"These are a few of my favourite things" ... of 2024.
A round-up of some of the best things from the year - TV, food, knitting patterns, personal evolutions and more - NO SPOILERS, just recommendations don't worry!!!
Welcome! If you signed up to my newsletter purely to find out when I’m going to put my Land Before Time APs on sale, I’m afraid this is STILL not that email, but I am hopeful I’ll get my act together in the new year on that front.
No, this is a newsletter about my favourite things of the year. I’m not sure if anyone is going to read this, but I thought it would be fun. At the very least it’s a nice memory for myself of the year…
… so please scroll fast or skip if it’s not for you.
FAVOURITE FILMS WATCHED
Going to try keep this short so I can yack on about TV. My favourite films of the year all came from January & February - a lot were films that were released in 2023 but only made it to the UK in early 2024.
The Holdovers - Alexander Payne
The Zone of Interest - Jonathan Glazer
The Taste of Things - Tran Anh Hung
Perfect Days - Wim Wenders
FAVOURITE TV SHOWS WATCHED
This one is hard for me because TV is one of my greatest loves. When I’m not working, I’m watching TV. I’m a TVaholic and proud. TV has to fit into one of the following three categories for me to enjoy:
“Heartwarming, makes-me-believe-in-humans-again, soothes/fixes-my-soul” shows
“Brilliant, clever, intriguing, gripping” shows
“Absolute garbage, numbs-the-mind, calms me and makes me feel better” shows
My top 3 are all from the first category because those are the ones I want to, wholeheartedly recommend, but also because I felt like I needed some soul-soothing this year and a reminder that humans can be good. (Although I’ll list a few other favourites from the year too below).
Shrinking - Season 2
Season 2 of Shrinking is out and even though there’s still two episodes to be released it’s making the top 3 of the year.
This show is a gem … it could so easily be preachy but it’s not. If you haven’t watched Season 1 yet and don’t know anything about this show, it’s essentially a bunch of people with very real flaws and very real issues, trying to deal with a myriad of personal problems, relationship issues, trauma, through the lens of therapy that is so joyful and heartbreaking, and that drops nuggets of pure gold advice and life lessons as it goes without making it feel like it’s been rammed down your throat. Whilst the characters are often arseholes, say the wrong thing, and become “too much” for their neighbours/friends/family they are all so incredibly likeable because we see the good in them, we see where they’ve come from, why they act the way they do, how they apologise, how they learn.
The characters that appear to be the “good guys” make mistakes. The characters that may appear to be “bad guys” are revealed to, surprise, be human too - with their own worries, regrets and trauma … and crucially kindness.
This show is the reminder the world needs that we are all human. Watch the opening credits, even the theme tune song is wholesome.
A Man on the Inside - Season 1
A Man on the Inside looked like it would be fun and maybe that was all, but BY GOD, it was another soul-soother that set the world to rights. After watching the first episode, I found out it was by the creator of The Good Place so my bad, of course it was going to be good.
PS. My main takeaway from this show is that I better earn enough money so I can afford to live in a fancy, fun retirement home like this one day when I’m old and even more of an eccentric artist lady.
Nobody Wants This - Season 1
ADAM BRODY.
MORE GOOD PLACE OVERLAP WITH TEENY GODDESS KRISTEN BELL.
THIS IS THE ROMANTIC COMEDY I’VE BEEN WANTING FOR YEARS.
IT IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR for my nervous system to have a show about love where there are NO moments where all of a sudden the love-of-their-life gets hit by a bus or where the entire narrative suddenly revolves around someone who is slowing dying from some horrible illness. WE DON’T WANT THAT HEAVY STUFF 2024, WE DON’T WANT IT. (says the girl who has been pitching a film about grief, loosing a grip on reality and a serial killer). WE WANT EXACTLY WHAT THIS SHOW IS.
Can the TV gods please listen to me when I say that every evening I want to watch Adam Brody and Kristen Bell have a normal relationship filled with ups and downs that are on a normal scale that allows me to relax and breathe calmly, before I drift off into a dreamless sleep. THANK YOU! Thank you.
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There was of course other great TV this year …
Other shows I enjoyed:
Arcane (NETFLIX) - I’ve still got 2 episodes left but I’m pacing myself because it’s glorious
Shogun (DISNEY+) - beautiful, dramatic everything
Masters of the Air (AppleTV+) - I'm a MASSIVE Band of Brothers fan, I’ve watched my DVD boxset too many times to remember now so I’m always on board for some WWII heart-in-mouth moments.
The Penguin (NOW TV) - I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying this show! I’m itching to draw Sofia Falcone.
Silo, Bad Sisters and so many more shows have returned and I’ve just not got to them yet. EEEK
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A final mention of the two shows that have kept me sane this year when I couldn’t find anything else I wanted to watch: I’ve been binge-watching Law & Order SVU and The Gilmore Girls, both of which I haven’t seen before and it’s been great. Gilmore Girls is the hot chocolate of TV shows and I’m all about hot chocolates this year.
