full-boot-swing just yet, but my pair of black, chunky Chelsea boots have had several outings, not least to protect my feet from the elements on those more stormy days. I searched high and low for a new pair of this ilk last year, and in the end it was Carvela that came up trumps. I struggled to find them online to share with you here, but they are something along the lines of this textured leather pair (which are currently 25% off).

Then in the spirit of buying less new and all that, I took my favourite pair of knee-high black, heeled boots off on a stroll to my local Timpson (which, it turns out, is a shack in the middle of a supermarket carpark about half an hour away!) for some repairs. I toyed with the notion of needing to look for a new pair this year, but these are so comfy, fit well, go with so many outfits - I couldn’t bear to part with them.

They’ve shown signs of wear for a while, and I bought a back-up pair two winters ago, which are slightly different in style, with a more square toe and a softer leather - snapped up for a bargain £40 in the Zara sale. But they are nowhere near as comfy so get little use. Great if I’m popping out to a local bar or jumping in a cab to dinner (a huge rarity, I might add) but otherwise limiting.

The favourite pair, bought on a whim some years ago from Deichmann (which I generally find very hit-and-miss), need new heels and a new zip in one leg, for which they needed to be sent away by the Timpson team. I’m eagerly awaiting their return for November’s outfits, and hoping the repairs will be worth the investment, as I am indeed forking out more for those than I did for a pair of black Hunter wellington boots this month!

Having spied the BRAND NEW pair in the window of a local charity shop, despite being one size too big, at £49 I had no qualms about snapping them up. As Celine Dion says, albeit in reference to much more glamorous shoes, “I’ll make them work”. I’ve wanted a pair of these iconic wellies since my teenage years, and never felt I could justify the spend. But at less than half the RRP, and in support of a worthy cause, I simply couldn’t leave them there.

Awaiting an outing…

💄 Applying

Hair dye. Well not applying it myself, but my hairdresser of 20 years dutifully perked up my locks for the second time this year, as I have succumbed to the idea of covering the greys.

My relationship with my hair in recent years has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, navigating hair loss and regrowth, the different styles (and emotions) that come with that, and then - incredibly annoyingly - an increasing amount of greys.

I wanted to push back against my dislike of them. Didn’t want to succumb to the pressures of them taking over. But that’s what it felt like was happening, and that didn’t feel like me.

I wanted to demonstrate my feminist credentials by not having a care in the world about the levels of pigment in the strands growing out of my head.

But I couldn’t. I’m not ready to embrace those silvery strands just yet.

When I first had my hair dyed earlier this year, I left the salon feeling like my whole head, indeed my whole self, had a new lease of life.

And I felt the same having it done again last week.

The free therapy session that comes with having a hairdresser that’s known you for two decades doesn’t harm either.

🎁 Gifting

Candles. To say happy birthday. To say thank you. And ‘tis very much the season to buy them and burn them just because.

A few I’ve been purchasing and perusing include the Cwtch candle from The Original Welsh Candle Co., Positive Energy from Aery, and various collections at Next.

I’m also starting to think about a little holiday coming up in December, but I know it’s early for some so I’ll save that for next month…

Buying and burning the vibes.

🥗 Eating

The first shout out here has to go to Lindt Pistachio Lindor chocolates, discovered by chance when popping into my local newsagents. Honestly, these have totally changed the game in chocolatey indulgences. Heavenly in all ways.

Less luxurious, but this little note on Small Pleasures and tea and toast really seemed to resonate with Substackers this month. Sometimes there’s nothing that hits the spot more than hot, buttered sourdough and steamy tea.

A few dinners out here and there this month, but I’ll offer a particular nod to Kimchee in Kings Cross. The vibe is fun, a sort of up-market chill, with cosy booths for group dinners - perfect for a catch up with friends. The menu is overwhelmingly large, with photos of everything on offer, which feels a bit like an old school takeaway. But at least you know what you’re getting. From Korean stews to noodles to bibimbap, and plenty of smaller bites to nibble and share, there’s something for everyone’s taste and spice tolerance - all the way up to five chilies worth if you’re really after some heat!

The company was also on top form - my first group of ‘work friends’ at the job I started straight after graduation. The lunchtime chat would be a mix of the previous night’s shenanigans and the latest shenanigans in Westminster. Nearly ten years on, we’ve all since moved on from that staffroom, but through new jobs, new partners, setting up lives in new locations, and little ones thrown into the mix, the bonds are cemented. We know each other well enough to offer a good talking-to when needed, which is what they did for me this week, emphasising the need to take the self-imposed pressure (about, well, everything) off my shoulders, and enjoy more downtime. Sound advice indeed. Pals, if you’re reading, thank you. 💛

🎭 Visiting

Two trips to the theatre this month, for two very different productions.

The first was Mean Girls at The Savoy Theatre, a musical adaptation of the iconic movie that taught teenage millennials some hard won lessons about what it meant to be popular (or not). I grew up on movies like this, but it’s stand out quips set it apart from 2004’s equally loved counterparts like 13 Going on 30 and 50 First Dates, and even now I think the quality of writing from Tina Fey stands the test of time.

The musical version uses some iconic lines and scenes from the movie to retell the familiar tale, largely through song. It was at times a little cheesy for me (and I can handle A LOT of cheesiness) but still an enjoyable performance, and fun to see how they’d added some nuance and more modern references to acknowledge the 20 years that has passed since the film’s release. There were children there with mums and aunties, but with references to drugs, sex and some choice language, I’m not sure I’d say it’s totally child friendly myself - more one for a night out with the gals. Mine were Charlotte and Tayla, closing off the final of the 30th celebrations between us for this year.

The second theatrical outing was quite literally worlds apart, with a retelling of Homer’s Odyssey through the 1984 Miners’ Strike in South Wales. Odyssey ‘84, at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre, was a mid week treat while at home in the Valleys for a few days earlier this month, and was actually a more emotional experience than I’d imagined. It really made me reflect on my roots, growing up in what was a mining village, in a street of houses that would have been built 100 years ago or more for miners and their families.

A lot can be said about the politics connected to the strikes in South Wales, and elsewhere around the country through that decade, and that is often what I reference when thinking or talking about that time. But this performative piece of heartfelt storytelling was about so much more; the people, the communities, the daily hardships, the losses, the small wins. And, the international support for the cause, and why it resonated so much with many different groups, which was something I knew little about, beyond that from groups in the LGBT community, as depicted in the film Pride.

The show has now run its course at the Sherman, as of last night I believe, but beyond being something I would have recommended to any Welsh person, and even more so to anyone interested in solidarity, it was really a reminder of the power of local theatre, and that can, hopefully, be found wherever you are. There’s something about seeing a story acted out by real people depicting real emotions right in front of your eyes. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

What’s captured your attention this month?

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