🔖Little Black Book #9
Indulgences of a Woman About Town.
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
So, is it spring yet, or not? This month I’ve been sat in the sun with my bare arms soaking up vitamin D for the first time since September, only to return to needing thermals a few days later.
It’ll be a while before I set a weekend aside to do the seasonal wardrobe swap, but in the meantime the sunnier days are drawing me to brighter colours.
A new wardrobe addition this month came therefore in the form of a bright green jumper in the M&S sale - the exact one I cannot find online but it’s like this cream one. The air-yarn fabric means it is somehow cosy and light at the same time - perfect for weather that requires both vibes in any given hour.
It’s already had several outings with last month’s new jeans, and feels nice to wear indoors with my Uniqlo WFH trousers. When it feels enough like spring to start wearing white jeans again, I think the vibrant green will be a great compliment to those, possibly with some jazzy leopard print flats I got in the sale at Reserved last year.
On the bright jumper vibe, a pink number (also from Uniqlo, a few years back) has been out and about more recently too, and always gets a compliment.
💄 Applying
The up and down weather is also affecting my nails, but my go-to nail strengthener has been working wonders.
I received Nails Inc Glow and Grow Treatment as a gift a year or so ago, and haven’t looked back. One coat gives a barely-there sheen. Two coats offers more of a glossy clear pink (my preferred). It acts as a nice base coat too, and a little goes alone way.
Hard recommend.
🎁 Gifting
I’ve been in the habit of stocking up on bookish gifts when I’m in the mood to peruse and purchase but don’t feel I can justify adding to my own TBR pile. Instead I think about whose birthdays are upcoming, what they might like to read, and leave feeling incredibly organised, and happy to be supporting local bookshops (more on these further down!).
Today is also a special day for many of course - Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate, and most importantly to my own gorgeous Mam. 💐
She will be reading this, but perhaps not before she’s opened a secret gift bag I hid for her to find and open today the last time I was home. So without giving too much away, I’ve gone for a sweet treat (can never go wrong) and some things to wear/apply that will hopefully encourage optimism about the seasons ahead.
I also got her a bottle of that Nails Inc Treatment the last time I was back, as she mentioned her nails were in need of some TLC after a sunny but chilly trip to NYC!
🥗 Eating
On a sunny Sunday earlier this month, my partner, A, and I walked to King's Cross from our patch a little further north, to scout out a spot for brunch before running some errands. On venturing into Lewis Cubitt Square we were surprised to find a new (to us at least!) outpost of Mare Street Market.
Bagging a seat outside, in the glowing spring sun, we opted to share a savoury and then a sweet. First up, Huevos Rancheros with a nice bit of spice and laid out on a corn tortilla. I was worried I'd miss a bit of sourdough that is usually a staple of any brunch for me, but worry I needn’t as this more than sufficed. We followed up with berry waffles that were doughy and fresh and a delicious way to round off.
After parting ways for the afternoon to tick off our respective to do lists, we reconvened and very cheekily decided to also have dinner out, diverting to Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar on the walk home. I'd been once before and it was somewhere he'd wanted to try for a while. We were about 15 minutes too late to get 20% off (something they offer at non-peak times so worth checking that in advance), and also ended up over-ordering having apparently not entirely worked off the morning brunch.
The Malaysian fried chicken with peanut sauce was a tasty starter - the sauce alone I could have ordered a jar of! Then we each ordered a bowl of signature curry laksa, veggie for me, with tofu and aubergine, and chicken for A. We ambitiously got yellow coconut rice on the side too but didn't touch it. The laksa was as delicious as I’d remembered - and filling. We each took home half a bowl plus the rice which meant another dinner portion for me and a packed lunch for him.
I've no shame about doggy bags and in case you do, let this be encouragement to rid yourself of it!
A double-dine-out day is terribly indulgent but I did rack up over 24,000 steps that Sunday so I let myself off - and ensured a more frugal supermarket-shop-week ahead!
Elsewhere, with Ellie of
, there was dinner at Casa Tua - possibly my favourite Italian restaurant in London, for having become familiar with it through a friend when I first returned to London after university, and now with many many fond memories of eating and drinking there. The OG is in Camden but the King’s Cross option is equally lovely and a nice location tucked away from the busyness of the station area.On this night we had 50% off food (part of The Fork food festival) so both ordered a pricey pasta after a focaccia starter, setting the world to rights over a rich truffle tagliatelle. Delicious but a little on the rich side for me, I took home what I couldn't finish (again!) so A enjoyed a mini portion the next day too.
At home, I've been craving some hearty but healthy, colourful meals. This has included an everything anything curry, plus a green and orange warm salad with roast chicken.
For the salad I roasted a range of veg - kale, peppers, carrots, squash, broccoli - for roughly an hour, and separately the chicken for a little less, pouring over some oil left in a jar formally housing sun-dried tomatoes, plus thyme, salt and pepper. Once plated, I added some chilli chutney for an extra kick - and toasted sourdough on the side for good measure.
The ‘salad’ lasted several days, being mixed and matched with various other sides/mains/protein through the week. I'm a big fan of one tray/pot cooks and even more so of cook-once-eat-twice (or more!) approaches.
