This is my first moments of calm post of 2023, not because there haven’t been any calm moments up until now, more because I have been so calm I have taken a little bit of time to re find my writing mojo and have forgotten to write these posts!
Bookish Days
January is always a good reading month for me I have almost read six books already this year, and I am rarely calmer than when I have a book on my lap. With the short days and cold nights, lost in the pages of a book is my favourite place to be. I have a rather grandly named ‘reading chair’ in the corner of our dining room. It was bought in a Heals sale many years ago, so it is now quite old and is shedding its buttery leather skin. It is positioned next to a covered radiator with a shelf which is home to a reading lamp, a set of fairy lights, some candles and a jug of pine branches left over from our Christmas tree. These are decorated in home made clay stars! There is also a changing selection of books, and usually those which I am dipping in and out of. At the moment I have a copies of The Almanac – A Seasonal Guide to 2023 and What Writers Read by Pandora Sykes. From my reading chair I can see my book cases piled high with books I have mostly read, an an old typewriter I used to use before computers came along and a recently hung picture my husband bought me from christmas. I love this view and sitting in this chair with a cup of tea, a candle flickering beside me and my latest read has been my calm place in these early weeks of the year.
Afternoon Cinema
January also lends itself to films and the cinema. I am still a fan of the big screen and love to see films in that way if I can. There is something very indulgent about going to watch a film during the day and it always feels like a huge treat on the rare occasions I do this. Earlier this month on a particularly cold Saturday afternoon I went along to one of my favourite places to watch a film, the screening room in the depths of The Sea Containers Hotel along the Southbank. This swanky hotel has a lovely screening room which is used to show films at the weekends. It is an intimate venue and one I am always reluctant to share the details of as I love its secrecy. With temperatures below zero and the air bitingly cold outside we hunkered down to watch Empire of Light starring the brilliant Olivia Colman, my favourite Colin Firth, Toby Jones and Michael Ward. Directed by Sam Mendes, this is a love letter to cinema, a portrayal of racism in the 1980’s and a celebration of human friendship love and loyalty. I thought it was breathtaking, moving and tender and Olivia Colman’s performance was heartbreakingly good. I was completely absorbed in this film from beginning to end barely moving except to extract tissues from my bag to stem the flow of tears!
Have a wonderful week filled with moments of calm
