Recent joys from a well-loved winter
With spring on its way, here is a summary of my winter joys
I debated writing a monthly ‘favourites’ for some time. Much, in part, to the absolute joy it is to receive a monthly diet from Katie Merchant’s blog, thank you, ok, which always has me thinking about the things that have moved me, in my own world. Monthly favourites has been a form of content I’ve consumed from the myriad youtuber’s I’ve watched since a very early teen. How lovely it is to reflect on the month past and focus on lovely things that have come out of it.
Following my last post, on thoughts for the year ahead, I longed to continue joyful habits I had already picked up at the end of the year. Seeing the new year more in terms of season, which, only recently I had realised December being the very start of winter, helped me roll into 2026 in a much more calm fashion. From old Cher movies to a framed postcard, here are some of the joyful things I experienced in what has become a favourite winter to date.
Home additions
Cherry blossoms and magnolias are starting to bloom in London and despite my hayfever allergies being at their worst this time of year (has anyone else’s eyes been extra itchy this season though?) any sighting of pastel pink is something to be grateful for after swathes of grey.
In February, I popped into Choosing Keeping, a favourite spot in London and a guaranteed must do for anyone travelling to the city. I am always particularly drawn to their postcard + greeting card offerings (I am a sucker for paper based goods) and this time was no different. Right by the entrance, was a stand of Japanese silkscreen postcard by Japanese small business and new source of inspiration, Dimanche. I chose a very sweet postcard featuring two girls, in similar style to Madeleine, walking up a pathway underneath a cherry blossom tree painted in the most delicate nature. The text, in French, reads, ‘Under the cherry tree in full bloom’. From reading their website, Dimanche began in 1992 with a particular focus on creating a little letter in postcard form of the restfulness a Sunday brings. I particularly liked their reasoning for having postcard text in French… “I think French is the most beautiful word in the world, so I capture it as part of the picture…the picture will come to life like an accent colour”. I look forward to collecting more of their postcards.
A favourite exhibition this winter was Hyakko: 100+ Makers from Japan, at the Japan House (you must go!). Every exhibition I have ever been to at the Japan House has been a delight, not only for the excellent range of material on show - a lot is packed into a relatively small exhibition space - but also the curation of such a breadth of research material; text panels are free from jargon and accessible. I have included some photos from the exhibition below:
The Japan House shop is a particular place for pilgrimage to. Inside lies a full array of Japanese wonders from mirins, to ceremonial matcha ceramics with a rotating number of items to coincide with exhibitions. On this trip, there were a number of household goods from cleaning brushes to soba noodle bamboo drainers but it was the fabric ‘dusters’ that took my eye. Like a feather duster, the fabric dusters are to whip away light amount of dust - however, the functionality of these particular dusters may be a little amiss. Fabric is sparse yet the different fabric strips chosen (all off cuts from other textile projects) make for something much more lovely to look at, than use. I chose a madras-like fabric and have hung my duster proudly on the side of my wardrobe, next to another brush from Japan - both too wonderful to use for their potential intended purpose. I also picked up a tenugui cotton cloth with a sweet chrysanthemum print, also to hang.
Weekends away
I took two trips away in February. One, to see my partner in Glasgow, and two, to visit my best friend in Liverpool. A shorter month meant February feel like I was almost always away from London and on return from the second trip, it took a little while to settle back into city life. However I always love my time away, getting the chance to see new settings and catch up with my nearest and dearest. I spoke about my Autumn in Glasgow in a recent post (always a favourite season in the city) but winter is a far more severe climate which called for burrito dressing as I like to call it - hat (covering the ears always), wool scarf (ideally tucked under coat for chest warmth) and gloves on the second you leave the door! My February trip was mostly spent working (I can luckily work remotely for a number of days per year) but I enjoyed seeing the signs of spring popping up through Queens Park which, in my opinion, has some of the best snowdrop laden fields I’ve ever seen.
Liverpool was just as chilly, but a cozy time was still had. After a trip to the bakery, Camila and I visited Sudley House, the home of Victorian merchant with a particularly good taste in paintings. However, something that caught my eye was the wonderful family photographs taken in very early 1900’s of the family.
The grounds of Sudley House, compete with Queens Park with spring bloom appeal. A stretch of ground near the entrance was completely bathed in crocuses - I was enamoured. See below, a feast for the eyes!
March so far has been a hazy ease into spring, but the thicker layers have started to come off and the transitional dressing has begun. Tea with a friend, a flea market and a volunteering afternoon at a community garden are all in the diary over the next few weeks. I look forward to writing on my early spring moments soon.
Thank you for reading <3