Monday 31 May 2021

the perfect weekend!

What a weekend I had! I mean, it’s Monday night and I’m still smiling under the influence*! 

The weather finally warmed up, the sun was shining brightly, nature is in springtime without any doubt and my mood could not be better! It started already on Friday, with a nice afternoon walk in one of the parks close to my house with my dear friend S! Just to put us in the weekend spirit which it did marvellously! And as we were walking, the idea popped up to walk to a nearby town and have lunch there on Saturday, together with his husband, the three of us! And the next morning, laundry left for latter (duhhhh...), we met and walked and chatted and even if we did not make it to that town (turns out, we could walk there but coming back by foot was a bit... challenging), we had the most lovely lunch at the cafeteria of a modern art museum, situated in a gorgeous park! The museum is closed (cue COVID...) but the park, the views, the food, the weather, the company above all, it was all perfect! And on the way home, I treated myself to some ice cream (ok, just sorbet, but still).

And then on Sunday I met with my other closest friend M! She came over to see Luci and then we went for a walk, again in the parks, and when we got tired, we came back to my place. I made us some G&Ts and a “midnight pasta” (google it, it’s worth your while) which by the way is excellent for any other hour of the day and we finished our meal with some strawberries with whipped cream (a delicious vegan version of it actually, perfect for my... bad relations with lactose) and a nice chilled late harvest I had in the fridge! Could it get any better than that? Yes! Because after M left, I took a heavenly nap on the sofa, cuddled by my weighted blanket, a recent acquisition that actually works wonders against my anxieties and stress! 

And to top it all up, last Friday the last episodes of season 5 of “Lucifer” dropped on Netflix! You see?? I mean, if that’s not a great weekend, I don’t know what is! I feel so grateful, my batteries are charged, I’m relaxed and ready to face this week that’s... well... a tad tricky. But after this weekend, this “better than shoes” weekend, I’m cool! I’m good to go! And I’m looking forward to the next one! Oh! I’m even going to the hairdresser! Niiiiiice! What more can I ask for? 

*and the influence was helped also by the fact that, today, I spent a couple of hours at S’s garden after work... I’m a lucky woman! 

Saturday 29 May 2021

“FRIENDS”

Last night I watched the special, reunion episode of “FRIENDS”... I had been reading about for, well, forever... and although in the beginning I was sort of nonchalant about it, as the time passed I became more and more interested... and when a few days ago my bestie M (my adopted “little sister”), who knows me very well, texted me that it would be on TV last night, I made sure I remember to watch. I mean, I interrupted my “Lucifer” recap for it, that I was doing in preparation to watch the new episodes that came out yesterday! I was THAT interested! 

And I watched. And I liked it more than I had thought I would. It was nostalgic and sweet and, oh, so funny! And not cheesy, no! Rather down to earth, real. Now, let’s get a few things straight about “FRIENDS”: is it the best sitcom ever? No. That’s “Seinfeld”. End of discussion. Has it aged well?... I mean, yeah, some of the jokes we now know that were not the most appropriate ones but, hey, now we are woke, back then we were not. And it’s a good thing we are and we can identify these things. But that’s it. For the most of it, personally I’m not offended. I’m too busy laughing! I mean... Chandler flipping the lid of the dish washing liquid open to be ready to fire against Joey’s stalker knocking on the door... priceless scene! Pure comedy gold! I’ve watched it like 43 times and it still cracks me up!

So, not the best sitcom, not the most politically correct. But, blimey, it sure is an iconic one! I’m a bit younger than the cast (only a bit) but if I could pick one TV series I can say “I grew up with”, than this is the one. No, I did not exactly grow up with it, I was in my early twenties when it aired, but it feels like I “grew up” with it, like I became an adult with it! And, to me, watching it is like eating pasta! Comforting! Reassuring! Delicious! When I’m sad, when I’m overwhelmed, when the world feels too much, it’s my go-to thing to watch. And it lifts me up every time! It’s the first thing Luci and I watched together. It’s the one series I never watched with a boyfriend! Word! It’s all mine! And my friends’! And no matter how I see it, it’s “better than shoes” and it will always be for me. And... we will never be on a break. 

Saturday 8 May 2021

scent of an era...

I have been feeling a bit low lately... sad things have happened, not enough happy things have happened and I seemed to have misplaced my usual optimism... probably due to the wardrobe/storage room spring cleaning, who knows... poor Luci was running around frantically, could not understand why all my coats and jackets were piled up on my bed for a whole morning! So, anyway, I was not at my best. My go-to solution would normally be a new pair of shoes but I was not falling in love with any... and then it hit me: I needed a new perfume! A new scent to mark the beginning of spring and guide me to my rebirth... or lead me to it by my nose...

I have always loved fragrances! Since I was a child, I thought having a bottle of perfume was the ultimate luxury and I still remember my first one! It was a Christmas present when I was 17, “Paris” by YSL, and admittedly... I can’t stand it now! Rose is certainly not my thing nowadays... but at the time, I felt sooooo grown up, so pampered and special when I was wearing it! Since then, even at times when my pockets were dangerously empty like when I was at uni, I would strive to have a bottle of perfume, even if I only wore it on special occasions. And over the years I have tried many scents and I have truly fallen in love with some of them that I wore for years! 

But nothing like this last one! I ordered it having only tried it from a tiny sample but even so, I knew I was going to love it! Though... I did not know I was going to adore it! And I really do! “So... which is it?”, you would ask... and how could I not share?! It’s “Un jardin sur la lagune” by Hermès! It is the most addictive perfume I have ever smelled, it is mysterious and simple, fresh and complex, light and lasting, hopeful and happy and unforgettable, it is a scent I cannot describe exactly, certainly not roses, but one that has enchanted me! It’s like a story, an experience... a warm feeling long gone, the memory of which lives on... I can’t have enough of it! I mean, I wear it at home even when in sweatpants! And, honestly, I can’t wait to wear it out in the open, having a drink with my friends on a terrace on a warm spring evening! Things start to look up, my friends, I am being cautiously optimistic about this nightmare of the last year (and a half...) coming to an end, and I feel I have chosen the right scent to mark the new era that is about to start! “Better than shoes”?... yep! 

Ps. Perfumes are a veeeeeeeery personal thing and in case you try this one and go “meh”, keep trying until you find the one that is your “better than shoes” scent... or not... who am I to tell you what to do?!...