FAVOURITE THING I ATE
I ate this on Monday and can’t tell you if it’s won because it’s just in my head and I’ve forgotten everything else I’ve eaten this year, or because it’s genuinely the best thing I’ve eaten. It’s not something I’d usually like and not something I’d usually pick on a menu, but I was intrigued, and Matt was sharing it with me so the stakes were low.
Coconut Creme Caramel, Lime Leaf Soy, Ginger Shortbread @ NOPI
It’s a dessert folks. The savoury person picked a DESSERT. I think the soy helped to give it that salty, savoury edge that I like, so that could be why a dessert won me over. The restaurant also thought it was my birthday (which has strangely happened a lot to me this year but I’m not complaining) so there was a candle in it.
In the end I wish I had got my own and didn’t have to share - we even let my parents try it too, so even fewer morsels of heaven to enjoy.
FAVOURITE NEW STYLE THING
Colourful dressing!
This year I’ve tried to be bolder and braver in wearing things that I’d usually be too scared to wear. I wanted to go bigger with colour, and try patterns and pieces that usually I’d never try together. I’ve had panics a few times after I had already left the house, that required getting pep-talks from friends in order to progress with my day … but I did it!
Some of the proof:
I even got blue glasses this year - a colourful upgrade from my previous black pair. Both pairs are by Anne & Valentin.
I realised how happy it made me to experiment! I pranced along the street in a bid to force myself to be confident even if people looked at me in a way that I couldn’t tell was complimentary or because I looked a bit bonkers.
That purple dress with the neon orange top, green shirt and space buns - a rainbow explosion that made me such a joyous person to be around all day (fueled by newly acquired ADHD medication).
The little blue knitted pixie hat with bobbly ear bits - so painfully cute I’d normally avoid it like the plague, but that’s why I love it so.
Red tights paired with clothing that has bows on it or heeled shoes - FAR TOO GIRLY I wouldn’t have dreamed of it this time last year, but now I’m a little christmas elf spreading christmas cheer - hooray for me.
Dressing for happiness is the best. And 2025 is the year of worrying less what people think so I don’t have to force myself to be confident, I just am.
FAVOURITE KNITTING PATTERN
I’m almost finished with my favourite jumper of the year and want to share the pattern with you. The Nordic Mix Sweater by Laura Dalgaard!
If you’re into knitting you’ve probably already seen it - I feel like everyone is making it ahah. Anyway, it’s been so fun to do some colour work (even if my tension is all over the shop) and I want to edit the pattern to make my own design next, so we’ll see what I can come up with.
You can buy this knit by click here to go to Laura’s website.
FAVOURITE PEACEFUL MOMENT(S)
My favourite peaceful moments were thanks to my doorstep cat who I believe is called Mrs Twiggles.
All summer she’d laze on my building’s front step and I’d often be on my way to lunch and stop to sit and stroke her for ages - a few times I sat there for over an hour. On hot days she’d crawl over and curl up under my legs in my shadow to get some shade. I love her so!
She gets extra favourite points because whilst I sat with her I’d often end up talking my neighbours as they came and went from our building. I had lovely chats with my elderly neighbour about the front garden that was her late-husbands pride and joy (the awards he won for it are in our entrance hall) - I got to know a lot more about her, and help her with a few things. I got to know my lovely neighbour Jay (who has now sadly moved) much better, which was also a treat.
Every time I got up from sitting on the front steps, to go back to work, I’d feel so light. It was amazing how fulfilled and happy I felt after these moments. It showed me that slowing my day down, stopping for a moment, interacting with this little cat and my neighbours did me a world of good... that even though I’m a bit of a lone wolf I need people, and or cats, to ground me.
FAVOURITE COFFEE HAD
This place has become our second home this year. Every time we walk into town for coffee we autopilot here. And it’s not just for the great coffee! The owner James is a wonderful human who we’re always so glad to see and have a chat with. We’ve started to see the same customers over and over, striking up conversations that mostly revolve around dogs or very cool glasses (that everyone who goes there seems to have). There are extra points for great music, and the cookies and banana bread by James’ partner are incredible. If you’re ever in Brighton you should check it out.
If you don’t trust me, look at their SWWEEEEET 5 star reviews.
FAVOURITE EVOLUTION TOWARDS BEING A WELL ROUNDED HUMAN
Learning to be an Extra-Adult
… extra, as in additional, not over the top.
