#39 The Offcuts
New films, catchy songs and embracing winter
I have a confession. After a brief hiatus from pastry eating this morning I walked to my beloved Pophams to secure their weekend special, a creme filled speculaas bun. 10/10 phenomenal, reminded me of the Biscoff Krispy Kreme donuts. I had planned to go swimming this morning but the universe had other plans. I trust in the process.Â
Okay time for another non-fiction break. No I’m kidding, but not really because my next read is going to be Mother Daugther Murder Night by Nina Simon. I need my fiction fix and I need the luxury of my Kindle when reading in bed. I did love The Body Keeps the Score. It was so insightful into the relationship and importance between our mental and physical health. I want to keep up a better balance between fiction and non-fiction moving forward, but a humorous mystery is currently calling to me.Â
Other things I’ve read:
Where are all the dating app love stories in film, TV and literature?
Why the Guardian is no longer posting on X
My personal soft spot for Glen Powell persists
For me it’s still too soon to settle in and stick on a Christmas film but the right time is fast approaching. Of course you can’t beat the classics. I cherish my Barbie in the Nutcracker DVD. However there are some new films coming out this year that I can’t wait to watch. First on the list is Chad Micheal Murray in Magic-Mike-esque The Merry Gentlemen. Lindsay Lohan’s revival got her a starring role in the Christmas film Falling for Christmas two years ago and another, Our Little Secret, is set to grace our screens. And the Father of Christmas himself Richard Curtis is gifting us with the animated That Christmas too. What a treat.
Children do really bring the magic to Christmas. When I was little, I couldn’t wait to get started on my wish list for Father Christmas. Of course, various shortlisting methods were applied, by which I mean the Argos catalogue got a thorough reading back to front and was attacked with biro circles around everything I wanted. RIP to the Argos catalogue and all the joy it brought.
I’ve had the song Mother Ate by Jane Bell stuck in my head this week. I remember first listening to it because I choked when heard the line ‘crazy how the very first sin was a woman who ate’. I shall say no more.
I need someone to help me rank all the cinemas. I went to see The Heretic at The Odeon on Tuesday and it was one of the top three worst seats I’ve ever had. We even treated ourselves to premium because the tickets were 2-4-1 but we needn’t have bothered. The chair stopped halfway up my thigh and I’m not a tall person. My knees were entirely unsupported. And the back of the chair wasn’t even high enough to support my head. Imagine having to support the weight of your own head during a two hour film? I think it’s gotta be Curzon or nothing.
There is a lot we can learn about our relationship with winter from the Nordic countries. Hygge, a word used in Danish and Norwegian, is the epitome of cosiness and embracing the cold weather with joy. There is no direct translation into English that can encompass the singular quality of hygge. I love the fact that some words or turns of phrase exist in other languages and don’t have exact translations. It’s the true beauty of words. It’s fascinating that around the world we attach different meanings to them. One of my favourite phrases is from Japan. ‘Koi no yokan’ is the feeling that falling in love with someone you’ve just met will be inevitable.
