A Short List Of Things Bringing Joie
What I've watched, bought, worn, eaten, read and lusted after this month, including Highland cows, cosy coats, expensive lemon sorbets, vintage swans and James Norton. Well, a bit anyway.
Life is going quite well here in York now that we have moved into the City Centre. Without sounding dramatic (although as we all know, I am prone to being dramatic), it has sort of changed our lives. After having only the local BATA petrol station and its limited selection of emergency purchasing options (think, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Nescafe Original and packets of 12 Fairy Non Bio) within short walking distance for the last ten years, being able to access virtually anything that we want within moments is inexplicably exciting. The boys need a haircut? The local barbers is a three minute walk. Supermarket shop? It’s a ten minute stroll to Morrisons and twelve to Waitrose. Quick drink at the pub before lunch? Less than a minute and you can be propped on a stool in front of the fire with a large glass of Sauvignon and a packet of Pipers. Yes, life is good. As is my step count, which has more than quadrupled since we picked up the keys.
I was hoping that Buddy’s step count would also improve during this transition to City life. I had hopes that he would transform into one of those dogs that just casually goes everywhere with their owner, sauntering along with not a care in the world, looking cool. I saw my friend Frankie on Instagram a few weeks ago (she lives locally to me) take her dog into LONDON on the train. Absolute goals. But no. Anyone who has ever walked Buddy will know that he doesn’t really like to walk. He likes it for the first three minutes, but then realises that you’re not stopping. It starts small, with a stop to sniff the wall, followed by a quick wee against a tree trunk. To start with, I’m patient. But then, he just stops. The sort of stop where the only way I can get him to continue is to physically drag him on the lead - risking immediate arrest by the RSPCA - or worse, PICK HIM UP. No one, I repeat, no one has time for this sort of behaviour. One day, I’ll get him further than the City walls but I’m not holding out much hope.
Right, back to the good stuff and my list of Joie, which has been quite extensive in this first rather chilly few weeks of 2025. Here’s a little run down of what I’ve watched, bought, worn, read, eaten and lusted after.
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