It’s not a secret that I don’t want to have children - it’s just not the right path for my character and who I am (an ambitious career-orientated woman with ADHD, PMDD and suspected Autism that she is reluctant to get officially diagnosed) and would be a terrible idea for myself and for any children I created. However, I decided to fall in love with someone who has two! When I sit here now and think about myself when I first met my partner just over 3 years ago, I was surprisingly unperturbed by the two children part of his life … I think if I had been asked about how I would feel before I met him, I would have assumed I might have been freaked out or at least apprehensive, but I’ve not once felt like that …
… and that’s not because I’m great at this. I AM NOT. I’m not a mother - I think I’d be an awful one ahah - but I am a friend and I am a responsible but bonkers-silly adult in their lives, who brings out the chaos in them (sorry Matt). And of all the children my partner could have brought along to our relationship, they are bloody great ones - THANK THE UNIVERSE. I think I’ve felt calm about it all simply because it has all felt “right” and because my partner is my person through and through.
This year I attended both the girls’ birthday parties:
one I was very much “in charge” of which was fairly overwhelming as it was in a very loud, over-colourful bowling alley with a bunch of 9 - 10-year-olds but I DID IT
and one where I was dressed as a rat getting mauled by 5/6-year-olds dressed as a cat, a bat and various spooky witchy things
It was at the latter that I realised who my peak audience is … whilst adults might not find me funny, 5 year olds find me hilarious.
So, my favourite personal evolution of this year is settling in to being an extra-adult … From attending their birthday parties, to starting to learn how to be a serious “don’t do that to your sister!” adult, to learning (but not yet even remotely mastering) how to ignore my exhaustion/grumpiness/annoyance-for-Spidey-and-His-Amazing-Friends and putting on a brave face for them.
… I guess I’m in training for the dreaded “stepmom” title, which I find gross and hope I’ll be something cool like “Royal Advisor” or “Fairy Godrat” instead …
The best part is that even though this isn’t something I ever imagined to be part of my life, I’m doing it my way and doing my best. I now exist in a weird middle world where I don’t understand mothers at all, but also am the only person out of all my friends that has kids in their life, so there’s no guide book, I’m just doing my thing. God damn it, maybe I’ll even become less selfish as a result and no longer be able to aspire to be some mysterious, old lady who lives in a big house on a hill who children think is a witch.
FAVOURITE BREAKFAST YAMMED DOWN
Enough of that soppy stuff.
Let’s go back to food!
Best Breakfast: Hands down, Bacon Naan Roll and unlimited refills of Chocolate Chai at the Permit Room in Brighton (or at any Dishoom venue!).
I couldn’t find any of my own photos of it so enjoy this image from Google. I’ve tried to avoid pork and beef as much as possible this year because I love pigs and cows and don’t really want to eat them anymore (ex-vegetarian who struggles with morals a lot) but I have to make the occasional exception and this breakfast naan is one of them. There’s cream cheese in it, and chilli jam, and it’s just SO delicious.
If you’re not able to visit Permit Room or Dishoom you can make it had home as the recipe can be found here.
PS. I am rather partial to the Bun Maska Chai too, which is essentially a buttered roll to dip in your chocolate chai … salty, sweet deliciousness.
FAVOURITE BOOK READ
I didn’t do much reading this year. I unfortunately have a brain that isn’t great at setting apart time for reading or being able to concentrate on a book when I do - what I need is a holiday where I devour books like last year when I went away for 5 days and read 4 books and had started a 5th.
Anyway, I did read one great book and that was, no surprises, Butter.
It’s Waterstones’ book of year so you’ve probably already read it - this newsletter is full of incredibly mainstream suggestions and I’d apologise if they weren’t all so great.
It’s all my favourite things - Butter, Japan and Serial Killers. Well, I’ve gone off Serial Killers because earlier this year I started to live in a constant state of anxiety about when I was going to be attacked, kidnapped or murdered so had to take a break from murder podcasts, documentaries and dramas, BUT I can read about them without suspecting everyone I pass on the street at night is out to get me…
If you don’t finish this book and immediately make a bowl of steaming hot rice and let a piece of butter start to melt on it, but not fully melt, before you eat it with the perfect drop of soy sauce on, then I don’t think we’d be friends.
Other than that I’m re-reading the Silo trilogy of books because I’m obsessed.
FAVOURITE THING OF 2024:
I bought a home! Just me. No help. Just me the little old artist. I saved up my money and I bought a home! Small brags because we’re conditioned from a young age to believe artists don’t make money, but fingers crossed I keep making money so I can now pay my mortgage and keep a roof over my (and Twigs’) head.
The best thing about buying my home was that I had already lived here for 3.5 years because it was the property I was renting! So no moving, no having to outbid other people, no estate agents - what a dream.
FAVOURITE HUMAN & ANIMAL I’VE SMOOCHED:
matt & twigs obvs.
matt also made a best things post, which is considerably better written and makes me want to throw this pile of garbage in the sea - you can read it here.
BYEEEEEE x
what a lil slice of Heaven! Happy New Year. ;)
Loved this!