Pyjama Post - January
Sunday 25/01/26
A pick and mix, of things worth sharing from the month gone by, lists and links, delivered to your inbox ready for a lazy, morning scroll while you’re still in your PJ’s.
Duvet Daydreams
This weekend I wish I was waking at The Old Tack Room, East Suffolk from Sand & Stone Escapes.
A beautiful, (dog friendly) space for two with the prettiest interiors courtesy of Design & That
Set within the grounds of a 10 acre family estate in Westhall village, it’s well positioned for the market town of Halesworth, Dunwich beach and surrounding woodland trails for walking.
There’s a weather proof pool and fire pit for use outside and deer, ducks and chickens roaming freely around the grounds. Heaven!
roam. recommendations from January. . . .
A TV Show
Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel. I rarely watch TV but this caught my eye and now I’m absolutely hooked. I first came across Interior Designer Banjo when I bought a book of his, A place In Scotland, at magical shop and gallery Bard in Leith, Edinburgh. This 6 part series follows Banjo and husband Ro as they leave the Isle of Mull behind and head to the even smaller island of Ulva to become the new custodians of historic manion Ulver House. Their mission is to complete a massive renovation on a modest budget to create a boutique hotel before Winter arrives. This includes re-instating electricity and running water, major repair work and ferrying everything over by tiny boat. I love Banjo’s imagination, rustic aesthetic styling and use of colour and Ro’s dedication to help turn those ideas into reality, they make a great team. If you appreciate design, nature and clever craftsmanship then this show’s for you. Grandpa the dog is also the sweetest!
A Film
Hamnet - Have you seen it? Did you love it? I adored the book so it’s always a tough act to follow with a film adaptation. I think it’s definitely worth a watch, the nature scenes are beautiful and the acting is brilliant but the book still has my heart!
A play
End - at The National. The final play in David Eldridge’s trilogy exploring love and relationships. (We hadn’t seen the first two but that didn’t matter) It’s finished now but I would definitely recommend it should it come to the stage again! Clive Owen played Alfie, an ex DJ facing terminal cancer as he chose the soundtracks to his life for his funeral service and shared them with partner Julie (Saskia Reeves) triggering lots of trips down memory lane. There was both laughter and heartache in this moving portrayal of a relationship that spans the years with a shared love of music. This was my first play at The National and I loved the intimacy of the setting.
An exhibition
David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse. A permanent display housing his vast archive of over 90,000 items, featuring original costumes, instruments, hand written lyrics, sketches, and more with rotating displays every 6 months. It’s also worth knowing that Order an object is an incredible, free service that allows you to book access by prior appointment to take a closer look at any participating object from the entire archives up close (For the DB centre in particular, 3D object bookings need 2 weeks prior notice, whilst paper-based items can be viewed by scheduling advance appointments with the Archives team for viewings on Thursdays and Fridays only.) The David Bowie exhibition is free but is ticketed to control capacity (and currently sold out). You can sign up to the newsletter here for future ticket drop alerts.
A podcast
Money Box on BBC Sounds - The latest news from the world of personal finance plus advice for those trying to make the most of their money. In the year where I’m determined to become more financially savvy, I have been enjoying dipping in and out of this on my walks to work.
A Substack
Old World London by Skye O’Neill “is a fortnightly journal about the parts of the city where its older layers are still visible—in the brickwork, street patterns, façades and small architectural survivals that remain tucked among the modern structures around them. It’s for readers who enjoy close looking, who find interest in the quiet details of place, and who appreciate photography that captures atmosphere rather than spectacle.”
Books
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman - a chapter a day, 4 week guide, to doing what counts by embracing limitations and learning to relinquish control. I feel that I already share some of the views suggested within these pages, whilst others have really given me food for thought. His first book and best seller Four Thousand Weeks will be on my reading list going forward. (and yes, unbelievably, that’s the amount of weeks you’ll see if you live to be 80! Doesn’t sound enough does it?!)
Wintering by Katherine May - a memoir about the power of rest and retreat at challenging times in life and how we can draw inspiration from the healing powers of the natural world.
Beauty
Trilogy Fresh Blend Revitalising Hydra Mask - “A unique double-chamber mask innovation that lets you freshly ‘pop & mix’ skin nourishing oils into a serum-infused biodegradable sheet mask.” Super hydrating, it leaves skin plumped and glowing. Outside of Substack, one of my career hats is Holistic Facialist so I’m picky about products and very impressed with this sheet mask, a nourishing pick-me-up for dry Winter skin.
Lisa Eldridge Kitten Lash Mascara in shade Burnt Umber - Smudge proof and water resistant yet still easy to remove with my regular cleansing oil. I love the shape of the brush and the warm brown hue makes a nice change from black.
Nature
January has been a month of making the effort to fit in early morning, frosty walks for coffee, the very best way to start the day. Especially beautiful along the Thames path, house boat chimneys puffing.
roam. radar. . . .
See the snowdrops at Welford Park Berkshire
Catch Danish artist Anna Ancher: Painting Light at Dulwich Picture Gallery (came highly recommended from one of my salon guests!)
Buy yourself flowers, it’s officially tulip season at Smith & Munson and they have some of the most beautiful and unusual variations available.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you discovered something new!
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Hx
Always lovely, I like the look of that mascara and always want to stay where you want to!