🎭 Visiting
On a solo day out this month I enjoyed an early morning Dharma yoga session at Waking Dreams, followed by a coffee-to-go as I took my newly stretched out body for a wander around Hackney’s Broadway Market before the crowds set in.
With homemade wares, delicious foods, and vintage garms, it’s a small but welcoming street market with something for everyone. The shops aligning both sides provide an eclectic offering too, including, not one, not two, but three(!) bookshops, which I happily allowed to make a dent in my bank balance.
The Broadway Bookshop was possibly my fave, with stairs descending into extra layers, including a cosy looking children’s cove, plus sections by country à la Daunt Books, as well as a great life writing section.
Artworlds Bookshop is one for design enthusiasts, with gorgeous coffee table tomes as well as smaller paperbacks, plus cool zines and artful magazines - the kind published just a few times a year.
At the top of the street there’s Donlon Books; a compact space with filled with everything from critical theory, counterculture, and rare titles, largely if not entirely from independent publishers. Interesting reads attracting interesting crowds.
Later I found an airy cafe in which to write and do life admin for a few hours, before having a walk along the canal then heading home. A nice way to while away a weekend day.
Last Sunday, A and I ventured even further east for a day trip to Southend-on-Sea. We fancied a day out of the city, and I’m always more drawn to the coast than the country. Despite grey and cloudy skies, and the town being out-of-season quiet, we enjoyed a stroll along the longest pier in the world (1.3 miles) and later a Sunday roast.
We didn’t venture into the pleasure park, or the ample number of arcades lining the seafront, but cuddly toys were there to be won and ice cream available for devouring (we opted instead for those hot, fresh donuts you only get at the seaside).
There were, unsurprisingly, the hallmarks of UK coastal towns having gotten increasingly run down over the years, relating to lack of investment and the struggle of seasonal industries. It’s a shame of course, with complex issues facing locals whether in Cornwall, Blackpool, or indeed Southend. But A and I felt optimistic that the pull of the sea will always be attractive, and in time the great British seaside might once again see the return of its glory days.
Back in London, and I finally got around to seeing the NAOMI In Fashion exhibition at the V&A. As the title suggests, the showing focuses on Naomi Campbell’s supermodel career, diving into her personal archive of incredible outfits, and iconic runway looks from over the years, as well as her relationships with other key figures in the fashion industry.
I’ve never been a major fan of Campbell, more because of media reports of issues in her personal life. As a teen I was captivated by her involvement in the the trials of former Liberian president Charles Taylor. The phone-throwing incident also stuck in my mind. The exhibition briefly addresses the latter, and how Campbell later took responsibility for her wrong-doing, but mainly focuses on the dress she wore on the final day of community service she had been ordered to serve as a result of the incident. The dazzling Dolce and Gabbana number was certainly a memorable media moment.
But personal life aside, her career has undoubtedly been groundbreaking, and she has broken down numerous barriers over the years, on the catwalk and in print, as well as using her platform to shed light on series issues in the fashion industry and elsewhere. This curation celebrates that, but the focus is on the clothes that have charted the career, and honestly for that it is quite the spectacle.
There are feathers and crystals and beads and ruffles. Sparkling one pieces and slinky bodycon dresses stand against fashion forward takes on a three piece suit - and even “PPE-chic”. The craftsmanship is a sight to behold and the opportunity to get up close and personal with something usually reserved for the red carpet feels special.
It’s only on a few more days, until April 6th, so if this sounds like your bag, get yourself down to South Kensington this week.
📚Reading
I’m on a good roll with books at the moment, prioritising reading time when I can, and if nothing else, as the last thing I do before sleep.
Notable mentions of late have been a re-read of
’s Committed, which I had my own reasons for wanting to dive back into, but also interesting to revisit ahead of her new release, All The Way to The River, coming autumn 2025.I took on board the hard-talking but supportive words in Brianna Wiest’s The Mountain is You, having picked it up randomly in a Moroccan souk last year, then prompted by a post from
to finally pick it up. Finding my inner peace, and a knowing that everything will be alright in the end, is something I’m trying to really foster this year.Outline by Rachel Cusk was an interesting read once I got into what she was doing with the structure, though it felt like one more suited to a sun-lounger for me - in a good way! - both to soak in Cusk’s literary ways, and the essence of a trip to Athens.
The one that’s had the most impact on me though is undoubtedly
’s Somebody’s Daughter. It’s sat on my shelf for a while, waiting for the pull, and I dived in ready to enjoy but found myself having to limit how many chapters I could get through in each sitting, for how her incredible storytelling made me feel. Reflective while making the reader feel in the action of the moment, as difficult childhood experiences were recounted, I struggled at times to persevere, but the beautiful and tender writing encouraged me to keep going. Both raised by single mothers with absent fathers, there were times when I felt I could resonate with Ford’s words, but ultimately the challenges she describes having faced are incomparable to my own life. That said, I felt I was learning from her along the way. Not always an easy read but certainly a worthwhile one.Elsewhere in print I’ve recently taken out a new subscription to the London Review of Books - over the years I’ve rotated between that, The New Yorker and Granta - and am enjoying always having a ‘paper’ to read.
Anything to share from your own Little Black Book this month?
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